Need a new truck

[Nicculi]

Hey all,

I'm in need of a new tow vehicle for my 2019 Sprinter 297fwrls. I currently have an 02 GMC 2500 duramax. I'm looking at a 2016 GMC Denali 3500 duramax with 68k miles, and a 2013 Silverado 3500 duramax with 60k miles. I can get the 2013 for about $8k less. My wife and I like all that the Denali has to offer, and prefer it over the Silverado. That being said, I understand my payload capacity should be higher with the lower trim package on the Silverado. Is there any reason why I should spend more money on the Denali aside from comfort and trim level? Any known mechanical issues between the 2? I know all the service history of the 2013, and know the owner. The Denali is at a dealership..

Thanks for any input

[chuckster57]

These kind of threads are hard to give a good answer. There is more to consider than just the price and trim level. If its been "rode hard and put away wet" then it may not be worth the price at all. Maintenance records are a wealth of knowledge. I personally would want the higher payload, you never know when you might decide you want a newer and bigger trailer.

[travelin texans]

The Denali is 3 years newer with about every bell/whistle standard so naturally more money. The '16 will also have a bit more hp/torque than the '13 plus much quieter ride.
Honestly you can't go wrong with either, the Duramax/Allison is tough to beat, but ultimately your decision.

[ChuckS]

Both have the LML engine ... I believe and of course the Allison 1000 transmission. Either is a power house.

I would like the HID projection headlights that were new for 2016 model. A few other additions as well for 2016 over the 2013.

You’d be happy with either I believe. I own a 2007 Suramax SLT 4x4... awesome truck over last 11 years.

[ChuckS]

Which ever you choose do your self a favor and service the transmission and spin on filter. No need nor does Allison recommend replacing internal filter. And DO NOT let anyone power flush your Allison.

What I recommend ....

https://dmaxstore.com/products/?route=product/product&path=12_149&product_id=61

Also drain and refill the rear differential with Amsol severe duty synthetic gear lube.

The above items will give you a good peace of mind regarding the drivetrain package.

[terrythetech]

I was looking at a few trucks last year online as the 5th wheel camper we bought was on a seasonal lot in Wisconsin and we plan on becoming snowbirds this year. When I was looking at various trucks I looked at GMC and I read that the Denali needed a gooseneck adapter in order to pull the 5th wheel. I also read that some 5th wheel manufacturers will not honor a warranty if it is pulled with a gooseneck adapter. I will be looking again soon but I was disheartened by that 1 issue. I would much rather not use a gooseneck adapter. the other models do not need that adapter. Must be higher sidewalls in the box or a deeper box in the Denali.

[Nicculi]

I'm leaning towards the Silverado due to price and service history. We'll see what my wife says when I take it home for a test drive this week. Thank you for all of your input. As far as the gooseneck situation goes, I believe that is due to the factory option of a gooseneck prep. There are a few ways to get around that. Andersen is an option. (With varying opinions)

Thank you

[travelin texans]

I was looking at a few trucks last year online as the 5th wheel camper we bought was on a seasonal lot in Wisconsin and we plan on becoming snowbirds this year. When I was looking at various trucks I looked at GMC and I read that the Denali needed a gooseneck adapter in order to pull the 5th wheel. I also read that some 5th wheel manufacturers will not honor a warranty if it is pulled with a gooseneck adapter. I will be looking again soon but I was disheartened by that 1 issue. I would much rather not use a gooseneck adapter. the other models do not need that adapter. Must be higher sidewalls in the box or a deeper box in the Denali.

There are numerous 5th wheel hitch options for any brand of truck other than gooseneck & the Silverado nor the Denali are no exception.
If either truck has the gooseneck turnover ball then the B&W Companion hitch is a great hitch, towed 60k+ miles with mine. I've never used the Anderson hitch & still on the fence as to whether I ever would, they appear a bit lightweight for a 16k+ 5th wheel. Just my .02 cents!
As far as bed side heights I think Ford's & Ram's have more of an issue with this than the GM s, at least that's the way most forums read.

[Northofu1]

Parts for a Denali will be more expensive when it comes to future repairs, after you look at service records, cost, options, etc., what it also comes down to is how much is it going to be driven. Are the Denali seats upgraded to heated buckets whereas the Silverado might have a bench? Depends on what options you feel you would really benefit from. Good luck with your choice.

[Nicculi]

Parts for a Denali will be more expensive when it comes to future repairs, after you look at service records, cost, options, etc., what it also comes down to is how much is it going to be driven. Are the Denali seats upgraded to heated buckets whereas the Silverado might have a bench? Depends on what options you feel you would really benefit from. Good luck with your choice.Silverado is a highline LT, leather, heated seats etc... Denali has heated and cooled, with heated steering wheel(I have cold hands). Denali has larger rear view screen. I prefer GMC styling. A friend at work has the Silverado since new, I do the maintenance on it. Denali appears to have been garaged and only used as a freeway flyer(bed and body show almost no wear). Neither have 5er hitches or rails.

