towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

[badbowtie]

I currently have a 05 1500 chevy 4x4 that had the 4.8 that towed okay but installed a 6.0 for the extra power. I am going to sell my truck and will buy a 98-2000 chevy 3500 dually crew cab 4x4 it has to be all that, but trying to decide between the 6.5 turbo diesel or the 7.4 gas I will also be going with a automatic. I would like to hear mileage people get with both motors and also I was trying to locate the towing capacities of each. Some day I would like to buy a two car or three car trailer that will be a goose neck but that is down the road. I would love to buy the duramax but am not forking out the money and don't want the monthly payments. I would love to see how well both tow from people that have them or have had them. Also what kind of mileage people have gotten on both of these motors before they need to be replaced. I know it matters how they have been treated.

 

[wifisher]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

Diesel. Will outpull gas anyday. 98-2000 vintage though, I do not really like the chevy diesel. Cummins(dodge) or international(ford) if I'm getting those years. I don't know much about the mileage of the 6.5 diesel, but the 7.4 should get 10ish. And will drop if loaded heavy.

 

[Monte1961]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

here is what i can tell you, i have a 454 cid Bow Tie Block in my 36' motorhome witch weights in about 13.500lbs dry. Gets 10 mpg. now when fully loaded we will say between 18 and 20.000lbs and pulling a trailer, usualy the boat,! i get 6.5 to 7.0 mpg. dont know if that helps? and thats with a turbo 475 tranny. Dont be confused, its actually a turbo 400 only with a few modifications.

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I have seen were people are saying 14-20 on the 6.5 unloaded and I am not a fan of the ford or the dodges. I am really leaning towards the 6.5 truck but would love to hear some feedback with people that have towed 6000-9000 with them how well they will pull and towing capacity of them.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

my dad has a 2000 chevy 3500 duallys 2 wheel drive quad cab i believe its the 454. 7.4 vortec not sure on gears i can pull my 91 sundowner 225 like its not even there as well as a 34 foot traveltrailer dont even feel it. as for milage we get 8 mpg doesnt matter city highway or pulling steady 8. it was in an accident i believe we got more before that. basically tottald but first estiment was low and the bill grew... only been handful of times that 4x4 would have been nice but we've never been stuck yet. also note, with dualys you get less milage and almost impossible to weight the back end down enough for wintertime we accualy store it for winter and he drives his minivan because truck slides to much.

as for the desiel my friend has a chevy 02 duramax 2500, he claims 18-22 mpg, 18 pulling, 22 highway unloaded obviously with desiel you can pull anything but to repair a duramax your looking at one hell of a bill if you cant do it.

 

[444]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

If you're buying it just for towing, do yourself a favor and get a diesel. The 7.4's can tow okay, not as good as a diesels, but those 454's sure love their gas. The couple people I know that have had them stopped driving them except for when towing because of the horrid mpg.

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

fuel is not a big issue I only drive once a day if not every other day down to town since I work from home. Which is about 12 miles round trip and the lake I tow to is only 7 miles away. I am really thinking I want the 6.5 what kind of miles are these trucks getting before they are really needing major motor work.

 

[TyeeMan]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I hope this doesn't post twice, , almost done with my reply, accidentally hit some button and it dissappeared.
Any way, I have a 02 GMC 1500HD Crew Cab with the 6.0L. Basically it's a 3/4 ton rebaged as a 1500. Unloaded on a good day I've gotten 13.75, pulling my 26 foot enclosed snowmobile trailer out west with 4 sleds in it, basically about 6000 lbs I get 6.5 and can't find a gas station fast enough. She really pulls well though, , not sure if I'd want the 6.0 in a one ton dually, even the Duramaxes lose mileage when fitted into a 1 ton dually.
Well, everything I've read and heard says to run away from the 6.5L, they may get ok mileage empty but once you load em up about all they do is make a lot of noise and smoke, , they are not heavy haulers. Then there's the reliability factor.....
What I here around the campgrounds and from the snowmobile guys, if you want a diesel, the best bang for your buck will be a 2000-20003 Ford Power Stroke. Gobs of power (for that era) and super reliable, Xs 2 for the Dodge with the Cummins. The Durmax in that era was super quiet, powerfull but they had a bad time with injectors. Typical repair bills run 3-5K for a set of injectors. BUT, any and all diesels save the 6.5L will cost you a bunch extra initially, then there's the extra costs associated with maintenance.
Check out these two web sites; GM-Truck.com do a search for 6.5L diesel. Then go to it's either 62,65 Diesel Page.com or just Diesel Page .com. You'll get some info but if you really want all the good stuff I think you have to buy a subscription. Any way it's a very comprehensive web site about all things GM diesel.
Have you thought of a GM 1 ton dually with the 8.1L (496 cui) big block? Literally almost the same power as the Duramax, fuel mileage will be about the same as a 454 but with more power. If you play your cards right you could get a 1 ton dually, 8.1L with an Allison tranny, , that my friend would be winner winner chicken dinner.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I have an 03 2500HD 4x4 with the 8.1/allison combo. I was staying out of this as the OP didn't ask about the 8.1, but figured I'd weigh in after TyeeMan brought it up. Mileage unloaded (3.73 gears) is right around 10 - 12. Drops to 8 - 10 if I have the plow on the front. Heaviest I've pulled for any distance is my landscape trailer with a mini excavator (11000 lb combined) and got about 6 mpg.

