Before I do comparisons on these two engines, has anyone already done research on this...feedback would be great and perhaps save some extra time. Thanks for the input!

I too am very interested in this subject. Owning a diesel with dpf emission control stuff out of warranty like I do is just a risk I'd rather not have. Seems like a lot of people like their new gassers and my fiver weight is a little less than 12,000, which is well below some of the gas tow ratings. If you look at last years pickup truck ultimate 3/4 ton challenge on the Ike Gauntlet, you will see that the Ram 6.4 with 4.1 lost to the Chevy with 6.0 and 4.1, as well as the Ford with 6.2 and 3.73 rear end. Why?? The first and second gears of the Ram are 3.23 and 1.84, while the Chevy's are 4.03 and 2.36, and the Ford's are 3.97 and 2.31. The Ram came in last and went up a long section at under 30 mph with the rpms limited by the Ram engineers to prevent damage. The Chevy and Ford trucks have lower transmission gearing in first and second even though they both have less torque and the Ford only had a 3.73 axle.I live in flat Louisiana and this would rarely apply to me, but I do love to go to Colorado. All these engines are gasping for air at the end of the Ike Gauntlet at over 11,000 feet and have lost about 30% of their power due to elevation. It's an extreme test. In less extreme conditions I think all 3 would do fine. I would just have to get used to 4,000 rpms instead of the 1,600 or so I now hear with the Cummins.I am hoping at least one of the 3 put an 8 speed transmission in a 2500/250. That would probably push me to gas again. I have had a 7.3 Ford and 6.7 Cummins and I love the way diesels tow. The emissions stuff has just made them less reliable and more costly to maintain, with big potential repair cost that don't fit my retirement budget well. I hope this helps some. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you for your comments. I have been restling with the decision gas or diesel for months and I move very slowly because like you I am retired and can't afford a $12,000 plus repair bill. I tow perhaps 5 months per year, but much of that time would be parked in sites in California or Mesa etc... plus will travel in Canada. The 5th I am looking at is dry weight 8500 lbs...... 32 ft 7"Feel free to shoot more comments my way.

Pulling 10K with a fifth wheel certainly makes a gas engine a viable option. If your looking to keep somewhat of a cap on expenses, the gas engines are cheaper to work on and not as particular as the new diesels are. The towing experience will not be as effortless and you wont likely pass many fuel stations. However when you factor in the cost of diesel verse gas in most places, the differences are not as far off as it might first appear. Something to remember when you complain about 7-8 mpg with the gasser verse the 10-11 with a diesel (towing). I pull half again as much with my gas HD and it works, I slay a few dinosaurs but I didn't spend the 8-9K for the Dmax either, that buys a lot gas. Lastly I just traded a '12 for a '15 with 60K on it (bought new) and it cost me .18 cents a mile in depreciation. It worked well enough for me that I bought another HD gas. Granted the HD gas truck is not my sole TV, but at 15K or less it works well.I would say that I don't think problems with the new diesels are anywhere near epidemic, chances are better than not you would wont have any serious problems. However given your retired status, I can see why it is a risk you don't want to take.

What are you towing with now? I did not see the TV in your profile. Most of those that are not happy towing 10K with a gas rig are those coming from a diesel. It's hard to go back to less power.I'm about 2,000 lbs heavier in the fifth wheel. I know a gas would do it fine, but I'm just used to the more relaxing diesel rpms. I just don't know if the relaxed towing is now worth the risk of the far more expensive repairs. Good luck.

I have commented in your CP3 and CP4 diesel thread below, so I can now see you are still on the gas/diesel fence also. There is no right or wrong decision, just the one that will most likely work best for you.Good luck and let me know how it turns out for you.

Hemi 6.4 Ram vs Ford 6.2 (gas) | Good Sam Community

goducks10
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
FishOnOne wrote:
ScottG wrote:
FishOnOne wrote:
Here's a video of the '14 models 0-60 performance.

Link

No offense but as soon as I see a reviewer (magazine, etc) mention 0 to 60 times when reviewing HD trucks, I immediately dismiss them.
The difference between all of them is so minor and so unimportant to actually towing something that it is meaningless.
When someone is contemplating the purchase of a real HD truck, pretty much everything else is more important.

