New Truck Shopping

[SteveSinka]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and wanted to get some opinions on our truck shopping adventure. We currently own a '99 F250 Super Duty extended cab 7.3 diesel with manual transmission, 6'-6" bed. We pull a '99 Jayco fifth wheel, 31 ft,  11,400 gross. The truck does a great job pulling this trailer, but I've done modifications including K&N air, Banks exhaust, Banks chip with level 3 programming, and Banks wastegate actuator. Our family has grown and we need to move to a crew cab. I'm considering a Chevrolet or GMC 2500/3500 and am torn between the 6.6 diesel and the 6.0 gas.  If I go with the gas I would want the 4.10 rear end based on their towing capacity charts. I'm also selling an older car and this newer truck will consolidate two vehicles to one. The new truck will be a daily driver for work plus working on the weekends and towing when we camp. We make about 6 trips per year, the summer trips are longer with the kids out of school, we live in PA, lots of hills. The choice of GMC/Chevrolet over Ford is based on height, I want to fit it in the garage.

I've test driven newer chevrolets with the 6.0 and the 6.6 and both feel great unloaded, but unless the trailer is on its hard to tell. I've also dyno tested my Ford and the torque output is right between the newer 6.0 gas and the 6.6 diesel. Peak horsepower is less, but I know this is rpm dependent. We're looking for newer vehicles, 2010-2012 with low miles.

If I had my choice I would keep my existing truck, but we need to move to the crew cab. Another option I've considered is stretching the F250 frame for a crew cab, but this may not be economical based on the truck age, etc. We're also shopping for a newer fifth wheel which will be slightly larger, I'm expecting 13k gross.

I know that I won't get stellar milage with any 3/4 ton that can tow a big trailer, but I have to consider fuel economy to some degree. I also know that owning a diesel has a higher initial cost and higher maintenance costs, which is why I would like a gas, but fear that the gas engine won't do the job.

Any input is appreciated, including alternate plans that we haven't considered.

Thanks

 

[donn]

Limiting yourself to a single brand pretty much obligates you to a single solution.  IMHO you are doing yourself a disservice by not considering the others as well.  Personally I would skip right over the 3/4 ton trucks and go for a 1 ton SRW.  You will Gain quite a bit in Load carrying capacity that you will loose stepping up to a crew cab.  Remember load carrying capacity includes people tools and what ever your truck will have in/on it when loaded ready to travel.  The numbers can be deceiving, so look carefully at your current and future plans before deciding.  I think you will find Chevrolet to be one of the highest priced trucks on the market.  My last Chevy was an ext cab 4X4 D/A and it scaled ready to go at 7500 pounds leaving a scant 1700 pounds for pin weight.  A crew cab will be heavier than that possibly as high as 8500 pounds when loaded with family.  Even with the 2500HD uprated to the latest data those sorts of numbers could push you over the GVWR pretty far when hitched to your fiver.

 

[edjunior]

Is the Ford really that much higher than the Chevy?  Strange.  Anyway, you mention lots of hills and such where you are or will be going.  I believe the diesel will serve you much better in that aspect of your decision making.  I'm not sure you really need to go to a 1 ton based on your current trailer, but it certainly couldn't hurt.  And I am a bit biased on the Ford, but you really should give it a second look.  The new 6.7L diesel and torqeshift tranny is a really nice setup.  You would really like the way it tows.  Double check those heights and your garage.  I use mine as a daily driver and towing much the same as you do, except I only have my dog anymore.  The kids are all growed up.

 

[eliallen]

You may want to look at the Tundra, I saw a add on TV of it pulling the space shuttle (200,000 lbs)

 

[s2kskibum]

That Toyota ad makes me laugh. The tugs at airports routinely move 900,000# pound planes.

I was always a Chevy guy. Bought a new 3/4 ton Silverado 2500HD Duramax in 05. Can't wait to sell it - GM could give a crap about quality and integrity. Look elsewhere is my advice.

 

[Y-Guy]

I've got a couple friends with 99's that wouldn't trade them for their life.  Have you looked around to see if you can find a 99 CrewCab?

 

[muskoka guy]

i have the new tundra and i can tell you its only rated to pull 10500 lbs. my last trucks were fords with the 6ft 6inch box my new toyota only has a 5ft 6inch box. i love the extra space in the crewmax cab but i certainly miss that extra foot in the back. makes a difference for tools and bikes and such. i guess thats what trailers are for eh

 

[superdutydale]

check into getting an 02 or 03 ford with a 7.3. I have a 7.3 in a van and the thing has over 600,000 miles on it! never did a motor job! you can still get some of these trucks in decent shape and theres a good chance it will last you a long time. and I can get up to 22 mpg highway, not sure what it will do on a trailer. hope this helps!