It has torque, will probably pull down a house - but it's not snappy like the 454's (or even 350's) were. Mileage goes to the crapper when towing much of anything.

Given the original choices, with the added info that you don't drive it much and really don't tow with it much - I'd stick with the 454. Heck, for your stated use (only 7 miles to and from the water), I'd take a 350 over any of them. I towed 13,000# (yes, severely overloaded, not smart, do as I say - not as I do) 140 miles once with my 95 K2500 with a 350 and manual trans. It did just fine. I'd give anything to have that truck back.

Just my opinion.

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I know the 350 will pull I have a 87 3500 dump truck that I have had my trailer with my tractor on it and got a load of gravel in the bed and crossed the scale at almost 18K truck empty with no trailer is only 6500. But it has the 4spd and pulled great. I have found a 2000 crew cab dually 4x4 with the 6.5 in it with 71k miles and they are wanting to trade me but I also need some cash my way for the trade. I am going to go look at it tomorrow and test drirve it and see what I think about the 6.5 I have only drove the older ones with no turbo.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

Just for the heck of it how about telling us what you plan on towing with these monster's.I have an 04 Dodge Ram 4x4 Quad Cab Hemi (5.7) ThunderRoadand I tow a 24 ft. Pontoon boat. I get 13.5 towing. My truck will pull anything you put behind it.

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I have a 28' camper that weights about 7k and my boat that weights about 5K I also pull a car trailer with something on it that is about 6-7k I every once in awhile whill pull more. I also am going to buy a two car car trailer to tow two street rods twice a year some day. I really want all the extra room of a crew cab I also want the capacity to do what ever I want to do.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

Just my thoughts but, I think your looking for way more truck then you need.

Yes I know that sounds funny.

We have a 04 2500 HD Crew Cab 4x4 with 6.0 gas. Towing capacity is 9,900 lbs.

If you don't need a dually then there isn't much use in buying one. They are just more problems, money to spend and have much less traction.

If you don't need a 3500 why deal with the ride quality. A nice big comfy cab is a good thing but if the suspension beats you up???

Besides you really want an International Crew Cab w/ DT466 and Spicer 6 Plus!

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

International crew cab with a 12spd would be fine with me but prefer peterbilt I have class a cdl's.
I have never heard of dually's that get less traction I am buying 4x4. I also think I do what a dually if I am going to pull a gooseneck wedge trailer with both cars and trailer will be right around 10K

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

My dad had a 97 Suburban 2500 4X4 with the 7.4, and it was a Vortec (295hp 410ish lb/ft torque), with a 4.10 rear end with the heavy duty 4sp auto. It got 10mpg on flat ground non towing. It got 8mpg pulling what became my Chaparral 2135 cuddy cabin. It got 6mpg towing his Sea Ray 268 Sundancer and his Chap Signature 27.


The 6.5 turbo diesel is a "joke" compared to the Duramax, and just about any other diesel engine.
From Wikipedia, but it's pretty accurate:
Displacement: 6.5L / 397 cu in
Bore x Stroke: 4.06 x 3.82 (in.)
Block / Head: Cast iron / Cast iron
Aspiration: Turbocharged (Borg-Warner GM-X series) Also available naturally aspirated.
Valvetrain: OHV 2-V
Compression: GM Early 21.3:1, GM Late 20.3:1, AMG/GEP Marine 18:1
Injection: Indirect
Power / Torque (lowest): 180 hp (134 kW) @ 3,400 rpm / 360 lb?ft (488 N?m) @ 1,700 rpm
Power / Torque (highest): 215 hp (160 kW) @ 3,200 rpm / 440 lb?ft (597 N?m) @ 1,800 rpm
Max RPMs: 3,400

Interestingly, that entry also says that the 6.5 was never intended to compete with the Cummins or the International engines. Read the whole wiki entry, it's interesting.

