Appropriate towing vehicle/ updated 1/24

[Hemlockusa]

RICHFAA and all he rest said it best. The V 10 will do the job, a Diesel is better. We would all love to have you as a fellow MOC'er. What ever you choose, prehaps you could make it to the BRANSON GET TOGEATHER IN MAY 2008 and show it off...
Safe Travels my friend John

[branmo6x]

I pulled a mountineer 298 for 2 years with a f 250 with a 5.4 and
a 4.10 rear end. It handled the trailer well on level roads and
ok on most hills. It really was kind of slow on start up and worked
hard on windy days. I have recently traded for a v 10 and it's
made a world of difference in moving from a dead stop, pulling
up hills and the gas milage is a little better

[quarrles]

Just wondering that with the cost of gas down some,($2.83) around here, would the gasser actually be a better buy for now? We have an 08' diesel dually but that diesel fuel seems to be holding price pretty good around here, N Fl and S Ga, at around $ 3.30 a gal. Just a thought.

John

[richfaa]

The new diesel motors do not get the fuel economy that the older ones did. The ULSD fuel and the emission standards have greatly reduced the MPG.The gap between gas and diesel is far less than it once was. At todays fuel prices and the MPG V-10 vs 6.4L diesel we would save 36.00 per thousand miles with the diesel.(towing)

[TLightning]

The V10 will take care of the engine part of the equation...however, the 3/4 ton part is still very questionable. Check the pin weight and GW of the Montana and the numbers for the truck (GVWR and GCWR).

[quarrles]

My 2004 GMC dually 3500 with the Duramax and five speed Ally trans did not get as good mileage as the 2008 35000 Chevy dually does with the Ally six speed. I don't have the expertise to try to explain why other than the six speed cruises at a considerably lower RPM than the 2004 did. We have not done enough towing to be able to calculate any appreciable savings or loss due to the new rig. The mileage is better just not enough miles on it to classify as to the reasons.

That $36.00 per thousand miles is considerable savings over the gasser though Rich. We'll try to get some better info on our next trip. Would like to try a run through the southwest from north central Fl. hopefully in mid March. Thanks for the info, and to try to stay on topic, we tried to tow a 24' TT that we bought for ranch use in N. Alabama with a 2500 GMC gasser and had some real problems until we got the 2004 GMC dually diesel in front of it.

Best...John

[sreigle]

The update mentions having traded for a Ford V10 and asks if that engine is a good choice. It is an excellent towing engine as several here can attest. We began our fulltiming adventures with a 1999 F350 V10. It did a very good job. It was rather thirsty, but it towed our 2003 3295RK very nicely including up and over I-70 in Colorado.

We've been using diesels since 2003. I'm still getting 30% to 40% better mileage with the diesel than I ever got with the V10. But the V10 is a very strong engine and will last a long time, taken care of properly. Good luck with it.

By the way, a 2005 or later F250 has HIGHER tow ratings, GCWR and GVWR ratings than did our 1999 F350 and 2003 F350. All were single rear wheel trucks, none were dually.