Gas vs Diesel for towing vehicle

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Well,  we purchased out trailer based on the theoretical towing capability of my old truck, a 2011 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner with the V-6 and an auto.  Bought the lightest 25 footer we could find with the amenities we wanted.  Thhe Onyx is abut 4,400 lb empty and can grodd out at around 6,000#.  After pulling the trailer a fairly short distance (about 50 miles) I decided that the little Toyo was just a little too little. 

I traided the Toyota on a Dodge 1500 with the 5.7L V8.  Yes, I would have liked a big diesel.  No, I'm not willing to spend my entire income paying to commute to work everyday.  I'm not planning on dragging it up over Berthod Pass nor any of the other 10K western passes.  Between Knoxville and Austin shouldn't put too much strain on the engine and SE flatlands and the hills in Appelachea shouldn't be too hard on the vehicle.  I hope. 
 
So much of the decision depends on how one uses their truck and how often.  In 2005, I bought a new truck and TT.  Since then, less than 5% of the miles put on the truck have been used in towing the TT.  The rest of the the miles were put on the truck in both long distance travel and around town running.  For our use, the gas truck has been the right choice. It does a find job for us in the mountains out west, gets good milage towing (9-12mpg) and traveling w/o TT (19-22 mpg).  If we were to go to a larger RV, and full timing, a diesel would make sense.  It is very important when deciding on the RV type and/or tow vehicle how you are going to use it.  And from what I have read on this forum, a lot of folks change their mind after the first couple of years.

While we haven't changed our TT, I would now give up those bunk beds for a couple of Lazy Boy Chairs, so I guess I'm in the last category too. Grandkids grow too fast.
 
And even tho I am new here,, I will add my two cents. I have a 99 Dodge diesel  1 ton dually, and before I got it I pulled with a 3/4 ton single rear wheel, and I will have to say, I really like how stable a dually is when towing, altho it has to be a 4x4 cuz they dont get around very good when roads are slick.
 
I towed a tt with a v8 explorer for a couple of summers. I didn't like it much. An under sized and under powered tv is no fun.
We now have a 30' fiver and I pull it with a '99 f350 drw v10 gasser. I'm loving it.
Went to disneyworld and the combo towed fantastic. Diesel would be nice but I couldn't pass up the truck I bought. It's a beauty and treated with tlc.

Too much truck is never a bad idea.

 
Well I have a confession to make. I've been wanting a diesel for a long time and after reading this post I just couldn't take it any longer. I had a 2008 Chevy with the 6.0, I traded it for a 2009 Chevy with the 6.6 Duramax. I haven't pulled my trailer yet but I'm really anxious to. From what all of you say I should notice a huge difference. One thing I have noticed is how much better the gas mileage is. I was getting around 12mpg with my old truck with no trailer - this one easily hits 17-18mpg with no trailer. I even saw 20mpg once! So far I'm really impressed with a diesel overall. I wish I would have skipped the 6.0 engine and went straight for the diesel.....but hey, live and learn!
 
Cool, congrats on the new truck!  Love the big diesel, wish the price of it would come down a bit around our home!
 
One great advantage of diesel fuel that hasn't been mentioned is the ability use an auxiliary fuel tank.  Deducts from payload capacity, but greatly extends range.
 
Phil Hyde said:
One great advantage of diesel fuel that hasn't been mentioned is the ability use an auxiliary fuel tank.  Deducts from payload capacity, but greatly extends range.

Yeah, I have thought of that. That was a huge disadvantage when I had my gas truck. But with the better MPG out of the diesel I may not end up wanting it after all. Honestly after 300 miles or so I'm ready to get out and stretch my legs anyway.
 
I have the Duramax and I think you'll like it much better for pulling and will see fuel mileage in 10-12 range which is equal to or better than
your gasser pulling nothing.
 
kjansen said:
I have the Duramax and I think you'll like it much better for pulling and will see fuel mileage in 10-12 range which is equal to or better than
your gasser pulling nothing
.

Is this just a guess or do you have some factual experience on a fleet of trucks to back this up? My 2002 Silverado 2500HD with 6.0 gasser averaged 12.5 non-towing MPG and my 2010 Sierra gets 13.5 - 14 depending on my mood.
 
I could have stated that differently- the op said he was getting 12mpg with his gasser and I get 10-12 pulling my Montana.  Without the 5er I get 18-20mpg.
 
buy a diesel.there really isnt a comparison when it comes to towing.sure you can pull a trailer with a gasser,but not to many of them talk about gas mileage.i pull 7500 tt and average 14 to 16 mpg all day long.thats a ford 350 7.3l.and i can tell you the power is always there when i need it.diesels are ,yes more expensive,and little more to maintain.you will need a one ton truck.unless your buying small 5er.they get quite heavy after the 30 foot mark.if you decide on gas ,fine thats what works for you.but you will end up paying more for fuel in the end.alot more.
 
