Community Forums

NFlcamper · 11-30-2014, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Highway 4x4

To the OP,
You seem to be all over the place with your RV choice looking at a few of your posts. The answers here are not always what you want to hear but we are just trying to keep you safe. If you want to tow a 7K, 30+ ft trailer with a 1500 just go ask the trailer salesman as it will probably be a yes from him. You're not going to like the tow through the Rocky Mtns. If you already have a 1500 then get the right size TT for it, not 30ft and 7K pounds. If you want a large TT then get the correct TV for it. We will all be safer.

I have towed the same 27' toy hauler with both a 1500 and a 2500 so I can give you a real world comparison. I knew when I had the trailer hooked to the 1500. It would sway noticeably when I got passed, not just by big trucks, but cars going by would change the air flow enough, I could tell. I would have never have taken my trailer out of Florida because it would have been too much for it. With the 2500, the trailer feels steadier behind me. I still feel the big trucks going past, but not nearly as bad as with the 1500. Cars no longer have any effect. I am ready to go to the mountains now. I recommend diesel, but a gasser 2500 will be an improvement over a 1500 for a 27'-30' trailer. The bigger brakes, stiffer frame, and suspension plus a little extra weight will help control the trailer instead of the trailer wagging the truck. The 2500 series already have towing features built in verses having to order them for the 1500 and having to add things like airbags and other such stuff to make a 1500 slightly capable. If you have to justify a 1500 as being capable, you need more truck. I moved up, you should too. I went from no payment, to well, paying for a 2500, BUT I feel much safer towing now.

I once took the trailer around the block and had forgot to hook up the trailer wiring (no trailer brakes or lights) and at 35 mph the 2500 trucks brakes were so effective, I didn't know I had not hooked up the trailers wiring till I came back to re position the trailer in my other driveway. It would have pushed the 1500 - I know, because my much lighter bike trailer did.

Wes Hawkins · 11-30-2014, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidki

Highway 4x4 how do you get 21mpg on the highway not towing.. most folks I see with the newer diesels are telling me they are getting at best 12 -14mpg not towing and about 10mpg towing. I was at one point thinking of getting a diesel but the earlier comments on gas consumption on the new trucks steered me away. Diesel here in Tn is about 1.00 more than gas (30%) it is way crazy!

Dividki
I have a 2000 Dodge CTD 3/4 ton 4x4 and I get between 16 - 18 mpg around town and 17 - 21 on the hwy. Both being empty. Towing my current 21fbs North Trail, about 5900 lbs loaded, I get between 11 and 13mpg and I live up in the Sierra Nevada east of Sacramento so I have mountains coming and going. I have a friend who has had three Chevy duramax's and didn't get the mpg empty what I get towing.

Highway 4x4 · 11-30-2014, 01:05 PM

My 14 Ram is a dream truck. I will never wear out the moving parts. It's the electronics that will get me. The electronics are also what mages it a dream to drive. My SnugTop shell camper also helps with MPG with better air flow over the truck.

chertz · 12-01-2014, 04:22 AM

I have used both an 04 chevy 1/2 ton and my current 05 dodge 2500 to pull my cruise lite 281 bhxl (about 7000 lbs]. There is no comparison. The chevy always felt like the trailer was in control even with my equalizer properly set up. With just myself in the truck I was within 70 lbs of the max rear axle rating. The dodge on the other hand, I barely know the camper is back there. No sway or push... braking is confident and no longer white knuckle inducing. For sure go with an HD truck if you are towing. 1/2 tons, in my opinion, are made for getting groceries not pulling 30' campers. For the record. .. my chevy was a ecsb 4x4 5.3L with 3.73 rear end. Would get 15 empty and 7 with the camper. The dodge is a QCLB 4x4 cummins w/3.73 gears. It gets 17 mixed, 20 highway. Pulling the camper it does 14.

Lori Meyer · 12-01-2014, 09:20 AM

Thanks for all the great responses. It has been a very long and difficult decision deciding which TT and truck to buy and after many months, we made our choices.

I will get the 2500 and my only reason for pushing to get a 1500 is because the truck will be a daily driver out west and fuel was an issue. We will be towing across the country twice a year so I know the 2500 is the best choice.

The final choices:

2015 Keystone Cougar 30RLI

2010 Dodge Ram 2500HD with tow pkg

Thanks again, your suggestions were extremely helpful. Happy Trails!

