New Tow Vehicle advice requested

[recumbent615]

All,

I have been towing my Heartland Cyclone 3010 since 2011 with my Chevy 2500HD short-bed. the little Red truck is approaching 300K and is starting to worry me some. So I have started the search for a replacement. But having only owned one truck in my life and reading what I can I still would like some first hand advise from the people I know are using a truck the way I do. So my questions are as follows:


1) Those of you who are towing with a 1 ton with single Wheel drive; If you had to do over would you opt for a dually
?

2) Those of you who are towing with a 1 ton dually
; if you had to do it over again would you opt for a SWD?

The Chevy Line has two rear end gears ( I am sure Dodge does too ) Wondering about fuel usage:

3) if you have the 4.10 Rear End:

3a) what do you get for MPG when towing
3b) what do you get for MPG not towing

4) if you have the 3.73 Rear End:

4a) what do you get for MPG when towing
4b) what do you get for MPG not towing



My plans are to get a 1 ton ( Chevy or Dodge ) late model Diesel and I am on the fence on the rear end and if I should go for the dually since it will also be a daily driver.

in the lovely state of Ma, 1 one ton is a commercial vehicle regardless of the rear axle so there is no extra cost except for maintenance and tolls

Thanks for your advice and insight. Happy Camping.


Kevin

 

['Lil Guy']

Re: Advice requested

The drw is your best option because of the increased payload....I' have the 3:73 RE on my 2015 Ram and get 16 to 17 MPG in town and on the road. I don't drive it that easy,either. I also get over 10 towing our BH.

With the 4:10 RE, you might get better towing but less when not towing. Not sure on that but seems like the RE would make a difference on the highway.

Hope this helps.

 

[farside291]

Re: Advice requested

1. I towed with a single rear wheel for 3 years now I have a dually and would never go back, the difference in stability is quite noticeable especially in a cross wind.
2. Never go back to SRW
3. 4.10 in 2016 Ram, average 10 on a good day at 65 mpg, unloaded 16 mpg
4. 3.73 in 2003 Chevy Duramax, average 11 mpg on a good day. Unloaded 21 mpg. Not sure of difference, dodge has gobs more power the my old 2003 duramax.

Oh, one more thing, with the 4.10 in the Ram, you get the really cool differential cover.

 

[billk263]

Re: Advice requested

2 wheel drive or 4?


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[JWalker]

Re: Advice requested

Kevin, I'm sure you're going to get a lot of different answers. But here are my findings.

ElkRidge 15200lbs
I had an 07 RAM DRW with 3:73
Now have a 16 RAM DRW with 4:10

Mountain towing- 10.5-11.0 mpg (about 1.5 MPG better than before)
Flat towing- 12.0-13.0 (about 1.0 mpg better than before)

I'll be honest though, I have not had the new truck on any type of flat towing. I did have it up at your rally in Cape Cod last year but the whole trip home follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. So it was nothing but Rolling hills and up-and-down.

I can't answer the pros and cons from a DRW to a SRW. As I've only towed with the DRW.

Are you looking at having something before Goshen?

 

[CoveredWagon]

Re: Advice requested

All,

I have been towing my Heartland Cyclone 3010 since 2011 with my Chevy 2500HD short-bed. the little Red truck is approaching 300K and is starting to worry me some. So I have started the search for a replacement. But having only owned one truck in my life and reading what I can I still would like some first hand advise from the people I know are using a truck the way I do. So my questions are as follows:


1) Those of you who are towing with a 1 ton with single Wheel drive; If you had to do over would you opt for a dually
?

2) Those of you who are towing with a 1 ton dually
; if you had to do it over again would you opt for a SWD?

The Chevy Line has two rear end gears ( I am sure Dodge does too ) Wondering about fuel usage:

3) if you have the 4.10 Rear End:

3a) what do you get for MPG when towing
3b) what do you get for MPG not towing

4) if you have the 3.73 Rear End:

4a) what do you get for MPG when towing
4b) what do you get for MPG not towing



My plans are to get a 1 ton ( Chevy or Dodge ) late model Diesel and I am on the fence on the rear end and if I should go for the dually since it will also be a daily driver.

in the lovely state of Ma, 1 one ton is a commercial vehicle regardless of the rear axle so there is no extra cost except for maintenance and tolls

Thanks for your advice and insight. Happy Camping.


Kevin

4.10 gears are gasoline engines. 3.73 gears are Diesel engine gears. For Chevys and GMC that is.

 

[wdk450]

Re: Advice requested

" . . . in the lovely state of Ma, 1 one ton is a commercial vehicle regardless of the rear axle so there is no extra cost except for maintenance and tolls".