You said your looking at a new 2500 GM truck.
Just did a quick look on GM online ordering guide. http://eogld.ecomm.gm.com/NASApp/domestic/proddesc.jsp?year=2012&regionID=1&divisionID=1&type=0&vehicleID=11650&section=modeloptionweight&page=&butID=21.
A 2500 6.0 LTZ extended cab long bed has a 3000 payload rating. Tow ratings are 9700 with the 3.73 axle and 14200 with the 4.10 axle.  I doubt you will like towing much over 10000 -11000 lb with the 6.0 smallblock in the mountains.

Numbers for the same truck configuration and the Dmax LTZ 3.73 axle shows a 17400 lb tow rating and arounf 2700 lb payload.

IMO with the big blocks all gone and your wanting to pull 10k-12k actual weight trailer I would go with the new or used 2500 Dmax.

 
I love our 05 Ram for towing, I fuel up once a day and it doesn't break a sweat on the hills. Not as much fun as a daily commuter, fuel economy is poor and it is a beast to deal with in traffic. I much prefer the old Ranger for this. For the amount of towing we do with the trailer we have an F-150/1500 with decent gears might have been a better choice at this time but I plan to retire in two years. If I have my way we will be on the road a lot, then the diesel really shines.
 
I figured I would throw some of my real world numbers out there for the diesel vs. gas conversation.  My business partner owns a 2003 Dodge 2500 with the V-10 engine.  Both of our trucks are very similar otherwise.  We keep a spreadsheet for our vehicle costs and both the gas and the diesel are within fractions of a penny per mile in regards to the actual operating cost.

His truck has averaged 9.1 mpg over the last 37,000 miles.  Mine has averaged 14.8 over the last 43,000 miles.  His fuel costs are lower but he gets worse mileage.  My fuel costs are higher but I get better mileage.  My diesel is only slightly more expensive to operate because of the higher maintenance and parts costs.  15 qts of oil in my Powerstroke versus 7 or so quarts for his, etc.

A few years ago we had the opportunity to do a towing test.  We both had identical trailers with identical loads on them.  We had about 25 miles of interstate to go and this particular section had a few good hills including Monument Hill.

He really got the jump on me coming off the start but when my turbo spooled up it was game over.  His truck managed to keep up just fine on the flatter sections but the diesel torque shined when we got to the hills.  We came to the conclusion that gas engines are great in the flatter sections of the country but out here in the mountainous west, diesels are the cats pajamas for towing.
 
lone_star_dsl said:
His truck has averaged 9.1 mpg over the last 37,000 miles.  Mine has averaged 14.8 over the last 43,000 miles.  His fuel costs are lower but he gets worse mileage.  My fuel costs are higher but I get better mileage.  My diesel is only slightly more expensive to operate because of the higher maintenance and parts costs.  15 qts of oil in my Powerstroke versus 7 or so quarts for his, etc.

Would have been interesting if you also logged how much you paid for fuel to get a cost per mile figure.  Diesel fuel is more but in most cases it sounds like it might work out to being a lower cost per mile in the fuel department...maybe I have not tried to crunch numbers...but when it comes to maintenance it may even out.  Even if it doesnt even out at that point you still have the fact that it cost more for the diesel engine in the first place....so from a economics standpoint I can't see it working out for a diesel owner unless they have it for a very long time.  Most people just don't own a truck even close to long enough for it to make sense from an economical standpoint.

So for me I would not fool myself that I'm saving money with a diesel....if you want a diesel you should get it for the power and greater distances you can travel between fill ups.  To me that's what you have to be looking for for it to make sense.

I'd love a diesel but not only does it not make economic sense I don't even need the extra power at this point.  The distance I can travel between fill ups will be an issue but really stopping every 200 miles or so seems like good policy anyway.  I'd be lucky to make it 120 with the wife and two girls anyway.
 
CakeHenn said:
Would have been interesting if you also logged how much you paid for fuel to get a cost per mile figure.  Diesel fuel is more but in most cases it sounds like it might work out to being a lower cost per mile in the fuel department...maybe I have not tried to crunch numbers...but when it comes to maintenance it may even out.  Even if it doesnt even out at that point you still have the fact that it cost more for the diesel engine in the first place....so from a economics standpoint I can't see it working out for a diesel owner unless they have it for a very long time.  Most people just don't own a truck even close to long enough for it to make sense from an economical standpoint.

So for me I would not fool myself that I'm saving money with a diesel....if you want a diesel you should get it for the power and greater distances you can travel between fill ups.  To me that's what you have to be looking for for it to make sense.

I'd love a diesel but not only does it not make economic sense I don't even need the extra power at this point.  The distance I can travel between fill ups will be an issue but really stopping every 200 miles or so seems like good policy anyway.  I'd be lucky to make it 120 with the wife and two girls anyway.

This is the only flaw I see in your logic.  Yes, diesel engines are more expensive to purchase but they also get the majority of it back on resale.  But I will agree that diesel engines are no longer a money saving proposition like they were 10+ years ago.
 

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