If you buy a dually look at miles and hours. Make sure it wasn't a hot shot truck, I'd even go as far as say watch out for the ones pulling travel trailers as a large part of their life. You can find plenty that have only been used to pull a utility trailer or boat occasionally. Even goosenecked occasionally won't hurt it. But pulling 24/7 tends to wear them out quicker .

If you are still "leaning" and not convinced I'd tell you don't worry about it and just buy a gasser. That way I can laugh at you when you find out you should have listened the first time. That's what I'd do to a friend... You can lead a horse to water... as the old sayin goes!

 

dually's are very stable when towing. But unloaded there alittle bumpier , harder to park, and tires are alot more $, so if u don't tow real heavy a SRW would be fine, but Duallys look cool to IMO.

 

You asked why I switched from diesel to gas.

We had about 250,000 kms on the diesel when we traded. There were no signs of any problems with the engine or power train so I am sure it would have lasted a long time with no problems.

Well, we drove a 1992 Dodge diesel for 14 years and it performed very well but we found the in-cab noise somewhat louder than the modern trucks and I believe you are familiar with the outside noise of the pre 2000 models so we decided to get something more modern. Since our holiday trailer (5th wheel) is only 21 feet and weighs 5,600 lbs, we thought a half ton with a small V8 would handle the trailer OK and it does just fine. We now have a 2003 Dodge 1500 with a 4.7 V8. which has taken us 90,000 kms most of which has been towing our trailer. It does power out on the big long hills and if facing a strong wind, it struggles a bit , but then so did our diesel under these same situations but to a lesser degree.

As for mpg, the diesel got 15.5 to 16 mpg towing the trailer while the gas job gets 12.5 to 13 mpg so diesel is a little better. But when we factored in the extra cost of the diesel, it would take thousands of miles of trailering to save the extra cost for the diesel engine. In addition, we have found that diesel fuel costs more than regular grade gasoline in most of the southern states so if it is a question of economy, I think the modern gas engines in the trucks of today would be the least costly way to go. Owners of the larger gas engines seem to be quite happy and fuel economy is similar to what I am getting with my 4.7 V8. I will likely go for the large gas engine the next time around.

Diesel does have more power to handle the larger trailers and the new quiet models don’t seem to be any louder than the gas trucks so I guess it depends on your preferences and pocket book.

Barb doesn’t like the smell of diesel but I can’t say that it was a factor in deciding to get a truck with a gas engine.

As for your other questions, Barb will get back to you soon. She is still getting organized after returning from our little camping trip.

Cheers!

Gary

Gary and Barb travel to Mexico each late fall before the cold weather starts and they return to Calgary, Alberta sometime in the spring time. During the summer, they put on presentations in Alberta about holidaying throughout different areas of Mexico during the entire winter time.

 

How did you get 12.5-13 with a 4.7? My old durango with the 4.7 got 9 with anything hooked to the back.

 

Don't do what my brother in law did. He had a ford expedition and went and bought a 33' bumper pull travel trailer. I gave him a month before he was looking for something different to pull that trailer. Well it took him 2 months and he was hating doing 45mph up a hill with his foot to the floor so he bought a 07 F350 srw with everything but 4 wheel drive. He's a little better off with a diesel but has a bumper pull when he could have a fifth wheel and a 2wd that won't get him far off road in slick conditions with a load.

My advice is to get a Dodge 3500 dually 4x4 then go pick out a trailer knowing your truck can handle any travel trailer on the dealers lot. Or you can get the truck you want and knowing its limits get a trailer it can handle. I wouldn't trust the trailer salesman to sell you one that fits your vehicle, he will probably try to sell you the biggest you can afford. You can see this on your local interstate with 3/4 and sometimes 1/2 ton gassers towing big trailers, the front looks like its lifted 6 inches and the rear is squashed way down. Basically do your research and stick to it.

 

Suprisingly enough my Hemi didn't do too bad when I would tow my car if I drove it right. Especially if I didn't put it in tow/haul mode.... Not a 4.7 but you get the idea.

 

Based on the tremondous amount of complaints and "lemon law" statements concerning the introduction of the new 6.7l Cummins and new exhaust regs ... if your are purchasing a new diesel truck in the next year ... I hate to say it but the best truck out there with the best dealer service would be a 3500 Chevy/GMC Duramax.

The new Dodge is a POS.

 

I must be missing something, I haven't been paying enough attention, I never heard of the large amounts of complaints let alone the lemon lawed ones for the 6.7.

 

I only heerd that the programming for the DPF was NG. Based on that programming, umpteen of 'em had to go to the dealer for reprogramming and/or repair. But the truck and engine itself is solid, from what I gather.

 

Go read the 6.7 forum on here and the TDR. Sad to see the problems that this model year is having.

