Drove diesel for 10+yrs now have a 7.3 ford and tow 12# boat regularly and love it cheaper fuel, cheaper oil changes no def etc. not to mention 9k cost of diesel.
I towed a 9500# trailer with a tundra and was lucky to get 7mpg. I tow 16000# with my HO Cummins 1ton and get 9.5mpg and your right the towing experience is so much better. Thanks for the great content JD.
Buying "just enough" truck to pull a trailer means the truck is always maxed out at the edge of its performance and/or weight capacity. That's like putting on a 50-pound backpack and running a marathon.
Great analogy! Towing near the max, having to carefully control the throttle during gear changes to reduce transmission slip, and closely watching temperatures is no fun. Lol
Where diesels really shine is in the mountains. Loads of power at relatively low rpm’s. Gas engines: noisy high rpms with numerous gear shifts while hunting for the right gear. My experience was that the gas engine was much more tiring. Going down the mountain, the exhaust brake on the diesel makes it simple, and safer as well. No worries about overworking the transmission or overheating the brakes. You feel much more in control. It’s a matter of having the right tool for the job. Think Milwaukee Tool vs Harbor Freight.
Loved the intro. I want that fly swatter. Also I fully agree with you my 1/2 ton was well specced for towing and it pulled my TT fine. But after upgrading to my 1 ton dually diesel my towing experience is exponentially better. I’m always gaining quite a bit of altitude so I definitely need a diesel.
Maintenance is a major issue too for diesel vs gas. If you tow all the time, diesel, few times a month, gas. Diesel engines when they start having issues are extremely expensive to have fixed. We run Cummins in our Rams and the ones with higher miles are starting to get very expensive to start fixing different components on the engine. To the point the average home owner would struggle to be able to afford it. Seriously think about this if you plan on keeping a truck a long time. Diesel trucks do not last forever like people think. They become very costly to upkeep.
If you treat your diesel like a gas unit, it will hurt your wallet, big time. When I was putting on 50-80 k miles per year, on my diesel, I decided to change oil and work on the severe service schedule. It cost in filters and oil, but the only issues I had where suspension, bushings, tie rod ends etc. Nothing with the driveline. Best wishes.
Unfortunately that has to do with modern omissions equipment. I recommend you buy an older diesel truck, spend a couple bucks to get it perfect and you’ll have a more reliable truck than any new truck
@@halogod0298 That is true to a point. Yes the older diesels with all the emissions will run and last longer but the engines last longer than all the other stuff that will fall apart. Like the old first gen Dodge 5.9 Cummins. They will out last the whole truck. So as a company you need to update equipment. You cant constantly be buying old trucks then have everything else go wrong with it just because the engine is good. Diesels have there place not doubt but for the average owner its not logical to have one.
@@bradh7472 The fords last pretty well, can’t say the same for dodge. I don’t think companies need to upgrade equipment, if it works it works and it’s cheaper
I own 2 newer diesels....but there is nothing like towing with my 78 f350 srw 460, 456 rear gear from the factory.....the looks you get when passing people up a hill is priceless. Gotta love the classics!
Great video JD. One thing you didn’t mention but that I found to be a great benefit while towing my 34ft travel trailer with a diesel truck is stopping for fuel on longer trips. When I had a gas 1/2 ton we found ourselves hoping and praying that we could find gas stations that were easy to navigate an almost 45 foot setup around. We had some near misses dealing with very tight gas stations. With the diesel 2500 we can just pull into the truck lane at truck stops. No stress at all. Plus we’re saving money with the TSD savings card. This benefit plus the enhanced power and gas mileage is well worth it!
My TT is only 8000 lbs. towed it with a 1/2 ton for a while. We started going farther and in the mountains. Got tired of the drive being stressful so got a 3/4 diesel. Some may say it’s overkill but I am no longer worn out from stress when I get to my destination anymore.
2020 and 2021 7.3 gassers for me and my company. After 20 years of diesels I finally bought trucks for the 95% of the time we're not towing but they do a very good job when towing about 10k the other 5% of the time.
My wife and I are looking at buying a bumper pull RV over the next few months, but we are going to be upgrading to a new tow vehicle. Don’t want a half ton as I’ve seen way too many people struggle. So a 3/4 or 1 ton but due to the decrease in reliability of the new diesels with the mandated EPA emissions devices, I think I’ll stick with a gas engine. Plus, we live in south Texas where it’s flat.
My father-in-law stayed with an underpowered gas engine vs a diesel and had a serious problem with the catalytic converter overheating. He switched to a diesel and was extremely happy.
I’ll have to check. I know at 80 it’s at 2350-2400. That’s with the stock dually tires. With a swr truck the tire diameter is bigger so the rpms will be lower.
While I’m not on the heavy duty scale you are, I paid close attention to the towing capabilities when looking for my current truck. I wanted a truck with a V6 that had at least a 4K tow rating. I found that there are a number of vehicles that were rated to pull that much, but were geared towards comfort and efficiency which ultimately dampened the tow capabilities. I eventually selected a Toyota 4Runner with a 4L V6 which has a 5k tow rating and has no trouble pulling my enclosed trailer, which tops out at 3k. Even when I pulled a tandem axle usual utility trailer loaded with 3.5k of rocks, it did so without any issues.
Many people don't understand that a gallon of diesel fuel has more energy in it compared to gasoline. I'm not sure on gas features but diesel normally has turbo & engine braking. Great discussion.
lol I wasn't sure what to think at all, at the start. I live in a 5th Wheel now, but Never travel or tow. Good to know for those that do, and even myself. It's a learning process, and with all of the changes of modern tech. it's hard to keep up. Thanks. Good job.
My buddy knew I had knowledge on towing when he was looking to purchase his travel trailer. To make things simple for him I gave him this analogy, "I bought a truck that can tow a house. I bought a shed to tow." He didn't take my advice. He bought a 40' travel trailer to put behind his 2wd Ford Expedition V10 gas that was previously modified to sit lower. To this day he regrets it and is now looking to put 1 ton leafs on it. I've begged him to get rid off it and get a 1 ton pickup because it's simply not safe, especially hauling his family around. I don't remember exact specs but dry weight was within a couple hundred pounds of max towing capacity of stock suspension, let alone decreased modified suspension.
You summed it best at ~7:00 minutes into the video. My F150 with a heavy tow package was "adequate" & did fine for our 7200# tt. Our F350 gas is even better. I had the F150 before the tt so it all worked. I could afford the diesel but couldn't cost justify it vs the small incremental towing ability in MY case. They have a large torque advantage, hands down; but the 7.3l Godzilla does a pretty fine job. Doubtful we'll ever go over 10k #'s though. Ultimately a HDT would do better than an F450 as well; but they have some disadvantages as well that I do not wish to take on at this point. Heck in my old days we towed with F250's with 360" & 390's gas V-8's ~200 - 250-hp & ~300-350Tq. vs 7.3 gas @ 430hp & 475#Tq.
Herb, it is interesting that you mention the old days. At least once a year, we haul cattle from our home ranch to our satellite ranch about 3.5 hours away, and there is a fairly sizeable grade in one area. Made this trip once a year for the last 25 years. Done it with a 1991 Chevy 3500 with a 454 gas with the 4L80E, then a 2002 Ford F350 with the 7.3 Powerstroke, a 2018 Ram 3500 chassis cab with the Cummins, and this year, we used my 2020 F350 SRW with the 6.2 gas, 10 speed and 4.30 gears. The last two tow vehicles, towing the exact same trailer, the exact same weight, have about the same drama-free experience comparatively (and they lose precisely 0 mph going up the big grade). The gas engines in todays pickups are as capable or more capable than the diesels of yesteryear, even my little 6.2.
