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Old 09-29-2015, 08:11 PM   #1
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Chevy 2500 Gas Eng or RAM 2500 Gas

Well I tried to buy a new 2015 RAM 2500 Diesel the cost was just out of reach for me.
If I choose to down size to a Chevy 2500 big V8 gas or a Ram 2500 big V8 gas, will wither of these be capable of towing my 10,000lb dry/12000lb GVW?
The trailer will be a 5th wheel.

The Diesel for around $50k but I can get the big V8 for $44K. Help!
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Old 09-29-2015, 08:22 PM   #2
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spend that $44k on a year old diesel. Brand of your choice. You will be much happier. Yet, if payments are what you are looking at, better financing and longer terms on new will make them more affordable.
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Old 09-29-2015, 08:26 PM   #3
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Either will tow it. I had a 2012 2500 Chevy gas now have a 2012 Ram diesel and towed my 9500lbs tt with both of them. From a towing platform perspective both are equally competent and stable. The trucks are mostly the same as far as comfort and quality and have the same warranty. Buy whatever you like or get the best deal on.
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Old 09-29-2015, 09:53 PM   #4
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The pickins are slim when it comes to 2015's in Phoenix and the slightly used 2012,13,14's are even harder to find.
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Old 09-29-2015, 10:44 PM   #5
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I have a 2014 Silverado. Its a 1500 and there is a known vibration/shake issue with the 2014 and 2015's with no fix. I really like the Chevy but I'm disappointed with the problem. It makes a road trip (without the trailer) exhausting. Over on the GM forum there are pages and pages of posts with what parts dealers have replaced trying to fix the problem with no solution (tires, wheels, drive lines, ring & pinion gears, motor mounts, suspension shims, the list goes on). GM is even buying some trucks back. It is not unique to the 1500 but not as common with the 2500 and 3500. If you find a 2014/2015 Silverado you like, take it on a long test drive that includes a trip on the freeway between 65-75mph. If the truck has the vibration/shake issue, you should feel it there. If it has it, it won't go away and even GM doesn't have a clue what's causing the issue.

I think you get a lot of bang for your buck with the Ram. I also think the big 6.4 Hemi would have plenty of power for the 5er you're looking at.

Like I said, I really like the Chevy and I drove a Ram, but chose the Chevy because I was able to get a regular cab. If it doesn't come apart from the shaking, I plan on keeping it for a long time. I'm hopeful a fix will eventually be found.

Good luck!

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Old 09-30-2015, 05:29 AM   #6
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I've had pickups of all brands and sizes, and my 2014 Chevy 3500 is the smoothest riding of them all.
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Old 09-30-2015, 05:41 AM   #7
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The difference in what you get gas mileage with the diesel vs the gas engine when towing will make of the difference in price
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Old 09-30-2015, 05:50 AM   #8
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The difference in what you get gas mileage with the diesel vs the gas engine when towing will make of the difference in price
got that right. My towing and non towing mileage both increased by 50% when I switched to diesel 2 years ago. From 7.5 to 11-12 towing. From 10-12 to 16-20 not towing.
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Old 09-30-2015, 07:34 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cougarfan View Post
I have a 2014 Silverado. Its a 1500 and there is a known vibration/shake issue with the 2014 and 2015's with no fix. I really like the Chevy but I'm disappointed with the problem. It makes a road trip (without the trailer) exhausting. Over on the GM forum there are pages and pages of posts with what parts dealers have replaced trying to fix the problem with no solution (tires, wheels, drive lines, ring & pinion gears, motor mounts, suspension shims, the list goes on). GM is even buying some trucks back. It is not unique to the 1500 but not as common with the 2500 and 3500. If you find a 2014/2015 Silverado you like, take it on a long test drive that includes a trip on the freeway between 65-75mph. If the truck has the vibration/shake issue, you should feel it there. If it has it, it won't go away and even GM doesn't have a clue what's causing the issue.

I think you get a lot of bang for your buck with the Ram. I also think the big 6.4 Hemi would have plenty of power for the 5er you're looking at.