No offense taken... but a 0-60 is a means (but not limited to)to demonstrate a powertrains ability to put power to the wheels.

So we take the average locomotive and a Ferrari and do 0-60. The Ferrari wins so it must be the better at towing.
Bamaman11
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
labren wrote:
Thank you for your comments. I have been wrestling with the decision gas or diesel for months and I move very slowly because like you I am retired and can't afford a $12,000 plus repair bill. I tow perhaps 5 months per year, but much of that time would be parked in sites in California or Mesa etc... plus will travel in Canada. The 5th I am looking at is dry weight 8500 lbs...... 32 ft 7"

For a tow vehicle, there's no replacement for a diesel. I don't understand your $12K repair bill statement. I've had mine for 12 years and 120K miles, and it never had a single warranty claim in its 100,000 mile engine warranty period.

What fifth wheel camper are you talking about with 8500 lbs. and 33' in length? After putting your stuff in the trailer, I expect you'll be towing substantially more weight than that.

If the $8K premium in diesel vs. gas is getting to you, a buyer can order a trim comparable to Ford's XLT (without leather) and save about $6K in costs.

Someone might could get by with a gas engine if the terrain is not too hilly and if they don't tow mega miles. But long distances across country are simply worthy of the diesel engine.
labren
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
This has really helped, it seems that all three makes have quite a good reputation and capable of pulling 8500 lb dry weight 5th wheel.

I am curious though, almost all show the 2500HD in their profile rather than a 1 ton. I was also told that in USA this is because you do not have to go through the commercial scales. Could someone confirm if this is the reason please, or is there something else?

In Canada, it's almost all 1 Ton's because they are looked at as commercial vehicles and sidestep the 3% extra luxury tax, where as the 2500HD' a 3% extra tax for nothing is mandatory!

comments?
FishOnOne
Nomad
Feb 17, 2015
ScottG wrote:
FishOnOne wrote:
Here's a video of the '14 models 0-60 performance.

Link

No offense but as soon as I see a reviewer (magazine, etc) mention 0 to 60 times when reviewing HD trucks, I immediately dismiss them.
The difference between all of them is so minor and so unimportant to actually towing something that it is meaningless.
When someone is contemplating the purchase of a real HD truck, pretty much everything else is more important.

No offense taken... but a 0-60 is a means (but not limited to)to demonstrate a powertrains ability to put power to the wheels.
ScottG
Nomad
Feb 17, 2015
FishOnOne wrote:
Here's a video of the '14 models 0-60 performance.

Link

No offense but as soon as I see a reviewer (magazine, etc) mention 0 to 60 times when reviewing HD trucks, I immediately dismiss them.
The difference between all of them is so minor and so unimportant to actually towing something that it is meaningless.
When someone is contemplating the purchase of a real HD truck, pretty much everything else is more important.
FishOnOne
Nomad
Feb 17, 2015
Here's a video of the '14 models 0-60 performance.

Link
mtofell1
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
I'm not at all trying to be the "Do a search" troll that frequents so many message boards :) But there was a thread on here within the last couple weeks that had a lot of good info on both trucks. I think the title was more aimed towards the Ford 6.2 but turned into a discussion of the Ram vs. Ford.
kw_00
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
Any of the 3 gasser choices would be good. I love the GM 6.0 as well so check those out as well.
Need-A-Vacation
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
We have been pretty happy with our '13 Chevy 6.0 so far! About 16k mi, while our trailer is only about 7300lbs or so, I haven't felt I NEEDED more (power or the 4.10's), so I can only imagine what the 4.10's would be like!

Can't hurt to test drive them all, and go from there!

Good luck!
Buck50HD
Explorer
Feb 17, 2015
I also would not rule out the GM 6.0. From experience, I can tell you that the 6.2 has anemic electronic throttle response and is not very eager to downshift so it feels like a dog until you get on it. Once you get used to it, especially towing, it's a non-issue. In real-world tests, they all get the same fuel economy and you need data loggers to measure any performance difference because they are so close. Just a change in grade or test speed can change who comes out on top.