To Cummins or not to cummins

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ralaubach

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hemi 5.7
Looking for some thoughts. I have an 07 qc ram hemi 2wd. Has all the usual bolt on plus a 4.56 lsd. 4 insh lift with 35's. Family just got a 6100lbs travel trailer last summer. Dodge specs say 8600 max towing. Currently reside in IL/WI so a couple hills here and there but defiantly not mountains. We are likely to be stationed in San Diego in about 1.5 years. Will my truck handle the mountains out there with the trailer?

Other then up grading to a Cummins because.... well it's a Cummins who would not want to. Do you all think I should be looking at them for the future?
 
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blackbeautyhemi

blackbeautyhemi

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The hemi will handle that just fine especially with your gearing. It's your call tho to buy a cummins, everything costs a lot more to do mod wise on a diesel than a gasser but again, that's your call.
 
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ralaubach

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Maintenance as in cost of oil and filters? This would be first diesel so what other maintenance exists that does not on gas engine?
 
usaf2006

usaf2006

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Fuel filters every 10-15k miles. Two batteries if they die. Fuel injectors are not cheap, and seem to go about every 100k miles from what I've read. Diff and trans oil more frequent than gas motors. There may be more that I can't think of.

Diesels take double the quarts of oil a hemi goes. Oil filters aren't that big of a deal. If you go new, or newer, you have to use DEF as well.
 
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usaf2006

usaf2006

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You could reduce the lift on your truck and downgrade to 33s for a little less rotational mass to help with power.
 
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ralaubach

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Had 33's I like the 35s. Plus with 33 the rpm run a bit high for my taste with 4.56
 
justin13703

justin13703

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Like they said your truck especially with the 4.56 gears will pull that fine. I had about 10,500 behind mine a few weeks ago, I have 35s too but 3.92 gears. It did fine. Wasn't any race truck, but it got around fine.

If you can afford the obnoxious premium that diesels are going for these days, then go for it. But at the end of the day long story short, both trucks will pull that, but one will do it much cheaper than the other.
 
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