3/4 chevy, ram or ford?

[Cdentler]

Wife and I are thinking about getting a 5th wheel or around a 32'TT and need a reliable diesel to take us from South Texas to Montana ( glacier national park) and back.

We need a reliable 3/4 ton TV to make it happen. Which make would you buy?

Also, I've never owned a diesel. What is an acceptable mileage and what other things should I look for in a used truck?


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[Javi]

I'd suggest you forego the 3/4 ton and look for a 1 ton SRW or a Dually... The price either new or used will be close to the same as a 3/4 ton and the 1 ton will provide you a lot more flexibility in trailer choices...

Pulling a 5th wheel or larger TT you'll get about 10-12 mpg with a diesel and those brands.. I'd spend more time worrying about fuel capacity and load capacity than Brand... Although I do like my latest truck better than any of my dozen or so truck of past years..

[Cdentler]

Pulling a 5th wheel or larger TT you'll get about 10-12 mpg with a diesel and those brands.. I'd spend more time worrying about fuel capacity and load capacity than Brand... Although I do like my latest truck better than any of my dozen or so truck of past years..


10-12 mpg? I get that with my 1500 z-71 silverado with a 28' TT. I would think a diesel would get me up to 15-17 mpg




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[canesfan]

Realistically I get 9 mpg pulling my Raptor. Last rig, a little smaller and lighter 10-11.

[Cdentler]

Realistically I get 9 mpg pulling my Raptor. Last rig, a little smaller and lighter 10-11.



With a diesel?


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[Javi]

10-12 mpg? I get that with my 1500 z-71 silverado with a 28' TT. I would think a diesel would get me up to 15-17 mpg




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Empty with 3:73 gears 18 mpg, town, 12 to 14mpg... pulling 12K... 9 to 12 mpg

I've hand tracked every gallon and every mile in an Excel spread sheet since I bought this truck... overall is 13.6 to date...

I ain't gonna debate it with you... that's what you're gonna get, based of several hundred miles pulling trailers with diesels over the past 30 of years...

[notanlines]

Cdentler, when you have a man telling you he is getting 15-17 towing his travel trailer with his diesel he is lying to you. He is not "stretching the truth" and he is not just "exaggerating." Most of the members here are "pickup people." They know towing; what's good and what's bad. Throw your 15-17 out the window. Your average gas truck will get 7-9 towing a small 5v'er. The diesel will get 9-12 towing an average 5v'er. Take Javi's advice and jump to a 1-ton. And Canesfan knows mileage. He's towing a Raptor. Oh, and by the way, welcome to the forum!

[Cdentler]

Cdentler, when you have a man telling you he is getting 15-17 towing his travel trailer with his diesel he is lying to you. He is not "stretching the truth" and he is not just "exaggerating." Most of the members here are "pickup people." They know towing; what's good and what's bad. Throw your 15-17 out the window. Your average gas truck will get 7-9 towing a small 5v'er. The diesel will get 9-12 towing an average 5v'er. Take Javi's advice and jump to a 1-ton. And Canesfan knows mileage. He's towing a Raptor. Oh, and by the way, welcome to the forum!



Nobody told me that. I assumed it because of more power/torque than a 1/2 ton so it would pull it easier which relates to better gas mileage than a 1/2 ton.


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[canesfan]

With a diesel?


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Duramax Diesel/Allison. It's in my sig. I have no reason to lie about it. It's depressing sometimes. But I can get 21-22 mpg going down the freeway at 70 mph empty. :D

Take the above advice and just get the 1 ton and be done with it. At that cost a couple hundered $ either way doesn't matter.

[canesfan]

Cdentler, when you have a man telling you he is getting 15-17 towing his travel trailer with his diesel he is lying to you. He is not "stretching the truth" and he is not just "exaggerating." Most of the members here are "pickup people." They know towing; what's good and what's bad. Throw your 15-17 out the window. Your average gas truck will get 7-9 towing a small 5v'er. The diesel will get 9-12 towing an average 5v'er. Take Javi's advice and jump to a 1-ton. And Canesfan knows mileage. He's towing a Raptor. Oh, and by the way, welcome to the forum!

