Making a switch

[markcee]

Originally Posted by Fourbtgait

You must of had small tank. Even pulling trailer i have 400 mile range. What mpg does your diesel get pulling?

Shortbed F350 with a 6.2 here.....34 gallon tank. Solid 225-245 mile range towing for me, depending on terrain. Gas up 2x per day on long trips. When possible, I gas up the second time with truck only, after we set up! Avoids any potential stress!

[JRTJH]

I had a 2013 F250 6.2L gas truck with a 35 gallon tank. Towing averaged around 8MPG, so that's around 280 miles on a tank. When towing, we tried not to let the tank get below 1/4 full, so that's around 9 gallons left in the tank. That's not a "lot of fudge factor" if you're in the southwest....

We usually got about 200 miles between fill-ups, and in the desert, we never let it drop below half a tank, so that's about every 125-150 miles between fill-ups.

[Fourbtgait]

For 2 years I also pulled with an F150 and a 34 gallon tank. Averaging 10 mpg, so up to 300 miles if I wanted to push it. But even average 250 miles per tank is far cry from 2 hours, which was my point.
I’m still curious what people get per mpg on diesels towing. My 99 Ford diesel though towed great was disappointing with mileage.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Fourbtgait

You must of had small tank. Even pulling trailer i have 400 mile range. What mpg does your diesel get pulling?

My last F350 srw short bed had a 26 gallon tank and a 3450 payload. 3000# pw left no room for an aux as I was at max and at times over. Current long bed has a 48 gallon tank and 5600# payload. Now 3250 pw and 50 gallon aux and room to spare. 5er scales 15 - 15,325 getting 10.2 avg in Smokies at 65-68 mph. Not much different on flat land. Not much different with srw either

[flybouy]

Asking about fuel milage is like asking a group of men how big ... of a fish they caught. The trurh? So many variables it's hard to quantify. I can tell you those that report towing a 19K trailer at 80 mph all day up hill all the way and get 25 mpg may be exagerating just a wee bit.

The answer to "which is better, gas or diesel " is like asking if "your wife is pretty". It's all about what YOU want and YOU are the sole proprietor of that information.

[Fourbtgait]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Asking about fuel milage is like asking a group of men how big ... of a fish they caught. The trurh? So many variables it's hard to quantify. I can tell you those that report towing a 19K trailer at 80 mph all day up hill all the way and get 25 mpg may be exagerating just a wee bit.

The answer to "which is better, gas or diesel " is like asking if "your wife is pretty". It's all about what YOU want and YOU are the sole proprietor of that information.

Agree.
And one cannot compare an older model gas engine with current ones for gas mileage. Transmissions, etc have come a long way.
It is up to the OP to make his decision based upon his needs, which can be multi-faceted and not just based upon towing, but daily needs.

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by Fourbtgait

Agree.
And one cannot compare an older model gas engine with current ones for gas mileage. Transmissions, etc have come a long way.
It is up to the OP to make his decision based upon his needs, which can be multi-faceted and not just based upon towing, but daily needs.

I don't think there's enough difference in the mileage to matter really. And now that diesel fuel is only a dime or so higher than regular I wouldn't be concerned. I checked my mileage once a few years ago and it was only 8 or 9 mpg, but I did have the cruise set at 75.

[RickV]

At the end of the day ask yourself this question. Is there "any" chance that in the future I will be upgrading to a bigger heavier RV. If your answer is yes there in lies your answer. Our 1st 5ver was a used 30' 9000 lb Rockwood and it pulled great behind my 2003 F250 7.3 PS diesel. Two years later we upgraded to a 36' 13000 lb Crusader and while the F250 was able to fine it wasn't legal was 200lb over GVWR of the truck so, I bought a used 2003 3500 Chevy Duramax Dually. Bought current 5er and Duramax while was good with GVWR it was limited to 15600 lbs of 5er tow capacity. So I had buy another truck, this time I bought way more then I needed at the moment because who knows what I'll need in the future. So buy more then you need because someday you'll need it.

[hondapro87]

Diesel hands down, I will never go back to gas. The gas engines get the job done but turn alot of rpm doing so and for me I just get tired of hearing it.
The diesel will cost more up front but you will get most of that back at trade in time.