Tow vehicle opinions.

Rugman1952 · 10-12-2017, 09:35 PM

Looking for a little advice and wisdom!
DW and I currently own a 2017 Cherokee 255rr toy hauler. Dry 6480, fully loaded with atv, 9k.
We pull it with a 2006 F250 King Ranch 6.0 diesel just fine. We're thinking about going FT in 2 years, and wondering if a newer GMC with the HO 6.2 gas would or would not be over worked. We had a Ram 5.7 liter that I really loved, but 25 mph at 5k rpm climbing the hills in SD was not comfortable for me. We want to buy a new tv before going fulltime, but not sure if we should go diesel or gas. All opinions will be greatly appreciated.
I'm not trying to start a gas verses diesel war, just looking for advice from people who have experienced both, and your opinions.
Thanks so much.

BuzzWolfAR · 10-12-2017, 09:55 PM

I've towed with both and much prefer my diesel.

The high rpm with that gas burner drove me crazy. My 6.7 diesel just hums along and the newer transmissions really help with engine braking.

Rugman1952 · 10-12-2017, 10:41 PM

Thanks for your reply BuzzWolfAR,
I'm on the same page as you. I hated to hear that gas engine scream. Thought maybe a newer , and little bigger gaser might work. I love the f250 we have now, but it seems like it costs me $1500 every oil change cause something needs replaced!

BuzzWolfAR · 10-12-2017, 10:48 PM

As you know, the 6.0 had it's issues. I had a 2010 f350 with the 6.4. Just traded up to the 350 with the newer 6.7 and love it.

Oil changes with diesels are expensive, but the pull and hopefully the truck will wear out before the power train.

**Bama Rambler** · 10-13-2017, 09:00 AM

I just went from a 2006 Dodge 2500 5.9L diesel to a GMC 2500 6.0L gas, and while I haven't been in any serious mountains, I'm happy with the change. We tow a 5er that weighs about 9,000 lbs.

I can't tell much difference with the new gas engine as opposed to the diesel on flat ground towing. The gas engine revs a little higher than the diesel did on hills, but it's not enough to bother me.

Ejs4029 · 10-13-2017, 09:15 AM

I had a 2006 Chevy 2500HD with the 6.0 it had the 4-speed transmission I thought it struggled and it certainly screamed in the Rockies towing 6.5K lbs getting around
7-8MPG it was stolen and I had to replace my TV I went with the diesel now towing close to 8K getting 11-13 MPG I couldn't be happier.

I am sure the newer gas 3/4 tons have made great improvements engine and transmission wise in the last 11 years plus get better MPG.

timfromma · 10-13-2017, 09:23 AM

I will forever recommend diesel over gas if your budget allows.

BigH · 10-13-2017, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugman1952

Looking for a little advice and wisdom!
DW and I currently own a 2017 Cherokee 255rr toy hauler. Dry 6480, fully loaded with atv, 9k.
We pull it with a 2006 F250 King Ranch 6.0 diesel just fine. We're thinking about going FT in 2 years, and wondering if a newer GMC with the HO 6.2 gas would or would not be over worked. We had a Ram 5.7 liter that I really loved, but 25 mph at 5k rpm climbing the hills in SD was not comfortable for me. We want to buy a new tv before going fulltime, but not sure if we should go diesel or gas. All opinions will be greatly appreciated.
I'm not trying to start a gas verses diesel war, just looking for advice from people who have experienced both, and your opinions.
Thanks so much.

The GM 6.2 is only used in 1500 series trucks and despite it's impressive numbers on paper it is not used in the 2500/3500 HD trucks. The 1500's would not be a consideration for your trailer IMO.

A new guy at work just came from a company where his job was supervising maintenance of a fleet of tucks. They had 6 to 10 of every brand (big 3). He was doing this job before all the new emission 'stuff' and after. Me, being in the market this year picked his brain and here's what he told me:

It used to be diesel was the way to go financially and coming to equal took about 100,000 miles but with the new emissions stuff we added up the mileage, cost of fuel, def, repair cost, maintenance and initial costs...it was not worth it for them to keep buying diesel for the entire fleet. They now only have a few diesels for towing their heaviest trailers; the rest are gas.

I recently had some sewer work done (11k worth) and had four local companies give me quotes. The company that had the lowest bid (and it was half of two of the other bids) showed up in a 1 ton gasser. That company is large and their entire fleet has switched to gas.

My truck is a truck. I don't use it to commute unless the snow dictates it to be the best choice...it has something in the bed or hooked to it 80% of the time. I only have about 500 miles pulling my new trailer with the tuck in my signature but I'm pleased with it. My loaded trailer is about 1000lbs heavier than yours. It doesn't take much head wind (10mph+) and the truck prefers 4th gear but most of the time I tow at about 65mph and the truck is in 5th gear at about 2350 rpms. I had a pretty good head wind for about 100 miles one day and the truck wanted to be in 4th gear unless I slowed down to about 62. The truck would pull 4th gear at any speed I was willing to test that day (a little over 70) and I didn't find the addition rpm's annoying with the smooth 6.0.

I got caught in some accordion type traffic (10 mph to 40mph...back and forth) in 91 degree heat for several miles with the ac on and the transmission never got above 180.

Yep, I could use more power, better mpg and if I was towing 20,000 miles a year, that might have changed my decision but I'm confident I made the right choice for my use. Good luck with your decision.

clr · 10-13-2017, 05:56 PM

I have had both a f250 v10 gas and now a f350 diesel as a tow vehicle. My gas truck did great on flat land but was a little slow getting up to highway speed on interstate access ramps. The diesel is so much better to tow with than a gas. Diesel engines are build to pull heavy loads where gas not so much. I currently pull a much heaver trailer now with a diesel and it pulls much better than my gas did with a much lighter trailer.
It is true that the diesel does not pay for itself like before due to all the EPA and fuel stuff but the towing experience is well worth it for me.

Crusadernoob · 10-13-2017, 06:29 PM

Absolutely love our pre DEF diesel, any of them can break down at any time, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be stranded on the side of the road due to an exhaust sensor/injector. Not so many bells and whistles, but it pulls great, exhaust brake is great, and we average between 12 and 12.5 mpg towing, I plan on keeping it as long as I can, I'll rebuild it if I have to!

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