tow vehicle

[serfas01]

We have 2016 38FLSA Pinnacle(42.5 Ft) that grosses around 16K. I pull it with a 2018 GMC Sierra Duramax Dually. It gets about 17-20 Mpg driving 70 Mph unloaded and 10.5 towing the 5th wheel at 65 Mph. The Pinnacle is very tall and is affected by winds pretty badly so that's a consideration. This is our 5th Diesel and our 4th Duramax. The Diesel makes hills much more pleasant and the Exhaust Brake really handles the down slopes with out the gut wrenching that my gasser used to. You run it in drive all the time and the Cruise control and Exhaust Brake do all the work without having to shift.

[MLaffoon]

Hands down diesel is the way to go. Then you can pull almost anything. Towing a KPTS with a Chevy 2500 diesel. 11 to 12.5 from Virginia to Tennessee last month. Diesel is just a monster when it comes to to towing. If you're in it for the long haul invest in a diesel.

[Phil]

Just finished a 7,000 mile trip towing a 27ft jay flight, around 6,000lbs, with a 2015 Ram 2500, 5.7hemi. Averaged 12.5 ( hand calculated ) towing. Without the trailer I average 16mpg around town and 21mpg on the freeway. Pretty close to the same numbers my diesel friends get. It also has the engine brake assist when in tow mode, really came in handy in the Rockies.

[davolson]

Just got back from a trip WI to Maine pulling 10K pounds 5th wheel (28.5 RSTS) with newer F250 6.7 Diesel. 11.4 mpg ave, but truck only has 10K miles. Might get better... BUT the power is unbelievable, going through the "mountains" kept waiting for it to downshift.. rarely did. Torque at 65 mph at 1700 rpm unbelievable. Also I second the exhaust break feature. On long stretches down, just hit the cruise and never or rarely touched the brakes. I was very happy with this purchase.

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by serfas01

We have 2016 38FLSA Pinnacle(42.5 Ft) that grosses around 16K. I pull it with a 2018 GMC Sierra Duramax Dually. It gets about 17-20 Mpg driving 70 Mph unloaded and 10.5 towing the 5th wheel at 65 Mph. The Pinnacle is very tall and is affected by winds pretty badly so that's a consideration. This is our 5th Diesel and our 4th Duramax. The Diesel makes hills much more pleasant and the Exhaust Brake really handles the down slopes with out the gut wrenching that my gasser used to. You run it in drive all the time and the Cruise control and Exhaust Brake do all the work without having to shift.

Similar setup here. We tow 15k# with a 17 DMax SRW (24k# total on the scales). Mileage numbers are about the same, maybe 1mpg higher towing. A strong tailwind adds 5mpg, a strong headwind takes away 3mpg.

Towing in the mountains with >7500# and the diesel is worth the cost, both up and down the grades.

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Phil

Just finished a 7,000 mile trip towing a 27ft jay flight, around 6,000lbs, with a 2015 Ram 2500, 5.7hemi. Averaged 12.5 ( hand calculated ) towing. Without the trailer I average 16mpg around town and 21mpg on the freeway. Pretty close to the same numbers my diesel friends get. It also has the engine brake assist when in tow mode, really came in handy in the Rockies.

A gas motor can only use fuel flow and transmission to enhance the engine braking. The diesels do that and use the turbo to create the backpressure. I can run down a 6-7% grade with 24k# and hold 60mph without touching the brakes.

[Phil]

I am sure that I would choose a diesel if I was towing 24k#, but for 5-7k# it can be overkill, unless you really like spending the extra money. I ran down 10% grades in the rockies holding 55mph touching my brakes only once or twice, works for me.

[sragan]

I have a 95 F350, 4dr,longbed, 7.3. It has 420,000 miles and still going strong. I pull my Jayco 19rd anywhere I want, am about to retire and will be on the road alot. 17-18 mpg daily driving and 12avg towing. Love my diesel but will never be able to afford another, they hold up, decent fuel mileage, handle loads without pushing it. Downside, initial cost, maintenance is more expensive, diesel is more expensive.

[MikeandGail]

I tow a 27.5 Eagle 5er super lite, about 8000lbs with a Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. Highway at 55 to 60 I get 18 to 20 mpg. I was lucky to see 12 mpg with my Ford F150 gas v8. Without the trailer i get the mid 20s mpg or higher. Note I am using imperial gallons which are 20% larger than US gallons.

[mopluv]

I too have made the jump from Ram 1500 w/hemi to a Ram 2500 wCimmings. Besides being lots easier going downhill with diesel brake and pulling power is so much better than hemi ( have pulled our 6500# open range through northern georgia mountains). The suspension of 2500 is much stiffer than 1500, so the porposing is greatly reduced. Mileage coming home from NC last trip was 14MPG, but note that I have changed out the inlet to turbo with K&N type so Cummings breathes much better. Diesels always like cooler air. I get around 18MPG not towing and travelling at 70MPH.

