Which Differential for Truck Camper
Looking to purchase a new 3500 Single rear wheel crew cab 4x4 standard bed truck and haul a Lance 855S (about 3,000 lbs) camper. Plan to get the 6.0L gas engine which comes with a 6 speed auto trans. ...
Forum Discussion
Greg,
One other thing to factor in is wind resistance. That Lance is a pretty good darn sail. I have a jeep wrangler and when I mount the roof rack its a noticeable difference in power and fuel economy due to wind resistance. Being you said you were going to higher elevations and using that camper a lot I think you will be happy with the 4.10. It may actually give you better fuel economy due to that big sail up top. I also think the 3.73 gears are setup by the mfg to get the best fuel mileage with no load. You will have a load most of the time, granted not maxed out but 3-4,000lbs is not light either. Also, sometimes the 4.10 gears are combined with a tow package. Extra tranny cooler, heavy duty hitch, ect... Not sure if they play that game on the truck you are looking at.
Your comments regarding gas vs diesel are dead on. I like the part about high mileage and 45 years. You forgot to mention that the fuel pump, brakes, tranny and other things will give out long before that engine will. These parts are also a lot more expensive to replace than the gas counterparts. How many old diesel pickup trucks do you see on the road today. I would say its not much different that the gas ones. I went from a 1/2 ton for to a 2010 Ram Cummins. Both vehicles have their advantages.
BTW, several links out there on the web about gear ratio's and RPM's.
play with this one. Notice how they require the tranny to be involved. This is why one cannot compare different makes, model years and engines.
One other thing to factor in is wind resistance. That Lance is a pretty good darn sail. I have a jeep wrangler and when I mount the roof rack its a noticeable difference in power and fuel economy due to wind resistance. Being you said you were going to higher elevations and using that camper a lot I think you will be happy with the 4.10. It may actually give you better fuel economy due to that big sail up top. I also think the 3.73 gears are setup by the mfg to get the best fuel mileage with no load. You will have a load most of the time, granted not maxed out but 3-4,000lbs is not light either. Also, sometimes the 4.10 gears are combined with a tow package. Extra tranny cooler, heavy duty hitch, ect... Not sure if they play that game on the truck you are looking at.
Your comments regarding gas vs diesel are dead on. I like the part about high mileage and 45 years. You forgot to mention that the fuel pump, brakes, tranny and other things will give out long before that engine will. These parts are also a lot more expensive to replace than the gas counterparts. How many old diesel pickup trucks do you see on the road today. I would say its not much different that the gas ones. I went from a 1/2 ton for to a 2010 Ram Cummins. Both vehicles have their advantages.
BTW, several links out there on the web about gear ratio's and RPM's.
play with this one. Notice how they require the tranny to be involved. This is why one cannot compare different makes, model years and engines.
