Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives At what percentage of miles, do I become a tower?

I have a 2019 Chevy Duramax 2500HD. BS about payload. It's pay load is about same as the sister gasser. BS about fuel savings.Those big gassers require premium fuel. Around here diesel is $2.76, Premium gas is over $3.00. You can get buy with a 3:55 or 3:73 rear end with the diesel, but the big gassers have to have a 4:10 or so to achieve their to pulling power and that gobbles more gas per mile.
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Indeed a 1/2 T will pull a 6K trailer without any problems as long as the trailer has adequate brakes, not pulling 10,00 ft passes, or frequent travel is above 5000 feet elevation.

I only have about 5800 miles on my truck, but figured the hunting trips I took in the last year and I am running about 30% towing. Most of that is with the slide in camper, gear, 3 horse slant trailer, 2 mules, hay, feed, water and tack, Going down the road I am at about 16,500pounds. I get 18-21 mpg empty running about 68,12 mpg fully loaded.It pulls these Colorado high mountain passes with ease. Hauling gravel with a 14ft dump trailer,scales read 19,300 pounds. Truck, trailer and gravel.

Previous I had a 98 Dodge fro20 years with the Cummins and it is about the same, a little better mileage fully loaded but it had the 3::55 in it.

Buying a truck is a little like building a shop or barn.You always do it bigger than what you think you need. I haven't had 1/2 T truck since my 58 Ford with the old flat head engine and 4 sp.

I haven't had 1/2 T truck since my 58 Ford with the old flat head engine and 4 sp.

Um, there was never a '58 Ford pickup with a flathead engine in it, that I can recall? Either had a puny OHV straight six, or the 272 V8, unless I am mistaken here. One of my farmer uncles had a '56 and I know that had an OHV V8 in it. Can remember him hauling 100lb sacks of cow feed on that poor old thing, when the rear bumper barely cleared the road. Was only about an eight mile trip from the Agway in town (GLF in the early days) to his farm, but that Ford never let him down.

Around these parts, diesel is going for about $3.39 to $3.49 a gallon. 87 octane gas, maybe $2.69 to $2.75 currently. 89 octane and up, close and over $3. I'm old enough to remember when diesel was way cheaper than regular gas.

I've pulled 8K lb loads with two different GM 1500 4x4 pickups with 3:42 gears. One a four speed auto, the current one a six speed auto, all with 5.3L V8s, trailering package and tow haul mode. No sweat at all. Difference is, don't do it all that often now.

Diesel pickups have declined in popularity around here, as I see far fewer of them than just a few years ago. Most on the roads are older ones driven by youngsters that still think it makes them cool. See a kid every day in a RAM crew dually. Have yet to see him pull anything, or have a damn thing in the bed, but he flogs hell outta that thing every day.

But, whatever trips one's trigger, eh?

Dube PA. My memory gets foggy at times. .It could have been that V8. Could be I am remembering my old 49 Plymouth or 53 Chevy. I sold the 58 Ford and replaced it with a 70 Dodge 3/4 T V8 (383?). All that was about 50 years ago.I do remember pulling a 4 horse trailer with it loaded with 4 horse and no brake controller, over Glorietta Pass in NM.

If you are in PA (where I was born) it is a lot different pulling these 10,000 ft passes in Colorado

I ain't making numbers up. Its about a 1/3 of my miles, not particulary heavy, but noticebable.

I'd never buy a truck based on mileage. I'm buying a truck, not a daily driver, but I do still think about pulling a trailer with my buddes powerstoke that didn't have a single indication it was pulling a trailer. That sensation lingers in my mind. I ain't saying its right, but its still there.

I'm not in any hurry, but could pay for a truck today. Maybe I'm over thinking this.

I think for what you describe you might be well served by a half ton Ford with the 3.5 Ecoboost. My Grandad and a good friend of mine both have them and pull campers and assorted stock and utility trailers. They will flat pull, plenty of power. Both get 8-12 mpg towing depending on wind and speeds. Grandad will probably never buy another truck, he’s 87 and starting to slow down, been nothing but satisfied with the truck since he drove it off the lot.