Like I said, I really like the Chevy and I drove a Ram, but chose the Chevy because I was able to get a regular cab. If it doesn't come apart from the shaking, I plan on keeping it for a long time. I'm hopeful a fix will eventually be found.

Good luck!



Laura
I had a 2011 Chevy Corvette with 32 miles on it driving home from the dealer.
When I hit that 70-75 mph on the freeway it had that same vibration. After numerous trips to the dealer and even the regional service mgr ackknowledge there was a problem, it never got fixed. New tires and 3 sets of new wheels never corrected the problem. I suffered for 3 year and 16k miles until I sold it.
Thx for the info.
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Old 09-30-2015, 07:36 AM   #10
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The difference in what you get gas mileage with the diesel vs the gas engine when towing will make of the difference in price
The new truck will also be my daily driver and towing a 5th wheel will probably be once a month.
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Old 09-30-2015, 07:45 AM   #11
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Gas mileage will be much better with a diesel and there is no comparison when it comes to towing.


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Old 09-30-2015, 08:05 AM   #12
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I recently owned a 2015 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Short box (big horn) with the 6.4 hemi. The truck had a loads of power. When we bought the truck we had a 37' bumper pull camper weighing 8,000 loaded. The truck did pretty good with that camper, no complaints of lacking power and averaged 8-9 mpg.

We (more or less the wife) decided to trade the camper for a fifth wheel. 36' 10,000 pounds empty and 12,000 pounds loaded... The hemi rarely wanted to come out of fourth gear churning at 2500 rpm. The truck would roll up average sized hills while maintaining speed in 4th gear for the most part. We made a few trips down the interstate at 62 mph this way and averaged a measly 6 mpg. The truck did ok but didnt seem to have the power to accelerate from a constant speed. If we wanted to go a bit faster than 62 the truck would have to down shift to accelerate... which is what gas engines do. Not talking badly about the Hemi as it did the job and would have taken me across the country no troubles.

But we did even more recently trade out of that truck for a 2015 Crew Cab Long Box Cummins (tradesman). First off, the long box for the 5th wheel makes ALL the difference! The power is night and day difference (of course it is... diesel vs gas...)! We took our 5th wheel through some of the nastiest hills to a camp site that I refused to take the hemi through and the diesel just plowed away... Even with the hills I hand calculated the trip (250 miles round trip) at 9 mpg. The truck still hadn't even reached 1,000 total miles on it so the truck is far from broke in... I assume these numbers will increase slightly...

The hemi empty would net me 13-15 highway miles per gallon while the diesel is closer to 20-21...

My personal opinion would be go for the diesel. The added height of the 5th wheel as well as the extra weight will really put a strain on things... Quite honestly look at some lower budget cummins and see what you think. At $50,000 you must be looking at the Big Horn interior... Stepping down to the tradesman I lost the upgraded heated seats and steering wheel as well as a dumbed down radio and gauge display. Most everything else is pretty much the same.

While i'm not a big fan of the DEF, it is also the reason the new (13+) cummins are seeing higher fuel economy numbers than the 10-12 cummins. With the addition of the DEF the EGR (Exhaust Gas Re circulation) doesn't activate nearly as frequently as the DEF alone is accomplishing the same task most of the time...
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:09 AM   #13
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The white truck is the hemi and the black is the diesel.