 

[Greg 110 OVI]

Go with the 1 ton for sure. Diesel for sure. I would either stay with the Ford 7.3 in a used unit or the new Ford or Chevy. BTW, I have a 2011 F-250 king cab short bed 4x4 diesel. I love it AND it fits in my residential garage. The issue is not height, but length! FYI, market research indicates the single most common mistake truck buyers make is NOT ENOUGH TRUCK.

 

[berky]

For your situation you really should go with the 3500HD.  The cargo rating of the 2500HD with 4WD and the Duramax is only around 2700#.  I'm not familiar with your 5th, but I'm certain the dry hitch weight is at least 1600#.  Throw in two adults, a couple of kids, a dog, a full tank of fuel, and some tools in the bed.... and you've used up all of your TV's cargo rating.

As for the engine, my personal feeling is that with your TT and the 6-speed, you will be completely happy with either.  Once you're rolling, torque doesn't matter.  What you want to look at is HP, which will determine your max speed on a given grade.  There's not much difference between the Duramax's 397 HP and the Vortec's 380 HP.  With today's 6-speeds, both engines will come close to delivering their Max HP to the wheels for most driving situations.

FWIW, I just ordered a 2500HD with 6.0L gas and 4.10 to replace my aging 1500 with 5.3L gas and 3.42.  Yes, a 3.42.  My TT's GVWR is 8600# and on the road it's around 7000#.  Not quite your territory, but I never felt that the old TV wasn't up to the task.  The 6-speed and tow/haul made it very driveable.  I moved up to the 2500HD because I was maxing out the TT's cargo rating and because I wanted the heavier duty 6L90 transmission.

 

[ticat900]

I could have bought any truck i wanted but went with the chev./GMC 3500 series CC duramax.
pretty hard to compare the gasser 6.0L to a duramax though.The duramax blows the socks off it in Both power,durability and mileage. dodge is dodge always was and always will be(junk) except the cummins motor
Ford is OK but more money and iam not crazy about the 2011 2012 etc fuel mileage reports and warrenty problems

 

[RoyM]

One man's junk is another man's treasure. You won't get us to trade our 05 Ram. Still tight after almost eight years and absolutely no problems except a loose electrical connection on the a/c.

 

[ticat900]

One man's junk is another man's treasure. You won't get us to trade our 05 Ram. Still tight after almost eight years and absolutely no problems except a loose electrical connection on the a/c.

absolutely the worst truck made for towing a trailer or a fifth wheel bar none handling wise

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

ticat900: would you care to elaborate about that? Have not heard any handling complaints about Dodges prior to this. If there is a problem, I'm sure others will want to learn more about it, e.g. the nature of the problem and the year(s) and Ram models affected.

 

[falconhunter]

absolutely the worst truck made for towing a trailer or a fifth wheel bar none handling wise

He may be referring to the Dodge ram death wobble. Goggle "dodge ram death wobble".
I have never had a problem with my Dodge as far as handling goes.

 

[GIB]

Trucks:
I would google  2012 Chevrolet Siverado 2500 LTZ 4wd crewcab - car and driver. They are posting test results not opinions. GM outpulled , out stopped , handled best and hid it's interior in shame. Ford similar milage , pulled respectably but took 2 truck lengths plus 6 more feet to stop at 70 mph ,pretty interior. Dodge poor handling , noisy, poor milage , less power . All similar , all different. If you plan on beefing up to hook to tranfer sled at truck pulls a Cummins would be my choice. Another interesting sight would be to Google HD Rumble in the Rockies 2011 and Fords 2nd version with the 400 HP. Good reading, good luck and for what it is worth I have the 2011 , 2500 HD Chevy and pull a Montana 15,500 lbs fully loaded and it doesn,t quite sqwat the truck springs to level out the truck. For maximum tire load capacity you would want the 18 inch.

 

[GIB]

PS You may want to google Dodge Death Wobble and CBC News

 

[ticat900]

PS You may want to google Dodge Death Wobble and CBC News

yes this has already ben posted. My business partner had a 2005 dodge 2500 4X4 and was pulling a 27Ft trailer and this happened to him in Ontario oregon.He almost killed himself and his wife as this happened to him at 60MPH.I was right behind him at the time and it was very very scarey

 

[muskoka guy]

if it wasnt for the cummins motor i dont think dodge would sell any trucks bigger than a pickup. we had the ford f250 with the 6 litre diesel, i think it was an 02 . we had problems with fuel getting into the motor oil. it happened about three times . we decided to trade it in before the warrantee expired just in case