Upgraded to a 2500 Silverado

[Ivy]

Thank you everyone on this site for the wonderful information posted.

When we bought our Hideout 28 BHS we were told by the dealer (at Camper City Buford, GA) that our 2007 F-150 would be the "perfect" tow vehicle to haul this load across the US. The camper's dry weight is posted as 6726. The Ford site says that the max towing capacity for this truck is 8300. I wanted to believe him. The truth is we wanted this camper. The floor plan is exceptional and the thought of the 4 of us (plus 2 dogs) living in a camper full time, we really wanted the extra space.

So long story short we bought the camper and then tried to upgrade the truck to be able to carry the weight. Why? As my husband says "because the truck was paid for". We added a Roadmaster active suspension, Bilstein shocks/struts, and Michelin 10-ply tires. And biased on what I learned from this forum we got the Scanguage II to monitor the transmission temperature.

A couple of days ago we went out for a test drive. I have most of what I want to carry already loaded so we knew we were within a few hundred pounds of what our actual weight would be. First stop was the local dump to see what we weighed. 15000 lbs total and just over 8000 lbs without the truck on the scale. I knew right away we were in trouble. We were at towing capacity and were 1000 lbs over payload capacity!

My husband wanted to believe that the upgraded suspension would be able to handle it. So the second test was to go over a mountain and see how the motor/transmission handled it. I know you guys out west don't think we have real mountains here in the east but the mountain we drove over was about 8 miles of 8% grade. The motor did great but the transmission quickly rose to 237 degrees and it was only 78 degrees outside (wonder what would have happened if it had been 95 degrees out side ). My local transmission guy told me not to let the transmission temp go over 240. We pulled over let it cool to normal temperature and then made our way back down the 8% grade. Everything went a little better coming down but we were having to use the brakes a little too much for my taste. I could imagine doing that for 30 plus miles.

We made it safely home unhooked and went straight to the Chevy dealer.
And this is what we found.... 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab 6.6L V8, Diesel. I now have a Jake brake, Allison transmission, side curtain air bags and a brand new hefty payment. We would have shopped around for a later model but we are leaving in 13 days and we had to have a fiberglass bed cover to protect work related stuff.

Moral of the story never trust a salesman no matter how bad you want to believe them. If you want the truth ask those who are doing what you want to do.

Thank you again guys for giving it to us straight!

[Javi]

Congrats and safe travels

[GMcKenzie]

You and your hubby made some very good decisions in your testing and did the right thing in the end. Very smart of both of you.

Congrats and enjoy everything (except the payment).

[JRTJH]

We are staying home this weekend to let the "downstaters" have the campgrounds (and we will start our "weekend" on Tuesday morning), So today was a "garage sale" search kind of day. As we were going from "sign to sign" looking for that perfect thing to buy ????? We came across a house with a 2013 Cougar XLite 26SAB beside the garage and a new F250 diesel crewcab sitting in front of it. As my DW was looking at "trinkets" I started talking to the DW. When I mentioned his new truck and how nice it looked, he commented on why it was sitting there. Seems his salesman told him the same thing, his truck, a 2013 F150 EcoBoost was "perfect" to tow that trailer. They were in Windsor Canada (across from Detroit) coming back from a trip to Niagra Falls in early May and as they started across the Ambassador Bridge, the truck stopped pulling and smelled like something was burning. They shut it off, got towed off the bridge and finally wound up at a Ford dealership where the transmission was "declared DOA"...

To make a long story short, he left his F150 there, hitched the new truck to his Cougar and came home. He related there's no comparison between the two and even though he was "promised" he wouldn't have any troubles, he was left on a bridge between two countries with a "busted truck" and a trailer in tow.

So, as "unsettling" as it is to have a hefty truck payment, if it keeps your transmission temps in check and your "personal temps" in check, it's probably worth every payment.....

Congratulations on the new truck, enjoy it and have a safe, uneventful trip.

[Western Traveler]

Gee, that is pretty much the path I took though I didn't have a salesperson lie or mislead me.
Many of us here discovered after purchase of the TT and money on upgrades to the TV it would have been better spent on a down payment of a new TV.
Sounds like you made the right choice.
We sure feel we did.
Enjoy the new toys...

[BobnLee]

I have posted here before about the same thing. I have a 26SAB but going over the mountains I did not have enough truck with the Ford F150. I now have the 250 diesel and although its a lot more money I dont even know the trailer is there. Its a nice feeling to know you dont have to worry about your tv. when your are going down the road.. Weighed the truck and trailer on the MTO (Ministry of Transport) scales and the total weight of both truck and trailer were 16,100 lbs.

[concours]

Make sure that you put some miles on the new truck in order to let the rear differential break in see the owners manual. After working as a tech and service manager for many years I have seen too many diff failures because of no break in. Enjoy the new truck it will serve you well

[MarkS]

Originally Posted by concours

Make sure that you put some miles on the new truck in order to let the rear differential break in see the owners manual. After working as a tech and service manager for many years I have seen too many diff failures because of no break in. Enjoy the new truck it will serve you well

Interesting, I thought the break in was for the engine.

[Ivy]

Originally Posted by concours

Make sure that you put some miles on the new truck in order to let the rear differential break in see the owners manual. After working as a tech and service manager for many years I have seen too many diff failures because of no break in. Enjoy the new truck it will serve you well

Thank you so much for bring up the break in period. I hadn't thought of it. Right now I am at 150 miles. It shouldn't be too hard to put the rest of the miles on before we leave.

[michol02]

Hi Ivy, I was in the same situation. I had a 2010 GMC 1500. I put air bag, E rated tires, shocks, and a HD receiver hitch. My TT weighed in about 9200 lbs and tongue at 1200+ lbs? It did ok on flat land, but struggled on bridges. It wouldn't have made it in the hills or mountains. We are on vacation in Branson now, and the 2500 did great in the Arkansas mountains(they might be hills, but they look like mountains to a Cajun). The "Jake brake" did great on the steep downgrades. We averaged 17.5 mpg in La on the flat roads, and 11.2 on the hills. Good luck , I think you will really enjoy your new 2500.

[GaryWT]

I had a 150 and all was good but I went looking at 350's. The Ford dealer tried to sell me a 150 Ecoboost instead as they thought I could afford it better. With the sales person and business manager sitting there, I explained payload and towing to them and they had no idea what I was talking about. all they kept saying is ya but it can tow 11,300 pounds so it is not just the RV dealers that don't get it.

Good luck with your truck, trailer and your journey.

[Ivy]

We are 10000 mile into our trip and I can't give enough praise to the truck. From the rough pavement in the northeast to the crosswinds and steep grades in the northwest. I defiantly wouldn't have wanted a lighter truck. Yesterday we crossed into Oregon from eastern Washington with long 6%+ grades, 102 degrees temperatures and wildfires everywhere. The tranny temp never got above 165 degrees.

On a side note it also has the most comfortable seats I have ever had the pleasure to sit in.

[Kristi]

Glad to hear you are still lovin' it! Safe travels!