Kevin

In the lovely state of California, if your vehicle has a bed that can haul cargo, it is classified as a "Commercial Vehicle". Even the Hondas and Subarus with the open mini beds. I.E., ALL PICKUP TRUCKS ARE CLASSED AS A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE.

 

[Nuclearcowboy]

Re: Advice requested

I started off with a 2010 GMC duramax diesel, 3.73 rear end, 2500 series, crew cab, 6.5 ft bed. I got about 11.0 mpg average when towing my BH 3270, about 17.0 mpg local driving w/o towing, and close to 19.0 mpg on a non-towing road trip. It was 4WD also.

The fifth wheel did challenge my bed load limits a little, not much, so we traded up to 2016 GMC dually, crew cab, duramax diesel Denali, 3.73 fear end, 8.0 ft bed, also 4WD. We also traded up to a larger fifth wheel a little after that, the BH 3970RD. Glad I have the dually with this unit! Believe it or not, same mileage stats within a couple of tenths.

I would NEVER go back to a SRW. I really notice the difference in the bed payload ability and the handling improvements in windy conditions. Plus, this unit has an exhaust brake, which certainly helps minimize wear and tear on the brakes in the mountains. And I use my truck daily as my going back and forth to work truck and absolutely love it.

 

[billk263]

Re: Advice requested

In the lovely state of California, if your vehicle has a bed that can haul cargo, it is classified as a "Commercial Vehicle". Even the Hondas and Subarus with the open mini beds. I.E., ALL PICKUP TRUCKS ARE CLASSED AS A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE.

You can register your truck as a non commercial vehicle, but don't get caught with even a shovel in the bed...


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[rdufek]

Hi Kevin,

Having both owned a SRW and DRW tow vehicle I would not go back to SRW. DRW is a much better ride and certainly more stable going down the highway IMHO. While it can be a little more challenging to find a parking spot I always seem to find one. I've owned both Dodge and GM and GM gets slightly better gas mileage, about 1.5 miles better to the gallon. That being said, GM comes with a larger gas tank, 4 more gallons. Now mind you on the mileage is with DRW vehicles. A friend of mine owns a SRW GM and he even gets better gas mileage. I don't have a comparison to the different axle ratios on gas mileage. I have found between city driving and pulling my BigHorn on the highway the gas mileage stays fairly close at about 12mpg in GMC and about 10.5 on the Dodge. If I'm not pulling I can get between 18-19 miles to the gallon on the highway. I just upgraded to the new 2017 GMC 3500 DRW with the new engine

• 445 Horsepower
• 910 lb.ft. of torque
• 12% increase in horsepower and 19% increase in torque vs previous model

My previous was a 2014 Dodge DRW

 

[recumbent615]

Re: Advice requested

Hi Jamie,

no not sure when I will find the right late model - I just can not see paying for a new one - for what I need I rather save the $$ and take someones Cast off ...

Kevin, I'm sure you're going to get a lot of different answers. But here are my findings.

ElkRidge 15200lbs
I had an 07 RAM DRW with 3:73
Now have a 16 RAM DRW with 4:10

Mountain towing- 10.5-11.0 mpg (about 1.5 MPG better than before)
Flat towing- 12.0-13.0 (about 1.0 mpg better than before)

I'll be honest though, I have not had the new truck on any type of flat towing. I did have it up at your rally in Cape Cod last year but the whole trip home follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. So it was nothing but Rolling hills and up-and-down.

I can't answer the pros and cons from a DRW to a SRW. As I've only towed with the DRW.

Are you looking at having something before Goshen?

 

[JWalker]

Re: Advice requested

Hi Jamie,

no not sure when I will find the right late model - I just can not see paying for a new one - for what I need I rather save the $$ and take someones Cast off ...

I understand that. That's how we got into our first DRW. Wasn't planning on it. But drove by the lot and found one that was two years old with 9000 miles on it and got a tremendous deal. Wasn't planning on buying new this time. But with the markdowns, incentives and trade-in, walked out the door with a new one for less than 20K.

I'd say you got your moneys worth out of the old chev.

 

[SNOKING]

We tow our BH3575el 16K with a 2015 RAM 3500 SRW 4x4 Diesel with Aisin tranny. All RAM 2500/3500 SRW trucks have the 3.42 gears. With the Aisin's lower 1st and 2nd gear it is a great combination. Chris

 

[RonTimmer]

I have a Dodge 2500 with the 6.4 Hemi and 410 gears. I get about 10MPG pulling my fifth wheel, 14MPG in town, and around 20MPG on the highway provided I keep it at about 65-70 MPH. We had the truck before we bought our fifth wheel and when we finally bought out trailer we went bigger than we had had planned so I am now at the top end of what my truck can pull. The reason I say this is I am now also looking to move up to a 3500 and based on the limited experience I now have I am really leaning towards DRW for the stability.