My cousin did the switch from a Ram 2500 4x4 gas to a Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins back in 2007ish. Travel trailer toy hauler, and the Hemi never complained. But, as said, night and day difference with the diesel. Was like trailer wasn't even there, and better fuel economy.
I think I disagree with the unloaded gas mileage between gas and Diesel engines. I’ve watched videos where a f250 with the ten speed transmission and a diesel were getting around 20mpg. The same truck with a 7.3 will get 14 or maybe 15mpg. This is interstate highway driving. The 7.3 however seems to be in a class by itself as far as gasoline engines go. In TFLs Ike gauntlet test it blew the RAM and GM trucks away. I would like to see a comparison in maintenance cost for a year or 2 at 15,000 miles a year between gas and diesel. Just a suggestion.
I just finished a 700 mile trip with my 04 Dodge 2500 with 5.9L, with 230k miles. I got 24 mpg empty. I use it to tow my 25’ boat which is close to 7k pounds. I’m keeping this for a very long time as I don’t have the def and emissions.
2001 F250 7.3L 550K Line item ordered new with the 350 payload/towing package. Rusted out but love it to death. Tows great. Bought used. No blow by. No need to spend 80K on a reliable truck with no def. Not modded to do so but rolling coal wo sill need to put back on the highway.
I know it's not quite the same, but we went from a 2015 F150 3.5 Ecoboost to a 2018 F250 power stroke towing a Forest River Grey Wolf 27DBH. I can second the feeling of confidence you gain from the diesel. Although the F150 did everything we demanded from it the diesel just has so much less fatigue while driving and is overall a much better experience. From being able to use cruise control on the interstate to going through the "mountains" of Broken Bow Oklahoma. Much better ride especially going East-West.
A subject not brought up but worth considering for some people is state regulations. I would not buy a diesel in any state that does emissions checks and prevents you from doing an emissions delete. Newer diesels are not as reliable as they once were.
If you will, give a maintenance breakdown for your F450. You tow an RV that is way larger and heavier than anything I’ll ever own. What has your experience been with regular maintenance and mileage? I would imagine a 6.7 would do rather well towing say across Kansas as far as mileage is concerned. As I’m on the east coast and want to RV out west, I don’t want any issues along I-70 in Colorado.
Ours is not a terribly heavy TT, 5900 dry weight, but we'll be doing lots of mountain travel and some cross country. Plus a diesel will give us the ability to upgrade if we want to.
Well said jd I am a commercial driver up here in Vancouver bc been doing it for over 35 years I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 drw 305 hp with a bully dog on tow mode also couple of years ago I installed a pacbrake and what a difference it made in towing with my 32 foot travel trailer the weight is around 9500 loaded this is my second Ram truck also thinking of getting newer 2021 but they are north of 100,000 in Canada here it’s like having a second mortgage may have to pay off my house first lol. Keep the great videos coming cheers.
Don't forget to add the cost of DEF into your diesel fuel mpg figures. It still might be worth it depending on what you tow, were you tow, and how often you tow, but just don't forget about that extra cost, along with the additional initial purchase price of a diesel.
Hoping in a few years Ford gives the hybrid treatment to the 7.3L Godzilla. Currently pull a 36' TT w/a 2013 6.2L F-350 SRW. Tows fine, but would like a bit more power on grades, esp. if we ever go out west. Hard to justify the cost of a diesel given our towing frequency, but would be very intesested in the increased power, efficiency, and electric features (esp. Generator Mode) they've brought to the F-150 this year on a Super Duty.
I selected a diesel to tow a 6500 lb travel trailer. The big reasons: we travel all around the country especially the Mountain West, exhaust brake and the availability of diesel. After Hurricane Harvey, TX had a fuel shortage. Excuse me, a gas shortage. We had planned our vacation for 10 months. We couldn’t have left San Antonio with a gas truck because there was hardly anyplace within 100 miles with reliable gas supplies. Diesel, not much of an issue. Wherever there’s long haul trucking, there’s diesel.
Good advice my friend. You can’t beat the torque of a Diesel engine. On the farm all of our tractors have Diesel engines. My brothers truck that we use on the farm is a 6.6 duramax and it has amazing power. We pull 10 ton loads of hay with it and would out pull my Chevy with 350 in it.
Good to see Texas with no snow. I'm now thinking about a block heater for a diesel truck might be a good insurance policy when the next artic blast hits. Any ideas?
What kind of diesel do you have? I’m not gonna mind once my lb7 goes up to switch electric. Newer diesels too complicated for me which also equals expensive.
@@jonnyg44 I have a 2000 Ford f350 with the 7.3 in it I agree with you the newer diesels are to complicated my next truck will probably be a 2000's Peter built but that is a few years from now
Realistically the two big issues with diesel are the maintenance and the emissions, both are issues solved by not seeing your truck as bulletproof and instead realizing you have a complicated machine that needs routine maintenance. Use full synthetic oil and only the oil recommended by the manufacturer, do not run different oil. Do your oil changes every 6k miles if you're not abusing the truck (unloaded or minimal load) or 3k miles if you're actually working it. Somewhere in the middle is also acceptable if you daily it unloaded and work it on the weekends, use your better judgement. As for emissions, you need to be driving this truck over distance *MOST* of the time and you need to let the emissions systems work. They work at their worst when the engine is cold, you have to warm up the engine. If you live in the cold, note it will take even longer for everything to get up to temps. Driving 5 miles and shutting the engine off long enough to let it cool then driving 5 miles home is not sufficient, you will do damage to your DPF over time doing this. Getting on the highway for 15-20 miles at minimum once a week is how you keep the DPF alive, if you regularly do this then you have little to worry about, especially if you put load on the truck and there's enough heat to regen automatically without the need for computer intervention. Lastly if you have issues with DEF you're just an irresponsible truck owner, it's like any other fluid in the damn truck, just top it off on oil changes and you will be good to go. (now if your DEF line freezes because your truck didn't properly drain the line then you have something to be mad about, looking at you 2.8 duramax)
Wife and I just spent the last few days driving cross country from NY to CA. I can't tell you how many times we saw signage "No Engine Braking Zone". Not sure if this was isolated to I-90 & I-80 corridor only, or not.
The question I’d really like to see addressed is cost of ownership. Diesel gets better mileage but is more costly to maintain. Diesel costs more but also has significantly higher resale value. So assuming that either engine can haul the load your towing how do they compare for overall cost of ownership? For the sake of doing the math assume 6-7 years of ownership. That would be a really valuable video.
Biggest issue with diesel is the fuel injection and emissions system. Water in fuel = 10k plus in damages. DPF filter = 6-8K dollar range. Diesel is great, but nit worth the extra expense if you are not using it to make money or full time. Diesel want to start, go and keep going. If this is your daily and you don’t have a 20-30 mile or mire commute then you will hurt the truck by not letting it come fully up to temp.
I bought a Ram 2500 Cummings to pull my Artic Wolf 321BH. 9400 dry weight. I feel this subject is a lot like a CCW handgun. You have to feel comfortable with it. If you don’t, you could lose confidence...
😂 great intro. 6.4L gas with 3.73's towing our 9,000lb GVWR travel trailer (36ft) - jury is still out after our first 700 miles. Two pain points so far is the acceleration on upward onramps and refueling at the normal pumps (when there's no dedicated RV pump with gas). Will be traveling cross country this summer so will have much more experience with the increased load over our old, smaller travel trailer soon.
