Those who've traded

SHOOT2KILL said:

you ASKED for OPINIONS...I gave you a few from my viewpoint. When you come back down to earth from the TESTOSTERONE overload, hopefully you will see that your 6.4 will suffice. Especially from a $$$$$$$$$$$ standpoint...BTW...I put more miles on my snowmobiles in the winter than I do snowplowing....GOOD LUCK...

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If you want to get technical, I asked for real world comparisons of people who have actually done the switch, not comparing a current gas hd to an old 6.5 chevy diesel. So your opinion wasn't needed anyway as you started out with something of value and then took a nosedive into insults.

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AFMoulton said:

Look at it this way, you are not happy with what you have, and if you can afford it and justify it to yourself, get the diesel. Maintenance costs/fuel costs are about the same between a gasser and a diesel now, so you won’t save much there.

Peace of mind and the power you want when towing are invaluable. So again, the diesel will tow it way better than your gasser, and you won’t have to wonder.

Now on the flip side, I have a gas truck because I Tow maybe 10-15% of the time, so it’s hard for me to justify the $10k extra on a truck for motor/trans. If I towed everyday I would buy the diesel.

So how much do you really Tow? That should be the true question.


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That is the kicker. Obviously everyone wants to go more than they actually do. However I don't want to go ahead and drop the money if we aren't actually going to use it. I know I'll pick up mileage empty as well but it still won't breakeven financially.
I think I'll do a wait and see approach to see what we even end up with and see how much we actually use it before I make a decision on a truck. I want to be prepared though on thr off chance I come across a good deal. But like smurfs_of_war said, there are probably a lot of people seeking this information so I'm hoping to help not just me.

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loveracing1988 said:

That is the kicker. Obviously everyone wants to go more than they actually do. However I don't want to go ahead and drop the money if we aren't actually going to use it. I know I'll pick up mileage empty as well but it still won't breakeven financially.
I think I'll do a wait and see approach to see what we even end up with and see how much we actually use it before I make a decision on a truck. I want to be prepared though on thr off chance I come across a good deal. But like smurfs_of_war said, there are probably a lot of people seeking this information so I'm hoping to help not just me.

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No you are 100% correct. However, to play devils advocate, the 6.4 limits your trailer size, the 6.7 limits your payload (in 2500 flavor).

My ideal truck after I pay this one off is a 3500 DRW 6.7, Aisin with 4.10 gears, then I’m not limited to what I can pull/buy. But for now since this is my daily driver, I’ll stick with my 5.7 Hemi and Tow my camper the 10-15% we actually use it!


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AFMoulton said:

No you are 100% correct. However, to play devils advocate, the 6.4 limits your trailer size, the 6.7 limits your payload (in 2500 flavor).

My ideal truck after I pay this one off is a 3500 DRW 6.7, Aisin with 4.10 gears, then I’m not limited to what I can pull/buy. But for now since this is my daily driver, I’ll stick with my 5.7 Hemi and Tow my camper the 10-15% we actually use it!


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Well, the 5th wheels I'm looking at have to be able to be pulled by my 6.4 so the payload limitation won't come into play. My 2500 rides rough enough, if I come home with a 3500 I won't be alive to drive it after my wife rides in it for the first time. We don't need/want a big heavy camper anyway so we are looking about 32' and under, well within the range of my current 6.4.

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Then you are good to go, anything you buy then will be easy for the diesel, just watch pin weights as that is what gets you in trouble in the 2500 realm. Hopefully I helped some, hate when posts are not helpful at all.


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AFMoulton said:

Hopefully I helped some, hate when posts are not helpful at all.


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SHOOT2KILL said:

Smart Move...Be glad your wife has the better grasp of finances, and YOU are smart enough to have the FEAR of the BACKLASH if you make a stupid testosterone purchase...Happy Wife...Happy Life...

I'll be celebrating 30 years of marriage this Dec....YEP...To the same woman...

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Exibit A through Z?

Exactly my point.


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My good friend had a 2015 Ram 2500 Cummins, and he towed all of the time. An 18’ enclosed trailer or skid loader and accessories on a 20’ flatbed. I beleieve he said he got around 18 MPG’s empty, 10-12 with the enclosed, and 11-13 with the skid loader. Now, he lives in the very hilly area of SW Wisconsin, and drives his trucks very hard.

