Tow Vehicle Preferences

[cemmett]

We are carefully planning our investments for a fifth wheel and tow vehicle. We have had some experience with Ram 3500 dually, diesel and have read good reports on their performance. We see a lot of GM products and Fords towing the larger fivers, which is what we are considering. We are also paying attention to rear end ratios and have been told that 4.73 is about the right ones for towing. So, the question is what advice, pro and con, will be helpful? The seasoned RVers (you guys) can offer the best firsthand input. Thanks for your reports.

[rhagfo]

Allworth wrote:
Does anybody out there remember what the OP's question really was???

Yep, He was looking for a TV to tow about a 40' 16,000# to 20,000# 5er. He stated back on page 2 I think that the 5er was 40' weighing in at 16,000# didn't make it clear if that was Dry or GVWR.

Then once again we took a hard left into a diesel vs. diesel debate. Yes Cummins has bigger parts, bigger because of fewer, or because just beefier hard to tell.
What I do know is that with a six cylinder there are fewer parts moving and that can go bad.
Here in Portland we have a Cummins NW parts and service center, parts are cheaper than dealer and parts houses. If I needed service Cummins trained mechanics are a good thought.

[thompsjk]

Coach-man wrote:
A couple of years ago there was a post on another site showing the engine internals, Ford, Duramax, and Cummins! The side by side pics were dramatic, hands down Cummins was much beeffer than either of the other competators by a whole lot, i.e. Connecting rods both Ford and GM were like fingers and Cummins was an arm! In line six simple rugged and durable, can not beat that. That said both Ford and Chevy have creature comforts and things that may interest you! Drive all three, and go with what suits you!

And it does not mean anything. It was a marketing tool Dodge used a few years ago. A six cylinder making the same power as an eight cylinder has a lot more stress on the connecting rods. So it is really comparing apples and oranges to compare the connecting rods from a six cylinder to an eight cylinder. Even comparing the Duramax and Power Stroke without know what they are made of are pointless.

[Allworth]

Does anybody out there remember what the OP's question really was???

[Me_Again]

hone eagle wrote:
The size of the moving parts is directly a factor in work transfer to the crank ,words like medium and light are terms from the marketing dept.
Iam sure you can find stationary and marine apps for any diesel.
In longevity terms the cummins is the best in terms of bearing life (B10 B50) also not really the whole story anymore -the B numbers are from the '40s when bearing were the achillies heel- not relevant anymore IMHO.

Yep, there were a hand full of 7.3 powerstrokes that were used in marine applications.

Cummins claims over 3 million B series engines have been produced!

[hone_eagle]

The size of the moving parts is directly a factor in work transfer to the crank ,words like medium and light are terms from the marketing dept.
Iam sure you can find stationary and marine apps for any diesel.
In longevity terms the cummins is the best in terms of bearing life (B10 B50) also not really the whole story anymore -the B numbers are from the '40s when bearing were the achillies heel- not relevant anymore IMHO.

[Me_Again]

hone eagle wrote:
That picture is a farce,
And I own a inline 6. Divide the power by the number of pistons .
30% bigger sure , there is less of them to do the same work.
can't believe people get sucked in so easily.

What you fail to acknowledge is the difference between a light duty diesels like the PowerStroke and Duramax, and a medium duty engines like the 5.9 and 6.7 Cummins. How many of the first two are used in industrial, marine and commercial applications?

[hone_eagle]

That picture is a farce,
And I own a inline 6. Divide the power by the number of pistons .
30% bigger sure , there is less of them to do the same work.
can't believe people get sucked in so easily.

[hone_eagle]

10:30 hi guys

No picture ME , how about a movie?

skip to 10:30

[larry_barnhart]

Me Again wrote:

Coach-man wrote:
A couple of years ago there was a post on another site showing the engine internals, Ford, Duramax, and Cummins! The side by side pics were dramatic, hands down Cummins was much beeffer than either of the other competators by a whole lot, i.e. Connecting rods both Ford and GM were like fingers and Cummins was an arm! In line six simple rugged and durable, can not beat that. That said both Ford and Chevy have creature comforts and things that may interest you! Drive all three, and go with what suits you!

You mean this!



And this one.

You need to show the same pictures of the cummins V-8 and the fiat V-6 so you will understand why the different reasons for different length of rods and pistons.

chevman

[hone_eagle]

I don't think you are biased at all. :W

[Me_Again]

gmachine wrote:
Granted I may be biased, but my class 6 medium duty Bering MD-23 has been very satisfactory. Weighs 1 1/2 times as much as a 1 ton dually( which is classified as a light duty truck), has better brakes, much shorter turning radius, better driver visibility and eliminates the "tail wagging the dog" syndrome I experienced with lesser trucks-all were Dodge Cummins-good trucks but over matched. 9/10 mpg towing 18,500lb trailer and 2,600lb car and cruising @ 55/70 mph.
Good Luck with whatever you select.

[gmachine]

Granted I may be biased, but my class 6 medium duty Bering MD-23 has been very satisfactory. Weighs 1 1/2 times as much as a 1 ton dually( which is classified as a light duty truck), has better brakes, much shorter turning radius, better driver visibility and eliminates the "tail wagging the dog" syndrome I experienced with lesser trucks-all were Dodge Cummins-good trucks but over matched. 9/10 mpg towing 18,500lb trailer and 2,600lb car and cruising @ 55/70 mph.
Good Luck with whatever you select.

[65aircooled]

It's a lot of money you'll be forking out. I drove all three before writing the check. I am partial on the Cummins because it gave me what I wanted. I read things on the Power Stroke Forum that steered me away from buying that, I didn't like the look/feel of the 15 Dmax, and as said above, the 3500 Ram fit the bill for me like a glove.
6000 miles on my second CTD and I love it more and more every day. Mine is a DD as well, so I opted out of the DRW, but based on your trailer weight, thats what you need. If you read on the forums, all 3 have their good and bad, none of them is perfect.
Best of luck with the purchase.

[Me_Again]

Coach-man wrote:
A couple of years ago there was a post on another site showing the engine internals, Ford, Duramax, and Cummins! The side by side pics were dramatic, hands down Cummins was much beeffer than either of the other competators by a whole lot, i.e. Connecting rods both Ford and GM were like fingers and Cummins was an arm! In line six simple rugged and durable, can not beat that. That said both Ford and Chevy have creature comforts and things that may interest you! Drive all three, and go with what suits you!

You mean this!



And this one.