I have a new 2500 6.4 with 8 speed and 4:10 gears. I also tow a 9000lb tt and hav no issues at all with power. Fuel mileage is a different story! 7 to 8 mpg on flat ground at 65 mph.
The 7.3 Godzilla with 4.30 gears in a dually cc configuration would be very interesting to see hooked up to a 40’ 5er. I bet it would do fine on flat terrain (Texas).
If given the opportunity I will hook a 7.3 max tow up to my 15klb 42ft rv before buying a new diesel. Currently my '13 3500hd duramax is only at 150k miles but by 2025 I will likely be around 300k in which I will be time to retire the truck. I really hate dealing with the diesel issues. And towing mpg isn't much off 6mpg vs 8mpg. Granted the exhaust brake is nice as is the nearly 1000ftlb of torque.
I think anything over 13k pounds gvwr for a trailer just get a diesel. I just hate how complicated these newer diesels are. Seems like a huge headache to deal with !
Very well described JD. was towing my 8800 pound dry weight TT with my 1500 gas. Purchased a 3500 single wheel diesel and what a world of difference. On flat ground I was find but when I hit elevation it severely struggled. Best way to describe it, is the towing experience like u said. Not have to hold the wheel with a death grip, fuel economy braking, steering. Just all around much more enjoyable.
Bought a 21 Ram 2500 6.4 to have payload. Towed a 27 foot (31 feet with the hitch) at 7700 pounds gvwr to Bristol from KY. Truck never wanted to go into 8th until i took it out of tow haul mode. It also wouldn’t downshift much to save brakes. I think the 6.4 is alright, i mean a 4.10 wouldnt make much of a difference with the RPMs. Also only got about 9-10 mpg...
I just purchased my first diesel and it is night and day. Rpms stay low. Lots of torque to get out of situations. I will never go back to gas. Maybe electric when they advance.
I said that 16 years ago when I bought the first of three diesels. Now I have a 2020 7.3 and a 2021 7.3 on order. Now I'll never go back to a diesel. Good luck!
@@intensepisgahbiker What about filling up at truck stops? Thats a game changer for me when I'm towing close to a 40ft camper. Especially during holidays when people travel and gas pumps are filled up....
Good luck buying ANY dually in 2021. At least here in Vegas, dealers are selling them "in transit" before they even hit the lots. As a result, they're selling at or near sticker. The semiconductor shortage is really making it hard to buy a new truck. One local Ram dealer had one in stock, but wouldn't let me test drive it because I wouldn't commit to buying "today".
JD this is a great job of providing important points on this very popular topic. This may be a trivial question, but I thought I would ask it on this channel. One thing I have not read about on TFL, or this channel - How challenged are these two types of engines when towing and climbing mountains? What is the redline on the tach for Ford, Chevy and Ram diesels. I saw the tach on a couple of diesels on the IKE challenge on TFL. Seems like one had a 3200 RPM redline and the other about 4000 RPM. My '19 F250 6.2L has a redline of about 6000 RPM's, Climbing some of the passes in CO, Monarch, Lizard Head, Wolf Creek, etc., I was at about 3000 -3500 RPM's in 4th gear towing a 6400lb trailer, watching the diesels go by me at the speed limit. I have heard that diesels are usually running around 1800 - 2000 RPM's wherever they go. So does the % of RPM's impact how hard the gas and diesel engines are being worked going up the passes/mountains, since both engines are at about 50% of redline? BTW - when descending the mountains, my transmission does a great job of keeping our rig under control.
Now that is some good advise right there. I have had some different experience with the gas vs diesel mileage that was stated though. Gas engines seem to get worse (12)mpg than diesels (17)mpg when unloaded, but when loaded they tend to get almost identical (8 mpg). Also the cost of the maintenance between the two are very different to...diesel's tend to cost more than double but can last twice as long as well.
On a diesel, usually, it is the pocketbook that screams "uncle" before the engine does. Usually no catastrophic failures, but the little piddly things start adding up. Gas engines will nickel and dime you to death eventually, but diesels will quarter and silver dollar you to death.
Yeah, after having to tow with both gas and diesel I want go back, my fiver is about 13,000lbs and I have gone over the mountains and on long trips from Washington to Las Vegas and man I love my diesel. I had a 2500 dodge ram 6.4 hemi with the 4.10 gears going to Las Vegas and even my wife ask why was it revving up like that she didn't like it and I didn't so I bought a diesel and want go back, but that's me, everyone don't want one or can afford one so yeah it's up the who do and who don't.
I pull a 13k fifth wheel and do great with a 6.4l hemi and 4.10 gears I get better fuel mileage with my buddy and his Cummins and he's pulling a lighter bumper pull
I think you missed a key issue in the driving experience! How far can your truck and trailer go on 1 tank of fuel? Refueling can be very stressful pulling into a strange gas station with a 50 to 60 foot truck and trailer combo and finding out they have a 90° exit sucks. Trying to spot a diesel sign then finding the one pump that sells diesel sucks. Lets Assume you never go below a 1/4 tank. What's your range? Give me a 40 gallon tank and or a 500 mile towing range.
Hi JD. My question for you is. We are 2 years out of getting a new truck. We have a little TT dry weight at 3700 pound(wet 4500ish) Should we get 1/2 ton with diesel or stick with gas or 3/4 ton with gas. We have a 18 F150 lariat with 2.7(7700 pound tow rating) which tow our TT with no issue. We bought our truck without having towing in mind. Otherwise we would opt for 3.5 and 36 gallon tank instead. We are stopping every 200ish miles now cause of small 26 gallon tank. We do road trip on l95 from MD to FL once/twice a year. Thanks!
Looking at upgrading my Ram. I have the 2018 2500 w/ 6.4 gas, it tows and handles the GD 3250BH which gross is 10200 lbs. pretty well. Looking at the 2021 Ram 3500 w/ 6.4 with the new 8 speed auto. I live in Vt. so where ever we go it’s always up hill to get there. We are at the line where diesel would definitely benefit the towing experience, but at almost 10000.00 just for the diesel. We tow approx. 8 trips over the summer averaging 300 miles per trip. Need your help justifying the added expense and cost of maintenance based on 2400 miles a year. Look forward to hearing from you.
I know this may sound a little crazy but why doesn't Ford make an Ecoboost 5.0 for the F250 and maybe F350? It seems to me they could kind of accomplish what they did with the 3.5 Ecoboost. Better gas mileage but power when you need it. And another crazy idea I have is for the auto makers to make a dually but with a more narrow rear end. I realize you would lose some of the stability of a regular width dually but wouldn't the increased payload over single wheel still be there? I'm 5 years out from retiring and then we want to travel and go wherever we want for as long as we want but I really don't want to drive a dually around as our transportation when we get to our destination.
I am hoping for an Ecoboost 7.3! Aftermarket Whipple is doing 600-700hp aftermarket on a 7.3 with about the same in torque. Those are diesel territory numbers from just a few years ago! Just need Ford to offer this from the factory so we get the warranty!
I was considering upgrading to a Diesel. Now I know that mileage is subjective, but I was surprised at the information that I got from 3 of my friends with Diesels. I have a Ram 2500 with 6.4L Hemi with 4.10 gears and a 9700 lb 5th wheel. I get 9 miles per gallon towing it. My three friends all have 12,000 lb 5th wheels and get the same 9 miles per gallon towing with their Diesels. One has a Ram 2500 and the other 2 have Ram 3500 Diesels. Do you think it's the weight difference of their trailers and the extra weight of their Diesels that made their mpg the same as mine? I thought that even with their extra weight that they would get much better mpg towing than me!