Buddy loves the ride, power, and mileage of his but told me recently he’s probably going to go 3/4 ton gas for his next one. His only complaint is that in some situations he feels like the truck is lacking in the stability department. Stiffer springs, more rigid frame, E rated tires, and larger brakes on the 3/4 should help with that. His camper is a 28’ bumper pull, so likely heavier and definitely more wind resistance than your box trailer.

Another good friend has a Raptor with the Ecoboost and 10 speed. We pulled a 20’ enclosed race car trailer loaded heavy to Colorado last year elk hunting with it. I was amazed at the way it pulled and handled in Tow mode. He is a big time farmer with a 1 ton Ford diesel of every generation going back to the first year Powerstroke and ending with a 2015 6.7 Powerstroke in his barn. He claims he’d give them all up for gas if Ford would make a V8 Ecoboost and put it in 1 ton cab and chassis.

Read up on octane and elevation...detonation is a bigger problem at low elevations. Most cars that require 87 only require it at maybe 2000' or less. Those of us at higher elevations can run 85 with no detonation. The thinner air compensates for the octane.

"If you are in PA (where I was born) it is a lot different pulling these 10,000 ft passes in Colorado".

So I hear. Maybe 30 years ago a PA aunt and uncle were headed for the coast with a Suburban diesel pulling a small RV. Got to the Rockies and it about croaked on 'em. Had to head into a GM dealer for some adjustments before continuing on west. Then if IIRC, do a reset on the other side? They came back via the southwest, uncle ditched that vehicle not long after they got home.

Those were GM's initial diesels in the mid 80s that were pretty crappy. Have friends that've been to CO and other mountain states hunting, with late model diesel 4x4s. Don't remember them grumbling much about altitude issues, like my uncle had back then?

Was that the Olds 350 engine in the late 70's, early 80's? My partner had one and it was a terrible engine. He got rid of it in short order. It wouldn't pull anything and was always in the shop. GM made a big mistake with that one.
A lot of people think it was a converted 350 gas engine but it was a totally different design. It just happened to have some of the same specs as the gasser.

The half ton trucks will do the job, no doubt.

But, there is no substitute for the torque of a diesel, and the heavy duty frame, brakes and suspension of a 3/4 or 1 ton truck, for stability and stopping ability, especially in hilly terrain. My 2014 Ram 2500 is my daily, and I use it to tow cars, side by sides, and occasionally my 28ft camper. I have towed about 36k miles in 140k miles total, so I'm definitely not a full time tower. But what most here are missing, is the ease of pulling and stopping with a diesel. The fuel mileage while towing is just a bonus, but coming through Pigeon Forge in Tennessee with a 6000lb SUV on a 2000lb trailer, using that exhaust brake going down without worrying about burning up the brakes, going up without beating the truck to death, that's what makes having a diesel worthwhile.

Yes, you might save some coin on the overall ownership experience, but I want the right tool for the right job.

Mid eighties they were probably 6.2s. Way more reliable units than the 5.7 GM diesels that debuted in the 70s but very underpowered by today’s standards. The reason they were no good at altitude was that they were naturally aspirated. The turbocharger is the reason modern diesel engines perform better at high altitudes than other engines. It compresses and forces air into the combustion chambers, making more oxygen available to help the fuel burn.

Used to be lots of 6.2s around here, they usually got decent mileage and back then diesel was half the price of gas or less. I’ve driven several and none were anything but slugs, even in Blazers and half ton pickups. Of course I think they were factory rated at around 120 horsepower.

My uncle had a 3/4 ton 4x4 GMC with a 6.2. Going to Colorado elk hunting pulling a trailer nearly eradicated mosquitoes from a tristate area. Talk about smoke! After that gutless wonder ate it’s 7th or 8th starter in 2 years he traded it in for an identical new one but with a 454. I think it was on it’s 4th automatic transmission in 2 years when it set itself on fire and burned down his garage. Pickups sure weren’t what they are now back in the day.

Sometimes you do overthink it. Buy what you want and not what will just do the job.

Before buying a truck for the mileage, consider how much fuel you can buy with the $10k you'd save on a truck that gets 2 mpg less.