The other thing to consider with a new diesel is the emissions system might have some issues if it is not worked regularly with a heavy tow. My neighbors father just had to replace his emissions system on a 6.4L Powerstroke when it failed. He ended up doing a delete, but it was still something like $1600 or $1800. The replacement pipe would have been $3600, so the choice was easy. I do not know if it was related to not “working” the truck enough or not, but I do know he drives it like the old man that he is.

The only thing that sucks about a diesel is they are expensive to fix. They are awesome otherwise. I would still like to have one.

I upgraded from a ‘12 Ram 1500 5.7 to a ‘15 Ram 2500 6.7 Cummins. We pulled our 289 RK Denali with both. The TT weighs in at about 9K max.

With the 1500 we could pull the trailer about 100 miles before looking for gas. At best I got 10-12 MPG. At best. With the 2500 I get about 12 MPG and, because of the larger tank, start looking for fuel at around 225 miles.

The 1500 was good for 9800 lb. the 2500 is good for 17,000#. There is no replacement for displacement. Love the bigger Ram.



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MN-Ram said:

My good friend had a 2015 Ram 2500 Cummins, and he towed all of the time. An 18’ enclosed trailer or skid loader and accessories on a 20’ flatbed. I beleieve he said he got around 18 MPG’s empty, 10-12 with the enclosed, and 11-13 with the skid loader. Now, he lives in the very hilly area of SW Wisconsin, and drives his trucks very hard.

The other thing to consider with a new diesel is the emissions system might have some issues if it is not worked regularly with a heavy tow. My neighbors father just had to replace his emissions system on a 6.4L Powerstroke when it failed. He ended up doing a delete, but it was still something like $1600 or $1800. The replacement pipe would have been $3600, so the choice was easy. I do not know if it was related to not “working” the truck enough or not, but I do know he drives it like the old man that he is.

The only thing that sucks about a diesel is they are expensive to fix. They are awesome otherwise. I would still like to have one.

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It's just amazing the 6.4 lasted long enough to replace the emissions system... Those motors were known for emissions issues among other things.
I won't be heavily working it constantly but I don't make many short drives so it'll have plenty of time for regens.

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loveracing1988 said:

It's just amazing the 6.4 lasted long enough to replace the emissions system... Those motors were known for emissions issues among other things.
I won't be heavily working it constantly but I don't make many short drives so it'll have plenty of time for regens.

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Among MANY other things

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smurfs_of_war said:

Among MANY other things

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The emissions system was this spring. About a month ago his tranny failed. Planetary gear, or something like that, failed. He got that fixed, then the water pump went out a week or two ago.

I guess I’ll stay away from the 6.4L fords.

loveracing1988 said:

Weren't you looking to trade for a Cummins a couple of months ago or was that someone else? Not trying to be a smart ass (for once) I'm just wondering.
Financially I know it does not make sense, but overall I just don't like feeling underpowered at all, which to me shouldn't happen when I have a 410 hp truck with a straight through muffler, ported throttle body, and hemifever tune.

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It may have been me. Depending on how I'm feeling about my truck on a given day and how many beers I've had when posting I'm ready to pull the trigger on a new Cummins at any moment

For me the biggest part of my decision comes down to my usage. I just can't justify spending the money to swap trucks for roughly 5% towing usage. As a daily driver the Hemi is great. If I was out camping more I'd absolutely go with the Cummins but it's just not worth that HUGE amount of money for my minimal usage. It's tempting though. Financially, I could do it in an instant. I have about 25K equity in my truck and it's all a write off. I'm just trying to be responsible...... for once. The money looks much better in my IRA than in my driveway

And I'll add to your agony mtofell...a diesel makes a great DD with better mileage than that HEMI

I say if you are going to go through the steps of getting a 2500 Cummins then you should really take a bit extra and give the 3500 SRW Cummins a test drive. If your wife is hesitant because she thinks it is going to be a rough ride then try to sneak here into a 3500 for a test drive to see what she really things. HOw much rougher is the ride on the street or hwy than the 2500? Probably a bit stiffer in a parking lot with speed bumps or at the apron of the street/gutter/curb but really how much time is spend in parking lots compared to actual on the road driving?