+1 +2 AND +3. I started to go there but stopped. Thank you for going there. :banghead:

[Cdentler]

Say I go 1 ton. Now that I know that the only thing I won't be passing is a gas station.
What make (pro/con)? What is an acceptable used mileage? Dependability? What other things to look for in a diesel.


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[Javi]

See my pm

Javi

[Ruko]

I switched from a 1/2 ton to a 1 ton srw. I get pretty much the exact same mileage as Javi stated above. While pulling my old trailer my mileage dropped quite a bit from about 8 mpg, with the 1/2 ton, to about 12 mpg with the 1 ton. So the diesel will get you better mileage for sure if you want to compare apples to apples pulling the same trailer. Although the whole reason for the 1 ton was to get a bigger trailer so we stepped up to a 5th wheel that weighs almost twice that of the old one. Even with the extra size and weight of the new trailer I am still getting better mileage with the diesel, about 9 mpg, then the 1/2 ton was with the old trailer at 8 mpg.

Also definitely look at a 1 ton over a 3/4 ton regardless of the brand and especially if you see a 5th wheel anytime in your future. The 3/4 tons just don't have the payload to safely and legally handle most 5th wheels.

[canesfan]

Say I go 1 ton. Now that I know that the only thing I won't be passing is a gas station.
What make (pro/con)? What is an acceptable used mileage? Dependability? What other things to look for in a diesel.


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Oh, you can pass things, even a gas station now and then, I pass things all the time no problem. The truck likes to go. Just watch your foot on the accelerator. That right there can help some with mpg.

[bsmith0404]

Everyone is avoiding your question because asking which one to get is like asking what your favorite color is. Personally, I like the duramax, that's why I have one. The Allison is without a doubt the best transmission in the industry.
Stay away from 6.0 fords.

As for mileage, I personally would just try to stay under 100,000 miles. Any of them will run for well over that, but you will start to run into other things that wear out.

[Frank G]

My 2 cents. I get an easy 21 to 22 MPG empty and 8 to 10 pulling. (head wind makes a real difference) If cash is an issue and you get a fifth capable of being towed by a 3/4 ton, (and there are many) the 3/4 ton is much easier to find.

The brand is your choice, There are issues with all of them. Repairs are expensive so make sure it has a lot of warrantee left. Buy certified if you can.

I just picked up a Certified 2016 with 18500 miles on it and it came with a Chrysler 7 yr 100000 mile powertrain warrantee.

Autotrader.com is your friend when looking for a new or used vehicle.

2016 2500 Ram Laramie 4x4 CCSB Cummins auto

[chuckster57]

I towed my previous fiver with both a 3/4 ton gas rig (460 on steroids) and my current diesel rig. I wouldn't tow with a gas rig again.

[JRTJH]

We had a 2010 F150 with a 5.4L/3.73 gears and towed a 7000 pound 26' Springdale fifth wheel. The very BEST we ever got at 65MPH was 9 and we averaged around 8 MPG on most trips. When a tree fell on the fifth wheel we upgraded to a 31' fifth wheel (about 9000 lb loaded) and a 2013 F250 with a 6.2L/3.73 gears. We averaged around 8 MPG with that rig on two trips of over 8,000 miles. When we decided to upgrade to a diesel I bought a 2015 F250 with the 6.7L/3.31 gears. Towing the same 31' Cougar we average about 11.5MPG at 65MPH. If we increase the speed to about 68 mileage goes down to about 10.5. We have two long trips with this truck, one about 6500 miles and one that was 9200. The mileage figures I've given are not estimates, they are right out of my log book that I have kept on every vehicle I've ever owned. So, if someone tells you that you'll get 15 or 18 MPG with a diesel and 12 or 13 with a gas truck towing any fifth wheel weighing over 8000 pounds, don't believe what they say and ask them for documentation... I've towed travel trailers ranging from 20' to 34' for almost 50 years, used trucks from each of the big 3, and I can tell you that with the exception of maybe one tank of fuel on a "better than ever before" kind of day, I've never gotten over 13MPG with any rig, gas or diesel.