Extra weight of the weight of the trailer and frontal area differences between trailers. Also, will depend on how fast they’re towing compared to you. Also depends on whether they’re actually calculating mpg’s or using the trip computer. I track all my miles with fuelly, my running avg mpg for 61,000 miles is 18.6, mostly not towing. The few trips over 100 miles I did towing my tractor (about 10k but not much wind resistance) averaged about 15mpg. 2017 Ram 2500 diesel, 3.42 gears & manual trans.
MPG in that situation is going to be affected a lot by wind resistance. If they have the same frontal area, then that is probably going to be close to what a diesel would get pulling your rig.
I went with a gasser in my last 3/4 ton. Much cheaper and easier for maintenance and repair. It'll tow just as well as my old diesel. And zero shop time for all the diesel emissions issues.
@@loveracing1988 Actually, yes. My old diesel is a '93 Chevy 2500 with a 6.5L turbo diesel, and a 5spd manual transmission. I bought my current 2500 new in 2016, with the 6.0L gasser. The old diesel has 400,000+ miles. It still runs good, but the new gasser tows better, is more reliable, and costs a lot less to maintain.
I love when people always make a maintenance cost claim. I change my diesel oil and filter every 6 months and fuel filters once a year. Zero issues and the cost isn’t much at all. It all depends on use of the truck. Gas makes sense sometimes and diesel makes sense sometimes. Personally, I just prefer diesel trucks. Never once had an emissions issue on any of my modern diesels either. Always high idle if you’re going to be sitting awhile and the soot burns away. Easy peasy.
Your advice is very well listened to here. I appreciate it and take it in my future upgrade also. I also love the intro. My hubby wants that fly swatter. Where did you get it?
I love the diesel trucks that they have at work. I would really have to tow on a weekly basis for me to get a diesel for personal use. I see how expensive and the frequency that a diesel needs to have scheduled or emergency maintenance. I'm glad that money is'nt coming out of my pocket. The biggest problem that I see with modern diesels is the emission controls which the GOVERNMENT mandates. Well if they don't want people deleting the system the government should warranty the system for life. They should have regional service centers with every part in stock to minimize downtime. The government should not pass their problem on to the consumer.
With wanting to pull a 8700 lb travel trailer (max weight) I am considering a gasser (not frequently). I would like ideas as to would be an ideal truck setup for towing my travel trailer.
When I got my 2019 F250 6.2lL to pull a 7k tt, I did thinking I would be getting a 5th wheel in the future...well, the future is now but I've hit a snag. The 5th wheel we like, is about 13000 lbs gvrw...my truck has a 12500 max towing capacity. So, do I try find a 5th wheel liter than the one we like or do I trade for the right spec truck? 🙁 So far, 5thW similar floor planned we've seen that are liter, also feel smaller @29ft inside vs the 32 ft we would like. At 29ft inside, feels like the size of our current tt... and the truck prices are through the roof
QUESTION: I got a chevy truck used with 22" rims and tires from the previous owner... But the door sticker states the truck has 20" rims... so obviously the previous owner upgraded the rims... Does this mean the stated payload and towing numbers will be less since the 22" have less sidewall, etc..?
Great topic 👏 I have a question 🤔 Pro's and cons of the fifth wheel/pickup rig, vs an RV like a Diesel pusher?? My wife and I are really debating which will be better for full time. Any plans for doing a video on such a topic?
I dont know if I'll get a response since this is a late comment, but I wanted your opinion. For someone that will be towing a 14k equipment trailer with a tractor that weighs enough to max the trailer out what would you recommend? I live in Virginia near the Appalachian mountains so there are some grades for sure. I'd really only be towing every few weeks or maybe once a month at max outside of occasional projects that will require a good bit of towing in a short period of time. I was thinking maybe a 7.3 gas engine with a custom turbo setup pusing 4-6 lbs of boost would be plenty of power and torque, but then I wonder if it would be worth it due to having to probably run premium fuel and whether in the end, the diesel would've been cheaper.
Considering a used f250 diesel. With a diesel-are the maintenance and repairs significantly higher the gas? Would an extended warranty plan cover costs of repairs when mileage exceeds 100k. First time purchasing a truck.
I mean, it comes down more to sensibility vs emotion. If you're spending $80,000+ on fifth wheeled toy, you're not doing it out of sensibility, you're doing because it makes you feel good. So, why would someone be so sensible when it come to the truck they plan to tow with? As long as you can afford it, it really won't matter if you get 20% fuel economy, or if there is a $13,000 premium, or if the maintenance might be double the cost, or if the engine might last longer. However, if you're buying truck a strictly to do what's necessarily, then some of these things will matter more. Really, you probably won't even need to watch a video about RVs.
If only I could afford a diesel truck.... guess I’ll just have to make due with my F-150 Ecoboost... which is fine until I get crosswinds over 25-30mph... then things get iffy
hate all the EPA junk on the newer diesel engines the 2018 frieghtliner i drive has been in the shop 4 times in 2 years for the emissions equipment malfunctioning with that said i would love a diesel without the epa junk on it
Just pay for the diesel up front, I highly regretted trading in my 2017 power stroke for a 2019 6.2. It was the biggest mistake I made due to being a cheap ass.
Idk, maybe Michigan is flat enough for it, towing around 7 or 8k with my company f250/6.2 in the hills of Ky was not fun. Floored to maintain 65-70 mph speed limit certainly doesn’t give me any confidence it would “pull anything”.
Field daves, did you get the 4.30 gears? I love my 2020 6.2 F350 with the 4.30 gears. Pulls anything that I hook it up to. As drama-free going up grades as my dad's Ram cummins.
Drove diesel for 10+yrs now have a 7.3 ford and tow 12# boat regularly and love it cheaper fuel, cheaper oil changes no def etc. not to mention 9k cost of diesel.
I towed a 9500# trailer with a tundra and was lucky to get 7mpg. I tow 16000# with my HO Cummins 1ton and get 9.5mpg and your right the towing experience is so much better. Thanks for the great content JD.
Buying "just enough" truck to pull a trailer means the truck is always maxed out at the edge of its performance and/or weight capacity. That's like putting on a 50-pound backpack and running a marathon.
Great analogy! Towing near the max, having to carefully control the throttle during gear changes to reduce transmission slip, and closely watching temperatures is no fun. Lol
JD your recommendations and advice on your channel are spot on excellent.
Where diesels really shine is in the mountains. Loads of power at relatively low rpm’s. Gas engines: noisy high rpms with numerous gear shifts while hunting for the right gear. My experience was that the gas engine was much more tiring.
Going down the mountain, the exhaust brake on the diesel makes it simple, and safer as well. No worries about overworking the transmission or overheating the brakes. You feel much more in control.
It’s a matter of having the right tool for the job. Think Milwaukee Tool vs Harbor Freight.
Loved the intro. I want that fly swatter. Also I fully agree with you my 1/2 ton was well specced for towing and it pulled my TT fine. But after upgrading to my 1 ton dually diesel my towing experience is exponentially better. I’m always gaining quite a bit of altitude so I definitely need a diesel.
Maintenance is a major issue too for diesel vs gas. If you tow all the time, diesel, few times a month, gas. Diesel engines when they start having issues are extremely expensive to have fixed. We run Cummins in our Rams and the ones with higher miles are starting to get very expensive to start fixing different components on the engine. To the point the average home owner would struggle to be able to afford it. Seriously think about this if you plan on keeping a truck a long time. Diesel trucks do not last forever like people think. They become very costly to upkeep.