The long box alone is a HUGE upgrade in my opinion with the truck! The truck is just way more stable on the road with or without the camper. It also provides that extra clearance needed to not smash the cab when not thinking!!!
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:25 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by earlbalentine View Post
The new truck will also be my daily driver and towing a 5th wheel will probably be once a month.
I get 24 miles on the highway not towing, about 18 around town and 12-13 towing. With my Gasser I got 7-8 towing, 10 around town and 12 highway not towing. My wife uses it as our daily driver as well. I will never go back to gas as long as I am towing.
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:27 AM   #15
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I have to have the NAV system and they don't put NAV in the Tradesman model.
I ask one the air bags so my wife can get in and out of the truck without a ladder.
The dealer and I were only $2k off making a deal and as always the dealer said they were losing money on the deal and was only selling me the truck as a favor to customer.
Well maybe they will or will not call me back. I will check back with them today on the Tradesman and see if they have one with the electric found in/out mirrors and airbags.
I already have a dash cam and didn't want to add a 2nd device (portable NAV) on my windshield.
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:38 AM   #16
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Well ok, I will try getting the Diesel again today. Maybe the dealer can meet me half way.
It's the inventory that's the problem in Arizona. The dealer did their inventory search for all dealer inventories in a 300 mile radius. Each dealer has one or 2 trucks left (2015). The promotion ends I think this Saturday. Most all trucks left are either the basic Tradesman or the high end truck loaded with all the options. All the trucks in the middle are almost gone.
I just hate settling for less, it leaves a bad taste in your month. To add to the problem is I bought a brand new 2014 Jeep last year (2 door) only to trade it in for the 4-door 3 months later. Lost a lot of money on that swap out and could kick myself in the ass. I wanted the 4-door from the start but some out drove out with a 2 door because I settle for less to save a few dollars. Another lesson learned : (
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:43 AM   #17
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If it is your daily driver there is no comparison, I would get diesel. I know you say you cant afford a 2015 so either look for a used one (hold out for one) or save a little more and buy next spring before campng season, if you were only 2k away you're close. I bought a 2012 with 6k miles in Oct 2014 for 38k out the door. The deals are there and used can be just as good. I cant make a recommendation on the gas engines. I have had a hemi and I was really not happy with it all. I bought it used with 30k miles and I was never impressed when towing at all. When I wasnt towing it was fine but as soon as I had a load on it I hated it and when I had to hit the mountains it was even worse. I traded up to an older diesel and loved the power and milage, I traded out of the older one (had it for a year and a half) to the new one and I will have this one for a long time.
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:45 AM   #18
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Well ok, I will try getting the Diesel again today. Maybe the dealer can meet me half way.
It's the inventory that's the problem in Arizona. The dealer did their inventory search for all dealer inventories in a 300 mile radius. Each dealer has one or 2 trucks left (2015). The promotion ends I think this Saturday. Most all trucks left are either the basic Tradesman or the high end truck loaded with all the options. All the trucks in the middle are almost gone.
I just hate settling for less, it leaves a bad taste in your month. To add to the problem is I bought a brand new 2014 Jeep last year (2 door) only to trade it in for the 4-door 3 months later. Lost a lot of money on that swap out and could kick myself in the ass. I wanted the 4-door from the start but some out drove out with a 2 door because I settle for less to save a few dollars. Another lesson learned : (
I saw the deal you speak of here (in SLC) it was like 5k-10k off of MSRP plus incentive. It almost made me go get one.....
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:55 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by earlbalentine View Post
Well I tried to buy a new 2015 RAM 2500 Diesel the cost was just out of reach for me.
If I choose to down size to a Chevy 2500 big V8 gas or a Ram 2500 big V8 gas, will wither of these be capable of towing my 10,000lb dry/12000lb GVW?
The trailer will be a 5th wheel.

The Diesel for around $50k but I can get the big V8 for $44K. Help!
Might want to look at the Ford F-150 Eco-boost. It is rated to tow 12,000 lbs. Make sure it has the trailer package on it.

PS: It has to be the new Aluminum body Ford. My 2014 was the last year of the steel body and mine is rated to pull 11,300lbs.
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Old 09-30-2015, 08:55 AM   #20
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I guess I'll go back and to the drawing board and tell the dealer I don't need Nav, asking for NAV eliminates 80-90% of the variable trucks and eliminate all the Tradesman trucks.
The Tradesman is where I will save money instead of the Big Horn. I'm retired now and live on a tight budge, we already have been preapproved for $45K for truck and $40k for trailer.
The more I spend on the ruck the less I can spend on the trailer so I got to keep to my budget. We will see what happens on my search today with the Tradesman. Almost everyone on the forum says once you go diesel you will never go back to gas.
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