[Northofu1]

Cool, didn't know it was a high country. I prefer GMC as well, less tinny. If that makes sense. You might just have to rock paper scissor it. lol

[rhagfo]

Silverado is a highline LT, leather, heated seats etc... Denali has heated and cooled, with heated steering wheel(I have cold hands). Denali has larger rear view screen. I prefer GMC styling. A friend at work has the Silverado since new, I do the maintenance on it. Denali appears to have been garaged and only used as a freeway flyer(bed and body show almost no wear). Neither have 5er hitches or rails.
Love the heated steering wheel on our Laramie. No hitches, but does either have the factory puck system?

[Nicculi]

Love the heated steering wheel on our Laramie. No hitches, but does either have the factory puck system?No, no pucks either, will have to install something. I currently run a b&w turnover, and an Andersen

[notanlines]

Nick, I would recommend installing the factory puck system yourself if that is the type hitch you choose. Plenty of info on youtube.

[rhagfo]

Nick, I would recommend installing the factory puck system yourself if that is the type hitch you choose. Plenty of info on youtube.

X2
I would have done the same it if that was the only missing option on an otherwise perfect truck.

[travelin texans]

No, no pucks either, will have to install something. I currently run a b&w turnover, and an Andersen

Personally I'd do the same again, then if you ever wanted/needed to tow a gooseneck you're ready.

[rhagfo]

No, no pucks either, will have to install something. I currently run a b&w turnover, and an Andersen

Personally I'd do the same again, then if you ever wanted/needed to tow a gooseneck you're ready.

Even more reason to install the factory puck system, totally flexible the Andersen will attach to the GN ball and at resale you have the pucks.

[Nicculi]

Even more reason to install the factory puck system, totally flexible the Andersen will attach to the GN ball and at resale you have the pucks.Ok, so now, pros and cons of b&w vs factory pucks?

[KYFamily]

i don't think you can go wrong with either. Same motor so same HP and Torque. The GMC is nice and is newer plus it will still have the Powertrain warranty. However, you know the history on the Chevy. This is a tough one. I probably would go with the GMC.

[cookinwitdiesel]

Personally, I test drove both a 2018 High Country as well as my 2018 Denali, I preferred the Denali styling a lot more. My understanding, the the Denali has about 330# less payload than a lesser trimmed vehicle. Matters more at the 3/4 ton size than a 1 ton most likely.

For 5ers, a SRW 1 Ton is still going to be limited to the smaller trailers, the big ones all need a DRW.

Folks have mentioned adding the factory puck system after the purchase, for the life of me I have been unable to locate anything but the Reese offering that is only compatible with their hitches. Where can I obtain the OEM puck system for aftermarket install? One of the only things I wish my 2500 had.

[vampress_me]

Ok, so now, pros and cons of b&w vs factory pucks?

I will be interested to see what other have to say. Just in case anything can make me change my mind before we order our new truck.

For me, I could have ordered our current truck with the puck system, but I prefer the B&W turnoverball. We had had it installed in our previous truck when we got the Cougar, and really liked it. Our next truck (basically same F-350 except DRW) is also going to be ordered without the puck system. I still prefer my B&W for both gooseneck and 5th wheel towing (and, boy oh boy was I switching between the two last summer!). I’ve played with a Reese hitch, but just prefer the B&W Companion. I know I won’t have the in-bed plug, but don’t have it now and don’t see ever saying “dang I wish I had that”. I may also be slightly biased since we have the B&W RVK3500, so I can just re-use that in the next truck and only need to buy the turnover assembly.

[JRTJH]

Lynette,

If you really want a 7 pin connector in the bed of your new truck, CURT Hitch company sells one for about $70. It's as simple as drilling a 2.125" hole in the sidewall of the bed, unplugging the connector at the back of the bumper plug, installing the new harness plug and replugging the OEM connector to that. If you decide to do it, take a look at the new Ford trucks to get a good idea for the location of where to drill. There are some clearance issues if you locate it too close to the tail light and/or too high on the sidewall.

If you were here, I'd give you the harness. I took it out of my 2010 F150 and it's been hanging in the garage since then. Here's the link to the CURT wiring harness: https://www.curtmfg.com/part/56080 The installation instructions are at the bottom of the webpage so you can see how easy it is to install an "in bed connector".... Don't forget to order the "insulator kit" for installation on aluminum truck bodies, without it you will probably get some galvanic corrosion with the steel bolts that hold the plug to the sidewall. It's on the webpage linked above.

