Fifth Wheel/Diesel mpg
My husband and I are looking into a fifth wheel for our retirement camper. We hope to have our minds made up by January 2018. He wants to get a 2500 series diesel truck. Fifth wheel would be in the 85...
Forum Discussion
We full time and our truck is our only transportation. I did not want a dually for that reason. So, we just kept our 2500 and I added overloads (Timbren in this case but airbags would work too).
The trailer GVWR is 11,000lb and we are over 10,000lb ready to travel. We do not want a bigger trailer (this is our third RV).
Diesel vs gas. If you are using the truck as a daily driver and towing less then I'd recommend a gasser. We almost traded the diesel for a gasser this summer. If you tow a lot of miles you will like the diesel.
Mileage. Interesting topic. When towing our old 24ft fiver we got around 12mpg. When we got the new fiver we were getting about 11mpg (Western states, higher altitudes). So, had to have a turbo replacement and in doing so upgraded it and deleted emissions stuff. Now we get about 13mpg at higher alt and 14mpg nearer to sea level.
As a kind of comparison, when we towed the little fiver with a 2nd gen Toyota Tundra we only got about 8mpg (at altitude).
My recommendation if you get a gasser is to make sure you have a bigger gas tank, eg 35gal or more. Why? Gas stops are a PITA in a lot of places.
Last, maintenance for a diesel is higher than a gasser. They hold a LOT of oil :)
I'd not worry about mileage and buy the truck you want after test driving them.
charlie
The trailer GVWR is 11,000lb and we are over 10,000lb ready to travel. We do not want a bigger trailer (this is our third RV).
Diesel vs gas. If you are using the truck as a daily driver and towing less then I'd recommend a gasser. We almost traded the diesel for a gasser this summer. If you tow a lot of miles you will like the diesel.
Mileage. Interesting topic. When towing our old 24ft fiver we got around 12mpg. When we got the new fiver we were getting about 11mpg (Western states, higher altitudes). So, had to have a turbo replacement and in doing so upgraded it and deleted emissions stuff. Now we get about 13mpg at higher alt and 14mpg nearer to sea level.
As a kind of comparison, when we towed the little fiver with a 2nd gen Toyota Tundra we only got about 8mpg (at altitude).
My recommendation if you get a gasser is to make sure you have a bigger gas tank, eg 35gal or more. Why? Gas stops are a PITA in a lot of places.
Last, maintenance for a diesel is higher than a gasser. They hold a LOT of oil :)
I'd not worry about mileage and buy the truck you want after test driving them.
charlie
