Need to make buying decision based on towing; Please help!

[Ed Von Boeckman]

I'm a newbie to the truck/travel trailer world and I'm trying to decide what to buy if anything to pull my new/used travel trailer. The travel trailer can be maxed out 7000.

Dry Weight 5,160 lbs.GVWR 7,000 lbs.Hitch Weight 695 lbs.

I plan to travel about 2 months out of the year out west and into mountains of Colorado.

I currently own a 2005 Yukon XL 5.3 V8 no towing package rated at 8400 pounds. I just purchased this trailer and pulled it back from Tx with this truck. It was a load and gas mileage was about 10. My truck is mechanically sound but has 192K miles on it and seems risky to take on long trips.

Here’s what I’m looking at buying, which seems to be rated a bit lower if my calculations are accurate. Gas mileage would be greatly improved, maybe 15. Any thoughts on purchase? Should I go with 250, keep what I have, get the truck below?

2018 RAM 1500 Laramie - Crew cab
This is the 6 cylinder diesel

Here are a few of the towing options:
20 x 9 Chrome Clad Aluminum Wheels, Cold Weather Group, Engine Block Heater, Power Chrome Trailer Tow Mirrors, Quick Order Package 28H Laramie, Trailer Brake Control, Trailer Tow Mirrors, Trailer Tow Mirrors & Brake Group, Winter Front Grille Cover, 3.55 Rear Axle Ratio, and it has the proper hitch setup and I have the proper weight distribution hitch.

Your help would be greatly appreciated. I have this truck rated 13750 total and 7560 trailer max per the link below. The box is 5’7.

Edit: Site will not let me post link. Googled "2018 Dodge Ram towing capacity chart".


Thanks,

Ed Von Boeckman

 

[Travelin Ram]

Read some other recent threads for a LOT of commentary on the weight capacity of the 1500 trucks. Boiled down, the 1500 is great for your trailer as long as you don’t also need the truck to carry a bunch of passenger or cargo load in the bed.

Just my personal opinion based on reading too many failure reports I would not own the EcoD if I planned to keep it beyond warranty, as you have with your Chevy. If I were planning on 200k or more of reliability I’d have the Cummins.

 

[Quyonmob]

Yukon XL is a pretty solid tow rig. I would expect similar results with a ram 1500crew.

Jump to a 2500 if you want to travel comfortably while loaded.

 

[Ed Von Boeckman]

Right, but I will save 5 miles per gallon on gas, however I have not
completed the Math on the difference between the cost of diesel versus gas.

 

[Bldrinker]

If you want to stay with a 1/2ton tow vehicle you should go hemi with 3.92 gears.

or F150...

A 6.4Hemi would make for a more enjoyable towing experience without the huge price increase to the Cummins.

Eco diesel would be my last 1/2ton choice honestly.

 

[Quyonmob]

Right, but I will save 5 miles per gallon on gas, however I have not
completed the Math on the difference between the cost of diesel versus gas.

not really. A 1500 struggling near max will get worse mpg than a 2500 with what is an easy load.

my two main work trucks towing the exact same 8k load;
2012 F250 4x4 crew 6.2L gas: 14mpg
2012 Silverado 4x4 xcab 5.3L gas: 11mpg

silverado has a tow cap of 10000lbs and it struggled in all aspects. load is flat so not even a consideration to wind drag.

 

[Ed Von Boeckman]

Read some other recent threads for a LOT of commentary on the weight capacity of the 1500 trucks. Boiled down, the 1500 is great for your trailer as long as you don’t also need the truck to carry a bunch of passenger or cargo load in the bed.

Just my personal opinion based on reading too many failure reports I would not own the EcoD if I planned to keep it beyond warranty, as you have with your Chevy. If I were planning on 200k or more of reliability I’d have the Cummins.

I will not have much. Me, my dog, a generator and bare necessities. I keep hearing everyone say the weight adds up quickly.

 

[Ed Von Boeckman]

If you want to stay with a 1/2ton tow vehicle you should go hemi with 3.92 gears.

or F150...

A 6.4Hemi would make for a more enjoyable towing experience without the huge price increase to the Cummins.

Eco diesel would be my last 1/2ton choice honestly.

Couldn't find used 3.92. I'm convinced based on what I read that under normal conditions that I can get at least 15 on the eco. How much would the 6.4 under the same circumstances? 6? You guys are the experts. It seems the eco diesel is not the way to go. I may use my 2005 Yukon year 1 and see if this is something that I really want to do long term, and then buy in year 2. That was my plan all along, but I'm getting nervous about my truck. Wondering if I would burn the transmission up. On flat easy conditions it did fine as long as I kept the speed under 63. I'll check out the F150.

