2nd opinion for tow vehicle please.

Lantley, how much does your portable Hyatt weigh?

mowin wrote:

eHoefler wrote:

batavia02 wrote:
We have finanlly decided on a 5th wheel after years of research questions on this site ,dealer trips and so on,now comes the tow vehicle part, on the ram 3500 the new 6.4 liter gas engine seems impressive,but i know the best choice is a diesel,each of the 3 trucks of their strengths and weakneses,me and the wife are mainly gm people but the ram is hard to ignore,sorry ford fans the columbus 385 bh the one we choose is 15940 gvwr,ship weight,11811cargo capacity,4062, 41.1 length.question will the ram 6.4 v8 with 410 hp and 429 pounds of torque.do the job or not i think i know the answer. But i will like a 2nd opinion.sorry for all the numbers but i try to give as much info as i can. All numbers from the columbus brochure and the ram calalog,at least the 2014 version. Thanks.

If you would like, I would be happy to talk with about my experience towing with the 6.4 while my diesel was in the body shop. Towed the same trailers, on the same roads, with the same loads. P.M. me for my phone #.

Why not share your experiences with everyone?

For one, I don't type so well and it would get very long.

eHoefler wrote:

batavia02 wrote:
We have finanlly decided on a 5th wheel after years of research questions on this site ,dealer trips and so on,now comes the tow vehicle part, on the ram 3500 the new 6.4 liter gas engine seems impressive,but i know the best choice is a diesel,each of the 3 trucks of their strengths and weakneses,me and the wife are mainly gm people but the ram is hard to ignore,sorry ford fans the columbus 385 bh the one we choose is 15940 gvwr,ship weight,11811cargo capacity,4062, 41.1 length.question will the ram 6.4 v8 with 410 hp and 429 pounds of torque.do the job or not i think i know the answer. But i will like a 2nd opinion.sorry for all the numbers but i try to give as much info as i can. All numbers from the columbus brochure and the ram calalog,at least the 2014 version. Thanks.

If you would like, I would be happy to talk with about my experience towing with the 6.4 while my diesel was in the body shop. Towed the same trailers, on the same roads, with the same loads. P.M. me for my phone #.

Why not share your experiences with everyone?

I think a 16K gross GVW fiver is solidly in diesel territory.
If you are buying the truck new why start with a TV that is marginally capable?
Being in FL does make gasser more acceptable. However do you want a combo that only performs adequately in FL and is marginal once it hits an incline.
The new hemi 6.4 is the reigning king of the hill in gas motors, however it has its limits.I believe the 16K GVW of the 5'er is above a gassers limits and puts your combo in diesel territory.

batavia02 wrote:
We have finanlly decided on a 5th wheel after years of research questions on this site ,dealer trips and so on,now comes the tow vehicle part, on the ram 3500 the new 6.4 liter gas engine seems impressive,but i know the best choice is a diesel,each of the 3 trucks of their strengths and weakneses,me and the wife are mainly gm people but the ram is hard to ignore,sorry ford fans the columbus 385 bh the one we choose is 15940 gvwr,ship weight,11811cargo capacity,4062, 41.1 length.question will the ram 6.4 v8 with 410 hp and 429 pounds of torque.do the job or not i think i know the answer. But i will like a 2nd opinion.sorry for all the numbers but i try to give as much info as i can. All numbers from the columbus brochure and the ram calalog,at least the 2014 version. Thanks.

If you would like, I would be happy to talk with about my experience towing with the 6.4 while my diesel was in the body shop. Towed the same trailers, on the same roads, with the same loads. P.M. me for my phone #.

goducks10 wrote:
Well you won't load 4000lbs in it so at apr 12,000 dry you'll be around 13,500 loaded. JMO but the 6.4-4.10 is plenty doable for FL all year long. If you plan on heading out on 1000-2000 mile trips covering all sorts of terrain then go diesel. I tow way less but live in Oregon where everywhere we go there's mtns or hilly roads. I choice the 6.7 CTD because I wanted a more relaxed towing adventure.

I disagree, it's easy to add 4K to a 5er. Just ask my wife!

Seriously you need to plan on GVWR for 5er plus pin 20-25% of that amount.

Thanks for the answers it does give us something to ponder,in the end i think we will probably go with the diesel,gm leads for several reasons , the ram is in play because of the cummins engine.Ford is not totally eliminated .

fla-gypsy wrote:
Too bad you are limiting your choices

Cause he doesn't want a Furd diesel?
While the 6.7 is the best one to date for a while and winning the hp wars, can't say I'd go with the oldest chassis, by a long shot, with the most complicated engine even if I was a Ford guy.
Plus while it won't matter in FL, the emissions systems require the most babying and manual regens and repairs compare to the other 2 with the Ram edging out the GM for emissions reliability in cold (arctic) weather or any conditions with excessive idling and short no load driving.
Doesn't mean any of them a re a problem in general but it's obvious whivh one has the emissions most dialed in based on the fleets I use.

To the OP, you answered your question in the first post. A gasser will tug your big trailer around the low altitude flatlands. A diesel will do it with authority. Add big hills or altitude and you'll want to eat a bullet for getting the one with spark plugs!

Some thing not mentioned, will the TV be a towing machine only, or will it be used for other things? Looking at reported MPG a diesel will give better while towing, possibily off setting the slightly higher cost, but it looks like running empty the diesel will be quite a bit better, gas mid teens on the highway while the newer diesels run closer to 20 with some even over 20.
Just another side of the equation to look at.

No matter what brand of truck you decide on.... get the diesel version. You'll never be sorry towing!

(I can't believe a fellow GM guy is even considering a Ram! ... I'll forgive you if you get the diesel!) :B