Towing Mileage Comparison / Questions

[pacofortacos]

Correct, I have a 100 gallon aux tank in the bed which weighs about 100 pounds dry.

I knew I was buying a 10k gvwr truck, it just never crossed my mind that the truck weighs 7800 pounds.

I stand by the original statement - diesel 3/4 tons don't make any sense. I really wish I had gotten a gas engine or a 1 ton.

Would it be possible to move the extra tank to the trailer or is it actually plumbed into the trucks fuel system?

If you can move it to the trailer, that would give you almost all of that payload back.

 

[yrraljguthrie]

Driving 50,000 miles at 10mpg uses 5000 gallons of fuel.
Driving 50,000 miles at 15mpg uses 3333 gallons of fuel.
Driving 50,000 miles at 20mpg uses 2500 gallons of fuel.

At $4.00 a gallon that is $20,000, 13232

 

[yrraljguthrie]

Whoops my fingers didn't work correctly. Posted by accident. If I made a mistake in my figures, just post the change you don't need to tell me I made a mistake I can figure it out.

Driving 50,000 miles at 10mpg uses 5000 gallons of fuel.
Driving 50,000 miles at 15mpg uses 3333 gallons of fuel.
Driving 50,000 miles at 20mpg uses 2500 gallons of fuel.

At $4.00 a gallon that is $20,000, 13332, and $10,000
At $3.00 a gallon, the differences will of course be less by about a fourth.

Say you drive only 25,000 miles then 10,000, 6,666, and $5000

If you could change habits and gain 1.25 mpg those savings are effectively reduced by 1/4.

Pretty hard to justify a new pickup that costs $60-80 thousand.
Pretty hard to justify a new pickup under any circumstances for the majority of pickup owners. We just have the money and like the look and feel.
If you want a new truck then get one, but you're not likely to be able to justify the change.

Buy the wife a new SUV and use that to justify a pickup for yourself.

 

[ppine]

Diesels have more power for towing and more torque. They get better mpg. Diesel prices vary by region. In the West, diesel fuel usually costs less than gas. Maintenance is not that different than a gas engine. Diesels can go 300,000 miles at least. It is no contest if you are objective about the differences. Diesels hold their value much better when it comes time to sell them. I bought my last Ford 7.3 for 35k and sold it 20 years later for 16k.

 

[yrraljguthrie]

Those 3500's are nice to go to the Grocery store and shop with also. Easy to find parking for the duallys and a pickup with a crew cab and 8 ft. bed.

 

[Choupique]

I've never had an issue with a 4 door long bed outside of big city parking.

I just don't take my truck to the middle of the major cities.

Hell, I wish mine was a dually.

 

[Mike Wenrich]

Being a newbe I don't know if this question has been asked quite this way but here goes. I have a 2004.5 Dodge diesel that has been a great truck but little things are starting to happen. I'm a shade tree mechanic but now older than dirt and cannot imagine working alongside a hwy any more. So I also have a 2021 Lance trailer that is new to me. 8,000 lb gvw and 800 lb tongue weight. I'm considering a new truck and favor going to the 6.4 gas Laramie with either a 373 or 410 axle and 4WD. It's difficult to figure out the RAM factory forum on what you can get on a particular truck. I would like more fuel storage and heard that you can order an optional 50 gallon tank but have not seen that. And that might not be available on a crew cab short bed. So it looks like a 2500 would be best but I also do not know what suspension comes with those. I see reference to coil springs and built in weight leveling or after market air bags.

Questions being, are there stock configurations that would be best for towing my trailer but not pound the heck out of me when unloaded? I already have a weight distribution hitch and my 2004 diesel pulled the trailer up grades well and could use it for local Nat'l Park trips but I would be concerned about anything too far away from home base. It's hard to find reliable diesel mechanics and dealers are very high priced and just throw parts at everything. Would appreciate the forums advice and experience. I do not want a newer diesel due to not driving it enough to keep the check engine lights at bay.

 

[06 Dodge]

Being a newbe I don't know if this question has been asked quite this way but here goes. I have a 2004.5 Dodge diesel that has been a great truck but little things are starting to happen. I'm a shade tree mechanic but now older than dirt and cannot imagine working alongside a hwy any more. So I also have a 2021 Lance trailer that is new to me. 8,000 lb gvw and 800 lb tongue weight. I'm considering a new truck and favor going to the 6.4 gas Laramie with either a 373 or 410 axle and 4WD. It's difficult to figure out the RAM factory forum on what you can get on a particular truck. I would like more fuel storage and heard that you can order an optional 50 gallon tank but have not seen that. And that might not be available on a crew cab short bed. So it looks like a 2500 would be best but I also do not know what suspension comes with those. I see reference to coil springs and built in weight leveling or after market air bags.

