What powers your tow vehicle or motorized RV, a diesel or gas engine? Please feel free to leave a comment.
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We have a ‘02 Mountainaire w/61K miles on a Workhorse chassis w/a 8.1L engine. It runs great, doesn’t get the best mileage, 7-8 mpg, but for a 38’ motorhome it’s not bad. Considering the cost and quality issues of a new units, barring an accident that totals it, we’ll keep it out there several years to come.
I drive an F-350 crew about long ox 4×4 with the 7.3 . Made a few modifications to the engine, Superchip tuner, larger turbo, exhaust brake with torque locker on the transmission , 5” stainless exhaust and cold air intake system. We pull a 15,000 lbs fifth-wheel trailer and get 13 mpg on an American gallon. After 224,000 Kim’s, I’m finally going to change the injectors.
1998 Dodge Ram 2500 24-Valve Cummins Diesel, Automatic, 4:10 rear axle, 4″ exhaust, 50+ hp RV Injectors, with over 260,000 miles on it. We purchased it in October 2001 with 35,000 miles on it. It’s been a great truck, it runs extremely well, it does the jobs I need. Plus it’s paid for.
32′ 9500lb TT towed with ’16 2500 RAM
With MDS and careful hypermiling, it tows around 12mpg, and deadheads around 22mpg. With those numbers, diesel and towed dinghy made zero sense to me.
We’re towing our 2012 Arctic Fox travel trailer with our ‘classic’ 1997 F-350 crew cab Powerstroke 7.3. Yup, maintenance is probably more than gas but I wouldn’t have it any other way. No DEF and no catalytic convertor.
Traded my 18 year old diesel pusher for a new v-10 gasser and couldn’t be happier. More power and maintenance costs are cut in half. Seriously looked at a new diesel pusher but could not find one without the requirement for DEF. Running pig pee through my motorhome just does not appeal to me. Government regulations run amok, again.
Our ’15 F250 with the 6.7L diesel is a beast. Our old 5.4L F150 was just laboring too hard to pull our 28′ 7200# TT. The diesel doesn’t even know the trailer is back there and gets 4-6 MPG (9.5-11.5) better loaded.
We drive an Itasca Reyo Class A on Sprinter 3500 Chassis. Yes, the maintenance costs are higher than gas, but at over 16 mpg, fuel cost per mile is not a deterrent for extended travel.
I tow our 4500 # Jayco RD19 Travel Trailer with a RAM 1500, 5.7 gas HEMI.
Diesel. My Cummins 8.3 liter diesel (pusher) has 175,000 miles on it, is 25 years old and is still going strong. Doubt that many gassers have that longevity..
I put on a lot of miles. My 9 month old F350 has nearly 40,000 miles. No way a gasser would be comfortable pulling our 15,000# Montana. Yes, a diesel costs more to buy and maintain but it is worth every penny.
2016 RAM 3500 diesel gets 50 percent better mpg than gas when towing 14000 pound trailer equals less cost of fuel
I didn’t vote because we recently sold our motorhome, but we’ll be replacing it with a similar gas Triton V-10 powered unit. DW doesn’t like the smell of diesel so I’m not going there!
RT
What a smart (and considerate) hubby! 😉 —Diane at RVtravel.com
2015 RAM 1500 eco-diesel…at highway speeds the engine RPM is 20-25% lower than if it was gas. Much less vibration and noise is little. Also the better MPG and the same size tank means less fill-up stops. Probably more expensive but more comfort…trade off.
We have two RVs that do different things for us. Our diesel pusher is, obviously, diesel, and we love it for the air suspension and the power. However, we pull our 24′ travel trailer with a gas powered 1/2 ton pickup. I know we don’t have the torque of a diesel, but when you look at the added expense and maintenance of a diesel, which in some cases necessitates the REMOVAL OF THE CAB to access certain parts, it becomes a no-brainer. 87 octane is cheaper as well.
I drive a Class C on E 450 chassis with a Triton V-10. We don’t calculate the “gallons per mile” because we want to enjoy our holidays!
RV and tow are both gas. My motorhome class A has the V10 gas engine. I went gas on the motorhome simply because I felt diesel’s were too expensive. Also four years ago when I started full-timing, fuel costs were very high. Diesel at the time was higher per gal then gas. I do at times wish I had given more thought to a diesel motorhome. They are a much better ride with more power.
Diesel 2012 F-450 towing 24000 lb New Horizons 5er.
i’m pulling a 6600# TT with a 4.3L gas engine 1/2 ton PU. Normal towing mileage 12 mpg.
Two questions, one answer available. Tow a gas car with a diesel pusher.