If you treat your diesel like a gas unit, it will hurt your wallet, big time. When I was putting on 50-80 k miles per year, on my diesel, I decided to change oil and work on the severe service schedule. It cost in filters and oil, but the only issues I had where suspension, bushings, tie rod ends etc. Nothing with the driveline.
Best wishes.
Unfortunately that has to do with modern omissions equipment. I recommend you buy an older diesel truck, spend a couple bucks to get it perfect and you’ll have a more reliable truck than any new truck
@@halogod0298 That is true to a point. Yes the older diesels with all the emissions will run and last longer but the engines last longer than all the other stuff that will fall apart. Like the old first gen Dodge 5.9 Cummins. They will out last the whole truck. So as a company you need to update equipment. You cant constantly be buying old trucks then have everything else go wrong with it just because the engine is good. Diesels have there place not doubt but for the average owner its not logical to have one.
@@bradh7472 The fords last pretty well, can’t say the same for dodge. I don’t think companies need to upgrade equipment, if it works it works and it’s cheaper
@@halogod0298 They are all about the same. The Cummins engine is good as I believe finally the Power Stroke. They all will have issues.
I own 2 newer diesels....but there is nothing like towing with my 78 f350 srw 460, 456 rear gear from the factory.....the looks you get when passing people up a hill is priceless. Gotta love the classics!
Great video JD. One thing you didn’t mention but that I found to be a great benefit while towing my 34ft travel trailer with a diesel truck is stopping for fuel on longer trips. When I had a gas 1/2 ton we found ourselves hoping and praying that we could find gas stations that were easy to navigate an almost 45 foot setup around. We had some near misses dealing with very tight gas stations. With the diesel 2500 we can just pull into the truck lane at truck stops. No stress at all. Plus we’re saving money with the TSD savings card. This benefit plus the enhanced power and gas mileage is well worth it!
My TT is only 8000 lbs. towed it with a 1/2 ton for a while. We started going farther and in the mountains. Got tired of the drive being stressful so got a 3/4 diesel. Some may say it’s overkill but I am no longer worn out from stress when I get to my destination anymore.
I have a 26’ boat that my 03 F150 could tow it however I was beat from towing it 6 hours. I now have a 04 Dodge diesel and I don’t know its behind me.
Love the start with the fly swatted! Lol!!!
2020 and 2021 7.3 gassers for me and my company. After 20 years of diesels I finally bought trucks for the 95% of the time we're not towing but they do a very good job when towing about 10k the other 5% of the time.
7.3L f350 SRW for bumper pulls 💪 and better payload over a diesel
My wife and I are looking at buying a bumper pull RV over the next few months, but we are going to be upgrading to a new tow vehicle. Don’t want a half ton as I’ve seen way too many people struggle. So a 3/4 or 1 ton but due to the decrease in reliability of the new diesels with the mandated EPA emissions devices, I think I’ll stick with a gas engine. Plus, we live in south Texas where it’s flat.
My father-in-law stayed with an underpowered gas engine vs a diesel and had a serious problem with the catalytic converter overheating. He switched to a diesel and was extremely happy.
Awesome video my wife and I are retiring next year we are going full time not sure 5th or TT but definitely diesel truck thanks
That is the most Texan intro ever!
I got a 21 f 350 7.3 4.30 rear end pretty sure itll climb a telephone pole
😂💪🏽
Just bought a 21 dually 7.3 with 4.30s. It has changed the game as far as gas trucks go. 10 speed is a beast.
2020 f350 7.3 3.73 rear.I will never own another diesel.
Can you comment back about your engine RPMs at 70 mph with that ratio? Thx!
I’ll have to check. I know at 80 it’s at 2350-2400. That’s with the stock dually tires. With a swr truck the tire diameter is bigger so the rpms will be lower.
While I’m not on the heavy duty scale you are, I paid close attention to the towing capabilities when looking for my current truck. I wanted a truck with a V6 that had at least a 4K tow rating. I found that there are a number of vehicles that were rated to pull that much, but were geared towards comfort and efficiency which ultimately dampened the tow capabilities. I eventually selected a Toyota 4Runner with a 4L V6 which has a 5k tow rating and has no trouble pulling my enclosed trailer, which tops out at 3k. Even when I pulled a tandem axle usual utility trailer loaded with 3.5k of rocks, it did so without any issues.
Many people don't understand that a gallon of diesel fuel has more energy in it compared to gasoline. I'm not sure on gas features but diesel normally has turbo & engine braking. Great discussion.
Spot on information JD. Thanks for all the information and reviews you share.
lol I wasn't sure what to think at all, at the start. I live in a 5th Wheel now, but Never travel or tow. Good to know for those that do, and even myself. It's a learning process, and with all of the changes of modern tech. it's hard to keep up. Thanks. Good job.
My buddy knew I had knowledge on towing when he was looking to purchase his travel trailer. To make things simple for him I gave him this analogy, "I bought a truck that can tow a house. I bought a shed to tow." He didn't take my advice. He bought a 40' travel trailer to put behind his 2wd Ford Expedition V10 gas that was previously modified to sit lower. To this day he regrets it and is now looking to put 1 ton leafs on it. I've begged him to get rid off it and get a 1 ton pickup because it's simply not safe, especially hauling his family around. I don't remember exact specs but dry weight was within a couple hundred pounds of max towing capacity of stock suspension, let alone decreased modified suspension.
You summed it best at ~7:00 minutes into the video. My F150 with a heavy tow package was "adequate" & did fine for our 7200# tt. Our F350 gas is even better. I had the F150 before the tt so it all worked. I could afford the diesel but couldn't cost justify it vs the small incremental towing ability in MY case. They have a large torque advantage, hands down; but the 7.3l Godzilla does a pretty fine job. Doubtful we'll ever go over 10k #'s though. Ultimately a HDT would do better than an F450 as well; but they have some disadvantages as well that I do not wish to take on at this point. Heck in my old days we towed with F250's with 360" & 390's gas V-8's ~200 - 250-hp & ~300-350Tq. vs 7.3 gas @ 430hp & 475#Tq.
Herb, it is interesting that you mention the old days. At least once a year, we haul cattle from our home ranch to our satellite ranch about 3.5 hours away, and there is a fairly sizeable grade in one area. Made this trip once a year for the last 25 years. Done it with a 1991 Chevy 3500 with a 454 gas with the 4L80E, then a 2002 Ford F350 with the 7.3 Powerstroke, a 2018 Ram 3500 chassis cab with the Cummins, and this year, we used my 2020 F350 SRW with the 6.2 gas, 10 speed and 4.30 gears. The last two tow vehicles, towing the exact same trailer, the exact same weight, have about the same drama-free experience comparatively (and they lose precisely 0 mph going up the big grade). The gas engines in todays pickups are as capable or more capable than the diesels of yesteryear, even my little 6.2.
My cousin did the switch from a Ram 2500 4x4 gas to a Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins back in 2007ish. Travel trailer toy hauler, and the Hemi never complained. But, as said, night and day difference with the diesel. Was like trailer wasn't even there, and better fuel economy.
The shadow of the fly swatter, I thought was an off road bumper jack, but figured that would be too heavy to carry like that. LOL.
Engine exhaust brake is a great piece of towing equipment.
All I know is it feels like my 76 reg cab C30 with a 454 and a 14 bolt rear will pull anything I want it too.
