Gas vs. Diesel

[Dave]

Help me make up my mind!! I've got a 2006 Chevy 2500HD 6.0L gas but contemplating a one ton diesel dually. We will be full timing in 20 months and plan on doing some mountain driving and I'm a little scared about my gas engine being able to keep up with traffic while climbing any mountains. New diesel trucks are running about $54K, and I still owe $16K on my 2006, so I'm thinking about installing a bigger gas engine and heavier transmission in my 2006. This may not even be feasible since I haven't done any investigation on the probablities of the engine switch. I'm pulling a Sundance 3300SK, 10,200LB dry. My real question is would a larger gas engine give me the capabilities of keeping up with traffic? I know this is a difficult question to answer but what would be the average speed you want to maintain while climbing a mountain? To help me get a feel for mountain speed, what truck and camper combination are you using?
Thanks for your input...be safe

 

[mikeandconnie]

Hello I'm a Newbie with 6000 miles of towing mostly on us 40 east, However, I pull a 16000 lb Landmark with a 2008 Ford 350 6.4 Diesel, I do pass all the trucker and gas burners up the inclines.On normal grades I do not use the towing mode. Just don't need it. I love the Ford Truck and Power but looking to down grade to a 2007 GMC 3500 for the seats. I hope someone can comment about the GM 3500 diesel and towing.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Personally, if I were routinely pulling over 10,000 lbs, I'd forgo the engine swap and put that money towards a diesel. I hauled with a 2004 F250 5.4l gas and a 2005 F250 6.0 diesel and the difference was night and day. It's nice to not have to crawl when going up hill. Towing mileage was also better when with the diesel and highway favored the gas at 18mpg vs. 16, 5.4l vs. 6.0l respectively. I can't speak for the larger gas engines but, I think the torque and power specs tend to favor the diesels.

You're right about climbing, it's not an easy question to answer and completely depends on the road conditions. I'm currently pulling a Cyclone 3950, dry weight around 14,000lbs and a 2011 Ford F450. Though I haven't been in the mountains yet, I have yet to find a location where I didn't have enough power. With my 24' cargo trailer at 4,200 lbs empty, I couldn't feel it behind me. I was amazed at the difference between the 2008 F250 6.4l vs the 2011 F450 6.7l. The turbolag is almost non-existent. The extra length, weight and set of wheels with the dually also drastically cut out down on the sway from the cargo trailer.

I'm biased towards Ford because I've had great customer service when problems came around. I also prefer to buy from non-government owned American automakers.

 

[branson4020]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but, what's so important about keeping up with traffic?

 

[ScubaSteve]

what's so important about keeping up with traffic?

Agree, I actually prefer to go a tad slower on the interstate to save a little cash rather I'm hauling or not. There's a huge difference in mileage between 60 and 70mph.

However, on smaller roads with a lot of hills and turns, there is a big difference between taking it easy and being a hazard due to the lack of ability to pull a heavy load up a hill.

 

[PUG]

Dave;
I have a 10 k sailboat and a 09 cyclone 3950. The cyclone weighs in about 18 k loaded. I pulled the sailboat for several years to a mountain lake here in Idaho with a 3/4 ton Chev 350 gas engine. It worked it hard with just the boat. I sold this truck and bought an 02 Chev Duramax pulling the boat. World of difference just pulling the boat where for example a mountain pass with the gas ran about 25 mph pulling. The Duramax ran up it at 55 with no heating problems.

I bought my Cyclone 3950 three years ago and started pulling it with the Chev 3/4 ton Duramax. I boosted the Duramax by 75 hp to help it on the hills which helped but I had to really watch the turbo temps to keep from smoking it. The Duramax did a pretty good job boosted to 300 hp and I really liked the truck but the Cyclone had it overloaded even with the addition of Air Bags and larger tires. It scared me to think of what would happen if I blew a tire on the Chev.

I decided to upgrade to a one ton dually after talking to numerous other RV ers over three years. I looked at the new Chevs that are now 350 hp but I couldn't get it in a short box extended cab and they wouldn't deal. I then looked at ford one tons but there had been numerous problems with the Navistar motor and Ford is now putting in a completely new Ford designed engine that I'm sure has been tested well but I wasn't real comfortable with a new engine not tested in the marketplace. Ford was more money yet.

