Gas vs Diesel for Towing a Fifth Wheel!!!

The only myth is that gas engines can tow as well as diesels.

valhalla360 wrote:
Define "Better" and tell us details about the 5th wheel.

With modern engines, the gas engines are good for 200-250k miles with minimal work and diesels are drastically more complicated with computer systems and electronic controls that are prone to failures.

So modern technology makes the gas engines better
But diesels less reliable?

valhalla360 wrote:

It's a myth based on 40yr old technology that diesel will last longer.

Hmmm... If one engine needs to operate around 5000 RPM to pull a load while the other can do it at 2500 RPM, which do you think last longer?

Old-Biscuit wrote:
If trailer is within the tow vehicles real world capabilities both can perform well

Diesel will always have edge when it comes to towing overall.

The OPs question is like, which is better?

Chevy, Ford, Dodge (Ram)?

Hard Tack's second sentence should be,
"Diesel will always have the edge when it comes to towing heavy'."

:W

A diesel is superior for towing. They get better mileage, they have more torque, they hold their value, they last much longer, etc.

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.

IMHO, up to about 8k towing I would go with a gasser. Lower initial and overall maintenance costs.

Above 10k is where diesels really start pulling away from their gasser counterparts.

You could do like many of us and find an older diesel for your tow rig.

Except for the lack of a Space Shuttle like dash, she is every bit as nice as a new rig, but $40k-$50k less- with initial maintenance and mods ;)

valhalla360 wrote:
It's a myth based on 40yr old technology that diesel will last longer. Back then carburated gas engines took a lot of maintenance and were lucky to last 100k miles. At the same time diesels were massively overbuilt mechanical and as long as you kept the filters clean, not much could go wrong. With modern engines, the gas engines are good for 200-250k miles with minimal work and diesels are drastically more complicated with computer systems and electronic controls that are prone to failures.

A good 7.3L Powerstroke is just getting warmed up at 250k ;)

I think the bigger question to ask is how often are you going to be towing. If you are only going to be towing a couple of weeks per year vs full timing and moving often then the answer is obvious. How often are you really going to need that expensive diesel?

As long as the Tow vehicle capabilities meet or exceed the trailer weights either works fine. I give a strong edge to a Diesel as long as it has the engine exhaust brake option. That is very helpful in Mountain driving.
Greg