I'm looking at a 95 454 3500 dually this weekend. It's a clean southern truck with 178k miles on it.

I want to use this as my tow rig for my horses. The max I'll probably be towing from the bumper is 8000 pounds. More regularly roughly 5500 pounds. Can an older big block handle it on these southern hills?

Also, anything I should look out for with higher mile big blocks? I'm a Ford guy who just happens to keep buying Chevy. Picked up a LT1 Camaro this summer and been learning the small block.

 

I bought used 95 G30 454 class C motor home. The power was a big disappointment and mileage was terrible. Every hill was a big slowdown and acceleration was SLOW. Sold it and bought a '14 GMC 6.6 turbo- diesel 1 ton pickup and a 42' fifth wheel. Huge difference. My opinion....towing, get a diesel.

 

Not that meternerd is completely wrong about using a diesel - I would just suggest you consider the frequency and length of your trips first. If you’re hitting the road at least once a week, a diesel would make a good work horse (pun intended); however if you’re only towing once a month or less frequently, a big block would probably be a better choice for the simple fact that they cost less to maintain. Regardless of how often you drive it, a diesel will need more frequent maintenance than a gasser.

In terms of power/hill climbing, if you’re changing less than 1,000 feet of altitude, you’re unlikely to notice much difference, especially with the right transmission. But if mountains are part of the drive, some kind of turbo or super charger is necessary if you want to maintain speed.