[ctbailey]

Originally Posted by serfas01

We have 2016 38FLSA Pinnacle(42.5 Ft) that grosses around 16K. I pull it with a 2018 GMC Sierra Duramax Dually. It gets about 17-20 Mpg driving 70 Mph unloaded and 10.5 towing the 5th wheel at 65 Mph. The Pinnacle is very tall and is affected by winds pretty badly so that's a consideration. This is our 5th Diesel and our 4th Duramax. The Diesel makes hills much more pleasant and the Exhaust Brake really handles the down slopes with out the gut wrenching that my gasser used to. You run it in drive all the time and the Cruise control and Exhaust Brake do all the work without having to shift.

A pinnacle is a LONG LONG LONG way away from what the OP was asking about: a tiny 5,000 pound TT.

[Poppy]

I bought a Dodge Ram quad cab diesel to pull my Jaco 24RBL that weighs about 5K because I didn’t like the way my 3/4vton 4X4 GMC pulled it. It had the 6.0 gas with a 4.10 axle and I couldn’t keep up with my son pulling the same weight to with a Dodge 1/2 ton with a 5.7 hemi. My diesel is my daily driver and sometimes it goes only a.mile l love my truck. Last time I pulled the trailer, the gauge on the truck said I was getting 22mpg at 65 mph. Empty it shows as much as 29. But I check it with pencil and paper and pulling it was really about 20mpg, which is twice what I was getting on the GMC. I’m not gonna complain. It’s an ‘06.with a 5.9, and had 150k when I bought it. I had to replace 2 rear fuel lines (one by choice because it was numbers 5 and 6.0, plus a coolant line and reservoir. And also 4 ball joints an a tie rod end. The oil and filters have been changed about every 7000 miles instead of 3000 like a gas. Both vehicles cost about $75 for the year as wife’s car gets changed twice a year. I’m going to keep my truck even if some people think is overkill.

[mass-hole]

The Achilles heel of the 2018 and earlier Ram 1500’s was the low GVWR and therefore low payload capacity. As mentioned, it’s even worse for the EcoDiesel equipped trucks because of the heft of that motor. When I went to test drive a lightly optioned Ecodiesel bighorn crew cab it only had 1200 lbs of payload. I’ve heard of fully loaded Limited Ecodiesels only having 800 lbs of payload.

The 2019 ram 1500’s have mostly fixed this by bumping up the gvwr and reducing the weight.

That aside, I doubt an HD diesel would be much, if any, more efficient that your truck. Even if it is, the national average price for diesel fuel is 16% more than regular gas so it would need to get 16% better mpg just to break even. Then you factor in the cost of a diesel engine($9-10k) and the loss you take selling your truck and it will NEVER pay for itself.

Same with the ecodiesel. By the time you take the hit selling your truck, then drop the coin for the $5000 diesel option, it’s still not gunna save you anything unless you drive an insane amount of miles.

And this is coming from a guy who owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD with a 2.8L diesel made by the same company who makes the ecodiesel. It doesn’t pay for itself. In fact my Jeep is barely cheaper to drive than my F150 ecoboost.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by mass-hole

The Achilles heel of the 2018 and earlier Ram 1500’s was the low GVWR and therefore low payload capacity. As mentioned, it’s even worse for the EcoDiesel equipped trucks because of the heft of that motor. When I went to test drive a lightly optioned Ecodiesel bighorn crew cab it only had 1200 lbs of payload. I’ve heard of fully loaded Limited Ecodiesels only having 800 lbs of payload.

The 2019 ram 1500’s have mostly fixed this by bumping up the gvwr and reducing the weight.

That aside, I doubt an HD diesel would be much, if any, more efficient that your truck. Even if it is, the national average price for diesel fuel is 16% more than regular gas so it would need to get 16% better mpg just to break even. Then you factor in the cost of a diesel engine($9-10k) and the loss you take selling your truck and it will NEVER pay for itself.



Same with the ecodiesel. By the time you take the hit selling your truck, then drop the coin for the $5000 diesel option, it’s still not gunna save you anything unless you drive an insane amount of miles.

And this is coming from a guy who owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD with a 2.8L diesel made by the same company who makes the ecodiesel. It doesn’t pay for itself. In fact my Jeep is barely cheaper to drive than my F150 ecoboost.

My thoughts exactly. The new diesels are so burdened with smog equipment that they really don't get any better mpg than the gas engines. they also cost a fortune to maintain and as mentioned have a poorer payload capacity. The older diesels had a longer engine life but it remains to be seen if that will apply to the newer, higher stressed engines. So, unless money is not an issue you would probably do just as well by stepping up to a 2500 with a gas engine.