 

[CamperMike]

A gas truck towing that trailer will get about what your Yukon does.... 8-10mpg. Diesel will be better but I doubt you'd see 15MPG unless you drive slow... I have heard of too many horror stories to really want the eco diesel. You could do it with your truck but payload may be an issue. I think a 2500 would be better. The ecoD is also heavier so typically has a smaller payload then a similar hemi or gas V6. If you were asking "can I tow it with that truck" the answer is probably yes. But since you don't have any money ******* in it yet... I'd look for a 2500 and buy that instead.

 

[Bldrinker]

Couldn't find used 3.92. I'm convinced based on what I read that under normal conditions that I can get at least 15 on the eco. How much would the 6.4 under the same circumstances? 6? You guys are the experts. It seems the eco diesel is not the way to go. I may use my 2005 Yukon year 1 and see if this is something that I really want to do long term, and then buy in year 2. That was my plan all along, but I'm getting nervous about my truck. Wondering if I would burn the transmission up. On flat easy conditions it did fine as long as I kept the speed under 63. I'll check out the F150.

I doubt you will get 15mpg.

I think for us to truly guide you n the direction. Are you more worried about fuel economy or towing ability? Most importantly budget.

For what it’s worth my 6.4 with 4:88’s with 34” tires gets 7-8mpg towing over 12,000lbs. And I only have the 6speed.

if you got a new 8speed 6.4 I bet you could get 10mpg and tow that trailer like it was nothing.

my 2013 Ram 1500 with 3:55’s pulled 7500lbs and got 9mpg. Had plenty of power to spare. But wind would cause me to slow down.

 

[Ribtipram]

I have a 16 2500 cclb and also pull around 12k i have no issues but if you could get into a 2500 with the 8sp that would be the cats ass. Love my truck but wish i had that 8sp. I get around 8mpg pulling our 5'er. 6.4 hemi. Make sure you check the door jam sticker on all the 1500's your looking at to make sure you have enough payload. If you can go 2500

 

[Ed Von Boeckman]

I doubt you will get 15mpg.

I think for us to truly guide you n the direction. Are you more worried about fuel economy or towing ability? Most importantly budget.

For what it’s worth my 6.4 with 4:88’s with 34” tires gets 7-8mpg towing over 12,000lbs. And I only have the 6speed.

if you got a new 8speed 6.4 I bet you could get 10mpg and tow that trailer like it was nothing.

my 2013 Ram 1500 with 3:55’s pulled 7500lbs and got 9mpg. Had plenty of power to spare. But wind would cause me to slow down.

Good point. To answer your question, both. If I have to fork out a big sum of money (40K), i'll have to get rid of my current truck and a nice Lexus. And then come up with another 15K for the balance. And then I'm stuck driving a gas guzzler around town. I'm recently retired, so I'm trying to be smart and cautious about something I know nothing about. I guess with my research I thought the eco D was the answer. I saw many youtube tests with 14.5 - 15 pulling 7K. Now when they were going up hills, their mileage and the truck was tapped out. The only problems I read about was when the engine was first released. Given the feedback here, I guess I given up on that idea.

With today's technology I'm surprised that 9-10 is it. To me that's horrible. I suppose my perspective is not realistic.

So having said all of that, let's assume that I sell both my Lexus and Yukon. I'll have 24-25K. I'm not willing to spend more than 40K total with sales tax for a truck. I'll be using it 2-3 months out of the year to travel and pull TT. It needs to be capable of handling the mountains. I would like to buy used and this will be my only vehicle going forward. I would like gas mileage to be more than 10 if possible. I'm open to diesel or gas. I'm 61 and would want this truck to last until I'm 80 if I'm going to fork out 40K. Lol! I'm also good on spending way less than this (20K) if you guys can help me find the right truck. In this case I would keep my Lexus. Sorry, I'm all over the place. Given all of the above what would you recommend?

I'm from the Memphis and may take a short trip to the Ozark's before hitting the road in mid-Jan of next year. There is one hill in AR that will be a good test for my current truck with new/used TT that I just bought. I don't think it can make it. I was almost in first gear, pulling my popup.

Thanks to all for taking the time to reply!

 

[Ed Von Boeckman]

What about this?

https://www.mariontoyota.com/used/D...0-Marion-1d1287ec0a0e0ae8632ffabea673de32.htm

It has 3.92 axle and all towing features. I know it would be a risky situation, however I could keep my car.

 

[Ed Von Boeckman]

not really. A 1500 struggling near max will get worse mpg than a 2500 with what is an easy load.

my two main work trucks towing the exact same 8k load;
2012 F250 4x4 crew 6.2L gas: 14mpg
2012 Silverado 4x4 xcab 5.3L gas: 11mpg

silverado has a tow cap of 10000lbs and it struggled in all aspects. load is flat so not even a consideration to wind drag.

