410 or 373 gears

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thebutcher95

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Buying  a Chevy 3/4 ton to tow a 12000 to 13000lb 5th wheel trailer.. The Chevy has a 6.0 motor... we live on the east coast.. We tow north and plan to tow down  south ..... not very hilly ... I will also be using the truck as my daily driver to work flat 24 miles one way... My RV dealer advised me to get 373 gears..... Your thoughst and advice.... and please please no chevy ford dodge wars please  Thanks 
 
Have him show you the Chevrolet Towing Guide for the specific truck configuration you are looking at (cab type, bed length, engine/tranny, rear axles), but I think the 3.73 is going to be rated too low for that much trailer.

Or look up the Chevy Tow Guide on their website. It's theer somewhere.
 
So am I getting that the 410 gears will pull briskly than 373 that will be slow ????????????????????????????
 
thebutcher95 said:
So am I getting that the 410 gears will pull briskly than 373 that will be slow ????????????????????????????
Click to expand...

Lower gears (numerically higher) give more mechanical advantage (at the expense of fuel economy...it runs at higher RPM for a given speed).  Not an issue really of slow or fast...but of which is able to pull a heavy load better while putting less strain on the other components, such as engine and transmission. 
 
So the 410 gear put less strain on the motor and the 373 put more stain but offer better gas mileage???
 
thebutcher95 said:
So the 410 gear put less strain on the motor and the 373 put more stain but offer better gas mileage???
Click to expand...

To a point. I had a 2013 Ram 1500 with a 5.7 hemi. I was cruising around on Ram forums, and found some that changed from 3:21 gears to 3:92's and got better gas mileage.
 
The 4.10 gears will have a slightly lower top speed, but that's academic since you probably (hopefully?) won't ever reach that. Mostly the difference is in acceleration and fuel economy, since the 4.10 gears means the engine rpms are a bit higher at any give speed. The "more stress" is simply that the engine spends more time at higher rpms, i.e. the average rpms are higher and therefore slightly greater wear & tear.  You probably won't see any practical difference in engine life unless you keep it 200k miles - and maybe not even then.  So, basically the 4.10 gives you better acceleration under load, at the expense of slightly decreased fuel economy.

Looking at the 2015 GMC Towing Guide, I don't see a 3.73 option for the 6.0L engine in a 2500. The 3.73 gears come with the higher torque diesel engine and the gas 6.0 comes with 4.10. Both are rated for 13,000 lbs towing in a truck that is otherwise the same.

http://www.gmfleet.com/content/dam/gmfleet/global/master/nscwebsite/en/Home/Shared_Resources/PDFs/15pgcb-tg-14-10-21.pdf
 
Gary is exactly right about the gears.

IMHO, I doubt the 2500 will have the payload necessary to pull a 13,000# 5er.  At 22% pin wt, that is 2800#.  Add weight of the hitch, passengers and cargo in the truck, and you may well be over the payload by a few hundred pounds.  The 3500 is only slightly more expensive, and has an extra 1500# of payload.

Be Safe!!
 
Whatever you find in the GM-published towing literature, you can verify & match in the Trailer Life Towing Guide for your particular truck year (which you haven't mentioned I don't think).  Some folks prefer 3.73 gears for slightly better fuel mileage cruising around, but the 4.10 gears will enhance your maximum towing capability. 

With a smaller/lighter trailer, you may not need that extra oomph... but you'll probably want all the headroom you can get on a 13k# fifth wheel.  If lucky, you might get around 10-12mpg average commuting so just be prepared for that.  ;)  The newer 6.0L is probably better in that department than the older 8.1L and 7.4L (what I have in my 3/4 ton Suburban) engine options.
 
I had a 2500HD Chevy 2014 with the 4.1 and 6.0.  It was a very nice truck but had difficulties handling my 13,000 FW when I hit the hills.  Last year I got a 3500 diesel RAM. What a difference.
 
I had a 2002 (used) Chevy 2500 and now a 2010 (new) GMC 2500 - both 6.0L gas and both with 4:10s. FWIW, I'd recommend them. When I was shopping for the 2010, the 3:73s came with a 9,900 tow rating and 16,000 lb GCWR while the 4:10's were at 12,300 & 18,500 respectively - quite a difference! Our current TT is roughly 8,500 lbs but we will soon be hauling around a 10,500 lb 5th wheel so those 4:10s will be needed.


And to add to what grashley said, check your weights. With the new 5er (pin weight, hitch, cargo in the truck, etc.), I'll be almost 2,000 lbs under my max tow rating and a few hundred under the RAGWR but I'll be pushing the GVWR of 9,200.
 
The Chevy diesel will have 3.73 gears, right? The diesel is the best choice for towing, and should be a reasonably economical daily driver too. I predict you will quickly become a fan of diesels engines.
 
You will not be disappointed with your choice.  One of the couples at my church uses one in their landscaping business and wouldn't trade it for the world.  They get around 20 mpg not towing and around 15 towing a 20' enclosed trailer.
 
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