New Tractor Hauling Truck - '00 K2500 Crew

Hello all,

I am looking at some opinions on a truck I will be looking at Saturday. It is a 2000 Chevy K2500 Crew Cab short bed. It has the 5.7 350 V8, and a 4L80E automatic transmission. The truck is very clean overall (with some of your typical MN rust starting)... But I'm looking to upgrade to a 3/4 ton to haul my tractors more safely, and with a truck a little better suited to do so. It won't be driven much, but I just want something easy to work on reliable, etc. I am very familiar with GM products... But I would like to hear from any of you who may have used a similar truck for hauling.

Goal is to install a gooseneck hitch and pick up a deckover eventually for hauling to shows. Right now I borrow a friends tandem bumper-pull tilt trailer that does well... But my F20 does not fit between the fenders. I may also consider purchasing a 102" wide bumper pull trailer with drive over fenders instead of going with a gooseneck.

I'm interested to hear what you guys think. I know the 350 may feel a little underpowered when climbing hills or pulling heavy loads, but I won't be using the truck for much except hauling or runs to the home improvement store (and I like the crew cab so that when I do have children in the near future I can get the whole family in the truck easily).

Tractors I typically haul: '38 Farmall F20, '41 Case SC, '42 John Deere A, '42 Farmall H, '47 Farmall M with loader. I could see hauling two at once (JD A and IH H, or Case SC, etc.). Farmall M will be hauled alone as it takes up too much room on a trailer with the loader.

Photo is of the pickup I will be going to look at.

That truck should serve it's purpose for you. If you can swing it, I would try and find something 2001+ to get the new body style with the 6.0l engine. Would be well worth it over the 5.7l.

Either way make sure it has 4.10 gears! You definitely want them behind a gas truck for pulling.

You for sure would want to go gooseneck trailer !

a truck that old in Ohio would be see thru.

I own a 3500 with a 350 vortec and a 2500 crew cab with a 6.0. Everyone will tell you the 350 will be underpowered for what you want to do. I do most of my towing with the 3500 with the 5.7 because it is my daily driver work truck. I haul my gooseneck regularly with large loads of ash logs and it has no problem. That truck will tow what you want to tow, it just wont do it as quickly as some of the more modern versions with 6.0s and duramaxes.
Im a GM service manager so Ive had an opportunity to drive them all.

Thanks for the input, Doug. I guess I know who to contact when I have issues! Ha ha ha! I think I will be going to look at it on Saturday. Most of my towing will be fairly local, with occasional trips to shows within 150 mile or so. Most of those, though, I will only bring one tractor most of the time. The local show (8 miles away) I usually drive all of my tractors to and from. It was nice this year to load two on one trailer and do it in one shot though. I used my buddies '94 Chevy 3500 Dually. That baby really pulled nice with the 454 and dual rears, but for what I am using the truck for it would be just fine - and having the 350 will help fuel mileage when running around town.

The truck will do a lot of sitting as I have my 2004 Pontiac for my daily driver. Again - thanks for the input.

Most of the trucks here in Minnesota that are more than 5 years old have rusty fenders, cab corners, rockers, door bottoms... And don't even ask about brake lines and the undercarriage. Uff da.

I pull a tandem dual 30 ft gooseneck with my 2006 F-350 with 6.0, and it is legal. No problem with power or stopping. What I want to offer you is a rust control suggestion. Get under there with a can of WD-40 and a screw driver. Open up any place where moisture and dust can accumulate and remove loose paint and rust scale under the paint. Spray with WD-40, especially up over the rear wheel wells. Give it a day to penetrate, and displace the moisture trapped in there, then spray aerosol chain lube or fluid film. Either one comes out of the can watery thin and penetrates, then sets up and LASTS.

Mine is a 96 5.7 auto 3/4 ton. I c an pull my bumper hitch camper 65 mph as steady as you please. I can pull it at 70 mph but it shifts too much and drinks more gas. My gross weight is 14,000 #. My SILs Duramax pulls it faster, but gets about ten mpg, the same as I get with my gas. No you do not need a 410 gear,1 tons will have the lower gear. I have a 373 in mine.

Thanks for the input, 504... If I may ask how mny miles do you have on your truck, and have you had any major issues at any specific mileage milestone? The gentleman is going to e-mail the maintenance records over this evening so that I can take a look at them.

I know that the 350 small block is a tried and true motor.. Been in existence a LONG time!

I think you will be just fine with that.

For the gooseneck ball, I HIGHLY suggest the B&W turnover ball. Made in USA and there is nothing sticking up above the bed floor, all hidden under the bed on the frame.

CCSBs are kinda hard to find in the GMT400 cab style and are desireable, you can actually find long beds cheaper.

Of course I would suggest a 6.5L diesel and a 5 speed, but for no more miles than you will put on, a 350/auto will be just fine.

I used to sell truck accessories, and am very familiar with many different manufacturers of both 5th wheel and gooseneck hitches. The B&W setup is very nice! Intalled a few in my time in the industry.