If your family actually enjoys the trailers/5ers as much as you say there is a great chance that you will end up not having enough truck to pull larger 5er that you really want down the line. Over on the RV forum you mostly hear of people going bigger with each subsequent trailer purchase. YOu may be the same. Either way, best of luck.

Skrap said:

I say if you are going to go through the steps of getting a 2500 Cummins then you should really take a bit extra and give the 3500 SRW Cummins a test drive. If your wife is hesitant because she thinks it is going to be a rough ride then try to sneak here into a 3500 for a test drive to see what she really things. HOw much rougher is the ride on the street or hwy than the 2500? Probably a bit stiffer in a parking lot with speed bumps or at the apron of the street/gutter/curb but really how much time is spend in parking lots compared to actual on the road driving?

If your family actually enjoys the trailers/5ers as much as you say there is a great chance that you will end up not having enough truck to pull larger 5er that you really want down the line. Over on the RV forum you mostly hear of people going bigger with each subsequent trailer purchase. YOu may be the same. Either way, best of luck.

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While you are actually correct, there are 2 problems. First I honestly don't care if I go over the payload of a 2500 diesel, I have had 3500(ish) pounds in the back of my 2500 so I know it will take it. Now that doesn't mean I'm throwing caution to the wind, but I won't pay as much attention to that payload as I did my 1500. Even my 2500 will almost jar your fillings out on michigan roads, normal 2 lane roads are fine, but the concrete on the expressways have frost buckles that make you feel like you are in a boat you go up and down so much.
The second problem is we are staying on the cheaper side of fifth wheels which will really limit how much the trailer will weigh. That and we really don't have much room for a rv, so the smaller the better.

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MADDOG said:

And I'll add to your agony mtofell...a diesel makes a great DD with better mileage than that HEMI

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I test drove the Cummins and my Hemi back to back in 2014 and I opted for the Hemi due to snappier performance (and about 6K less $$, of course )

Also, I see the whole 2500 v 3500 debate creeping into this thread. It's THE SAME TRUCK aside from the rear suspension. Come on guys... give this argument a rest already. There are 100+ threads in the last year on this EXACT subject. OP is NOT asking about it. OP has been on this board for all 100+ posts and arguments. Let it go!!!!!!

I’ve been very tempted to trade my 6.4 in for a cumin’s... but I only owe like 20k on it so I really really don’t want to start over on payments. Plus a rarely haul heavy heavy loads... in fact a 1500 would fit 95% of my towing needs... but the price of the truck was right.... Wife absolutely loves it, and once it’s payed off - that’s 500$ a month I can spend on toy payments!!

I'd like a CTD for 6 months. The other 6 months the 6.4 is wonderful. Cruising the backroads off the beaten path, the 6.4's lighter feeling steering over the CTD really shines, uses fuel, but is much more nimble.

I've found the longer & steadier the pull, the better the towing mileage. This past spring we took a 1465 mile round trip to Lake Powell and back pulling our 6000# TT all loaded up. Hand calc'd 9.3 for the trip keeping speeds between 65-70. Went from 7200' to 3700' and back including all the mountainous terrain in between. So I'd say your observation towing the rental are right in there.

Now, pulling my snowmachine trailer with a 28" tall deck, front unloading ramps upright, loaded with my Polaris Ranger with half front and full rear glass, load is 3000# at most, is like pulling a frikkin' steel parachute!! The 6.4 will pull it at whatever speed, but the drag makes it work! 7-8 mpg is the best I can expect when driving 65. When I have a headwind, I expect 5-6 pulling this setup. Its so light, but there I so much air resistance. I pulled this same setup with a 2013 CTD and managed 10.5 mpg. So, my point is, if I was going to be primarily pulling a 5th wheel with a lot of air resistance, CTD all the way!

mtofell said:

I test drove the Cummins and my Hemi back to back in 2014 and I opted for the Hemi due to snappier performance (and about 6K less $$, of course )

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I modded my 6.4L with intake, exhaust, tuner and custom tune and it did wake up that truck.

I added about $3k to the price difference between the 6.4L and CTD by doing intake, delete, exhaust, programmer, EGR and DEF deletes on the CTD. Now, there is no way my 6.4L could even come close to the snappier performance of my CTD. Of course, all I had to do is spend money.



To the OP, I didn't trade my 6.4L in on the CTD. It was totaled due to the actions of an inattentive driver and I took the opportunity to purchase an upgrade.