I had owned a Dodge years ago that was a real piece of junk and was skeptical. As I said I talked to many many RVers over the last three years and Chev, Ford, and Dodge owners all gave good reports mostly. The Dodge owners all gave good reports and loved their trucks.

I found an 09 1 ton Dually Laramie loaded to the gills with the Cummins engine. I took it for a drive and was impressed. The engine is really quiet now and with 350 hp and an included engine brake it, it also impressed me. I used to drive over the road trucks and the Cat and Cummins were always my favorite diesel engines. The truck had a Mega cab, entertainment console, sky roof, etc. etc. The Mega cab is "so cool" and spacious you won't believe it. The seats fold down making a huge flat hauling area, really really handy. I also noticed that the new Ram had many other built in kind of designed for RVers and travelers. It also came in a short box even with the Mega cab that still fits in my regular garage. It is also 4 wheel drive as we need it here in Idaho in the winter as have all my trucks.

Being I was looking for a new truck last November the dealers were wanting to empty their inventory for 10s coming in. This truck stickered at $58,500 and was reduced to $47,500 where the Chevs and Fords were still up around the $60 k mark.

I went ahead and purchased the Ram and am so happy with it I could talk all day about it. It rides good and is a dream to drive. The dually's make it so stable pulling the boat and especially the Cyclone you can't believe it. The 350 hp engine is a workhorse and flies up hillos. As mentioned before pulling this one summit with the gas was 25 mph, the Duramax was 55 mph. The Ram is 65 mph backed off and can pick up speed if wanted. The engine brake and transmission are just great. I can go down summits now just on the engine brake where I was having to brake the other trucks quite a bit and that doesn't give you a safety margin in case of an emergency stop like the Cummins does.

Getting the idea? I love my Ram. Drawbacks, few. The mileage pulling the Cyclone is around 9.5 to 11 mpg, not quite as good as the Chev but they tell me after about 15 k the mileage improves. The truck is meant to work. It is not meant to be a daily commuter city driver. If you use it that way you will need to take it out and drive it for 20 minutes or so at hwy speeds to get it into regen mode to clean out the exhaust system or you will plug it all up. This is an engine made to work and work it will. I installed a Pyrometer, trans temp guage, and boost guage. Truck driver in me I guess. These I also had in the Chev Duramax and needed it to keep from burnig the engine down being it was boosted. The Ram Cummins is designed to back it self off if you peddle it to hard so the guages aren't really needed but they are nice just to know what all is going on. You can literally put your foot in it and not hurt it according to Cummins.

The Cummins engine is great. The one ton with Dually is great. The short (or long box) with the Mega cab is great. The whole **** truck is great. I am extremely happy with it as you can guess!!!!!! send me a personal message if you want and I can rant on more...

 

[branson4020]

Steve, agree with you about not being a hazard, but I don't think any of us would be in that position. Might have to go a little slow, but we'll always have the ability to make the hill. Heck, I've spent plenty of time crawling along behind some big rig who had to gear down to crawl up a hill at 25 mph and never considered him to be a hazard.

 

[jmgratz]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but, what's so important about keeping up with traffic?

Sometimes it is best to keep up from traffic to keep from being a hazard. Ever see the long lines of traffic behind one slowpoke? Don't be that slowpoke. Be reasonable. Going 20 mph slower than the flow of traffic is dangerous. You will be the cause of traffic tieups and road rages. Ever see someone get rear ended by an 18 wheeler? It is not pretty. Ask some truckers about the slowpokes. My 3 cents worth.

 

[tmcran]

diesel-- Had the 03 Chevy 6.0L on last truck never again as long as I'm pulling- diesel only...............

 

[ScubaSteve]

Heck, I've spent plenty of time crawling along behind some big rig who had to gear down to crawl up a hill at 25 mph and never considered him to be a hazard.

True, on an interstate or other multi-lane highway. But, I'm talking about the backroads similar to my area. If you're going up a hill at 25mph, on a narrow road with a blind curve where the speed limit is 70mph or 60mph at the slowest; you better hope that the car coming up behind you is paying attention. I've seen plenty of cars smashed into the back of tractors that were going in the 20mph range on those same roads. Even though the other car would be at fault, it would still put a dent in your trip and your load.

