new truck advice

[EricR]

this is a long explanation but i will try to keep it short.  I currently haul 12 footers for firewood with a international 4700 low pro dump with a 21,500 lb gvw which gives me a pay load of 10000 lbs.  my daily driver has seen better days and am looking to upgrade and am wondering if i can cut down to 1 truck for both daily driver and work.  i am a gm guy and through research i see that the gm 2500 hd  4x4 with 6.0 gas engine ( cant really afford the extra for a diesel)can haul  a 13000 lb bumper pull trailer.  the 6 ton trailers i see weight a little over 2000lbs so i would have roughly the same load capacity. So my question is stick with the international or go with a truck trailer combo.   would a 3/4 ton truck hold up to hauling this weight every day for 30 or so miles or, would the gas engine be too slow, or  should i stick with the international.  i will also throw in there that a 4x4 vehicle would be nice because its a real pain when the international gets stuck and im alone.  I know there are trade offs to both, but looking for some thoughts / advice that may help me make a decision. 

[Bobus2003]

You could do it with the 3/4 ton.. the 1 ton would hold up better.. and a GN trailer would handle the load better than a bumper pull.. just all gonna be preference and you $$ situation.. if you already have a truck to to the job why spend the cash.

[Coon]

If it were me buying a new truck as you are thinking, I would go to a diesel rather than a gas 3/4 ton and preferrably a 1 ton.  A gas engine will do it but the way I look at it the diesel has better torque for awkward situations.  A 4x4 is also a must.  This is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt.  ;)

[red]

i think you need a dually six tires for weight and braking

[ahlkey]

I have a F650 flatbed diesel, 250 V-10 gas truck, and 4 dual axle trailers. I believe you will find that a solid 12K or 14K trailer around 16 feet or so with dual axles will weigh heavier than 2K. If you do find one that is only 2K and you want to continious put 10K payload on it I would be concerned.  Likewise, the overall pulling capacity of the 2500 with a gas engine is limited even if it has a beefed up axel the gas mileage may even be worse.  

The first thing I would suggest you check though is is your overall GCWR for your international truck.  I know with a dump body bed you can add a custom hitch (solid  plate on the back).  I also use a weight distribution unit as well and it can be rated as high as 16K.  My F650 truck is rated at  26,000 gvwr my combined GCWR is 40,000 lbs.  My guess is your diesel international would have at least a combined GCWR of over 30,000 lbs so by just adding a bumper pull hitch along with dual axle trailer you will dramatically increase your capacity beyond your current levels and not cost you that much?   Just a thought.

[teamgreen]

For what its worth I have a 04 2500 gm with the 6.0 gas, I also do alot of pulling with it, on average Im pulling anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 gross weight of the trailer, It pulls great but if I had to do it over it would definatly be a diesel, At best empty I can break 12 or 13 miles to the gallon.

[lynde37avery]

at my normal day job in brattleboro VT at true value we use a duramax diesel 2500 to pull a deck over 2 axle trailer with a 9600lb bobcat and 2 tons of wood pellets. thats alot of weight but that truck does it just fine with the airbag suspension upgrade. if it were me tho, id use a dual wheel with a diesel for hauling anything over 10k. like the others said its braking power and the get up and go. and lots more leaf springs chevy 3500 dually duramax dump. we got one on the tree farm. fastest powerfullest truck i have seen and drove omg!!

[gunman63]

Im in the firewwod business and pull a 14,000 dump trailer with 2 cords of firewood in it so Heres my thoughts a chevy diesels since i have  ran them, in 05 i bought a new 05 2500 crewcab shortbox with a duramax, LOVED IT, in  dec, of 09 i had  195,000 miles and i cracked a head, and i traded. the 2010 duramax  was nice, but i made the  mistake of buying a 6.0 gas.  i HATED and i mean HATED that truck, gas sucking powerless gutless wonder, well 2 months ago it hit 50,000 miles, and i finally traded , i hated it so  bad. but the  2011 and newer  duramaxs  have to run urea (sp) in them, dont work in the  cold country, im in northern Minnesota, so  its not  good  when its 20 to 40 below. but i finally  traded that 2010  back in and  got a 2008 with a duramax, and  45,000 on it, back to loving it again. if the engine ever goes bad, i'll put a new  engine  in it, should have done that to my 05. but to keep miles off my duramax i bought a 93 chevy 1/2 ton with a 6.2  to run around in, gutless, but  great milage for running to town and  to coffee.

[treefarmer87]

Stick with the international if you keep what you got you dont have to spend $$$

[barbender]

If you're hauling a max payload daily on a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup, it's going to wear out quick. Especially with a gas motor. I'd keep the IH if it was me

[JHBC]

A pickup isn't a med-duty commercial truck, but if you need the best of both worlds, on a bit of a budget, I'd look for a mid-late '90s one-ton dually with a Cummins and a stick. 
I've got no bias on make.  I own a '84 Ford f-350 w/6.9 4-sp, a '94 Chev 2500 w/6.5 auto, and a new Dodge 3500 w/6.7 6-sp.  They all do what's expected.  Pull a lot, and work hard.

You can hook a gooseneck to a strong one-ton and tow all day for years to come.

[WH_Conley]

You said "daily driver". How many miles do you put on it? Do you do enough with it to justify a heavy duty truck, or, could you just get by with a half ton and a lot better mileage. Just another angle to think about.

[Randy88]

Not sure what your driving for miles every year but I got tired of pickups and I mean tired of them and went to trucks, an international with a diesel and also a freightliner with a diesel cummins and a flatbed, paid less than a 1/2 ton pickup price and have a truck to drive and use, they get better milage than any gas pickup I've owned and have power to spare for any job I've had them do.   They have tilt hoods and are simple to work on and parts are not cheap but compared to a pickup I'd call them cheaper on parts and I'm not overloading them at all no matter what I do with them.    The one with a flatbed also has a fifth wheel plate attachment, gooseneck ball and also a pintle hitch and drawbar hitch, along with air ride cab and air brakes, its a pleasure to drive, I've been driving it like any pickup and the ride is excellent, visibility is spectacular out the front and the turning radius makes any pickup look bad in comparison.    I'd never go back to any pickup unless it was strictly a parts runner or knock around vehicle, for heavy use I'll stick with a real heavy duty truck and pass on the pickups completely.

[Ironwood]

I personally like the 15-19K 450-550 and or the possibly the new Dodge (if you like Dodge), looks like a pickup and works like a TRUCK. That said, like the one other guy said, "how much other driving you gonna do" ? That may be the key question.

Ironwood

[JHBC]

I'd be interested in knowing what you settled on to fit the bill.

I (we) can't justify a heavy truck purchase, so that's all contracted out.  But if you're trying to find that perfect light/med combo, I'd love to know what you ended up with.

Thanks, Jay