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Old 06-21-2019, 10:45 AM   #21
dfb
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42 foot? And you are considering gas? I hear the Ford ranger with the 3.9 is a great tow rig..
 
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Old 06-21-2019, 01:11 PM   #22
TLightning
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Don’t do it. Diesel is the only way to pull these beasts
Agree.
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Old 06-22-2019, 03:36 AM   #23
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Diesel all the way. My 2017 Ford F350 is a 6.7 and pulls my 40ft fiver up and down mountains like nothing there. Plus was getting about 12 mpg avg.
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Old 06-22-2019, 05:44 AM   #24
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If you want to feel like you are rowing up hills, gas for sure. We made the same mountainous trip - once with the gas V10 and then with the diesel 6.7. No comparison. I was tired out after the gasser trip and 30 mph on long grades and a 4000 rpm screaming engine in a low gear. That diesel went up the hills at the posted speed limit and - maybe - 2200 rpm. Then there is that fuel economy. Diesel in my case was ~2X better then the V10
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Old 06-22-2019, 09:28 AM   #25
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“ My DW put her foot down on the 03 at 265k miles and said I’m not going to travel anymore unless we get a new truck because this one breaks everytime we go on a trip. “


Me, too. I have / had a 2000 Ford F250 Super Duty diesel 7.3. Great truck, and I planned to keep it until I died. Had to put a new tranny in it a couple of years ago, and my wife said she has no confidence in it any more.

We now have a 2019 F350 Super Duty on order. Talk about sticker shock!
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Old 06-22-2019, 09:33 AM   #26
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Our 2005 F-350 V-10 was a great truck but just not adequate for a heavy Montana being used nearly full time.
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Old 06-22-2019, 10:49 AM   #27
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Funny how we complain about the build quality of the modern RV, but sing the praises of the modern unreliable diesel. Almost everybody has had expensive repairs and often trips interrupted because of breakdowns, sometimes requiring towing of both the truck and trailer. I can't remember the last time one of my gas vehicles had to be towed. While I'll be the first to admit that the power and so called "fuel economy" of the diesels is far superior to its gas counterpart, if a gas engine was available at about 75% of the diesels performance I think it would be an overwhelming success. Sure your fuel cost would go up, but that $10,000 or so you saved by not paying for the diesel option would go a LONG way to cover gas costs. Your maintenance costs would also be much lower. When I sold my 90 F350 7.3 and bought my 05 F250 6.0 I was thrilled with the power increase and thought that it was all the power you would ever need. The 6.0 was 325 hp and about 570 lbs of torque if I remember right and the only time I wished for more power was in the high mountains with long steep climbs. If Ford can come in as predicted with a gas engine somewhere between their current gas offering and the diesel at say 400 hp and 650 to 700 lbs of torque than I think it would be an excellent choice for most of the Montana owners
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Old 06-22-2019, 11:12 AM   #28
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Theunz, the 7.3 was good. I had one but would be a dog with today's heavier rigs. If poor reliability is being judged by that 6.0 then I would agree with you. One must consider resale value of the diesel option. 400 hp and 700 lbs tq in a gasser towing 13k would require its own fuel tanker.
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Old 06-22-2019, 12:44 PM   #29
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Montana Man, it's not just the 6.0, it's all modern diesels. Awhile back I posted on one of the largest Rv forms. I asked who has a 2017 or newer diesel with a hundred thousand miles that hasn't had an expensive powertrain repair. Out of apx 60 replies, I think their were only 2 or 3 respondents who said that they had not. The modern diesel is plagued by two problems that currently have no easy fix. The first and foremost is the pollution controls and the second is the close tolerances of the fuel injection system vs the poor quality of diesel fuel. These issues are much easier alleviated with a gas engine. I said that if a gas engine could hit 75% of a diesels performance, and that would include fuel economy, that it would be a viable option. Right now regular is 27 cents a gallon cheaper than diesel. I've read enough post on fuel economy to see that 10 mpg is pretty normal for pulling the weight of most Montanas. At the current cost of 246 for diesel it will cost you $246 dollars to go 1,000 miles vs. $291 on gas, a difference of $45. You are going to have to drive a lot of miles to pay off that 10,000 diesel option. Now, can that engine be built? Sure, but will it? Probably not. I don't think that there is enough customers to offset the development costs, plus it would just take away the high profit diesel sales. Perhaps a better and more economical path would be a mid size V-8 With electric assist. As I mentioned previously, even my 6.0 had plenty of power except for high mountain driving, and electric assist could provide that reserve.
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Old 06-22-2019, 01:11 PM   #30
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F-350 2008, 6 .4 l diesel, over 130K miles 95 % of which are pulling a heavy Montana. Except for regular routine maint never a problem. Pulled several thousand miles same weight RV with a 2005 F-350 V-10. MPG towing on a good day 7MPG most of the time 5MPG sometimes going up a steep grade 4 mpg. Solo best we ever got was 11MPG on the straight and level. The 6.4 MPG at the end of the average day 10 to 11 MPG pulling a heavy 2013 3402, solo 15 to 18 on the straight and level . We have seen it drop to 9MPG going up fancy, Gap,va and backing off the throttle to keep it at 62 and the pre turbo at or under 1200F. We still have plenty of throttle left on the 6.4L but none on the V-10 at maybe 35MPH. We had the V-10 strong motor but for dragging around a heavy RV we will stick with the diesel/
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Old 06-22-2019, 01:16 PM   #31
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If the 2020 Ford 7.3 gas engine proves its worth, I could conceivably be tempted to look at that if I need a new truck. Until then, I'll happily drive my 2011 with a 6.7 diesel that, to date, has never had a driveline problem at 118,310 miles. It does throw a P0401 EGR cooler code but can be cleared with my Scan Gauge for up to several weeks until it lights up again. Supposedly that code/possible cooler problem hurts fuel mileage but we just did a 225 mile trip through the Adirondacks at 19.5 mpg with a fairly heavy bed load though no 5er.