Questions being, are there stock configurations that would be best for towing my trailer but not pound the heck out of me when unloaded? I already have a weight distribution hitch and my 2004 diesel pulled the trailer up grades well and could use it for local Nat'l Park trips but I would be concerned about anything too far away from home base. It's hard to find reliable diesel mechanics and dealers are very high priced and just throw parts at everything. Would appreciate the forums advice and experience. I do not want a newer diesel due to not driving it enough to keep the check engine lights at bay.

In my 2022 CTD it sees many 1.5-2.5 mile one way trips a few times a week (I lock out 5 & 6 gear below 50 mph to keep rpms up) to date I have had no CEL popping up, but then I'm smart enough to take it every 10-14 days on a 20-30 minute drive (at speeds at or above 50 MPH) to keep the DPF happy...

 

[jejb]

Being a newbe I don't know if this question has been asked quite this way but here goes. I have a 2004.5 Dodge diesel that has been a great truck but little things are starting to happen. I'm a shade tree mechanic but now older than dirt and cannot imagine working alongside a hwy any more. So I also have a 2021 Lance trailer that is new to me. 8,000 lb gvw and 800 lb tongue weight. I'm considering a new truck and favor going to the 6.4 gas Laramie with either a 373 or 410 axle and 4WD. It's difficult to figure out the RAM factory forum on what you can get on a particular truck. I would like more fuel storage and heard that you can order an optional 50 gallon tank but have not seen that. And that might not be available on a crew cab short bed.

Correct, you need to get the 8' box to get the bigger tank. There are aftermarket tanks for the short boxes, but there are issues with them. Expensive, fuel gauge is no longer accurate, etc.

So it looks like a 2500 would be best but I also do not know what suspension comes with those. I see reference to coil springs and built in weight leveling or after market air bags.

Coil springs in the 2500's. Or you can get them with factory air suspension, which is really a nice option.

Questions being, are there stock configurations that would be best for towing my trailer but not pound the heck out of me when unloaded? I already have a weight distribution hitch and my 2004 diesel pulled the trailer up grades well and could use it for local Nat'l Park trips but I would be concerned about anything too far away from home base. It's hard to find reliable diesel mechanics and dealers are very high priced and just throw parts at everything. Would appreciate the forums advice and experience. I do not want a newer diesel due to not driving it enough to keep the check engine lights at bay.

6.4 would probably work well for you, given the trailer weight. Diesels are magic in the hills and mountains, but I understand your concerns.

 

[yrraljguthrie]

And I've seen lots of 3500 that didn't have any problem parking. Mostly because I had to go around the tail sticking out in the driveway. Ditto a 2500 crew with an 8 ft. bed. Although plenty of drivers do park their trucks in crowded parking lots, none of them are designed for that long a vehicle. Some states allow more narrow parking slots than others, and the duallys don't fit well.

Just on the weight of the vehicle, the mpg is going to change between 1500, 2500, and 3500. Probably about 6-8 mpg difference between 1500 and 3500. About 5,000 lbs for a 1500, 7,000 lbs for a 2500, and 10,000 or 11,000 lbs. for the 3500. The diesel will cost you more. Several thousand more to buy, it gets better mileage but the cost of diesel will more than cancel that. For the first 150,000 miles, the gasoline is more capable. It will accelerate faster and pull the same weight. The diesel will make more noise. I'm one of those strange folk who would cancel the sound of my v8 if I could. I don't want the sound of the v8 or a lawnmower engine in some SUVs. Except for leftover mores created by the comparison between diesel and gasoline engines in the 1950s-1980s there is just not much justification for buying a diesel pickup truck. I'll get disagreement on this, but look at the profiles of the posters. If they have a picture, how old are they? Perhaps grew up 1950s-1980s. I'm 77 myself and I have heard just about any comparison that can be made. The bottom line you'll spend, by my estimation, which is just that, an estimation, it'll cost $1.00 per mile more for the diesel than gasoline at least for the first 4-5 years. And if you keep it longer it'll never recoup that amount. A 2500 over a 1500 has marginal reasons to buy, similarily equipped there is not much difference between towing. Don't scream at me there, look it up. A 3500 needs a valid and continued use to justify. I can't think of nor have I heard of a valid reason to put a diesel in a 1500 or 2500. it might be useful in a 3500. it will cost a good deal more. Parking a trailer in a fancy park or posting on this forum it will be nice to brag about the truck you have, but I'm not paying money to brag.