I agree, the CCSB K2500 is a difficult truck to find. Diamond in the rough, and after inspection yesterday, it was a little rougher than I had expected (at least from the photos). The truck had a number of issues. First, it has a SALVAGE title. Not a big deal for something that is going to be a tractor hauler, but on a resale standpoint... It is a very big deal. Second, there was a very noticeable vibration coming from directly under the truck from about 50 mph-65 mph when accelerating. Upon a closer look, I believe it to be the driveshaft carrier bearing that is shot (wiggles freely about 1/8" back and forth). A number of small issues - power door locks do not work, center console is broken to the point where it will not open, rear driver's window does not roll down properly, third brake light smashed, was formerly a plow truck. Needs a new class III or better hitch installed.

The truck runs very smooth, shifts nice, and drives straight. 4X4 works well. Does have a lot of new parts (radiator, upper and lower ball joints, all new injectors, new starter, new water pump, new fuel pump module, new cap, plugs, rotors, wires, idler arms, front pads and rotors, new wheels and 10 ply tires)... Truck just rolled 200K while I test drove it.

My main concern is the cost of the driveshaft carrier repair (if that is indeed the problem, but I am pretty confident it is), The cost to fix the power door locks, and the cost to fix the rear window. Everything else seems to be minor. After being burned on one salvage title vehicle in the past, I don't want to get burned again. Buying a used vehicle is always a gamble no matter what. Salvage titles, from my research, tend to be worth about 50-60% of NADA or KBB values. I shot the gentleman an offer of $2500 and he said he would have to think on it. I don't think he liked it, but he is asking full book for the truck ($4900). I guess if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. Thoughts?

Stay tuned..

VERY good tip! I will definitely have to take a look at it in the future!

stick to your guns on price.

Where are you located?

If you are up in the rust belt, I am aware of how high re-sale is on trucks that are still in one piece and havent rusted apart yet, so I highly suggest searching craigslist and finding a truck out of state with less rust for the same or less $.

200K miles, former snow plow truck, lots of new parts, already needs additional repairs, salvage title, etc. are all signs of a money pit. The seller may have more parts invested in it than it is worth. It might be reliable (safe for heavy towing?) for very limited use, but don't expect it to go very many miles between repairs. Check what you could get for it from a salvage yard before offering more. At 18 years old the demand and prices for salvage parts may have fallen off.

I am definitely in the rust belt (and they have already begun salting roads) here in MN... I have thought heavily about looking out of state - and have done some looking in TX, AZ, CO, SD, ND, MT... I just haven't really found one for a price that has caught my eye yet.

It is hard to find a rust free truck around here, anything over 5 years already has bubbling on fenders wells, cab corners and rockers.. But there again, I am trying to stay under $4000 if I can help it. I just can't justify spending a ton of money for a truck that will do a lot of sitting.

I agree on many levels.. I have been burned by a salvage title before (my first vehicle as a teenager).. I know that he did just dump a little over $3000 into it with many of the above listed repairs... Here are a few more photos that I have. The only reason I am considering it is because it is virtually rust-free, a crew cab, and is a 3/4 ton for a 'decent' price.

There are, however, many around in a similar price range that he is asking ($4900), that do NOT have a salvage title, newer with the 6.0 liter, with a little more miles (200k+). Most, though, have cab corners and rockers that are rusting away.

I am guessing that from a salvage yard it would be less than $1000.

I don't think that anything over $2500 is worth it. He didn't seem rel enthusiastic about my offer (and rightfully so with over $3k in recent repairs). But, unfortunately, it is what it is (SALVAGE needing work).

Did manage to find this beauty! I plan on looking at it sometime this week. 1987 Chevy C30 with a 1975 remanufactured 454 and 4 speed. Not the best for fuel mileage but will tow anything I am sure. Virtually rut free, and interior looks decent (pardon the poor picture). Speedometer doesn't work so mileage is unknown. He is asking $3500.

We'll see how this one looks. The undercarriage is really the main thing.

The older trucks are neat and all but lack some obvious improvements over the 99-07 trucks.
The 4L80E is a stout trans but the first gear ratio is high. If you regularly haul over flat terrain then starting out wont be a problem. But my truck(04 2500HD 6.0 4L80E 4.10's) has struggled to start out on occasion on some of these north eastern hills where I have had the gooseneck at a loaded weight of 12,000lbs and foot to the floor to get going up a hill. Once it was moving it was fine. 4.10 rear end gearing is a REQUIREMENT with the 4L80E if you want to pull big trailers.
Never once have had a problem getting anywhere but it does start off slow.
Also, the 6.0 is a cast iron block like the older motors, but it has 6 bolt mains which greatly add it its durability. You can rev it to 6000 rpms. I regularly rev it to 4500rpms and that's where it climbs the somewhat steeper highway grades easily.

The frames on the older trucks are not as strong as the newer ones.
In my opinion, hauling a trailer with two tractors on it would be a bad idea. I'd keep trailer weights under 11,000 lbs on a pre-99 2500 and even that's getting kind of dangerous.

My gooseneck gets loaded to about 14,500 lbs or so.