Buying a new truck

[Hgreen]

Currently we have an F250 4wd supercab 7.5L gas engine with a 2008 Northern Lite 10-2 camper with Rancho XL9000 and fast guns. Our truck has no problems with weight of camper as it rides perfectly level, but we have to pack light, minimal water, and basically carry about 5 gallons of gas in rear tank to stay within tire ratings. We thought about doing upgrades to tires but gross weight of truck is still rated at 8800 pounds and of course are over that so are wanting to purchase a 2015 F350 dually. The dilemma is whether to go the gas engine or diesel as we will want to flat tow a jeep in the future as well. We know the diesel is the powerhouse. What we want to know from all of you is realistic mileage that you are getting with your setup. Please post mpg, speed that you are traveling to achieve this, truck brand, size, engine, etc and what camper. We appreciate your input to this and fully understand about weight ratings and pulling lots of weight as we have had large travel trailers for many years.

[bighatnohorse]

joe123 wrote:
Buy the dully carries a heavy load much better with little to no side to side, get the diesel the power is always nice to have if its needed, I cant talk about the ford as I have a dodge I ton dully diesel with a full load and flat towing my tracker I get just over 14 miles per gallon if I keep my speed under 55 miles per hour, I have a friend with the ford he told me his was around 13 depending on his foot.

That sounds about right. . . a recent test with my new Ford dually diesel resulted in 13.4 at 65mph dropping to 10.3 at 70 mph! (with camper loaded 15K pounds on the ground).

[joe123]

Buy the dully carries a heavy load much better with little to no side to side, get the diesel the power is always nice to have if its needed, I cant talk about the ford as I have a dodge I ton dully diesel with a full load and flat towing my tracker I get just over 14 miles per gallon if I keep my speed under 55 miles per hour, I have a friend with the ford he told me his was around 13 depending on his foot.

[arto_wa]

On a highway we get 15 mpg unloaded and 12.4 mpg with the camper on, under good driving conditions & not speeding - checking manually.

AT and 4:10 rear axle.

[Reality_Check]

8.... Usually pushing it hard; 70 max.

At 18k, I get about 8.

At 30k, I get a bit less...like 7.6

I saw 14+ once... an empty truck on a long stretch of 5 states.



Wife and I decided to spend it instead of dying with it...

[deltabravo]

Grit dog wrote:
Don't even waste your time with a gasser in a dually with the loads and trailers you pull, especially at altitude. Especially if you plan on selling it, because very few will want a HD dually with an anemic engine. Resale will be terrible.
Seems like you'll keep the truck a long time as you're rockin a 25 year old truck currently. Another reason to get the right truck the first time.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the gas vs diesel too.

To me, it does not matter one bit of difference that the diesel truck costs more in maintenance. The ease of towing far outweighs that difference.... so much so, that I own two diesel trucks.

If you tow with a camper on the truck forget, about a gasser.

One of the things I do with the 2006 truck is transport RVs. All the transport companies are just short of demanding that their drivers have a diesel truck - that shows how important and better a diesel truck is for hauling a load.

[slickrock_steve]

Once you go diesel, you won't go back!
And as to the exhaust brake? GET IT! You will be so much more relaxed in mountains, and probably can stop quicker than with out one on the flat!
I have a 2005 Ram, with auto, 3500, quad cab. It gets a reliably accurate 19MPG empty at 65-70, and 12-15 MPG with my 4000 lb camper. When the camper is off, and I have my 11,000 lb 4 horse, with living quarters gooseneck on, I can still hold 65, and still get at least 12 MPG. with NO DPF!!
The maintenance on a diesel is not more than a gasser, as you don't have to change the oil as often. I use "Oil Analysis", and "Blackstone" says my oil can go an easy 15,000 miles. I do change the fuel filters more often, but I have two filters, and want to save the injectors.

[805gregg]

12.5 MPG 2003 Dodge 3500, with a Lance 1071 4000 lb camper, figured by hand, everyone knows the onboard computer is inaccurate, get an older used truck and avoid initial depreciation and DEF (diesel exhaust fluid injection)

[trailgranny50]

We've been crazy blessed with our 2004 Duramax dually over the years. It consistently gets 15.1 mpg highway empty and no tailwind down to 15 loaded with camper mountains or flat not towing. Haven't towed anything with camper on but will this spring. However is only a one horse tandem axle and boat is just a small 10x5' John boat. Still pretty good mileage. We have, over the years, done some front end work, injectors, and a VSS module replacement but that's it. Very fortunate. It had always been a work truck till this past June, when we picked up the camper, hauling Masonry tools, scaffolding, tractor, bricks, blocks and cement. Not exactly a sheltered life. Like I said we've been blessed with a really good truck. Hopefully it will last well past it's now current 170,000 miles. We get it serviced more frequently than recommended and if it squeaks, or leaks it gets fixed Pronto.

