Very rarely will someone buy a pickup with a great towing capacity and never tow. Otherwise, just buy a smaller truck. If you’re not going to tow much, opt for the Silverado 1500—why spend money on a towing capacity you won’t use, right?
Chances are, if you’re looking at a truck like a Silverado 2500/3500, Ford F-250/F-350, or Ram 2500/3500, you’re looking at it because of its power; you’ve got equipment to haul, and you need a truck that has what it takes.
TOWING EXPERIENCE
When I received Chevrolet’s invitation to fly out to Bend, Oregon, with a guest who was “inexperienced in towing,” I knew the brand had something to prove. Sure enough, the event included an obstacle course where guests used the Silverado’s new suite of trailering technologies to dodge traffic cones while towing a load. Unfortunately, canceled flights didn’t allow my guest and me to run the course, but from what I understand, few cones were harmed.
The next morning my guest and I took off to nearby Mt Bachelor in a 2500 HD LTZ with a 6.6-L V8 gas engine. We were hooked to a 12,000-lb load and sent on a loop around the base of the mountain. Full transparency, this was my first experience towing. I’ve since towed using other trucks, but at the time I had no previous experiences to compare to this one.
With that being said and with the knowledge that the 12,000-lb load was very much on the high-end of what Average Joe would haul, I didn’t have an issue with the tow. Yes. I was a little too cautious. Yes. I drove fairly slowly. But I thought the Silverado to be very capable of towing a heavy load around a mountain at a high altitude.
That was until I towed with the 6.6-L V8 Duramax Turbo-diesel.
DO IT WITH DIESEL
After completing our loop around the mountain, we switched to a Silverado 2500 HD with a diesel engine hooked to a slightly heavier load. Compared to the gas engine, the diesel pulled the haul as if it were attached to a trailer filled with feathers.
The diesel we drove had the High Country trim—the top tier of Silverado trims. Its interior was classy, yes, but its technology suite was better. An impressive 15 camera views allowed me to see everything behind me, beside me, and even what was in my trailer. But I’m most impressed with the “transparent trailer view,” made possible by installing available cameras on your trailer. This allowed me to see if a car was coming up in the lane beside me or if there was a car cruising comfortably behind me.
This truck—both the gas and diesel—was built to tow. But a little advice… Do yourself a favor. Opt for the diesel.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Find out more about the 2020 Silverado 2500 HD, visit www.chevrolet.com.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS:
OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE
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