Anyone pull a 14k 5er with a gas engine

[JnJnKatiebug]

If so what are your thoughts? Do you wish you had a diesel? What is your average towing MPG?

[jerem0621]

Denny & Jami wrote:
I pull a 16K trailer all over the country with my past V10 with 4.30 gears and now with my 6.2 with 4.30 gears, we average over long trips between 8 and 9. The secret to towing heavy with a gas motor is the rear end gears!!! So don't listen to no nothing dealerships set it up for towing.

Denny

That sounds like a really nice truck you have there. I love gas motors. Post a pic of you get a chance, I would love to see it.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Me_Again]

JnJnKatiebug wrote:
Thanks for all the replies. We plan on getting a 5er in 3 or 4 years when I retire and plan on a new diesel tow vehicle. I have access to a company vehicle with a gas engine and was thinking about going ahead and getting the 5er now and pulling with the company vehicle until I retire. I don't want to buy the diesel until I retire so it will have full warranty when we start traveling a lot more.

The trailer you can tow now with a gas engine truck, may not be the one you want for retirement. Also note that many snowbird or other resorts have 10 year age limits on RVs that they sometimes enforce.

You might be better off with a small used trailer in the interim period. That will help you figure out what you want for a retirement trailer.

Remember to look at trailers with the slides both in and out. In you want to look at refrig and bathroom access. Chris

[Denny___Jami]

I pull a 16K trailer all over the country with my past V10 with 4.30 gears and now with my 6.2 with 4.30 gears, we average over long trips between 8 and 9. The secret to towing heavy with a gas motor is the rear end gears!!! So don't listen to no nothing dealerships set it up for towing.

Denny

[larry_barnhart]

KD4UPL wrote:
The last time I pulled 14,000 with my '05 Duramax it wasn't enough truck. But, I also had 2,000 pounds in the truck bed, I was going up a mountain with the AC on, and the air temp outside was in the upper 90's. The most I could do up the mountain was 30 MPH and the truck got really hot doing that.

that would be a lot of bed weight including the pin weight.

chevman

[JIMNLIN]

I have access to a company vehicle with a gas engine and was thinking about going ahead and getting the 5er now and pulling with the company vehicle until I retire.

Sounds like a good plan....IF the company vehicle has the 8.1 GM or Fords V10 with lots of low down torque.
Some have given up their 6.xx new gen high hp smallblock gas trucks pulling 14k+ lb trailers.

[ckwizard777]

JnJnKatiebug wrote:
If so what are your thoughts? Do you wish you had a diesel? What is your average towing MPG?

Actually I pull a little heavier than that with mine.
I have a 07 Silverado dually with the 8.1 big block and the Allison transmission and 4.10 gears.
Absolutely love this combination as a tow vehicle as it has more than enough torque for what I am towing and is cheap to maintain.
The only downside is the fuel economy (She is thirsty) but not bad enough to get a diesel just yet.
Sometime in the future when I move to a Mobile Suites I guess I will need a diesel but until then I'm keeping her.

[goducks10]

JnJnKatiebug wrote:
Thanks for all the replies. We plan on getting a 5er in 3 or 4 years when I retire and plan on a new diesel tow vehicle. I have access to a company vehicle with a gas engine and was thinking about going ahead and getting the 5er now and pulling with the company vehicle until I retire. I don't want to buy the diesel until I retire so it will have full warranty when we start traveling a lot more.

Heck yeah go for it.

[JnJnKatiebug]

Thanks for all the replies. We plan on getting a 5er in 3 or 4 years when I retire and plan on a new diesel tow vehicle. I have access to a company vehicle with a gas engine and was thinking about going ahead and getting the 5er now and pulling with the company vehicle until I retire. I don't want to buy the diesel until I retire so it will have full warranty when we start traveling a lot more.

[MFL]

bucky wrote:

steveksfc wrote:
I have a '88 Chevrolet R30 Crew Cab 2wd tonner with a 454 4 bbl and average 10 mpg pulling a 15000 5er. I have never had any issues pulling anything. Including a semi that broke down and needed a pull off the highway. Would rather have a diesel but need to find an old bus so I can get everything needed to keep a auto transmission so wife can drive also when needed.

Must have been a one in a billion truck. My 99 Vortec 7.4 pulling a scaled 11,600 lb 5er got 5-6 mpg downhill. 🙂

I agree bucky, but your number may be off a little. I know a guy with an old motorhome, with a carbed Ford 460, that he tows an enclosed heavy trailer with. He also averages 10 mpg, while towing said trailer at 70 mph!! :B

Jerry

[bucky]

steveksfc wrote:
I have a '88 Chevrolet R30 Crew Cab 2wd tonner with a 454 4 bbl and average 10 mpg pulling a 15000 5er. I have never had any issues pulling anything. Including a semi that broke down and needed a pull off the highway. Would rather have a diesel but need to find an old bus so I can get everything needed to keep a auto transmission so wife can drive also when needed.

Must have been a one in a billion truck. My 99 Vortec 7.4 pulling a scaled 11,600 lb 5er got 5-6 mpg downhill. 🙂

[steveksfc]

I have a '88 Chevrolet R30 Crew Cab 2wd tonner with a 454 4 bbl and average 10 mpg pulling a 15000 5er. I have never had any issues pulling anything. Including a semi that broke down and needed a pull off the highway. Would rather have a diesel but need to find an old bus so I can get everything needed to keep a auto transmission so wife can drive also when needed.

[jjj]

I do it. My trailer is around 13500. It does o.k. I would not want to go across country with it. I get 10 1/2 solo and 7.9 towing. The hills are the demons on the gas engine.2nd gear and 4000 rpm's will keep me at 50 mph.6 or 7 percent grades are slower but I get there. I only do weekends and a few 1 week trips. I got a great deal 12 years ago and she only has 36000 miles on it right now and can't afford a high priced diesel so I will have to keep her for a long time.If you can afford a diesel then go for it.

[KD4UPL]

The last time I pulled 14,000 with my '05 Duramax it wasn't enough truck. But, I also had 2,000 pounds in the truck bed, I was going up a mountain with the AC on, and the air temp outside was in the upper 90's. The most I could do up the mountain was 30 MPH and the truck got really hot doing that.

[mtofell1]

I'm at 11K and it does good not great. 14K is doable but you'd need some pretty tall gears at the rear end and get ready to hear some RPMs roar. It's certainly possible with the right setup. There are 38' gasser RVs with a tow vehicle behind pulling mountain passes everyday.