Opinions needed on Tow truck - Diesel or Gas?

[Glenn J Coleman]

WOW, I have a similar set-up and the exact same problems. An 83 1 ton Chevy dually with a tired 454 (nagging exhaust manifold leak) pulling an 86 42ft Chapparel. With both cars in I think I'm loaded at 13,000 lb.s I have considered a 454 HO crate package from GM Performance or just rebuilding the stock motor into a stump pulling tq. monster. But with interest rates in the dirt, you can sure make a case for driving home a new truck.

Please post how you resolved your situation.

[Chevy454]

Glenn:

As I mentioned above, I've been in your shoes. We had a '91 Chevrolet 3500 crew cab with a 454/auto/4.10. At that time we had a 44ft gooseneck that weighed 9K pounds empty. After we munched the 4L80E a couple of times, we upgraded to a special heavy duty 4-speed manual with a gear splitter attached that Moparts had in his shop. This helped a lot, but I wanted more so on went a Paxton and a full dual exhaust running through headers. While it ran like a scalded ape, it necessitated a 110gal. auxillary tank in the bed of the truck in addition to the dual 20gal. saddle tanks. MAJOR gas hog. We then upgraded to our crew cab TopKick with the 3116 CAT diesel and haven't looked back. I will NEVER go back to a gas rig to tow with.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Good info, keep it coming, many of us are looking at this same debate - somebody factor 'the wife' factor for me I don't know if mine will agree to a crew/dually/diesel! I need to bring my car to the one and only SuperCar Reunion and race

[JChlupsa]

[ QUOTE ]
I need to bring my car to the one and only SuperCar Reunion and race

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn now THAT sounds GOOD

[Chevy454]

M:

Let your WIFE get behind the wheel of one...I couldn't keep my wife out of my dually, and I caught heck for selling it! I still get grief about that...

[COPO PETE]

I too am looking at purchasing real soon. What's the differnece in braking with a 3/4 ton vs a 1 ton????? A dually would be nice, but Im thinking just a crew cab chev with the Duramax. Are they really getting about 17 mph just driving around without a trailer on????
Peter

[hvychev]

[ QUOTE ]
I need to bring my car to the one and only SuperCar Reunion and race


[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmmmm.....now thats an idea....

[NWYENKO]

we towed our Deuce to the reunion (4200 miles round trip), averaged 12.5 mpg at 65 miles per hour with our 2002 2500 HD Duramax Crewcab. Absolutely loved the truck. Traded it in on a new 2004 2500 HD Duramax. I drive it to work daily and get 15mpg, Would rather drive it than the wife's 2002 Acura 3.2TLType S.. The Duramax gets about 3-4mpg better than the 6 litre. Jim

[Mr70]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I need to bring my car to the one and only SuperCar Reunion and race.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmmmm.....now thats an idea....

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes....Yes that is.

[Pantera]

My truck is a dually 454 with TH-400 auto and a Chaprall sleeper on the back window. It was used by a SCCA vette racer and we took it to the west coast one time and he had a 3 wheel 42 chapparall and it weighed 25,600 according to Arizona when we went through there. That was with only one 3,300 lb corvette and some spare motors and such. Have you ever weighed your rig? That seems too light to me.