Gas vs Diesel for Towing a Fifth Wheel!!!
I have some issues picking a suitable towing vehicle to haul a travel trailer. Gas vs diesel for towing a fifth wheel? Which one is better? Any suggestion?
Forum Discussion
Here are my general thoughts. I now pull my 12K# fiver with a 2016 Ram 6.4 Hemi with 4.10 gears rated to tow almost 16K#. Before this I pulled the same 5th wheel with a 2015 Ram with the Cummins diesel (it was destroyed by flood).
At 16K lbs or over, need to go diesel. At 10K lbs or under, the gas will do just fine and cost less upfront. Pick what you want, but diesel will pull better in the mountains.
Between 10K lbs and 16K lbs, it depends on how often you tow and where you tow.. Also what gas truck we are talking about. I am assuming we are staying within the ratings of the newer gas trucks. If you tow a few weeks a year at mostly lower altitudes, like I do, gas will work fine. I have towed in Tennessee and Kentucky and never a problem towing at 65 on interstate, mostly in 4th and 5th gear. I realize I'll have to be patient and let the engine rev when I go to Colorado, but I think I'll be fine.
If you tow quite often and most of it is at high altitude and steep, do yourself a favor and just get the diesel or develop a lot of patience. Your choice. Hope this helps.
At 16K lbs or over, need to go diesel. At 10K lbs or under, the gas will do just fine and cost less upfront. Pick what you want, but diesel will pull better in the mountains.
Between 10K lbs and 16K lbs, it depends on how often you tow and where you tow.. Also what gas truck we are talking about. I am assuming we are staying within the ratings of the newer gas trucks. If you tow a few weeks a year at mostly lower altitudes, like I do, gas will work fine. I have towed in Tennessee and Kentucky and never a problem towing at 65 on interstate, mostly in 4th and 5th gear. I realize I'll have to be patient and let the engine rev when I go to Colorado, but I think I'll be fine.
If you tow quite often and most of it is at high altitude and steep, do yourself a favor and just get the diesel or develop a lot of patience. Your choice. Hope this helps.