I had an old Ford Dually gasser .It was the last year Ford put carburetors on trucks , but I forget the year. Had it about ten years, probably around 1988 or so.. 454, 4 spreed, 4:10 rear end. Gong up mountain passes, fully loaded with 20 ft goosneck, I got 3mpg if it made it up the mountain without vapor locking. On an over all trip of 450 miles, two mountain passes I averaged 6mpg. Going up, I was mostly in 1st gear going 12mph. Best I got empty was 8mpg. I finally fixed the vapor locking with an ice bucket like racers use and an extra fuel pump, inline, mounted to the frame. After it left me stranded going into the tunnel on Loveland pass and I had the whole rig towed to Idaho Springs to replace the hydraulic line to the clutch .I sold it and bought the 98 Dodge Cummins, 5 speed.3:55 rear end. It averaged 14mpg over an all trip or 450 miles, two passes and 22 mpg empty.and usually topped the pass in 4th gear

Since then I know fuel injected engines get a lot better mileage, but I'd never buy another gasser for any type of towing.This V8 Duramax I have now gets 13 mpg fully loaded and 18-20 empty and handles up t 23,000 pounds GCVR

I remember vapor lock very well. I've had my share of it. I once had a Jeep Wagoneer with a 401 that was terrible for it. When you shut the engine off, you could actually hear the gas boiling in the carb. I fixed it with an electric fuel pump mounted well away from the engine so it was pushing cold fuel from the tank all the time.
That thing was a powerhouse but it didn't get much better mileage than your truck. It was designed by a committee of idiots.

If you are towing anything, of any significant size and weight, diesel power is never a wrong choice. I have owned three diesel trucks, the current one being a GMC Sierra 2500 HD, and 4 gas trucks. Towed a lot of different things, from ATV trailers to loaded horse trailers and my current travel trailer, with most of them, and the ease of towing and safety factor with a 2500 diesel simply can't be equalled with lesser trucks and gas engines. In addition, the current crop of diesels, with exhaust braking systems, make downhill towing with heavy loads a breeze. If you are going to tow on flat land, maybe you are okay with gas trucks. If you are towing over high mountain passes, like we have here in Colorado, it's a whole different game.

"Was that the Olds 350 engine in the late 70's, early 80's?"

Remember those nasty things well. Knew two people that had them in GM pickups and swapped in a 5.7 gasser to replace the half arsed diesels, once they'd croaked. And a neighbor with a Olds Vista Cruiser, that swapped the OEM diesel for an Olds 350 gasser. Those 350 Olds gas V8s were decent engines. A cousin ran two of them over the years, in Street Stock dirt track races. IRRC, they put out more torque than the 5.7 Chevy engines?

Think my uncle's Suburban that balked in the Rockies, was the first generation 6.2? Neighbor pulled about a 28' tag along RV for years with a 3/4 ton Chevy, 5.7 engine. Got a new RAM maybe a year or two into the Cummins era and loved that diesel for pulling that camper.

There is nothing wrong with having two trucks. My daily work truck is 1/2 ton gas rig. It can tow light trailers without any issues. It is also taking all mileage as a tax deduction. My tow rig is a 07 5.9 dodge diesel with under 70K on it. I keep Commercial Insurance on it for heavy towing but do not write it off.

TimberRunner, when you're towing on the highway how fast do you tow, and what sort of terrain? In the Central and Western US one can often run 70's and 80's for hundreds of miles with the cruise set and never touch it. Any of the modern turbo diesel's are going to click along effortlessly almost never shifting out of the highest gear even with a moderate load. That's where the diesel is so much "fun" to drive. It's 180Mi to the lake I like to fish. With my last 1/2tn 5.4L Ford ('05) I knew the 1/2 dozen places my truck was going to shift out of OD, and if I had any headwind at all, I'd lock out OD right away. Same trip with my previous '06 Ford F250 6.0L PSD or current '11 6.7L PSD the trucks would/will run in 5th/6th gear and never shift short of when I have to slow down to switch highways.

Get into parts of the US with denser populations and/or lower speed limits where you're on/off the throttle, lots of shifting, and one might notice less difference between gas vs. diesel.

Never tow medium to heavy loads with OD locked in. Surefire way to torch the auto tranny

You lock out 5th and 6th When you tow in your new Duramax?