I think I disagree with the unloaded gas mileage between gas and Diesel engines. I’ve watched videos where a f250 with the ten speed transmission and a diesel were getting around 20mpg. The same truck with a 7.3 will get 14 or maybe 15mpg. This is interstate highway driving. The 7.3 however seems to be in a class by itself as far as gasoline engines go. In TFLs Ike gauntlet test it blew the RAM and GM trucks away. I would like to see a comparison in maintenance cost for a year or 2 at 15,000 miles a year between gas and diesel. Just a suggestion.
That Ram at the beginning has no competition !!!
I just finished a 700 mile trip with my 04 Dodge 2500 with 5.9L, with 230k miles. I got 24 mpg empty. I use it to tow my 25’ boat which is close to 7k pounds. I’m keeping this for a very long time as I don’t have the def and emissions.
2001 F250 7.3L 550K Line item ordered new with the 350 payload/towing package. Rusted out but love it to death. Tows great. Bought used. No blow by. No need to spend 80K on a reliable truck with no def. Not modded to do so but rolling coal wo sill need to put back on the highway.
I know it's not quite the same, but we went from a 2015 F150 3.5 Ecoboost to a 2018 F250 power stroke towing a Forest River Grey Wolf 27DBH. I can second the feeling of confidence you gain from the diesel. Although the F150 did everything we demanded from it the diesel just has so much less fatigue while driving and is overall a much better experience. From being able to use cruise control on the interstate to going through the "mountains" of Broken Bow Oklahoma. Much better ride especially going East-West.
A subject not brought up but worth considering for some people is state regulations. I would not buy a diesel in any state that does emissions checks and prevents you from doing an emissions delete. Newer diesels are not as reliable as they once were.
I also get bettr mpg if you hold the advance trac button for about 5 second till it completely goes off
If you will, give a maintenance breakdown for your F450. You tow an RV that is way larger and heavier than anything I’ll ever own. What has your experience been with regular maintenance and mileage? I would imagine a 6.7 would do rather well towing say across Kansas as far as mileage is concerned. As I’m on the east coast and want to RV out west, I don’t want any issues along I-70 in Colorado.
Ours is not a terribly heavy TT, 5900 dry weight, but we'll be doing lots of mountain travel and some cross country. Plus a diesel will give us the ability to upgrade if we want to.
Well said jd I am a commercial driver up here in Vancouver bc been doing it for over 35 years I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 drw 305 hp with a bully dog on tow mode also couple of years ago I installed a pacbrake and what a difference it made in towing with my 32 foot travel trailer the weight is around 9500 loaded this is my second Ram truck also thinking of getting newer 2021 but they are north of 100,000 in Canada here it’s like having a second mortgage may have to pay off my house first lol. Keep the great videos coming cheers.
They have to ban those high capacity assault swatters. They are designed to kill
Give Biden a couple more weeks and he'll have an executive order about the ban on those fly swatters. LMBO!
Looks like Corpus Christi.... Enjoyed the video. Diesel all day for hauling a truck camper for me
Yep! Corpus!!!!
That fly swatted is amazing😆😅😂🤣
Loved the opening :)
Don't forget to add the cost of DEF into your diesel fuel mpg figures. It still might be worth it depending on what you tow, were you tow, and how often you tow, but just don't forget about that extra cost, along with the additional initial purchase price of a diesel.
Hoping in a few years Ford gives the hybrid treatment to the 7.3L Godzilla. Currently pull a 36' TT w/a 2013 6.2L F-350 SRW. Tows fine, but would like a bit more power on grades, esp. if we ever go out west. Hard to justify the cost of a diesel given our towing frequency, but would be very intesested in the increased power, efficiency, and electric features (esp. Generator Mode) they've brought to the F-150 this year on a Super Duty.
I selected a diesel to tow a 6500 lb travel trailer. The big reasons: we travel all around the country especially the Mountain West, exhaust brake and the availability of diesel.
After Hurricane Harvey, TX had a fuel shortage. Excuse me, a gas shortage. We had planned our vacation for 10 months. We couldn’t have left San Antonio with a gas truck because there was hardly anyplace within 100 miles with reliable gas supplies. Diesel, not much of an issue. Wherever there’s long haul trucking, there’s diesel.
we used to drag a 5th wheel all over the place with a 460 ford dual wheel 7.5 mpg loaded or empty
Good advice my friend. You can’t beat the torque of a Diesel engine. On the farm all of our tractors have Diesel engines. My brothers truck that we use on the farm is a 6.6 duramax and it has amazing power. We pull 10 ton loads of hay with it and would out pull my Chevy with 350 in it.
Good to see Texas with no snow. I'm now thinking about a block heater for a diesel truck might be a good insurance policy when the next artic blast hits. Any ideas?
if worse comes to worse and you don’t have a block heater you could use like a propane torch and warm up your oil pan in a pinch
@@Texpete88 Excellent alternative. Thank you.
Dreading the day when we only have a electric option but I still love my diesel
What kind of diesel do you have? I’m not gonna mind once my lb7 goes up to switch electric. Newer diesels too complicated for me which also equals expensive.
@@jonnyg44 I have a 2000 Ford f350 with the 7.3 in it I agree with you the newer diesels are to complicated my next truck will probably be a 2000's Peter built but that is a few years from now
Realistically the two big issues with diesel are the maintenance and the emissions, both are issues solved by not seeing your truck as bulletproof and instead realizing you have a complicated machine that needs routine maintenance. Use full synthetic oil and only the oil recommended by the manufacturer, do not run different oil. Do your oil changes every 6k miles if you're not abusing the truck (unloaded or minimal load) or 3k miles if you're actually working it. Somewhere in the middle is also acceptable if you daily it unloaded and work it on the weekends, use your better judgement. As for emissions, you need to be driving this truck over distance *MOST* of the time and you need to let the emissions systems work. They work at their worst when the engine is cold, you have to warm up the engine. If you live in the cold, note it will take even longer for everything to get up to temps. Driving 5 miles and shutting the engine off long enough to let it cool then driving 5 miles home is not sufficient, you will do damage to your DPF over time doing this. Getting on the highway for 15-20 miles at minimum once a week is how you keep the DPF alive, if you regularly do this then you have little to worry about, especially if you put load on the truck and there's enough heat to regen automatically without the need for computer intervention. Lastly if you have issues with DEF you're just an irresponsible truck owner, it's like any other fluid in the damn truck, just top it off on oil changes and you will be good to go. (now if your DEF line freezes because your truck didn't properly drain the line then you have something to be mad about, looking at you 2.8 duramax)
Wife and I just spent the last few days driving cross country from NY to CA. I can't tell you how many times we saw signage "No Engine Braking Zone". Not sure if this was isolated to I-90 & I-80 corridor only, or not.
The question I’d really like to see addressed is cost of ownership. Diesel gets better mileage but is more costly to maintain. Diesel costs more but also has significantly higher resale value.
So assuming that either engine can haul the load your towing how do they compare for overall cost of ownership? For the sake of doing the math assume 6-7 years of ownership.
That would be a really valuable video.
Biggest issue with diesel is the fuel injection and emissions system. Water in fuel = 10k plus in damages. DPF filter = 6-8K dollar range. Diesel is great, but nit worth the extra expense if you are not using it to make money or full time.
Diesel want to start, go and keep going. If this is your daily and you don’t have a 20-30 mile or mire commute then you will hurt the truck by not letting it come fully up to temp.
I bought a Ram 2500 Cummings to pull my Artic Wolf 321BH. 9400 dry weight. I feel this subject is a lot like a CCW handgun. You have to feel comfortable with it. If you don’t, you could lose confidence...