14 would be great!

 

[Snacktime]

10mpg towing is actually really good, 5.3 you have is about as frugal on gas as you can get. But being up near 200k miles you are rolling the dice on having something happen on a trip.

Far as towing 8,000 pounds I would step up to 2500 if your going to do long trips. Towing with a half ton is no big deal, but after 50-75k miles of towing you really do a number on half tons(brakes, transmission and rear diff). If you said I need a truck to last you should step up to 3/4 ton platform.

I would buy a used gas 2500 if I was in your shoes. I would want the new 8 speed or even a 6.2 f250 would be good. Both are going to drink fuel and I would make sure you get biggest fuel tank you can.

 

[Bldrinker]

Not sure why you think you need to spend 40k. Something like this would work just fine if it has atleast 3:55 gears.

Hell I will sell this right now for $37,000. Has 13,000 miles.

 

[tron67j]

I will not have much. Me, my dog, a generator and bare necessities. I keep hearing everyone say the weight adds up quickly.

The tongue weight will more than likely come in about 1100 or so when you add in the whole WDH including bar in receiver, you have to figure gear in trailer plus propane, etc. Then add a 400 pounds for you, dog and generator and you are maxed for 1500 Ram. Understand mileage issue but trailering with right rig is primary concern, mileage is what it is with your trailer. You are in 2500 territory and nothing added to a Ram 1500 will change that, only way to stay in 1500 is to either buy a lighter trailer or get a Ford F-150 with the heavy trailer towing package. Good luck.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Couldn't find used 3.92. I'm convinced based on what I read that under normal conditions that I can get at least 15 on the eco. How much would the 6.4 under the same circumstances? 6? You guys are the experts. It seems the eco diesel is not the way to go. I may use my 2005 Yukon year 1 and see if this is something that I really want to do long term, and then buy in year 2. That was my plan all along, but I'm getting nervous about my truck. Wondering if I would burn the transmission up. On flat easy conditions it did fine as long as I kept the speed under 63. I'll check out the F150.

It is not the weight - it is the wind resistance.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Good point. To answer your question, both. If I have to fork out a big sum of money (40K), i'll have to get rid of my current truck and a nice Lexus. And then come up with another 15K for the balance. And then I'm stuck driving a gas guzzler around town. I'm recently retired, so I'm trying to be smart and cautious about something I know nothing about. I guess with my research I thought the eco D was the answer. I saw many youtube tests with 14.5 - 15 pulling 7K. Now when they were going up hills, their mileage and the truck was tapped out. The only problems I read about was when the engine was first released. Given the feedback here, I guess I given up on that idea.

With today's technology I'm surprised that 9-10 is it. To me that's horrible. I suppose my perspective is not realistic.

So having said all of that, let's assume that I sell both my Lexus and Yukon. I'll have 24-25K. I'm not willing to spend more than 40K total with sales tax for a truck. I'll be using it 2-3 months out of the year to travel and pull TT. It needs to be capable of handling the mountains. I would like to buy used and this will be my only vehicle going forward. I would like gas mileage to be more than 10 if possible. I'm open to diesel or gas. I'm 61 and would want this truck to last until I'm 80 if I'm going to fork out 40K. Lol! I'm also good on spending way less than this (20K) if you guys can help me find the right truck. In this case I would keep my Lexus. Sorry, I'm all over the place. Given all of the above what would you recommend?

I'm from the Memphis and may take a short trip to the Ozark's before hitting the road in mid-Jan of next year. There is one hill in AR that will be a good test for my current truck with new/used TT that I just bought. I don't think it can make it. I was almost in first gear, pulling my popup.

Thanks to all for taking the time to reply!

If you are not going to get a bigger TT; a 1500 would work.

Towing you will get similar mpg with the eco D or 5.7. The 5.7 would have a larger payload then the eco D.

Not towing, you will get better mileage with the eco D then the 5.7l

I'd suggest you get a 1500 with 5.7L 3.92 or 4.1

 

[MADDOG]

There are some things you need to determine:

1. Weight of the truck loaded (dry weight + cargo + fuel + anything you put in the truck + tongue weight)

2. Loaded trailer weight

3. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating GVWR (What the truck's maximum weight rating is)

4. Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating GCVWR (What the truck's maximum weight rating is with a trailer connected)

5. Total combined vehicle weight (loaded truck weight + loaded trailer weight). If this number is greater than the GCVWR you have a problem.

You may be right on the edge of a 1/2 ton rated truck and possibly close to needing a 2500 with either the 6.4L Hemi or a Cummins diesel