I want to make a run saturday but the duramax only has about 360 miles at this point, when should it be good to tow? i have heard 500 miles i think. It would involve towing about 7000 pounds up the grapevine....
all my trucks I have owned I started towing with less than 250 miles, heck this new one I have now had 36 miles. I have NEVER had any isuses by using this practice. this new GMC had 36 miles & I hooked to my 30' flat bed & pulled 2 skid steers over 150 miles. the truck now has 16k & the only thing to go wrong was a fuse. is what I do wrong? it works for me. 93 F250 213k 93 3500 gmc 454 309k 03 F350 traded with 42k "POS" no problems from towing since day one just everythig else were the problems 06 3500 gmc
Break in period. According to your owners manual, the first 500 miles of driving should be 50-55 miles per hr, varying speeds, etc. The first 500 towing miles say's basically the same thing. Your money, your truck, your call.
If it were 20 degrees out, I would say go for it. This time of year is the worst for breaking in a diesel, but if you must, go to a good synthetic, mobil one or amsoil, first. Whatever you can do to keep the heat down in the cylinders, will help keep them from glazing. There is a good reason for the 500 mile requirement, but you will be fine IMO if you change the oil, vary rpm, and don't run too long with the fan engaged
The reasone for your 500 mile wait for towing is because the rear alxe needs 500 miles to break in. it runs very hot during its break in period and towing makes it run even hotter. Also, the rear end oil should be changed after that initial 500 miles to remove the metal particals that are in the oil. Perfect time to switch it to synthetic right off the bat! Here is some great info on differential break in and metal wear. Other than the first 500, seems like truck driven the hardest when young produce the best mileage and longevity when older.
