1/2 ton to 3/4 ton towing.....worth it?

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dhay13

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Just heard from 2 different people that the owner of a marina up from ours just sold his ~2014 F250 Powerstroke with 140,000 miles and a blown engine. He said he had all maintenance down according to the schedule. Prior to that he had another Powerstroke that he only got 120,000 out of. But then again those are Fords...lol. Just glad I don't have a diesel. Also, you lose about 800lbs of payload with a diesel.
 

Elkman

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You do not lose 800 lbs of payload with the diesel engine. The engine is in the front of the truck and the weight is carried by the front wheels. The payload is in the bed of the truck and that weight is carried by the rear wheels (and springs).

With a 4000 lb load in the bed of my 2500 I can accelerate to 65 mph to merge with traffic faster than the same truck with no load in the bed and the gas V-8 engine. Towing a 13,000 lb trailer load I have no difficulty passing a tractor puling two trailers up a 6 percent grade which would not be the case with the gas V-8.

With the diesel I have the use of the exhaust brake to keep my speed under control without needing to spend time braking and I have a lot easier time negotiating steep downgrades on mountain roads.

Payload capacity as rated at the factory is determined primarily by the wheels and tires put on a SRW truck. Go to any dealer lot and you will find this to be true. It is a problem with the fancy oversized chrome wheels that dealer put on trucks to boost their profits but in so doing they decrease the payload for customers who actually want a work truck.
 

dhay13

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You do not lose 800 lbs of payload with the diesel engine. The engine is in the front of the truck and the weight is carried by the front wheels. The payload is in the bed of the truck and that weight is carried by the rear wheels (and springs).

Payload capacity as rated at the factory is determined primarily by the wheels and tires put on a SRW truck. Go to any dealer lot and you will find this to be true. It is a problem with the fancy oversized chrome wheels that dealer put on trucks to boost their profits but in so doing they decrease the payload for customers who actually want a work truck.

That is incorrect. Payload is marked on the yellow door sticker and is calculated by subtracting your curb weight from your GVWR. If your GVWR is 10,000 and your curb weight is 7500 then your payload is 2500, makes no difference if that weight is in the front or rear of the truck. My payload is 2973lbs. Look at a typical CCSB 4x4 Cummins and the payload will be about 2100-2200lbs., give or take depending on options. You can add a 2500lb front bumper and be over payload. Heavier tires and wheels do affect payload but only because of the difference in the curb weight. Adding a toolbox, running boards, tonneau cover, etc, all affect payload as well

https://www.readingbody.com/calculating-your-trucks-maximum-payload-and-towing-capacity/
 

Sherman Bird

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QUESTION - Should I buy the new truck?

We've been trying to sell our travel trailer for a month now, and no one is biting. We're selling it for a list of reasons, but a big one is that it basically maxes out my 2015 1500 on both payload and towing capacity, and it's a beast to drive with (it just acts as a big sail). I'm tired of white knuckling long drives.

So now the wife tempts me with "why don't we just get a bigger truck"?

I nearly fainted. I think I said "giggity" out loud, involuntarily.

We JUST paid the 1500 off. But since it's her idea.....

I start looking at 2500s, and we can definitely afford it.

Now the real question - will upgrading to a 3/4 really be that different when pulling a travel trailer? For those of you who have trailed the same stuff with both 1/2 and 3/4, what were your experiences?

I'm surprised. In our area, RV's and travel trailers are selling well.... due to the C-19 going on.
 

dhay13

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I'm surprised. In our area, RV's and travel trailers are selling well.... due to the C-19 going on.
Selling like crazy here too. A guy we know works at a local RV dealer and they are averaging about 7 a day since they opened back up and sold 18 one day
 

Motoman501

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Some may choose not to trust factory payload ratings but my 2500 Tradesman Cummins had a payload of around 2200 lbs. My 2500 Tradesman Hemi has a payload of just under 3300 lbs.
 

BWL

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Trying to keep the trucks from being class3 instead of 2b means they have to lower the diesel payload numbers as I understand it. Either way towing with the diesel is a lot better and throw the 3300 in a diesel vs the gasser and I'd wager you'd feel more comfortable in the diesel. Not like the drivetrain isn't up to it. The tow capacity is way higher. Both rated as 10k trucks. The front axles on the diesel are rated 500lbs heavier to handle the extra diesel weight and the rears now I believe are the same so the axle rating on both make them 12k capable trucks anyways so go by axle ratings vs mfg spec to figure what you need.
 
