I'm also in the market for a 5Th wheel this spring. Last fall went out and bought a new PU to haul it.
I looked real hard at diesel vs. gas and did a lot of research on both plus talked to a number of my shooting buddies that had diesels. I ended up buying a Chevy Extended Cab 2500HD with 6L gas, 6 speed tranny.
1. I live where it gets cold and didn't want to have to plug in the truck every night
2. I'll use the truck 75% for travel and 25% for towing
3. I get 14 in town and 18 on the highway, just a 1 or 2 mpg short of my buddy's diesels.
4. Gas is almost 50cents cheaper than diesel, makes up for the difference in mpg.
5. Maintenace is half what the diesel costs, oil changes and repairs.
6. The $8000 difference in price from gas vs diesel will buy a lot of gas.
7. Availability of fuel when traveling in remote places.
Three of my friend that own diesels now say if they buy new it will be gass.
Those are the reasons I bought what I did, I'm sure you diesel owners have your own reasons and I guess that's why they offer both.
Since you tow rarely vs. commuting etc., the gas makes sense.. Your mpg is about right.. But what is it when you're actually towing? Gas here is 2.79/gal. Diesel's 2.95/gal, not much different.. Oil changes are $90 for my diesel, $34 for a similar gas.. But I can go 5000-7500 miles between changes vs. 3000-5000 for a gas truck.. Overall, it's close. Where the difference will come into play is longevity between the two.. The diesel can literally last a lifetime.. I got one calf-hauler in town who had over 1 million miles on his 7.3 and it still ran well. Towing with a gas engine over that period and you'll be on your 3rd engine, plus..
I hear ya on the $8,000 difference though.. It's a bunch.. But when you wanna tow serious loads for a long time it's the only way to go - and worth every penny.. My truck should last me the rest of my life. I have no intention of ever replacing it..
