Another towing question

[MuleyFever]

3:73 years vs 4:10. Found a GMC 2500HD I would like to get for towing a toy hauler. It has the 3:73 gears. Is there a big difference? Should I keep looking for something with 4:10s? My towing would be maybe 8-10 times a year with only a couple trips over a couple hundred miles round trip. Weight would be under 9k lbs for sure, maybe even under 8k. Opinions?

 

[Ashy Larry]

Gas mileage. Higher gear will pull that weight with a tad more "felt recoil" but in the 95% of the time you aren't towing you'll appreciate the extra mpgs.

 

[tttoadman]

That is not really heavy. I would take the better mileage also. Just keep in mind if you are going to up size the tires at all, the 4:10 may be worth holding out for.

 

[timekiller13]

For towing 8-10x a year I wouldnt worry about it and get the 3.73. My f-250 has 3.73 gears and tows our 30ft camper without any issues.

 

[Whitetaildown215]

I agree, now days around here you can't hardly find a GM product with 4:10 gears unless you special order it. My duramax has the 3:73 gears and I tow our 30 foot 5th wheel and it weighs 10,500 lbs empty with no problems.

 

[Felix1776]

I'll second the 3.73 gears. I have an F250 with 3.73s. My wife and I traveled full time last summer in our 26 foot camper. My truck is under-powered with the 5.4 V8 but did fine in most places. The 3.73s are going to be nice for whenever you aren't pulling. There were several spots in Colorado and Utah on I70 where I really wish I'd have had the 4.10s though. With as much power as that duramax will have, you should be just fine.

 

[Ohio Darin]

My ford F-150 with 3:73 gear is rated at 11,500 pounds. Not sure how well it would stop that weight but that's another story. Actually wish I didn't order that low of a gear as it almost has too much low end with the EcoBoost motor. Have 4:10 gear in an F-350 at work and it's a creeper with a lot of low end but nothing on the top end with a 6 spd. Had a Ford Ranger with a V6 and 4:10 gear that could climb trees and hauled 6,000# with that thing no issue. I would not put a 4:10 in a 2500. Not sure what motor you're getting but would personally be more than satisfied with the 3:73. Gas mileage will suffer with the 4:10 and a lot of motors these days have a lot of low end torque. Hard to transfer that power to drive train without breaking traction. My next truck will have 3:55 or something in that range but I only haul a half dozen times a year at 7,500# or so.

 

[kicker338]

Get one with 4.10 gears then you will enjoy the crappiest fuel economy you will most lickly ever see. My brother did that, f250, 7.3, 4.10 gears. His best mpg. comes on a down hill grade with a strong tail wind pushing him to an impressive 16mpg. empty truck too.

 

[dotman]

I feel 4.10's are a thing of the past with the transmission and engine combos today, get the 3.73.

 

[Muley Buck]

I feel 4.10's are a thing of the past with the transmission and engine combos today, get the 3.73.

Exactly! 3.73 for sure.

 

[MuleyFever]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Lukeyn]

Depends on tire size too, if you want to run bigger tires get the 4.10s.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Get one with 4.10 gears then you will enjoy the crappiest fuel economy you will most lickly ever see. My brother did that, f250, 7.3, 4.10 gears. His best mpg. comes on a down hill grade with a strong tail wind pushing him to an impressive 16mpg. empty truck too.

Hahahahaha....

I have had a couple 6.0 chevy gassers with 4:10's... Pretty sure on those the 6.0 stands for estimated fuel economy. They pulled like a banshee but gas mileage was horrible. I have 1 now with 3:73 and although it doesn't seem to come off the line as well, fuel economy is probably 2/3rds better.

 

[Owenst7]

This thread isn't going to give you relevant answers unless we know what engine you're talking about. A diesel vs a gasser will have vastly different powerbands...gears aren't going to matter much with a 6.0. You really want to be cruising at the bottom of the powerband with a diesel so you have some room to accelerate without hunting for gears. They did a good job with the gear ratios in the Allison in those trucks though. WAY better than the 4l80e that they paired with the 6.5 Detroit as an afterthought...seemed like that combo was only in the powerband at like 37 mph and 52 mph, and never where you actually would be driving.

Gear Ratio Calculator

You can always regear too. Figure about $500 parts/axle and 4 hours of labor each. You can do an AAM 11.5" (rear end) pretty quick in the truck if you know how to do it yourself. The IFS front ends can be a pain in the ass to do, but they aren't really any more complicated. Just not quick to work on.

 

[maninthemaze]

The diesel will love the 3:73 while the gasser would "possibly" prefer the 4:10.

Just my 2 cents and worth the price charged.

 

[MuleyFever]

The original question was in regards to a GM 6.0 gassed. Ended up buying a F250 with the 6.7 powerstroke last week. It actually came with a 3:55 ratio.

 

[fngTony]

The original question was in regards to a GM 6.0 gassed. Ended up buying a F250 with the 6.7 powerstroke last week. It actually came with a 3:55 ratio.

That will be just fine. My f150 has 3:73 6spd auto and a small block v8 which doesn't make a lot of low end torque but the number of gears and ratio makes up for it. Having a diesel with a 3:55 and 6spd tranny will pull great without horrible fuel mileage.

 

[quackaddict]

The original question was in regards to a GM 6.0 gassed. Ended up buying a F250 with the 6.7 powerstroke last week. It actually came with a 3:55 ratio.

That thing will snatch the axle out from under your camper at 8k or 9k lbs. And as was mentioned, gear ratios are apples to oranges when talking gas vs. diesel.