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NH RAM

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I just finished my 2 week trip to Badlands, SD and the 2500 is much better than the 1500 was towing. The 2500 stayed primarily between 2200-3200 rpms and I could maintain speed pretty well- I only got over 3200 rpm's a few times , not counting merging onto the highway. The 1500 would shift frequently and tended to stay out of overdrive gears. The 2500 was able to pull in 7th a fair bit of time and I could get into 8th if it wasn't windy and I was following a semi.

We had essentially a full day of 20-22 mph crosswinds as we passed the great lakes and it was certainly noticeable and tiring. The truck and trailer were blown as a unit, not swaying from a lack of sway control on the trailer. My truck and trailer crossed the scale a bit over 15,000 pounds. Roughly 4100# front axle and 4700# rear axle and the rest was the camper, which is a Coleman (Dutchman) 2855BH with a 5900# dry weight. For a gasser, the truck did admirably and the 8 speed transmission did very well finding the right gear through everything including up to 9% grades on Route 9 through NH, VT, and NY. I had none of the issues that the 6 speed owners seem to complain about, which is basically the transmission lugging rather than allowing the truck to stay in the power band.

Despite the job well done by the 6.4 powered 2500, I've had enough of a bumper pull trailer and messing with wdh bars and trying to make a long trailer tow better. I'm not sure if the combination of a 9" drop hitch, a wdh hitch, and a nearly 32' long trailer makes it suck but we're looking at a half-ton towable 5W. I want to stay under 10k dry weight as I've heard that much beyond that really taxes a gas engine, especially with the higher profile.
 

HDGoose

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That is incorrect. Payload is marked on the yellow door sticker and is calculated by subtracting your curb weight from your GVWR. If your GVWR is 10,000 and your curb weight is 7500 then your payload is 2500, makes no difference if that weight is in the front or rear of the truck. My payload is 2973lbs. Look at a typical CCSB 4x4 Cummins and the payload will be about 2100-2200lbs., give or take depending on options. You can add a 2500lb front bumper and be over payload. Heavier tires and wheels do affect payload but only because of the difference in the curb weight. Adding a toolbox, running boards, tonneau cover, etc, all affect payload as well

https://www.readingbody.com/calculating-your-trucks-maximum-payload-and-towing-capacity/

Correct. Just recently, while shopping for my 3500, I found significant difference in payload. I bought a Tradesman, nicely equipped. The Limited and Laramie 800-1200 less payload (and the sunroof = less head room). All diesels. My Tradesman is a HO diesel, and I believe the others were also.

I have not found any gasser rated for more payload or towing capacity, with the same trim level.
 

392DevilDog

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The 6.4l HEMI is the payload king. The Cummins is the towing king.

The Cummins setup weighs at around 900 lbs more than the HEMI.

A tradesman would have the most payload and towing of the trims. The Laramie Longhorn. For whatever reason...has the least.

Each trim can be optioned for a high or low payload per trim as well by doing without options.

But as said. The Cummins has more power and can move more weight.

But. If you put 3300 in both trucks...the Cummins is already carriying 900 extra pounds. And the 6.4l is not the same as a 5.7l. It can scoot with the extra payload too.
 

dhay13

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I just finished my 2 week trip to Badlands, SD and the 2500 is much better than the 1500 was towing. The 2500 stayed primarily between 2200-3200 rpms and I could maintain speed pretty well- I only got over 3200 rpm's a few times , not counting merging onto the highway. The 1500 would shift frequently and tended to stay out of overdrive gears. The 2500 was able to pull in 7th a fair bit of time and I could get into 8th if it wasn't windy and I was following a semi.

We had essentially a full day of 20-22 mph crosswinds as we passed the great lakes and it was certainly noticeable and tiring. The truck and trailer were blown as a unit, not swaying from a lack of sway control on the trailer. My truck and trailer crossed the scale a bit over 15,000 pounds. Roughly 4100# front axle and 4700# rear axle and the rest was the camper, which is a Coleman (Dutchman) 2855BH with a 5900# dry weight. For a gasser, the truck did admirably and the 8 speed transmission did very well finding the right gear through everything including up to 9% grades on Route 9 through NH, VT, and NY. I had none of the issues that the 6 speed owners seem to complain about, which is basically the transmission lugging rather than allowing the truck to stay in the power band.

Despite the job well done by the 6.4 powered 2500, I've had enough of a bumper pull trailer and messing with wdh bars and trying to make a long trailer tow better. I'm not sure if the combination of a 9" drop hitch, a wdh hitch, and a nearly 32' long trailer makes it suck but we're looking at a half-ton towable 5W. I want to stay under 10k dry weight as I've heard that much beyond that really taxes a gas engine, especially with the higher profile.
My truck and boat weighed in at about 16,000lbs last year with me in it and 1/2 tank of fuel. Tows it easily.
 

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