Towing Dilema: Diesel vs gas

[Blackhat6mike]

I owned a Nissan Titan when I bought my Aviator TT [11,000+lbs]. I had been towing a PassPort Ultralite and all was good till I tried towing the Aviator. No deal! It would have worked my truck to death and not worked at all in the mountains. I loved my Titan, but knew I was headed to diesel.
Bought a Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax/Allison and still can't understand why I didn't do it years ago.
Even though the stock truck meets all the GWs. I added a set of "Super Springs" that gave me an extra 1,000lbs total capacity on the truck. Since I added a 50gal transfer tank in the bed, I figured the extra springs wouldn't hurt.
I have no regrets and wouldn't change a thing. A cap on the back may be down the road to secure all my "gotta have" junk in the bed.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by DavidAndDonna

My wife bought a 6.4 Hemi 3500 for a second tow vehicle, we r truck people.
I've got a Dodge 6.7 Cummins and the Hemi is a good truck and tows well however, it don't even compare to a diesel. I can sit the cruise on 65 and go, course if u get in some big hills like the Smokys then she'll downshift.

Diesel is undeniably the best tow rig

Don't they put those Hemi's in passenger cars as well?

[drittal]

I went with a RAM 2500 6.4l. We looked at a few cummins, but figured with the truck being our primary driver in a small town it wouldn't have enough time to warm up driving to the store and back, or to pick up kids from school, etc...

One thing to remember, modern gas motors in these HD/SD trucks have similar torque to early power stroke and cummins 12v but with 2x the horsepower.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by drittal

I went with a RAM 2500 6.4l. We looked at a few cummins, but figured with the truck being our primary driver in a small town it wouldn't have enough time to warm up driving to the store and back, or to pick up kids from school, etc...

One thing to remember, modern gas motors in these HD/SD trucks have similar torque to early power stroke and cummins 12v but with 2x the horsepower.

Yes you are correct on "modern gas motors in these HD/SD trucks have similar torque to EARLY POWER STROKE AND CUMMINS.My cheap of the line has 820 lb. Said i was not getting in to this. EVERYONE HAS A BLAH BLAH ABOUT GAS VERSUS DIESEL IT WILL NEVER END BUT ALWAY'S A GOOD back and forth till it goes on and on and well you get.

[patriotb]

We have 2001 dodge Cummins diesel 3/4 ton and have had a camper on it and now bumper pull 23 ft travel trailer and we wouldn't trade it in on a new one because they run forever. We no longer have the camper. It also has 187,000 miles. We live on the west and never have an issue pulling over the Sierra or tehachapi pass. A while back it had a overheating issue, but my husband blew out the radiator and its running fine. Will never go back to gas, plus diesel is less expensive than gas.

[drittal]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Yes you are correct on "modern gas motors in these HD/SD trucks have similar torque to EARLY POWER STROKE AND CUMMINS.My cheap of the line has 820 lb. Said i was not getting in to this. EVERYONE HAS A BLAH BLAH ABOUT GAS VERSUS DIESEL IT WILL NEVER END BUT ALWAY'S A GOOD back and forth till it goes on and on and well you get.

I was juse stating my case on why I chose a gas. My first 3/4t was a first hen powerstroke with a 5sp. Pulled like a freight train. However, it was also my daily driver. It didn't like -20F and never really warmed up at all in winter months even with the grill opening blocked. After 150k she started to drop injectors after having replaced all the glow plugs. Maybe that was normal, but growing up in the house of a truck driver who still drives part time in retirement I attributed the seemingly early failures to short hops where the engine never really warmed up and l Iong cold winters full of the same.

My father currently has a 2012 6.7l cummins 3500 HO that has been deleted and chipped. Empty we get about the same mpg. Loaded he gets about 1-2mpg better with the same load and trailer. The big difference is his truck only comes out of the garage for long trips or towing when mine is literally the family truckster.

[drittal]

I also believe many of us have been spoiled with the current diesel HP wars. It's awesome what they have done with tech, but at the same time maybe a little ridiculous. Today it is not acceptable to lose 1mpg going up 6% grade at 60-65 at 1800 rpm and getting 18 empty.

As a kid my grandfather had a 77 dodge 3/4t 440 auto that he used to pull a small prowler 5er. Maybe got 11 empty and probably pulled 6% at 4500rpm at 30mph. Lol

[DavidAndDonna]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Don't they put those Hemi's in passenger cars as well?

that's correct. you can get the Hemi in cars also.