Now, solo mileage, with our F150 we got around 15 average, almost 18 at 70MPH solo and about 2MPG across the board less on the F250 gas. On our current diesel I average around 18 in town, about 21 at 70 when solo and with the trailer, it's listed above.

As for which brand of truck, someone recently said that Ford was the most expensive and RAM the cheapest. As for quality, they all are good, some have options not available in others, so it depends on what you're looking for, what you want and what you can afford....

As for F250/F350, there's about a $500 additional cost for the F350 but depending on what's on the lot, around here (northern Michigan) the "out the door price" is about the same for either model.

[ctbruce]

I had a 2015 1500 that got 6.5 mpg. Traded up to a 3500 diesel and now I get 12. I'll take that increase any day.

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[bsmith0404]

I've towed over 60k miles with my current truck. I did RV transporting for 10 months so I've towed about every size trailer there is including my current 5er at 15k. The best I've ever gotten with small light weight trailers was 12, my current one is the heaviest I've towed, I get 9.5-10. The others are all in between, but as you can see it's not a large range.

[Barbell]

Once broken in at 25,000 miles, our '16 3500 gets 12-13 towing and up to 22 empty. Wasn't near that good during break-in but with near 70 gal fuel capacity, we don't fill up but every 2-3 days when towing. Course we don't do more than 300 miles per day.

[chuckster57]

12-13 towing?? I'm lucky to see 14 EMPTY with a tailwind LOL!! 10 when hooked on. Still beats my gasser-7 with/9 without the old trailer.

[Outback 325BH]

I have a 2016 F250 with the 6.2 gas engine. I am currently on a trip in Colorado where I drove from St. Louis without a trailer (just the truck). I got 14 mpg on the interstate.

Under normal small-town/country driving I get 11.

When I pull my 11,000 lbs TT I get 7 average. This is 99% flat-lander towing at 70/75 mph on the interstate.

My brother has a 5 year old Chevy 1500 with whatever gas engine. He tows a 28' toy hauler TT and never sees double-digit mileage.


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[xrated]

Last weekend real world numbers.....2016 F350 Dually, CC, 8' bed of course, 3.73 rear end, 6.7 Diesel, 4x4 (not used on the trip), and a 12,400 lb loaded bumper pull T.H. I left the house and zeroed the MPG meter. When I returned home it was reading 8.9 MPG.....so let's say 9.0 (that sounds better...right?) The trip was from just South of Knoxville, Tennessee, across I-40 and over the mountains towards Asheville, N.C., then down I-26, then over to the Charlotte, N.C. and then on down to Kershaw, S.C. The truck was parked during our outing and hooked back up and used to tow the T.H. back home, basically the same route and back to the house. 8.9 MPG and I was running 67 MPH when I could, and of course slowing down to whatever was needed to safely go through the mountains on the downhill sides. I used the Tow Haul mode and the Engine braking function the entire trip. There is the real world mileage for a 662 mile trip. Flat land trips would surely be a bit better on mileage, but this trip did have mountains to contend with.

[Desert185]

My trip computer always shows very optimistic mileage, so I do a manual mileage check. Generally, 21 or a bit better, and 9-10 towing @ 60 MPH. Sometimes better depending on the wind.

For the OP, any brand should do depending on his personal preferences. I'm a Cummins guy, but like the Allison for an automatic. Get a diesel with an exhaust brake. The turbocharger will be less affected at higher elevations going uphill and the exhaust brake will better control your speed while descending...all this with better mileage than a gasser.

[NorskeBob]

X4 on the 1 Ton - higher GVWR. Most 3/4 ton are 10,000 lbs and a 1 ton will be about 11,600 lbs (2011 and newer truck). That gives you more margin for the the contents (fuel, passengers, fifth wheel hitch and any other add-ons) of the truck and the pin weight of the trailer.

Also - it will give you some margin if you want a little heavier trailer. We upgraded this year and the advertised pin weight as about 275 lbs more than our previous trailer. Advertised dry weight on the previous trailer was 10,100 lbs and our new one is 11,530 lbs.

My truck with me in it, fuel load of fuel and fifth wheel hitch in the box is about 8100 lbs.