[notanlines]

Diesel, your friendly GMC dealer parts girl will be happy to sell you four of these. Etrailer may also.
Try this as an example: https://www.etrailer.com/p-RP30868.html

[hornet28]

Crawl under your truck at the front of the bed on the drivers side the wiring might be there for wiring up a 7 pin plug. It was on my 02 Silverado and my 07 GMC

[Nicculi]

Personally, I test drove both a 2018 High Country as well as my 2018 Denali, I preferred the Denali styling a lot more. My understanding, the the Denali has about 330# less payload than a lesser trimmed vehicle. Matters more at the 3/4 ton size than a 1 ton most likely.

For 5ers, a SRW 1 Ton is still going to be limited to the smaller trailers, the big ones all need a DRW.

Folks have mentioned adding the factory puck system after the purchase, for the life of me I have been unable to locate anything but the Reese offering that is only compatible with their hitches. Where can I obtain the OEM puck system for aftermarket install? One of the only things I wish my 2500 had.I too prefer the GMC styling.

I have seen puck systems on etrailer.

[rhagfo]

You can buy the OEM from the dealer, I believe for most the price runs about $400.

[Nicculi]

Well, I did it, signed my life away this evening. I went with the Denali. Man is this a nice truck.20592

[Northofu1]

Congrats :D

[TJO]

Well congrats that is a nice looking truck.

[rhagfo]

Very nice, enjoy!

[cookinwitdiesel]

Very nice, don't sweat the mileage, it is barely broken in.

[notanlines]

Very nice, very nice! You’ve joined the diesel club, mileage doesn’t matter. You probably will never hit the 300-400k that beast should go.

[cookinwitdiesel]

I meant miles on the car, not fuel mileage. Nothing beats a diesel when towing.

[notanlines]

Actually I did too, just poorly worded on my part.

[Local150]

Knowing the owner and a savings of 8000,, even thought it's 3 years older says a lot to me. Will the dealer tell you the previous owner of the Denali ?

[Nicculi]

Knowing the owner and a savings of 8000,, even thought it's 3 years older says a lot to me. Will the dealer tell you the previous owner of the Denali ?I inspect and repair used vehicles for a living. I was able to see the carfax history, and the condition of the Denali sold me. After driving the 2013, I realized I would need to immediately do tires and alignment, it also didn't have some of the creature comforts that my wife and wanted. It is a nice truck, but I realized it wasn't the one for me

[TJTx]

I just traded my ‘05 Silverado Duramax with 218k miles last week for a 2017 2500HD Z71 crew cab Duramax. It only had 14k miles in new condition. The new L5P is amazing and is a night and day difference towing my Alpine 3401RS over my old LLY. I always keep my cruise set at 65 with my old truck running at 2200 rpm. The new truck is running only 1600 rpm with tow/haul on. I also love the integrated brake controller.

[rhaney]

I have a 2018 Sprinter. My data plate says gross is 11,600 and pin weight is 1690. I pull with a gas burner F250. My gross tow weight for the F250 is 12,400 and my cargo bed capacity is 2,300 so I am well under on tow weight and pin weight for my truck. The important thing is to stay under your trucks capacity. The new F150s will actually tow your Sprinter with out any problem and be under the new F150's capacity, especially, if you don't have your Sprinter grossed out with extra weight that you really don't need. I have the F250 with a B&W Goose Ball and I have a Reese Goosebox on my Sprinter. I pull my Sprinter and my cattle trailer on a goose ball. The Reese Goosebox is the only goose ball hitch that will not void the Lippert warranty. I am on my 3rd Ford truck, not counting cars (5), Expeditions (3), and a Aerostar (1). My first new Ford truck, a 1990 Ranger, is 30 years old (got it in 1989) and has 293,000 miles on it. It is my go to truck for driving around town and on the farm. The 2008 F150 I had before the current 2017 F250 had 127,000 miles on it and was 10 years old. I listed it for $9,000 on Craigs List and had 3 guys biding on it. I finally sold it for $11,000 to high bidder. I've had lots of offers on my Ranger but it is not for sale. It is all original and is going to one of my grandsons. I had a Chevy once but was always working on it. I am a Ford man but you need to go with what you like just remember to have more truck capacity than the trailer you are pulling.

Hey all,

I'm in need of a new tow vehicle for my 2019 Sprinter 297fwrls. I currently have an 02 GMC 2500 duramax. I'm looking at a 2016 GMC Denali 3500 duramax with 68k miles, and a 2013 Silverado 3500 duramax with 60k miles. I can get the 2013 for about $8k less. My wife and I like all that the Denali has to offer, and prefer it over the Silverado. That being said, I understand my payload capacity should be higher with the lower trim package on the Silverado. Is there any reason why I should spend more money on the Denali aside from comfort and trim level? Any known mechanical issues between the 2? I know all the service history of the 2013, and know the owner. The Denali is at a dealership..

Thanks for any input