Take care,
Ron

 

[Mrsfish]

I will add that the one positive we weren't counting on when we switched from a srw to a drw was- my husband is not as tired at the end of our trip. Says it's just less work pulling with the dually. And we usually pull long days so that's a biggie for us!

 

[TravelTiger]

Hi Jamie,

no not sure when I will find the right late model - I just can not see paying for a new one - for what I need I rather save the $$ and take someones Cast off ...

Be careful about the "cast-off". I have seen there are reports here and elsewhere of fuel system problems that require an entire fuel system replacement. Some owners have paid for this, some had it covered under warranty, but many have traded the truck rather than deal with it. Dealers do the work and resell the truck, but this doesn't show up on a CarFax. Be sure to ask for the complete manufacturer's repair history (dealers have access to this) on a used truck, not just CarFax.


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[212Pilot]

I was in the same situation as you about 6 weeks ago pulling our Cyclone 3800 with a 03 GMC 2500HD at 287000 miles. We looked at and drove the 2017 Ford F350 DRW, 2017 Dodge Ram 3500 DRW and the 2017 Chevy 3500 DRW. The Chevy out performed the others and thats what we bought. We also shopped used trucks FSBO and on a few lots. The used diesel market with less than 30K miles people wanted more than or very close to what you can buy new. We got 10K off MSRP they included a Gooseneck hitch and 0% financing. I couldn't find a nice used truck for that price. After towing from Utah to Alaska I am very happy with my choice and would not go back to a SRW. With 3.73 gears I average 8 MPG towing (65-70 MPH) and 17 with out a load. I expect those numbers to get better as it gets more miles on the engine. On the ALCAN there are some steep grades 9 and 10%. The engine brake was amazing on the down grades holding 45 MPH and I could accelerate up a 9% grade.

 

[gslabbert5119]

I am going to throw in my 2c worth as well.

The DRW has a better payload, but do you really need it. I did a ton of research when I bought my truck in 2015 and I looking at Ford, Chevy & Ram.
Turns out that the payload is dictated not only by the spring rating but also whether you have a 4x4 or 4x2 ans well as whether you have a extended cab or a full cab.


Check the pin weight of your rig and then decide whether you want to incur the extra cost of a DRW or a 3500 which essentially has only an extra leaf spring. (well in a Ford)

What I ended up with was the 2015 Ford f250 super cab 6.7l Diesel in a 2x4.
It produces somewhere around 440 HP at 1800 rpm and over 925 ft lb of torque.
I then added a set of airbags to keep my vehicle level and saved myself close to $30k in vehicle costs.
Vehicles PIN Weight is 3710 lbs which is about 1500 lbs more than my rigs pin weight

I am sure that you can find something similar in either Chevy or Dodge

I tow a heavy rig and its specs are here
Bighorn 3685RL
GVWR 15,500 lbs
Dry Weight 12,192 lbs
Pin Weight 2,320 lbs
Width 8' 0"
Height 12' 11"
Length 38' 7"

Mileage. In 18 months I have put over 40k miles on my truck and rig and we average about 10.5 mpg at between 70 & 75 mph

Now that I am out of warranty, I am going to look into getting this truck chipped and have a cold air system added in an attempt to increase the Miles Per Gallon. I am told that I should be able to get somewhere around 13 mpg at 75 mph. That would be nice and a huge savings

Hope this helps some

 

[danemayer]

saved myself close to $30k in vehicle costs.

What would that extra $30K have bought?

 

[gslabbert5119]

What would that extra $30K have bought?

After careful shopping I bought my rig in Texas from a dealer that had a custom order 4x2 that the buyer backed out of, and everyone in that park of Texas wanted a 4x4, so in mid 2015 I paid $29,800.00 OTD for the following truck.

2015 f250 6.6L Diesel long bed, extended cab, XLT with a full towing package including an exhaust brake and all the extras that come with it. Basically it is fully tricked out except for leather seats (which I wish that I had)

I priced the 2015 f350 DRW XLT with the long bed in a 4x4 and they wanted just a hair under 60k for the 6.7 diesel unit and I did not see the value or why that truck should cost that, and figured that it was a price based on supply and demand.

I am extremely happy with my configuration.

What did I not get that I wish that I had. Leather electric seats, but that is about it.

What did I not get that could have driven the price up to that 60k price, I truly do not know, and I can tell you I sure do not miss it, whatever it may be.

This is my first diesel and I can tell you that I simply love it, I can tow my rig up the continental divide past Vail at 70 mph in cruise control without even a hiccup. The new 2015 6.7L Diesel is a beast and a huge improvement over the 2014 and earlier.