You choose - loaded gas or basic diesel?
If you had to buy a SD/HD truck today, what would you choose... a loaded, leather gas model or a diesel with cloth and just a few basic gadgets? Assume similar price, which is what I am finding.
Forum Discussion
Third choice is to put less into the trailer or to buy a lighter trailer. Manufacturers have spent the past 10 years working to make their trailers lighter and at the same time more spacious with one or more slide-outs. While traveling I have seen a big shift in the average size trailer at campgrounds with a lot more small trailers pulled by mid-size SUV's.
Whenever I ask one of the owners about their trailer they are universally happy with it and not one has said that they plan to sell it and get something bigger (which would also require a new tow vehicle). But they are using them on short trips of a couple weeks and not using them to spend weeks or longer at a locations much less full time RVer's.
I appreciate having the diesel when going up and especially when going down steep grades but I also know that the time I spend in such areas is less than one percent of our time on the road and amounts to less than 40 minutes in total on the average 2-3 week trip we take through the mountainous western states.
When I go up a 10 mile 8% section of highway at 65 MPH instead of 45 MPH I know I have saved a trivial amount of time. It is really only when going down a 8% grade one a 20-30 mile section of road and having the speed control of the diesel and not having to seldom touch the brakes that I truly find the diesel beneficial and that is more in stress reduction for that short period of time.
There is absolutely no need to rationalize buying diesel anymore than wanting air conditioning or satellite radio or heated seats or a travel trailer with a large screen TV, forced air furnace, large fridge, dry bath, etc. for "camping".
The only mistake is to confuse these luxuries as being necessities for traveling.
Whenever I ask one of the owners about their trailer they are universally happy with it and not one has said that they plan to sell it and get something bigger (which would also require a new tow vehicle). But they are using them on short trips of a couple weeks and not using them to spend weeks or longer at a locations much less full time RVer's.
I appreciate having the diesel when going up and especially when going down steep grades but I also know that the time I spend in such areas is less than one percent of our time on the road and amounts to less than 40 minutes in total on the average 2-3 week trip we take through the mountainous western states.
When I go up a 10 mile 8% section of highway at 65 MPH instead of 45 MPH I know I have saved a trivial amount of time. It is really only when going down a 8% grade one a 20-30 mile section of road and having the speed control of the diesel and not having to seldom touch the brakes that I truly find the diesel beneficial and that is more in stress reduction for that short period of time.
There is absolutely no need to rationalize buying diesel anymore than wanting air conditioning or satellite radio or heated seats or a travel trailer with a large screen TV, forced air furnace, large fridge, dry bath, etc. for "camping".
The only mistake is to confuse these luxuries as being necessities for traveling.
