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Okay I have to say for the past 30 years I have been a Toyota fan and not ashamed of it since they have all been reliable and hold their value on the resale market private party sell.

 

That said, I will be in the market eventually for a full sized truck capable of easily hauling in the range of 10k (travel trailer) and need a working beast. I love the Tundra and the 5.7 if all I were doing was hauling sub 6k but I think for a travel trailer in the range I am talking not only a HD truck but also a diesel would be best.

 

So to the knowledgeable folks here that have hauled travel trailers in this range.......or maybe even tractors if you work farms or livestock, gas or diesel in the 2500HD?

 

I had the opportunity to drive a 2015 2500HD Duramax and was rather impressed. It was a friends truck. My question is this and looking down the road.............after the warranty is over and you have a diesel, the repairs to a diesel engine have to be astronomical as compared to gas. What have you folks found in reliability in that Duramax? Any real issues or recurrent complaint among owners?

 

I would hate to spend $50k plus on this truck and then after the warranty is up start to have issues and be trapped with a problem. With Toyota, I seriously cannot be much happier in their build and quality. The reason I am looking hard at GMC is because I have a 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 issued agency truck for my job and have to date been impressed with the truck as far as an American built vehicle. I had no idea American trucks have come so far. However, do I step out from my safety zone to buy another manufacturer after three decades of known peace of mind?

 

Thanks.

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Sold my last duramax with 110k miles on it. The only issue I ever had was a glow plug module. I pulled the code, drove down and got the part in another vehicle and was up and running an hour later. Part was around 100 bucks. Idler and pitman arm don't really count. I had big tires and the front end lifted. I did those at 75k. Never ended up needing ball joints. Wish I still had that truck.

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I'm no expert on trucks and or hauling loads but I can shed some light on this topic from my personal experiences.

 

I married into a Toyota family.... My wife had Camry mother in law Camry sister in law Camry brother in law and father in law both had tundras. You are right privet party resale is great on Toyotas.

 

Myself and my father have had ford diesels (7.3L) in 2007 my dad bought a duramax he is still driving that today and no major repairs needed. I have had a 2500 HD with the 6.0 gas motor I had no problems with that truck. I never pulled anything more than a 22' sea ray. One of my good friends is a cattle rancher and he has a 2500 with the 6.0 and he abuses the heck out of that truck and it's still going strong well over 259k miles.

 

Back to my father in law last year he bought a bigger travel trailer and he picked up a 2015 Denali HD diesel he has about 8k miles and loves it.

 

I myself just picked up a 2016 Denali diesel with the intentions of not needing another truck for a very long time.

 

I think we can all agree when your truck is in the shop it is expensive regardless if you have a gas or diesel.

 

Also the exhaust brake on the diesel is great while towing I had one on my old ford and its make a big difference while in the mountains and going down hill.

 

Good luck with the shopping.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I have had 4 GMC trucks starting with a Sonoma in 1996, and currently have a 2015 SLT 3500HD Duramax Crew Cab dually. We are currently shopping for a 5th wheel to replace our current 35' travel trailer and plan on traveling 6-7 months a year. We expect the 5th wheel to be in the 16K range when ready to camp; that is diesel territory for pulling, especially in mountains. That said, there is a reason that most heavy equipment is powered with diesel engines; from small farm tractors to the giant Trex mining trucks and locomotives, diesel engines are dependable and have the ability to run for many years without issue. Heavier duty parts, lower RPMs, WAY more torque, etc. If you are going to be pulling the 10K trailer a lot, like weekly for work, then pick the diesel for the low end power and dependable torque. If you are going to only pull the trailer occasionally, and the rest of the time the truck will be a daily driver, then the gas engine will be the best choice IMHO. The $8K upgrade to the diesel wouldn't be worth it to only pull the trailer 3-4 times a year to the lake. The new diesels are quiet, have no diesel smell, and I have had many comments from friends that they cannot believe they are riding in a diesel truck.

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I will read more post as they come in of course but thank you both for replying. I hope that when the time comes I will have enough information to make the choice for the best suited truck.


I will read more post as they come in of course but thank you both for replying. I hope that when the time comes I will have enough information to make the choice for the best suited truck.

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If you are concerned about the cost of a diesel and question the reliability long term, you might be better off just buying a gas truck unless you need the diesel to haul.

Cost is not the factor. Just whether for my need and towing weight if the added money for the diesel to outweigh the gas version. I want a truck that will be long term reliable and have heard that diesels far outweigh in longevity as compared to gas.

 

But then again, I have never owned a diesel. I do have a New Holland tractor and it is diesel of course and use it to bush hog and other functions and love it's power. My friend stated that he can get 20 mpg when traveling on his diesel which to me is great mileage for a full size working beast. My full size SUV Sequoia does not do much better than that on road trips.

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Depends on roads and terrain, along with overall payload and towing weight. The 6.0L gasser is a very capable setup for a lot of folks. Especially if towing is infrequent. If I was towing frequently and doing it for long distances, I would opt for diesel.

 

You drive it right, the way a diesel is meant to be operated, not like a gasser, and you should be able to get very good mpg, even exceeding other folks' averages, and do it while working the pickup pretty hard. Many diligent commercial truck drivers have the skill set to pull off some pretty impressive mpg under even very heavy loads and hilly terrain. it is knowing not only the HP and Torque band of the engine, but the fuel curve on the engine so that one can keep the engine in the optimum RPM range for a nice balance of power and low fuel consumption. HP and torque curves are like a inverted "U". A fuel map curve is the opposite, it is a "U" curve. The idea is to learn where the optimum power in the engine RPM band closely matches the low part of the U curve on the fuel map. it is a learning thing and no engine is identical to another. It takes some time and effort, but the payoff is worth it. It is what separates truck drivers from wanna be's.

 

Taking this methodology, I was able to exceed the EPA highway mpg of the 2.8L diesel in my Jeep Liberty by a considerable amount. EPA estimate was 27 mpg. I could easily get 32-35 mpg highway numbers without trying very hard. And no... not driving 55 everywhere either. It is why my commercial truck, I exceed the national average mpg for similar truck setups, loads, and trailers by 20-25% and still walk away from many trucks on major hill pulls with heavy loads. it is all about learning the engine and drive train combination and operating it to the best advantage.

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