😂 great intro. 6.4L gas with 3.73's towing our 9,000lb GVWR travel trailer (36ft) - jury is still out after our first 700 miles. Two pain points so far is the acceleration on upward onramps and refueling at the normal pumps (when there's no dedicated RV pump with gas). Will be traveling cross country this summer so will have much more experience with the increased load over our old, smaller travel trailer soon.
I have a new 2500 6.4 with 8 speed and 4:10 gears. I also tow a 9000lb tt and hav no issues at all with power. Fuel mileage is a different story! 7 to 8 mpg on flat ground at 65 mph.
mpg around 15 combined , truck now has about 2300 miles on it probably still tight
The 7.3 Godzilla with 4.30 gears in a dually cc configuration would be very interesting to see hooked up to a 40’ 5er. I bet it would do fine on flat terrain (Texas).
If given the opportunity I will hook a 7.3 max tow up to my 15klb 42ft rv before buying a new diesel.
Currently my '13 3500hd duramax is only at 150k miles but by 2025 I will likely be around 300k in which I will be time to retire the truck.
I really hate dealing with the diesel issues. And towing mpg isn't much off 6mpg vs 8mpg. Granted the exhaust brake is nice as is the nearly 1000ftlb of torque.
I think anything over 13k pounds gvwr for a trailer just get a diesel. I just hate how complicated these newer diesels are. Seems like a huge headache to deal with !
Very well described JD. was towing my 8800 pound dry weight TT with my 1500 gas. Purchased a 3500 single wheel diesel and what a world of difference. On flat ground I was find but when I hit elevation it severely struggled. Best way to describe it, is the towing experience like u said. Not have to hold the wheel with a death grip, fuel economy braking, steering. Just all around much more enjoyable.
What about gas vs diesel truck with truck camper ?
Bought a 21 Ram 2500 6.4 to have payload. Towed a 27 foot (31 feet with the hitch) at 7700 pounds gvwr to Bristol from KY. Truck never wanted to go into 8th until i took it out of tow haul mode. It also wouldn’t downshift much to save brakes. I think the 6.4 is alright, i mean a 4.10 wouldnt make much of a difference with the RPMs.
Also only got about 9-10 mpg...
I just purchased my first diesel and it is night and day. Rpms stay low. Lots of torque to get out of situations. I will never go back to gas. Maybe electric when they advance.
Oh and I get to fill up with my camper at truck stops. Which give me plenty of room and makes for very quick fill ups.
I said that 16 years ago when I bought the first of three diesels. Now I have a 2020 7.3 and a 2021 7.3 on order. Now I'll never go back to a diesel. Good luck!
@@intensepisgahbiker What about filling up at truck stops? Thats a game changer for me when I'm towing close to a 40ft camper. Especially during holidays when people travel and gas pumps are filled up....
Something not mentioned is matching the gearing is every bit as important as engine choice.
Good luck buying ANY dually in 2021. At least here in Vegas, dealers are selling them "in transit" before they even hit the lots. As a result, they're selling at or near sticker. The semiconductor shortage is really making it hard to buy a new truck. One local Ram dealer had one in stock, but wouldn't let me test drive it because I wouldn't commit to buying "today".
JD this is a great job of providing important points on this very popular topic. This may be a trivial question, but I thought I would ask it on this channel. One thing I have not read about on TFL, or this channel - How challenged are these two types of engines when towing and climbing mountains? What is the redline on the tach for Ford, Chevy and Ram diesels. I saw the tach on a couple of diesels on the IKE challenge on TFL. Seems like one had a 3200 RPM redline and the other about 4000 RPM. My '19 F250 6.2L has a redline of about 6000 RPM's, Climbing some of the passes in CO, Monarch, Lizard Head, Wolf Creek, etc., I was at about 3000 -3500 RPM's in 4th gear towing a 6400lb trailer, watching the diesels go by me at the speed limit. I have heard that diesels are usually running around 1800 - 2000 RPM's wherever they go. So does the % of RPM's impact how hard the gas and diesel engines are being worked going up the passes/mountains, since both engines are at about 50% of redline? BTW - when descending the mountains, my transmission does a great job of keeping our rig under control.
Now that is some good advise right there.
I have had some different experience with the gas vs diesel mileage that was stated though. Gas engines seem to get worse (12)mpg than diesels (17)mpg when unloaded, but when loaded they tend to get almost identical (8 mpg).
Also the cost of the maintenance between the two are very different to...diesel's tend to cost more than double but can last twice as long as well.
On a diesel, usually, it is the pocketbook that screams "uncle" before the engine does. Usually no catastrophic failures, but the little piddly things start adding up. Gas engines will nickel and dime you to death eventually, but diesels will quarter and silver dollar you to death.
Yeah, after having to tow with both gas and diesel I want go back, my fiver is about 13,000lbs and I have gone over the mountains and on long trips from Washington to Las Vegas and man I love my diesel. I had a 2500 dodge ram 6.4 hemi with the 4.10 gears going to Las Vegas and even my wife ask why was it revving up like that she didn't like it and I didn't so I bought a diesel and want go back, but that's me, everyone don't want one or can afford one so yeah it's up the who do and who don't.
Had a Dodge 1500 Hauling 7,000lb TT. Coming out of Valdez Alaska....boy she struggled 🙄 Switched to F250...no problems 🤘
I pull a 13k fifth wheel and do great with a 6.4l hemi and 4.10 gears I get better fuel mileage with my buddy and his Cummins and he's pulling a lighter bumper pull
I think you missed a key issue in the driving experience!
How far can your truck and trailer go on 1 tank of fuel? Refueling can be very stressful pulling into a strange gas station with a 50 to 60 foot truck and trailer combo and finding out they have a 90° exit sucks. Trying to spot a diesel sign then finding the one pump that sells diesel sucks.
Lets Assume you never go below a 1/4 tank. What's your range?
Give me a 40 gallon tank and or a 500 mile towing range.
Hi JD. My question for you is. We are 2 years out of getting a new truck. We have a little TT dry weight at 3700 pound(wet 4500ish) Should we get 1/2 ton with diesel or stick with gas or 3/4 ton with gas. We have a 18 F150 lariat with 2.7(7700 pound tow rating) which tow our TT with no issue. We bought our truck without having towing in mind. Otherwise we would opt for 3.5 and 36 gallon tank instead. We are stopping every 200ish miles now cause of small 26 gallon tank. We do road trip on l95 from MD to FL once/twice a year. Thanks!
Remember, the 1/2 ton Diesel trucks are designed for fuel economy first. At the weight you mentioned, either should be fine.
Thanks!
That intro tho👌🙃😏🙄😛😁😁
Looking at upgrading my Ram. I have the 2018 2500 w/ 6.4 gas, it tows and handles the GD 3250BH which gross is 10200 lbs. pretty well. Looking at the 2021 Ram 3500 w/ 6.4 with the new 8 speed auto. I live in Vt. so where ever we go it’s always up hill to get there. We are at the line where diesel would definitely benefit the towing experience, but at almost 10000.00 just for the diesel. We tow approx. 8 trips over the summer averaging 300 miles per trip. Need your help justifying the added expense and cost of maintenance based on 2400 miles a year. Look forward to hearing from you.
Good info! Thanks!
I know this may sound a little crazy but why doesn't Ford make an Ecoboost 5.0 for the F250 and maybe F350? It seems to me they could kind of accomplish what they did with the 3.5 Ecoboost. Better gas mileage but power when you need it. And another crazy idea I have is for the auto makers to make a dually but with a more narrow rear end. I realize you would lose some of the stability of a regular width dually but wouldn't the increased payload over single wheel still be there? I'm 5 years out from retiring and then we want to travel and go wherever we want for as long as we want but I really don't want to drive a dually around as our transportation when we get to our destination.
