I am new to the forum. I have been looking around and reading. I pull about 5000 lb trailer almost every week. I am currently using a 1995 Chevy Tahoe. The fuel mileage is about 6-7 mpg most of the time. I am going to sell or trade. Trying to decide to stay gas or go back to diesel. I have read and talked to different people they say the 5.3 in the chevy/gmc get around 10-11 mpg pulling. Very unsure of what to do. We did have a 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 2wd Auto, I think pulling it would get 14-15 mpg. Not sure it has been so long. I have done lots of reading and everyone is talking about gearing etc. I know most people will say MPG and pulling don't go together, we average 300 miles a weekend April-Sept pulling. So it is kind of important for us. The 1995 Chevy Tahoe is TBI so I am thinking even if I go to a little newer that it will do better on fuel? Thanks for all your time

Welcome to the board.You can search and find thousands of posts on Gas VS Diesel. I am actually getting popcorn ready because these posts can get interesting and entertaining.As for my opinion, you see my TV down below. It is down to your educated decision. I personally like diesel. Others like gas. Others like to use oxen. It is all a personal preference.

My 2002 Tahoe pulling a 20 foot TT only got 10 MPG. My Cummins dually pulling 13,500 pounds gets 10.5-11.5 MPG. A diesel definitely will return better fuel economy. But at what price. The 7000 dollar premium does add to the cost per mile. Unless you plan to keep it for 10 years or so, it may or may not be worth it to you.

5,000 pounds? You don't need need a truck for that. If you really want the lowest cost/mile, a Crown Victoria would probably be the least expensive. You can pick up used police cruisers for $1500, add on the tow package goodies for probably $500, and when unloaded you can get mid-20s for fuel economy.

So if I did the math right you expect to tow 10,000mi a year?That would be a tough decision for me, but that kind of mileage would push me toward the diesel.Your trailer is on the light end of a diesel's capability. A gasser would make more sense for the weight being towed, but the miles travelled would push me toward the diesel.

5000 lbs, go with the gas. I have pulled 6000 lbs of boat and trailer with my old suburban big block 454. It did fine. Fuel is cheaper as is the vehicle. You're well within the gas weight.

Tow Vehicle Gas/Diesel? | Good Sam Community

goducks10
Explorer
Jan 25, 2014
Engineer9860 wrote:
PartyMarty wrote:
goducks10 wrote:
5.9 Ram CTD. You'll get better mpg than any gasser towing or non towing.

i have to agree with goducks .
i own a 2002 duramax bought new , and it has been trouble free .
but the cummins trucks get better mpg .

According to this apples to apples to apples comparison that is not correct:

http://blogs.cars.com/files/mileage-comparison.pdf

I didn't see the 5.9 listed. We all know the Ram 6.7 didn't get as good of mpg's.
splegge
Explorer
Jan 25, 2014
Had 5800 LBS trailer
Towed with Ford Exp 4.0 and got 9-11 MPG.
Upgraded TV 2006 3/4 burb with 6.0. same milage 9-11 MPG when towing. But having the extra TV size, 100 HP and torq was a dream come true.

F.I.L. has a 2011 on it Ford w/ Diesel b20 6.7 w 40K mile and getting 15 MPG towing in mountains of WY. Would imagine that might bump up on flat lands.
Les_Balty
Explorer
Jan 24, 2014
I liked the comment re: using a van. A friend of mine tows his 30'er with a 3/4 ton 6.0 diesel van. It has over 200K trouble-free miles on it. Ken is looking at a smaller TT but keeping the van. I've towed with a 1/2 ton conversion van (5 liter gas, 302) and got in 11 - 12 MPG range in the 90's. My trailer weighed about 3K though.
Airstreamer67
Explorer
Jan 24, 2014
Quote: "Nearly half my trip planning in the west involves finding gas stations that sell diesel and making extra stops to be sure we make between places that sell diesel. This more than negates any gain from getting more miles per gallon of fuel...."

My solution to that is a 91-gallon auxiliary diesel fuel tank in the bed of the F250. My range is now over 1500 miles towing...plenty of time and space to pick the cheapest and most convenient time to fill up.

One advantage to diesel is the ability to safely store and transport it compared to the more volatile gasoline.
Redsky
Explorer
Jan 24, 2014
For more than 12,000 pounds tow weight go with a diesel. For less than 10,000 lbs. a gas engine and 4.10 gears are good enough and will save you a lot of money and it will be a lot easier to find fuel along the highway.

Nearly half my trip planning in the west involves finding gas stations that sell diesel and making extra stops to be sure we make between places that sell diesel. This more than negates any gain from getting more miles per gallon of fuel. The price of diesel is higher than for premium gas which also offsets any dollar savings from using diesel.

And there is the matter of keeping the DEF tank full as well to avoid going into limp mode and the problems with the associate NOx sensors - I have already had mine replaced at 12,000 miles and when it happens out of warranty will be a $700 repair. Maintenance costs for my Duramax are double what they were with my Tahoe SUV.

With a 12,000 lb. trailer the greater torque from the diesel helps greatly with accelerating quickly and being able to safely merge with traffic. The exhaust brake can be very effective in maintaining a safe speed while going down steep mountain grades with minimal use of the brakes. But with a 5k-8k trailer load diesel is needed as much as the 450 HP engine in a Corvette.
Engineer9860
Explorer
Jan 23, 2014
PartyMarty wrote:
goducks10 wrote:
5.9 Ram CTD. You'll get better mpg than any gasser towing or non towing.

i have to agree with goducks .
i own a 2002 duramax bought new , and it has been trouble free .
but the cummins trucks get better mpg .

According to this apples to apples to apples comparison that is not correct:

http://blogs.cars.com/files/mileage-comparison.pdf
phenrichs
Explorer
Jan 23, 2014
Our old trailer weighed 5K. Pulled with F150 and DW's Expedition. Same engine and trans but the Expy actually pulled it a little better. Aerodynamics I assume. Unless I had a really strong headwind mileage wasn't that bad in either vehicle. A little better than you are getting though. If I were to pull the same TT with my current truck I doubt I would even see a change in mileage at all.
PartyMarty
Explorer
Jan 23, 2014
goducks10 wrote:
5.9 Ram CTD. You'll get better mpg than any gasser towing or non towing.

i have to agree with goducks .
i own a 2002 duramax bought new , and it has been trouble free .
but the cummins trucks get better mpg .
goducks10
Explorer
Jan 23, 2014
5.9 Ram CTD. You'll get better mpg than any gasser towing or non towing.
APT
Explorer
Jan 23, 2014
Any modern gasser will get closer to 10mpg towing a 5000 pound TT. I highly recommend something new enough for a 6-spd trans. Tundra in 2007. 2007 Yukon Denali. Expedition in 2007. Diesel will be better, but not 15mpg. 11-12mpg is more likely for budgeting.

IMHO 10k miles towing each year, once a week? I'd want a diesel. It's just a far more pleasant towing experience for most people.