Best mileage I ever got on our last fifth wheel was 11.5 mpg- "flat road "towing and no head wind (65 mph). Last weekend going to Watkins Glen race track (about 110 miles one way) with a head wind was 9.3 mpg (varied from 57 to 65 mph).

Items that add weight to our truck:
Bed Rug bed liner, Luverne SS running boards, Air Lift Load Lifter 5000 air bags, Reese Custom Base and Rail Kit, CURT Front Mount Trailer Hitch and Husky 16K fifth wheel hitch.

[chuckster57]

X4 on the 1 Ton - higher GVWR. Most 3/4 ton are 10,000 lbs and a 1 ton will be about 11,600 lbs. That gives you more margin for the the contents (fuel, passengers, fifth wheel hitch and any other add-ons) of the truck and the pin weight of the trailer.

Depends on what year they changed, My '94 1 ton has 10,000 GVWR. Look at the yellow sticker on the door pillar...

[NorskeBob]

Depends on what year they changed, My '94 1 ton has 10,000 GVWR. Look at the yellow sticker on the door pillar...

Edit my post - 2011 and newer - at least that is when Chevy upgraded the trucks. My previous 1 ton - 2005 Duramax/Allison was 9,900 lbs GVWR. Reason I traded in 2011.

[gearhead]

OP.....since you are just down Hwy 146 from me...all the above is correct.
I've gone through 3 trucks, two 5th wheels, and a cabover camper in 6 years.
GMC 2500 with 6.0 gas pulling a Cougar XLite 5th wheel. 7-9 mpg and screaming uphill while being passed by everyone. Then a F350 SRW diesel pulling the Cougar. Much better. So much better that we bought the Montana. 12,500 GVW. I'm pulling it at about 12,000# most of the time. After we bought the washer/dryer, loaded it heavy for long trips, and the wife carries her 28 pairs of shoes, I discovered I was over the Fords payload. Javi said I should just get a dually and be done with it. So I traded that on a Ram 3500 SRW Cummins/Aisin with 900# more payload.. I love it. Then I bought the cabover and am also considering maybe a trade up to an Alpine.
Javi was right dammit.
So if you're on the Keystone forum I assume you're looking at Keystone products. Just me, I would eliminate all the trading, bite the bullet and go to the "top of the line".
If you PM me I will tell you the horror stories of the RV dealer I used. Everyone here is probably tired of hearing it.
Don't know who you prefer for a truck dealer but we have used Sour Lake Motors for 15 years. They carry all 3 brands and the BS is minimal.
LaPorte....I'm homesick for the Sulzer and Flowserve shops! Retired as a Refinery machinery guy and miss it. The big refinery on 225 with the yellow and red sign.

[GMcKenzie]

I always get about 20% better MPG than most of the people on this forum, either for when I had a diesel or now that I have a gas.

Of course I'm Canadian so I figure it with Imperial gallons :)

One of the things I've seen is that the payload on a 3/4 ton diesel is not much more than I have on my current 1/2 ton gasser. My payload is 2015 lbs and some of the similar 3/4 ton diesels are ~2,200 lbs. To me that is the biggest reason to go with a 1 ton if you are going diesel as payload will be over 3K.

That's not to say a 3/4 ton diesel won't outpull my 1/2 ton gasser, but I would want the bigger payload for not much more $.

[rhagfo]

I'd suggest you forego the 3/4 ton and look for a 1 ton SRW or a Dually... The price either new or used will be close to the same as a 3/4 ton and the 1 ton will provide you a lot more flexibility in trailer choices...

Pulling a 5th wheel or larger TT you'll get about 10-12 mpg with a diesel and those brands.. I'd spend more time worrying about fuel capacity and load capacity than Brand... Although I do like my latest truck better than any of my dozen or so truck of past years..

X2!
While the argument is made that 3/4 tons and 1 tons are basically the same with very minor defferances, given the choice I would rather be towing under my GVWR, than over it!
If you don't have the TV yet be looking for a 1 ton, either SRW or DRW, to have the GVWR sticker thet states you can carry what you have loaded.