Towing in the real world. gas or diesel
I've been down the gas road in 04 and the diesel in 09. Looking to buy again. I had a lighter trailer in 04 but my siverado 6+ liter gas would just scream in a head wind. 4000 rpm was common. Bigge...
Forum Discussion
I towed a 5th wheel that weighed 12k and was 37' long with a Ram 2500 6.4L Hemi. It did a great job and handled the load just fine. I do most of my RV pulling in the windy prairies on my way to the Canadian Rockies, so I have done both headwind and mountain grade towing with that truck. Never dissatisfied with the performance. My GCW was 21,000# (CAT scale weighed, not a guess).
That said, when comparing truck for truck a Ram 2500 like mine with the Cummins will be a superior performer when towing is what the judging is based on. Diesels just make better tow vehicles. The huge torque and the exhaust brake make a big difference.
In my case, I only ever had the 5er behind the truck for about 5-7 full days every 365 days. Hitch up, tow to the mountains, set up the RV, then off for adventures, hikes, etc. Then a day, day and a half towing home. Then throw in a few weekend trips here and there. The rest of the time, the truck got used a family hauler and commuter car.
The cons to diesel in my case were:
- increased initial cost
- costlier oil changes
- poor heater output in extremely cold temps
- much less payload in the 2500
- DPF, EGR, DEF, etc. etc. No thanks
The Hemi performed flawlessly for me, andf I never felt it lacked power, even into a headwind or climbing grades. But....it did get into the 4 and 5000 RPM range when needed. That's just how they work. 410hp/429tq, but that 400+ hp is made at 5000+ RPM. If you want the big power in a gasser (without turbos), higher RPM is where it's made. As soon as you get over that, it's a pleasure to save the $10k and other headaches IMO.
Oh, and to add, I towed the same 5er with a 5.9L Cummins (3.73) and the 6.4L Hemi (4.10 axle). The Cummins would get 10-12 mpg towing where the 6.4L Hemi would get 7-9 mpg in the same conditions.
That said, when comparing truck for truck a Ram 2500 like mine with the Cummins will be a superior performer when towing is what the judging is based on. Diesels just make better tow vehicles. The huge torque and the exhaust brake make a big difference.
In my case, I only ever had the 5er behind the truck for about 5-7 full days every 365 days. Hitch up, tow to the mountains, set up the RV, then off for adventures, hikes, etc. Then a day, day and a half towing home. Then throw in a few weekend trips here and there. The rest of the time, the truck got used a family hauler and commuter car.
The cons to diesel in my case were:
- increased initial cost
- costlier oil changes
- poor heater output in extremely cold temps
- much less payload in the 2500
- DPF, EGR, DEF, etc. etc. No thanks
The Hemi performed flawlessly for me, andf I never felt it lacked power, even into a headwind or climbing grades. But....it did get into the 4 and 5000 RPM range when needed. That's just how they work. 410hp/429tq, but that 400+ hp is made at 5000+ RPM. If you want the big power in a gasser (without turbos), higher RPM is where it's made. As soon as you get over that, it's a pleasure to save the $10k and other headaches IMO.
Oh, and to add, I towed the same 5er with a 5.9L Cummins (3.73) and the 6.4L Hemi (4.10 axle). The Cummins would get 10-12 mpg towing where the 6.4L Hemi would get 7-9 mpg in the same conditions.