TDI-Minnie · 12-01-2014, 09:59 AM

If the Ram is a diesel, your fuel economy will be way better than gas. I use mine as a daily driver and get between 18 and 21mpg.

elkhornsun · 12-01-2014, 10:34 AM

We now have 1-ton trucks towing over 30,000 lbs. which would not have been possible with trucks sold a couple of years ago. Ram and GM for example have beefed up the frames and suspension members and drivetrain and engine andother components to handle the greater loads. Same has been happening with 1/2 ton trucks, most notably the new 2015 Ford F-150. I had a 1998 Tahoe which in 1999 was upgraded with disc brakes at all four wheels. My Tahoe was terrible for towing as the brakes were not adequate but in 1999, GM fixed the problem. Blanket statements are invariably incorrect. By reducing the F-150 truck's weight by 700 lbs. they increased its payload capacity. Not too difficult to understand why this is the case. With the optional 17 or 18 inch wheels the payload can be as high as 3,000 lbs. or more than many 3/4 and 1-ton trucks sitting in driveways. It is also rated to tow over 12,000 lbs. with the V-8 and 3.73 gears. The devil is in the details and most folks ignore the details. People often assume that a Ford F-450 pickup has a higher payload capacity than the F-350 pickup but actually the F-350 has a greater load rating. Only the F-450 chassis cab has a higher payload rating though the pickup version has a higher tow rating than the F-350, in large part due to the use of 4.33 gears. Big difference too in frame strength between different makes and model years. GM greatly strengthened its 2500/3500 truck frames starting in 2011 and Ram did this starting in 2013. Download the trailering guides and start with the information these provide. These provide only towing numbers and you will still need to investigate options like a factory brake controller which is often standard on a 3/4 ton truck but is probably an option on a 1/2 ton pickup. The class hitch provided by the factory is also likely to be different on these two classes of trucks. Diesel trucks do get more miles per gallon of fuel but so what. Diesel engines cost more to buy, more to maintain, far more to repair, and diesel fuel costs more than regular gas and is harder to find while traveling unless you stick to the major highways. There are two compensating advantages to the diesel engine, greater torque for faster acceleration and passing and the exhaust brake for controlling speed on downgrades. For a trailer weight over 10,000 lbs. diesel has definite value and may be worth the much high total cost of ownership. For towing I would want as much fuel capacity as possible without having to resort to an auxiliary tank in the truck bed. This varies by manufacturer and model and cab and box configuration so for a new truck I would check what is available from the factory or after the purchase from Titan.

schrederman · 12-01-2014, 11:50 AM

My '14 Ram 2500 4X4 gets about the same mileage as Hiway 4X4 gets with his. I have an ARE cab-level topper, and I think that helps with the towing mileage especially. I am towing the same trailer I towed with my F-150 and the difference is stark. The F-150 was adequate. The 2500 seems so much less burdened, and with the bigger brakes, tires, firmer suspension, I feel that I am much safer. I wouldn't go back to a 1/2 ton for towing anything bigger than a bass boat. My towing mileage with the diesel has come up considerably.

Cumminsfan · 12-01-2014, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lori Meyer

Thanks for all the great responses. It has been a very long and difficult decision deciding which TT and truck to buy and after many months, we made our choices.

I will get the 2500 and my only reason for pushing to get a 1500 is because the truck will be a daily driver out west and fuel was an issue. We will be towing across the country twice a year so I know the 2500 is the best choice.

The final choices:

2015 Keystone Cougar 30RLI

2010 Dodge Ram 2500HD with tow pkg

Thanks again, your suggestions were extremely helpful. Happy Trails!

Exc choices. Enjoy your travels.

Highway 4x4 · 12-01-2014, 11:43 PM

My Ram diesel is also my daily driver with a 5 mile work commute. No issues.

TDI-Minnie · 12-02-2014, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elkhornsun

Diesel engines cost more to buy, more to maintain, far more to repair, and diesel fuel costs more than regular gas and is harder to find while traveling unless you stick to the major highways.

I don't understand where you get this. Yes, a diesel costs more up front but more than makes up for that in resale value and longevity.

How does it cost more to maintain?? A fuel filter every 15,000 miles is next to nothing and easy to do yourself. How about no spark plugs or associated coils. How about no timing belt? Maybe it takes a couple more quarts of oil when it's time for an oil change, but again, negligible.
And what engine repairs are you talking about? How many diesels do you see broken down on the side of the road?

On to fuel, the Hemi gasser that I had before called for 89 octane, not regular. This is currently nearly the same price as diesel in my area and if you figure in the extra mpg, the diesel is way, way ahead on every tank. It's not even close.

We (my wife drives a diesel car) have never had a hard time finding diesel. 75% of gas stations have diesel, including Home Depot, Walmart, and grocery stores like Kroger all have diesel at their stations, too. Think about how many 3/4 and 1 ton diesels and the number of VW TDIs you see every day. Diesel is everywhere and not at all hard to find.