Heck, my little 1985 3 cylinder, 17 drawbar horsepower ISEKI diesel tractor at about 2000 hours runs great and for sure has outlasted most gas counterparts and has burned less fuel
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Old 06-22-2019, 01:18 PM   #32
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Montana Man, it's not just the 6.0, it's all modern diesels. Awhile back I posted on one of the largest Rv forms. I asked who has a 2017 or newer diesel with a hundred thousand miles that hasn't had an expensive powertrain repair. Out of apx 60 replies, I think their were only 2 or 3 respondents who said that they had not. The modern diesel is plagued by two problems that currently have no easy fix. The first and foremost is the pollution controls and the second is the close tolerances of the fuel injection system vs the poor quality of diesel fuel. These issues are much easier alleviated with a gas engine. I said that if a gas engine could hit 75% of a diesels performance, and that would include fuel economy, that it would be a viable option. Right now regular is 27 cents a gallon cheaper than diesel. I've read enough post on fuel economy to see that 10 mpg is pretty normal for pulling the weight of most Montanas. At the current cost of 246 for diesel it will cost you $246 dollars to go 1,000 miles vs. $291 on gas, a difference of $45. You are going to have to drive a lot of miles to pay off that 10,000 diesel option. Now, can that engine be built? Sure, but will it? Probably not. I don't think that there is enough customers to offset the development costs, plus it would just take away the high profit diesel sales. Perhaps a better and more economical path would be a mid size V-8 With electric assist. As I mentioned previously, even my 6.0 had plenty of power except for high mountain driving, and electric assist could provide that reserve.
That gasoline engine would be easy to build. Ford would call it an Ecoboost. I have a 2.7 Ecoboost with 325 Hp and 400 TK the 3.5 Ecoboost has 450 HP and 510 TK up it to 6 or 6.5 and you would have a pulling machine. Max torque comes at around 2500 RPMs and you have over 90% of torque from under 2000 RPMs all the way to 5000 RPMs. My F150 averages over 22 MPH. The Ecoboost engines take your pick Eco or Boost but you can’t have both.

If someone would build it I’d be the first in line to get one. Until then I’ll just stick with my tuned 6.4 with 600 HP and 1100 TK.
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Old 06-22-2019, 03:10 PM   #33
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So I'm wondering which way is the OP leaning toward, gas or diesel?
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Old 06-22-2019, 03:23 PM   #34
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He's probably leaning in the direction of SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed).
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Old 06-22-2019, 03:52 PM   #35
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Lol, most of us can relate on that.
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Old 06-22-2019, 04:38 PM   #36
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Hopefully the OP does let us know.

Theunz, run those numbers out to 100k. Using your numbers that would come to $4500 in fuel savings. Nearly half the extra cost. A 400 hp gasser getting 7.5 mpg I think would be a stretch. Selling a diesel vs. a gasser with 100k is a big difference. The other half of the added cost would easily be recouped.

The pollution controls and fuel systems are (or used to be anyway) warrantied for 100k miles because they were smog equipment. GM's have the fuel pump issues, Ford hasn't had a decent powertrain in years. Ram powertrain is near bullet proof but the rest of the truck is so so. It doesn't matter anyway since gassers just aren't available to compare.
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Old 06-22-2019, 08:22 PM   #37
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Diesel if for no other reason than the exhaust brake. Dually for the same reason others mentioned it, more tires to spread the hitch weight across.


Like others on here, I had less of a truck before I traded up to the diesel dually. I was absolutely shocked at the difference. I wouldn't even remotely consider going back to anything less even if technically it could handle the weight based on ratings.
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Old 06-24-2019, 12:50 AM   #38
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I'm towing my HC 330RL with a 2016 Ram 3500 gas 6.4 4.10 and I'm fine with it. It's well within all weight ratings and towing capabilities of my truck.

That said, I looked up the specs of your trailer and at 16,800 gvwr (I never use dry weight) there's no way I'd tow it with my gas truck. According to the towing charts, the 2019 Ram 6.4 3500 SRW with the 4.10 and 8 speed is rated at 16,800, but you'd be at the limit. I would either wait for the new generation of larger gas engines or get a diesel.
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Old 06-24-2019, 05:04 PM   #39
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When I got my truck it was a easy decision for me I had to have the diesel As of right now I have been from coast to coast twice. I do however live on the west coast. and have made one trip to Illinois to catch route 66 then head back to Ca. I have been over almost every mountain pass in the country. There is no way I would attempt this without a diesel. Also I have had zero problems with my truck. Not one engine light nothing. Mine is a 15 F250 Lariat. I have already replaced my first set of tires. I got 50,000 miles from the Continentals that came on the truck. I didn't like the tread pattern because it would pick up the small rocks. Now it picks up the big ones. Maybe I will go back to the Continentals. LOL But I'm sticking with the diesel. It's not a matter of money it's a matter that i got the power.
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Old 06-25-2019, 04:34 AM   #40
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I agree with the thoughts above. We have a diesel F350 SRW pulling a 2011 3400RL. Yes, it pulls like a dream, however with the smaller amount of camping we are getting to do, I wish I had gotten a gas instead. With the mileage you are talking about towing per year, diesel would be the way to go.
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