Update: Ford f350 6.2 and heavy camper

Bedlam wrote:
I don't want this to become a another gas verses diesel thread, but would like the opinion of gassers loaded over 20k lbs GCW who frequently drive over mountain passes.

My experiences aren't with a TC and towing, but might be helpful nevertheless.

When I moved out to the area from the Southeast, I drove a 24 foot Uhaul pulling a car hauler. I'd say it barely pulled the Montana mountains. We weren't sure if we were going to have to stop or not, but it did make it.

I had a 32 ft Class A gasoline and towed a Jeep which put me in that range. Basically, it struggled over Snoqualmie to start. Like most of us who travel over the mtns, we regularly see gas RVs on the side of the road. The normal failure is the transmission overheating based on talking to friends etc. Of course, if there is any weakness in the engine cooling system, you'll find that as well. :) Because of hunting for gears of the transmission on the Class A, I did a Banks Power Pack upgrade. Several thousand dollars later, it barely down shifted to go over Snoqualmie. Mileage also improved dramatically.

I also had a '97 Ford Expedition and towed a 6000 lb dry weight trailer. It did ok after adding a K&N, high flow catalytic converters and high flow mufflers. It downshifted quite a bit, but wasn't screaming at high revolutions.

Those experiences and knowing I'm mostly going over passes every trip with a possibility to tow caused me to go diesel. Sure, gasoline is possible given high enough gears, but I'd rather not be broken down during my leisure time. Diesel could be a waste of money, but for sure, it can do the job.