 

[rbh]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

^^^^^^^^^^^ YUP

Stay away from the 6.5!!!!

If I needed a hauler, boat, camper, garbage ETC get an old dodge with a cummins
(non electronic engine)

Second choice ford 7.3 turboed, don't waste your time on the non turboed from the late 80's and early 90's. (you shouldn't turbo the early ones, you take out the con rods)

 

[scrambler45]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I owned a 7.4 suburban with 4.10 gears and it pulled well. I think one of the major drawbacks is the tall 1st gear in the 4l80e, but once it gets going it is pretty good. I towed a lot of firewood, probably close to the max rating a few times, and also at 75 on the interstate with a truck on my trailer a few times. I would say I never got below 8 mpg even when towing heavy. I drove 3 miles to work each way and I got 6 mpg. Pretty hard on fuel milage. My wife did not like that Suburban with over 180k miles, so we upgraded to a 2002 with the 8.1 engine. It is a huge difference in power. It has 4.10 gears as well and a 4l85E transmission. Still has the high first gear, but truly is an animal. I can get 14.5 mpg at 65 mph, and when loaded pushing hard I get about 10 on the interstate at 75 mph. I had a 3/4 ton crew cab on the trailer and could set the cruise at 75 on the interstate and just plain haul. The whole vehicle is just much nicer from ride quality, to cost of ownership. The 8.1 has very few problems compared to the 454. I bought a 2001 crew cab with the Allison in Feb. It has 3.73 gears, and the 8.1. That is an awesome combination. I took me a real long time to find a crew cab 8.1 Allison but it was definately worth it. By the way, there is no way I would ever consider owning a 6.5 diesel period. When I hear the clatter I run. Look for a 2001 or 2002 8.1 Allison. It will be hard to find, but I think will be exactly what you would like.

 

[made in china]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I have some experience of driving a 1998 Chevy 454 Dually crew-cab while towing a very large toy hauler full of toys..I forgot the specs on the toy hauler but it had 4 quads, 5 or 6 dirt bikes, and when converted into a RV, it was a very big setup, 3 axles, full shower, full kitchen, etc. I am sure it was well over 10K pounds with all the gear on board. We would drive it from AZ to the dunes in CA. Our buddy tagged along in his 7.3 powerstroke F-250 pulling a trailer half the size.

Here's what I remember: The 454, even with a bigger, heavier trailer could outrun that powerstroke. And going up hills it could maintain 75 mph! The powerstroke couldn't hang. As for MPG's, I don't recall as back in those days gas prices were not a concern. Only problem for that trucks were the brakes are mediocre and would warp all the time.

If you are specifically looking for that year dually you can't go wrong with the old 454, it won't let you down. Of course, newer trucks (and the truck payments that come along) will perform better, but I would put my money on a simple, older-tech 454 truck as being a better overall value to maintain and own. We have a 2011 F-550 6.7 diesel at work, and to work on the motor the cab needs to be removed. It's worse than my Nissan Titan, the Titan requires the front clip to be removed. I didn't know it could get worse than that, but it does! I wouldn't want one of these newer trucks when they are a decade old....that 454 would be a cinch to work on.

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

I have been busy all weekend on the boat I have not had much time to go out and look at anything. I have gave it some more thought about the 6.5 and done some more reading some like it others just say it is junk. I talked to a guy today that had a 2000 3500 dually crew cab since new with the 6.5 at the launch ramp pulling a tri axle trailer with a nice baja on it. He loves his and says his race car trailer is 42' enclosed and said it tows great. But I have also gave some thought about going with one of the 454 trucks just since parts are always cheaper on gas than diesel. Just would love to hear some real fuel milage from the guys not towing running 70 and the guys towing 6-8k towing 70mph.
I have done a bunch more reading and am thinking about trying to find a 6.5 truck that is a great deal and if I have a problem with the motor I will pull the motor and just do a 6.0L gas motor swap in it. That way if it is to expensive to locate a 6.5 I could always do that.

 

[badbowtie]

Re: towing with chevy 7.4 , 6.5 , 6.0

Well went camping and boating all weekend but I have found a 03 2500 hd with the 6.6 and I have also thought about the fords with the 6.0 or the 7.3.