Operating costs for 5er & 2500HD Duramax

[dandy2]

What are the expected operating costs for a used 2500HD Duramax Allison pulling a 12,000# 5th wheel. Some of the time pulling and more time just driving around. The PU is used but in great condition.

[Trout Creek]

I pull a 10k pound 5'er with my GMC Duramax/Allison and generally get 9 to 10 mpg overall. Without the RV, I usually get 18 to 19 mpg driving 65 mph in both cases.

[GreatWhite]

Until I sold my Hitchhiker DA 32' ~12000# w/minimal load.. I got 11-13 mpg depending on terrain. Going solo, I got anywhere from 18-21mpg. All calculated.. not using the onboard computer. Great truck.. great towing power.. nice brake for downhills to keep the speed somewhat in tow. Works great except on the steepest hills and then you have to use the footbrake every so often.

Traded in the 5er for a MH.. Still trying to decide if I want to part with the PU.. Never been without one for the past 40 yrs.. :( Too many vehicles now.

[mhs4771]

Agree, approx 10 to 12 towing 12.5K plus and 17 to 20 solo, depending on your driving style. This info is based on my previous 05 3500 Dually 4x4 (or 4x6 or would that be 6x6). Getting pretty close to the same with the new 11 3500

[rrray]

06 Duramax pulling 11000 lbs loaded. We get 11-14 pulling and 19-21 solo. I keep speed under 60 pulling and 65 empty. Love the Allison. Great for handling downhill and more power than needed uphill. Keep tires at 80lbs. Wife now calls the truck "Allison"

Ray

[Billieg]

A lot less than a 40' class A DP I can tell ya that! Enjoy it...

[ikoolu]

i pull 32 Holiday Rambler - 13K with 2008 with full Banks- @ 55 i can get 10-11 on flat and 9 in the hiils or my foot in it Mne is 4x4 without trailer - 16 -17

[my86gmc1]

I have a 06 GMC crewcab Duramax pulling a 36' Coachman 5th wheel, approx 15000lbs. The truck pulls it great, I've been all over Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and California. As for operating costs, if you've never owned a Diesel things like fluid changes are more than gas motors because of higher capacities. I do all my own mechanical work so these figures are rough of what I spend. Rotella Synthetic Shell Oil $60.00, $10.00 filter, Diesel fuel filter $60.00, both about twice a year, the trucks computer will tell you when to change. The 5th wheel gets its wheel bearing packed once a year, so a minimal charge for bearing grease is around $10.00 for a can that will last a couple of years. MPG empty is 15-20, under tow depends on what part of the country you are in, mountains will be as low as 8mpg or flat lands I've seen 14/15mpg with cruise on. hope this helps! Go Diesel or don't go at all when pulling big.

[rrray]

Do you find the computer to be fairly reliable for fluid changes ? I get around 7,000 before computer calls for oil change.

My fuel filter is at 35%. Seems to move down much slower than the oil. How many more miles will I get before change is needed ?
Ray

[my86gmc1]

rrray- I've never had the oil checked to see what condition its in but I have to believe GM knows what its doing in regards to the computer telling you when to change the oil, they base their warranty on that reliability. I have 82000 miles on it and it still runs like its brand new. I have had to change one glow plug, I recently(last 15000 miles) started using injector cleaner/additive that GM sells and milage on the highway actually went up 1-2mpg. On your other question about the fuel filter, with 35% left my guess would be another 2-3 months of normal driving before you need to change it out, mine seems to last the better part of 6-7 months before changing out. Other items I've had changed out and after complaining to GM they fixed for free out of warranty are: brake booster, steering intermediate shaft, both transmission cooling lines, both power steering lines. Recently while under the truck I noticed the output shaft seal on the Allison has a slight leak, no drips on the driveway but spatter of trans fluid around that area, so it must be leaking under pressure while driving(my guess). Other than those I still love the truck. One of the best add ons(because of all my travel) I did was retro fit a GM Delco touch screen nav unit and added in the 6 cd changer in place of the stock unit. Everything works great and it took about 3-4 hours total to make it happen.

[my86gmc1]

pic of my truck with topper on when not towing.