Those places are also a prone to suicide deer which is why I am a strong advocate of heavy duty grill guards and front end replacements

 

[Dave]

Agree, I actually prefer to go a tad slower on the interstate to save a little cash rather I'm hauling or not. There's a huge difference in mileage between 60 and 70mph.

However, on smaller roads with a lot of hills and turns, there is a big difference between taking it easy and being a hazard due to the lack of ability to pull a heavy load up a hill.

What I mean by "keeping up with traffic" is I don't a trail of vehicles behind me while creeping up a hill. On the straight road I keep it at 65 mph.

Thanks for the good thoughts ScubaSteve!

 

[Dave]

I couldn't have said it better, I don't want to speed..just not block traffic. Thanks Jim.

 

[jmgratz]

Back to the OP topic. I have had both gas and diesel and will not go back to towing with a gas engine.

 

[westxsrt10]

Help me make up my mind!! I've got a 2006 Chevy 2500HD 6.0L gas but contemplating a one ton diesel dually. We will be full timing in 20 months and plan on doing some mountain driving and I'm a little scared about my gas engine being able to keep up with traffic while climbing any mountains. New diesel trucks are running about $54K, and I still owe $16K on my 2006, so I'm thinking about installing a bigger gas engine and heavier transmission in my 2006. This may not even be feasible since I haven't done any investigation on the probablities of the engine switch. I'm pulling a Sundance 3300SK, 10,200LB dry. My real question is would a larger gas engine give me the capabilities of keeping up with traffic? I know this is a difficult question to answer but what would be the average speed you want to maintain while climbing a mountain? To help me get a feel for mountain speed, what truck and camper combination are you using?
Thanks for your input...be safe

You have the biggest gas engine GM makes now for pick-ups, the only gas engine thats made for towing is the Ford V-10.
If your Sundance weights over 12K loaded i'd get a newer 2011+ diesel

 

[Moose]

I have towed same 30' TT with a 2500 RAM (gas) HEMI 4x4 and now with 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel RAM. Difference is day and night.

My advice . . . . . go with the diesel. You won't regret it.

 

[gmc]

used to pull a pull trailer with a gas rig. I would have nothing but a diesel now. You can go as fast or as slow a feels comfortable to you. diesel all the way besides where I live diesel is cheaoer than gas.

 

[lwmcguir]

Diesel trucks will cost you more up front and for the normal maintenance. If you can afford the extra expense it is worth the peach of mind when towing. Not having to listen to a gas rig wind up is worth a lot to me. i don't like the sound of the Fan at 3000 rpm or so when My Diesel will be at least a 1000 rpm lower. The torque is just worth it when towing. The exception would be the cost and if you tow very little. Otherwise bit the bullet and get a Diesel.

 

[RollingHome]

Dave, I haven't been on for the last couple weeks, but. I had the largest gas engine GM makes in a stock truck. The engine was a 8.1 Litre (502cu/in) in a 2500HD. I pulled a trailer like yours w/o a problem in the mountains and flat terrain. I did not hold up anyone and did not become a nuisance... But, the gas milage was horrendous (3 > 8 MPG out of a 22 gallon tank) and it's difficult to install auxillary gasoline tanks. Then I got a bigger rig 16,000 gross. Still the 8.1 L chugged along without a problem... but, I was pulling too much for the truck (legally) so I got a 3500HD Chebby dually just to stay legal... Wow, the difference is night and day. I now arrive at my destination refreshed and with reserve fuel to explore play AND FILL UP WITHOUT THE BIG THING OUTBACK ! The 3500HD is the most comfortable smooth riding truck I've owned, I'm really surprised at this, I thought big meant "rough rider", it doesn't ! My DW agrees, we both love the "Beast". If you can swing it, do it, you'll be glad you did. It really doesn't matter what brand you buy because at this level they are all about level, I just bought a Chebby because it was pretty and I liked it. Good luck with your decission, you're smart by asking others and some of the guys (and gals) on this forum are really informed, listen to em. Happy RV'ing.

Tom