I am hoping for an Ecoboost 7.3! Aftermarket Whipple is doing 600-700hp aftermarket on a 7.3 with about the same in torque. Those are diesel territory numbers from just a few years ago! Just need Ford to offer this from the factory so we get the warranty!
I was considering upgrading to a Diesel. Now I know that mileage is subjective, but I was surprised at the information that I got from 3 of my friends with Diesels. I have a Ram 2500 with 6.4L Hemi with 4.10 gears and a 9700 lb 5th wheel. I get 9 miles per gallon towing it. My three friends all have 12,000 lb 5th wheels and get the same 9 miles per gallon towing with their Diesels. One has a Ram 2500 and the other 2 have Ram 3500 Diesels. Do you think it's the weight difference of their trailers and the extra weight of their Diesels that made their mpg the same as mine? I thought that even with their extra weight that they would get much better mpg towing than me!
Extra weight of the weight of the trailer and frontal area differences between trailers. Also, will depend on how fast they’re towing compared to you. Also depends on whether they’re actually calculating mpg’s or using the trip computer. I track all my miles with fuelly, my running avg mpg for 61,000 miles is 18.6, mostly not towing. The few trips over 100 miles I did towing my tractor (about 10k but not much wind resistance) averaged about 15mpg. 2017 Ram 2500 diesel, 3.42 gears & manual trans.
MPG in that situation is going to be affected a lot by wind resistance. If they have the same frontal area, then that is probably going to be close to what a diesel would get pulling your rig.
I went with a gasser in my last 3/4 ton. Much cheaper and easier for maintenance and repair. It'll tow just as well as my old diesel. And zero shop time for all the diesel emissions issues.
Maybe a diesel from 1990
@@loveracing1988 Actually, yes. My old diesel is a '93 Chevy 2500 with a 6.5L turbo diesel, and a 5spd manual transmission. I bought my current 2500 new in 2016, with the 6.0L gasser. The old diesel has 400,000+ miles. It still runs good, but the new gasser tows better, is more reliable, and costs a lot less to maintain.
I love when people always make a maintenance cost claim. I change my diesel oil and filter every 6 months and fuel filters once a year. Zero issues and the cost isn’t much at all. It all depends on use of the truck. Gas makes sense sometimes and diesel makes sense sometimes. Personally, I just prefer diesel trucks. Never once had an emissions issue on any of my modern diesels either. Always high idle if you’re going to be sitting awhile and the soot burns away. Easy peasy.
@@CornFed_3 sounds like you've never had a cracked DPF
@@mudddge, nope, never.
Sound Boots on the Ground Advice. 😊👍👍👍
Your advice is very well listened to here. I appreciate it and take it in my future upgrade also. I also love the intro. My hubby wants that fly swatter. Where did you get it?
Didn't even wTch the video yet, but diesel is the way to go.
Alright here’s the big question now dually vs SRW what’s your opinion
What about snow plowing for us in the northern states? What is best, diesel or gas?
I love the diesel trucks that they have at work. I would really have to tow on a weekly basis for me to get a diesel for personal use. I see how expensive and the frequency that a diesel needs to have scheduled or emergency maintenance. I'm glad that money is'nt coming out of my pocket. The biggest problem that I see with modern diesels is the emission controls which the GOVERNMENT mandates. Well if they don't want people deleting the system the government should warranty the system for life. They should have regional service centers with every part in stock to minimize downtime. The government should not pass their problem on to the consumer.
With wanting to pull a 8700 lb travel trailer (max weight) I am considering a gasser (not frequently). I would like ideas as to would be an ideal truck setup for towing my travel trailer.
When I got my 2019 F250 6.2lL to pull a 7k tt, I did thinking I would be getting a 5th wheel in the future...well, the future is now but I've hit a snag. The 5th wheel we like, is about 13000 lbs gvrw...my truck has a 12500 max towing capacity.
So, do I try find a 5th wheel liter than the one we like or do I trade for the right spec truck? 🙁 So far, 5thW similar floor planned we've seen that are liter, also feel smaller @29ft inside vs the 32 ft we would like. At 29ft inside, feels like the size of our current tt... and the truck prices are through the roof
QUESTION: I got a chevy truck used with 22" rims and tires from the previous owner... But the door sticker states the truck has 20" rims... so obviously the previous owner upgraded the rims... Does this mean the stated payload and towing numbers will be less since the 22" have less sidewall, etc..?
Great topic 👏
I have a question 🤔
Pro's and cons of the fifth wheel/pickup rig, vs an RV like a Diesel pusher?? My wife and I are really debating which will be better for full time.
Any plans for doing a video on such a topic?
mine runs just a fuzz under 2000 at 70 mph with 18 inch tires , between 70 and 75 not much difference on the tach
Diesel hands down . I’ve towed with both and nothing compares to diesel.
4 WD or 2WD for towing
Great advice..... thank you
I dont know if I'll get a response since this is a late comment, but I wanted your opinion. For someone that will be towing a 14k equipment trailer with a tractor that weighs enough to max the trailer out what would you recommend? I live in Virginia near the Appalachian mountains so there are some grades for sure. I'd really only be towing every few weeks or maybe once a month at max outside of occasional projects that will require a good bit of towing in a short period of time. I was thinking maybe a 7.3 gas engine with a custom turbo setup pusing 4-6 lbs of boost would be plenty of power and torque, but then I wonder if it would be worth it due to having to probably run premium fuel and whether in the end, the diesel would've been cheaper.
Is that thing fully semi automatic?
Considering a used f250 diesel. With a diesel-are the maintenance and repairs significantly higher the gas? Would an extended warranty plan cover costs of repairs when mileage exceeds 100k. First time purchasing a truck.
Makes perfect sense!
Can't wait until the electric HDs hit the market.
I mean, it comes down more to sensibility vs emotion. If you're spending $80,000+ on fifth wheeled toy, you're not doing it out of sensibility, you're doing because it makes you feel good. So, why would someone be so sensible when it come to the truck they plan to tow with? As long as you can afford it, it really won't matter if you get 20% fuel economy, or if there is a $13,000 premium, or if the maintenance might be double the cost, or if the engine might last longer. However, if you're buying truck a strictly to do what's necessarily, then some of these things will matter more. Really, you probably won't even need to watch a video about RVs.
If only I could afford a diesel truck.... guess I’ll just have to make due with my F-150 Ecoboost... which is fine until I get crosswinds over 25-30mph... then things get iffy
hate all the EPA junk on the newer diesel engines the 2018 frieghtliner i drive has been in the shop 4 times in 2 years for the emissions equipment malfunctioning with that said i would love a diesel without the epa junk on it
Just pay for the diesel up front, I highly regretted trading in my 2017 power stroke for a 2019 6.2. It was the biggest mistake I made due to being a cheap ass.
I purchased a new F350 srw with a 6.2 gas and it will pull anything I hookup to. Gas mileage is the same loaded or empty. Field in Michigan
Idk, maybe Michigan is flat enough for it, towing around 7 or 8k with my company f250/6.2 in the hills of Ky was not fun. Floored to maintain 65-70 mph speed limit certainly doesn’t give me any confidence it would “pull anything”.
Field daves, did you get the 4.30 gears? I love my 2020 6.2 F350 with the 4.30 gears. Pulls anything that I hook it up to. As drama-free going up grades as my dad's Ram cummins.