Would a 2500 be able to handle about 1500 lbs tounge wieght of a trailer with 2 motorcycles in the bed of the truck (about 900 lbs) or should I go for the 3500? I will very rarely ever be doing this, but I was just wondering if the 2500 could handle it for a trip or two.

 

If its a 2500HD you'd be fine. If it sags to much just get some helper springs.

The 2500HD's have a Dana60 or 70 year and a Dana 60 front. Much better then the D44 front and the D60 rear will be a bit better then the 9.25" too.

 

A 1500 lb tongue weight means your trailer load weighs about 15,000 lbs. Plus 900lbs in the bed, that's going to be a load for sure, so you would need that 2500 to be a diesel I would think, not a 360. I've seen a 2500 Cummins pull 15,000 before, and it was working it pretty good. But that was also a goose neck trailer. I would never feel good about pulling that kind of weight off a rear hitch, but that is just me. You wouldn't have room for motorcycles in the bed if you use a gooseneck though.

 

I was just guessing the trailer tounge weight they say it should be around 10-15% of your total wieght which would be around 10k. I was looking at a v10 to do this.

 

You should look at a fifth-wheel hitch for a trailerover 10K. Look for a truck with the camper andtrailer packages along with 4.10's.

 

My trailer shouldn't be over 10k, plus I need the room in the back of the truck to take the bikes. Is the 4.10 the preferred gear or will the 3.55 be ok with stock tires?

 

a 360 with 3.55's will be fine, just dont pull in overdrive (duh) the V-10 is overkill for occasional towing. My parents have one and it ****s and gets.....all the way to the gas station

 

depends on the years he's looking at. only a couple years of the 2500's had HD D44's up front. i believe it was like 95-97, but i am not certain on the year range. other year 2500's had the D60.

either way you should be fine, even if you get a 2500 with the D44 up front. for towing it doesn't matter as much for the front axle. only if he wheels it or plans on larger tires should he worry about this (or if he pulls these very heavy loads all the time, which he said would be infrequent).

the 3rd gen trucks have AAM axles which will be fine with the load too.

as far as motor, you really can't beat the cummins in anything. only prblem with it is, you pay quite a difference in initial price to get it. it'll run forever, yank a house off its foundation, and just be plain nasty

 

I am planning on leaving it as stock as possible, just some mods to help it breathe better. I am looking at years 99-02 they have the quad doors and information center(I guess that is what you call it). I'd love to get a diesel, but I can't justify the extra price for as little as I am going to use it, plus I heard diesels don't sit around very well. When I do tow this I will probably be taking the load from West Virginia to Arizona and I could use the extra power of the v10 going through the mountains.

 

I can't justify you selling the truck you have if it's a 97 2500 5.9 V8, if you're only going to be hauling a few times a year, your truck will be fine for it.