[breezyhillfarm]

Now that we've had the Great Diesel Vs Gas discussion we need to start one on oil! :-)


2014 XLR27HFS
2006 Ford F450 Dually Diesel

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by aceinspp

Then your sniffer has gone south. I worked around diesels most of my life hated the smell clothes and all. Later RJD

Short funny story. I know a diesel mechanic for 30 years plus...he had a dodge diesel p/u and one day he wasn't driving it...he said I sold it...I said why? He said I got tired of the noise. ???? What in the world??


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[mike.t]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

Short funny story. I know a diesel mechanic for 30 years plus...he had a dodge diesel p/u and one day he wasn't driving it...he said I sold it...I said why? He said I got tired of the noise. ???? What in the world??


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Yes but what year was that old dog?

[inspectorgf]

Ok I can give you experience from both. I have a 2006 dodge 3500 diesel and my wife has a GMC sierra 2500 with the 6.0 gas motor. We have pulled both a 24' boat weighing 7k with trailer and also 7k pounds of stone up RT 68 and 79 through west va. Nothing but up and down mountains and the truck did fine. Did it pull up the hills like my diesel of course not but the transmission grade shifting works well every time you tap the brakes trans would down shift and hold speed I was very impressed with it. Now the fuel mileage is terrible. I love my diesel and that is what tows my 14k pound 5th wheel but if I where towing under 10k I would probably have a gas truck, anything over that and I would go diesel, would not consider ever trying to tow the 5th wheel with my wife's truck, but 6k not a problem.

[53jimc]

Ok, I'll jump in, just this once...
I have a '07 Surveyor SV291 (26' box) that I bought specifically so I could use my '99 Silverado Z71 5.3l to pull it. Disappointing is the best way to describe it. I love my chevy, it's a great truck, but it just wouldn't handle the load. Of course, newer gas models have better transmissions/gear ratios/ power, so that's probably a solution.

So, I bought a '05 ford F250 6.0l diesel and that truck doesn't even know the trailer is back there. The difference is night and day. The chevy got about 6mpg, the ford gets 12.

I'm just not looking forward to the 15 quart oil changes, though. Diesels are a different animal, for sure.

[twojump36]

This is one of our latest problems...
06 Chevy Duramax's...
2 blown head gaskets and it pulls a 17 foot Dessert Fox toy hauler...
Love the power but hate all the expensive ptoblems...
Fuel is basically a wash but the cost of the truck, the maintenence, and the repairs are not worth the cost of addmission...

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by twojump36

This is one of our latest problems...
06 Chevy Duramax's...
2 blown head gaskets and it pulls a 17 foot Dessert Fox toy hauler...
Love the power but hate all the expensive ptoblems...
Fuel is basically a wash but the cost of the truck, the maintenence, and the repairs are not worth the cost of addmission...

How many miles and what trick s$%t did you do to it?

[twojump36]

Can't post the picture off an iphone... I'll try later

[PolarisGuy]

Originally Posted by 53jimc

So, I bought a '05 ford F250 6.0l diesel and that truck doesn't even know the trailer is back there. The difference is night and day. The chevy got about 6mpg, the ford gets 12..

I was in the EXACT same boat...errrr truck situation. Sold my old Chevy gasser dually with the 7.4 454 and got an 05 Ford F250 diesel. Never ever going back to gas trucks. People can say what they want about the 6.0 diesels but with proper care and maintenance they are STRONG towing trucks. Pulls our 35' long Stealth with ease. My Ford only has 77k for a 2005. Amazing truck.

[twojump36]

Originally Posted by mike.t

How many miles and what trick s$%t did you do to it?

I have 117,000 on it now... it went south at 115,000.... it was bone stock.

The new work will include new upgraded everything... new intake
new exhaust, new oversized fuel rails, new hi flow injectors, adding a tuner to it (EFI live)... new water pump, some head work, new feed lines, new EGR's...
I just want it to go there and back....
I'll have just under 8K in this months repairs....

....get a diesel they said!

[mike.t]

Usually Diesel's don't have these types of problems with so few miles (6.0 Ford excluded) Blown head gasket happen when there is a over heat situation. Or could be just some bad luck. Once you get it repaired your going to sell and buy a gasser right.

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Yes but what year was that old dog?

It was an early 24 valve


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