towing thoughts...
Buck, the reason there is so much disparity in the various years towing info is not because of the vehicle design, but because of the way people use the vehicle when towing. Think of it as someone selling a 747 airliner to a person who has flown a Piper Cub, once. The factory has no way of knowing what the vehicle owner will try to do with their truck and trailer. Just yesterday, I saw a guy in an older GM 6.5 diesel towing a 24' flatbed loaded with auto parts. The trailer was actually bowed front and rear from the weight, and all four trailer tires were bulging at the sides. You can't fix stupid! I have seen the 2014 1500 series 5.3 2wd towing spec stated as high as 11,500, which seems nuts to me. If you stay at 7K or so, with a 3.42 or 3.73, you will be fine. You will likely notice quite a bit of power loss on steep mountain roads, especially at elevation over 6,000 feet. But, your new truck will handle it. Having said that, it will be nothing like towing with your D-max, so you should give that a lot of thought.
Buck, the reason there is so much disparity in the various years towing info is not because of the vehicle design, but because of the way people use the vehicle when towing. Think of it as someone selling a 747 airliner to a person who has flown a Piper Cub, once. The factory has no way of knowing what the vehicle owner will try to do with their truck and trailer. Just yesterday, I saw a guy in an older GM 6.5 diesel towing a 24' flatbed loaded with auto parts. The trailer was actually bowed front and rear from the weight, and all four trailer tires were bulging at the sides. You can't fix stupid! I have seen the 2014 1500 series 5.3 2wd towing spec stated as high as 11,500, which seems nuts to me. If you stay at 7K or so, with a 3.42 or 3.73, you will be fine. You will likely notice quite a bit of power loss on steep mountain roads, especially at elevation over 6,000 feet. But, your new truck will handle it. Having said that, it will be nothing like towing with your D-max, so you should give that a lot of thought.