[PRodacy]

We get about 12 mpg with the camper and towing our Wrangler if we stay at about 70 mph. At 75 it drops to around 10 mpg. The truck (2012 GMC dually) has 3.73 gearing, 6.6 l diesel, Allison transmission. Without the Jeep or camper we get about 18 at 75 mph. I've driven gasses with comparable loads and while they are OK on flat land, they're not very good in the mountains, and the diesel is way better even on the flats. Like others have said, consider the resale value of a diesel compared to a gas engine. Some threads say that diesels are way more expensive to maintain, but I haven't found the difference to be significant especially when you look at the money you have invested in the truck, camper, jeep, etc. I'm fully sold on a diesel for use you're considering.

[Wind_Surfer]

A lot of good replies and information provided. Glad to see you are knowledgable on weight ratings. I also think a dually will drive sooooo much better with a load, especially in wind or mountains.

My truck; 2011 Dodge 3500 dually quad cab 4X4 diesel (6.7), automatic. Mileage 10-12mpg. Now those numbers are pulling a 14.5k fiver, I get around 13mpg with the TC (2500 gross). I tow at about 60 to 65 max mph (again, read the tire side wall on trailer tires). Camper, usually drive the speed limit unless it is insanely high like out west or Texas.

For me, the hardest choice about the truck was what gearing for the rear end. Dodge offered a 3.50, 3.73 and a 4.10 gear ratios if I recall. I finally decided on the 3.73 and it has worked very well with the automatic transmission gearing.

BTW, make sure the truck has an exhaust brake. It is unbelievable, you won't believe you towed without one!

Cheers

[Grit_dog]

Don't even waste your time with a gasser in a dually with the loads and trailers you pull, especially at altitude. Especially if you plan on selling it, because very few will want a HD dually with an anemic engine. Resale will be terrible.
Seems like you'll keep the truck a long time as you're rockin a 25 year old truck currently. Another reason to get the right truck the first time.
Mileage on my old 6.2 F250 4x4 3.73 company truck was average to poor. 11-12 mpg hiway commuting winter vs summer, empty truck, 65-75 mph mostly hiway. 8-9 mpg pulling a 4000 lb enclosed trailer with 1000lbs in the bed, long road trip, mostly thru Canada in early spring so mountains, frost heaves, some 75 mph but avg around 60 mph I'd say. Similar load maybe less than a camper pulling a toad. Plus unless you like 2nd gear wound to the beans on every hill like your old 460, get a diesel.
Plus if you're gonna keep the truck forever, the initial cost premium will only be a few hundred bucks a year spread out not including inflation.
Diesels are more maintenance sensitive for long term use IMO but just as reliable as gassers.

[Hgreen]

Thank you all for your responses as they have been very interesting with a lot to think about and hope to seemore results. I can see the points on both sides. Another part of this equation is whether one should go with the 3:73 or 4:30 rear axle and will mmog be affected much with the 4:30. We only get 7.5-8.75 mpg at max now and hope to get better with a new truck. We do occasionally pull a large horse trailer to Colorado and hay and equipment trailers but maybe not enough to have to have the diesel. We only have a 3:55 axle which will has done the job but very slowly in the mountains of Colorado.

[bighatnohorse]

Hgreen wrote:
. . .what is realistic mileage that you are getting with your setup. Please post mpg, speed that you are traveling to achieve this, truck brand, size, engine, etc and what camper.

To your question: 8 to 12 MPG
And that can be for diesel or gas - depending on who you talk to.

Obtaining a fair assessment on MPG that would be meaningful would have to be restricted to dually trucks if that is what you plan to purchase.
And it would realistically need to include a great many miles over many topographical features, wind conditions and driving styles.

[CSG]

wintersun, well said and my take on it too. Also, don't you lose CCC with a diesel over a gasser? That certainly used to be the case when I bought my last truck in 2001.