 

Ahhh, I see now. But I don't see anything about flames coming out of the tail pipe, but I also have slow internet and can't read them all.

 

Well, since you are here on DTR, that makes you a friend, and here's what I'd tell you:


-- Diesels are wonderful in many ways, but they are not a panacea of perfection. You have to way different factors into the equation and decide if the cost/benefit is appropriate in your case. Maintenance on a diesel runs anywhere from a little more to a LOT more. Look at the cost of replacement parts. Anyone wanting to shock themselves should look at the cost of a Duramax or Cummins long block compared to a LS or Hemi!

-- Fuel prices are volatile now, and the cost per mile of a diesel may actually be higher than a gas, even if you ignore maintenance costs.

--- Buy PLENTY of truck for that 5th wheel. In my mind, that means a dually for stability. That also means lower gear ratio- like a 4.10 instead of a 3.55, for example. Towing a tall 5th wheel is best done at slower speeds, imo-- 65mph tops. The aero penalty of a fiver really makes faster speeds a bad idea, both in terms of MPG and in terms of safety.

-- Don't put too much stock in a brand name. A truck doesn't have any magic powers just because it says Dodge or Ford or Chevy on it.

-- Don't overlook the importance of the transmission. An engine has an important role to play, but the transmission ALSO has a huge role to play. I'd consider a GM truck just to get the Allison trans. The new Mopar 68RE has to prove itself, but it should hold up quite well. IMO, the newer automatics have removed most of the justification for going with a manual tranny. Heck, GM doesn't even offer a manual trans in theiir diesel trucks, and it doesn't seem to hurt sales much. All that to say that the trans is important, but they're all pretty good now, ESPECIALLY over what was out just 5-8 years ago.

-- Interior quality matters a lot. Interior comfort should be a huge priority, as this is where you spend the vast majority of your time with the truck, and it's how you interact with it. A nicer interior pays off big time in the "joy of ownership" category.

-- Give *serious* thought to buying a 2wd- ESPECIALLY for towing on the hwy. The 2wd gives better mpg, will tow more (lighter weight leaves more GVWR available), is more comfortable (sits lower), and has a LOT fewer parts to go wrong. Unless you need 4wd or expect to tow in conditions where it might really be needed (winter towing out West, for example), then a 2wd will be better overall. With good tires and some ballast in the bed, a 2wd truck can handle snow just fine. Without those, you'll get to experience why 2wd duallies are legendarily terrible in the snow!

-- Consider having the truck "done" with LizardSkin or the like. LizardSkin is like a thick ceramic-rubber undercoating that seals things and dampens sound. It will prevent rust on the undercarriage, the drastic reduction in road noise will greatly increase the comfort of hwy trips. www.lizardskin.com

-- Make sure you understand any unique limitations or quirks of a certain truck. Things come to mind like the Chevy's incompatibility with tire chains, and the Dodge's bum lift pumps.

-- If you do consider a gas truck, give Ford a look. If diesel turns out to be best for you, forget a Ford unless you find a good 7.3 that's been well-maintained. A 7.3 Ford is a truck almost anyone can like (though the ones I've driven have been really gutless-- but I'm spoiled.)

-- Decide if re-sale matters. If it does, then commit to keeping the truck pretty much completely stock until you get rid of it. If you are buying the truck to run it into the ground, then feel free to customize as you wish. I chose the latter.

-- Ditto on warranty, as aftermarket air in your tires will probably void your warranty.

--ENJOY! If you don't truly enjoy the truck and the RVing it provides, move on.

Justin

 

Justin, nice write up.

I have to say though, if there is any chance of leaving the pavement then I'd say look hard at a 4x4. And I'm not talking about "off roading". Having a 2wd is going to limit you and might make things interesting in certain situations. I'm not familiar with snow so I can't speak on it.

I bought my 4x4 because I thought it looked better. I'm glad I did, its saved me a few times in places my old half ton 2wd wouldn't have even thought about getting stuck. Lot of weight over the front axle to push and not a whole lot over the back axle. Especially with a dually this will probably be even more handy.

Talking about duallies, you can get them with 3.73 gears... It's actually pretty common. Your best combo for fuel economy is auto and 3.73 gear on the third gen. In the third gen you have 2 choices for gears 3.73 and 4.10. I wouldn't go with 4.10 unless the truck was used primarily for towing or unless you wanted to increase tire size.

As far as the new "emissions" diesels go, I think everyone would be out of step to say either one is better than the other... They are just too new seems like dodge is still working bugs out of theirs and I don't know much about the others. I'd wait till the 08 dodge comes out to see what updates they've done .

If you want to avoid headackes I'd say just go find a 5.9 Dodge Cummins or "Classic" GM Duramax.