2500 Gas or Diesel

bigolyt · September 29, 2015

I might be in the market for a new rig since I'm looking at a 5th wheel and my 2013 Ram won't handle it.

My question is this, should I go 2500 or 3500? They both will drag any 5th wheel I'm looking at so tow weight isn't an issue. The next question is gas or diesel? Is there a difference between the 2 other than the obvious.

Pros/cons?

Like I said, I'm a 1500 guy so anything above that is pretty foreign to me.

becker87 · September 29, 2015

Do some digging around on this sight and you will find a lot of info. The general consensus is that if you don't mind paying the extra upfront cost of the diesel, get the diesel.

Victor Ferreira · September 29, 2015

Previous reply sums it up.

The diesel will do everything the Gas does in towing respects, only ten times better.

Of course, for that advantage, it's also quite a bit more expensive. Personally (and this is my personal opinion) if towing is a big deal for you and you do it frequently, you should be doing it right. And that's with a diesel. Not to mention you'll get sweet MPG's while driving normally.

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seansharley · September 29, 2015

Above stated well.

I would consider:

how heavy is the trailer

How often/far am I towing

Is the truck going to be a daily driver when not towing.

For me, I stick with a 1500 as I don't tow often. If I were to tow a 10,000# fifth wheel once, or twice a year, my 1500 with 6.2, and Max tow will do the job. Anymore than that I would want a 2500, and if I were to go 2500, I would go diesel, I'm not a big fan of the 6.0 gas, not sure why you can't get the 6.2 in a 2500

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ShotgunZ71 · September 29, 2015

I've got a Duramax and a 33' travel trailer that's about 7800 lbs dry. I could do it with the 14 Silverado I had, but felt more at ease with the 2500. Not so much the pulling, but the control of the trailer. May pull it 6-10 times a year, also. I'd say that approx 80-90% or more is daily driving.

bigolyt · September 29, 2015

Yeah, Im not sure how much I'd be pulling the TT. 6-10 a year sounds about right. I know they make HT towable 5th wheels, but like you said, I want something I feel comfortable towing with nothing to worry about.

ShotgunZ71 · September 29, 2015

If you're for sure going to get at least a 2500 and can financially do so, I'd get the Duramax. Mine pulls my trailer easily (so far) and the engine doesn't even make any more noise than usual. I'm not real sure how the 6.0 sounds when under constant strain, but I know the 1500 V8's (and EcoBoosts) scream at the little bit of "let's go or maintain speed" I didn't see a need of straining an engine that often, many times up mountains, etc. If it was all level ground and not so often, I'd stuck with the 1500. I do get around 20-22 mpg on the highway unloaded and about 12-14 in town.

Cosmic Charlie · September 30, 2015

No One mentioned that with the diesel you get the Allison Tranny - best in the industry !

calgator73 · September 30, 2015

I might be in the market for a new rig since I'm looking at a 5th wheel and my 2013 Ram won't handle it.

My question is this, should I go 2500 or 3500? They both will drag any 5th wheel I'm looking at so tow weight isn't an issue. The next question is gas or diesel? Is there a difference between the 2 other than the obvious.

Pros/cons?

Like I said, I'm a 1500 guy so anything above that is pretty foreign to me.

For a fifth wheel I would go srw 3500 minimum. Payload is way too close on a 2500.

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SMiller · September 30, 2015

No One mentioned that with the diesel you get the Allison Tranny - best in the industry !

What does the Allison offer over the Torqueshift or Aisin?

ShotgunZ71 · September 30, 2015

For a fifth wheel I would go srw 3500 minimum. Payload is way too close on a 2500.

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I think he'll be fine with the 2500 and a fifth wheel on these trucks, unless the fifth wheel is very heavy. Most fifth wheels today are quite a bit lighter, just like TT. Mine is an 2002, so it weighs a bit more than most of today's TT. What kind of fifth wheel are you looking, Bigolyt?

BTW, what is the TT is in your pic, Calgator?

calgator73 · September 30, 2015

I think he'll be fine with the 2500 and a fifth wheel on these trucks, unless the fifth wheel is very heavy. Most fifth wheels today are quite a bit lighter, just like TT. Mine is an 2002, so it weighs a bit more than most of today's TT. What kind of fifth wheel are you looking, Bigolyt?

BTW, what is the TT is in your pic, Calgator?

I guess that's the million dollar question... Just how big is it? Specifically pin weight. Open Range 310bhs. Trailer gvwr about 11,500 dry is right at 10k. Wet tongue is ~1350.

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Flatland Shooter · September 30, 2015

Unless you've had a 2500 or 3500 in the past, be sure to test drive one.

We would be towing less than 5% of the time.

Took my wife along for the drive and she could not wait to leave the dealership. Way too rough a ride for her taste.

Switched our search for a 1500 6.2L with Max Towing Package.

madmat · September 30, 2015

I once tossed and turned at night wondering the same thing, gas or diesel. I had a 2007 dodge 3500 diesel and was looking to replace it with something new. I ended up going with a GMC 3500 6.0L for a couple reasons but the main one was that I wouldn't have to worry about the emissions crap and the high cost of maintenance of the new diesel's and of course it was nice to save the $10000 over the price of a diesel. I laugh every time I see my neighbors trying to fill their DEF tanks under the hood and spilling all over the place.

I pull a 10000 lbs 5th wheel at most approx. 1000km a year, the rest of the time its my daily driver. It pulls my trailer just fine and actually handles a lot better than my older diesel did(newer beefier chassis). You're not going to win any races with the 6.0L but you definitely will cruise at the speed limits without issues(except large hills). Coming from a diesel it's a little different getting used to watching the rpm's run so much higher but that is what these engines are built to do and why these trucks run the 6.0L instead of the more powerful 6.2L. Gm did a great job with their sound proofing so you really don't notice the engine running at the higher RPM's unless your watching the tach. As for fuel economy I average 15-16mpg on the highway unloaded and 10-11mpg loaded(4:10 rear end, SRW, long box, crew). That's about 2-3 mpg different than my old diesel.

If you can get pass the whole "I have a diesel!" or "I want a diesel!' bit and really think about what you actually need than a gasser might be in your best interest. It takes a lot of miles to make up that difference in fuel economy so unless money is no issue than I would recommend a gasser for your situation.

OldMike · September 30, 2015

I just traded in my 2012 3500 4x4 DRW Duramax for a 2015 2500 4x4 6.0 gas truck. I couldn't find any 3500's setup how I wanted, and the dealer was willing to give me a good deal on a 2500, so I went for it. For the small increase in price, unless you can't find what you are looking for (like me), I don't see why you wouldn't go with the 3500.

As for gas or diesel - I guess it really depends. I don't tend to keep trucks for very long - so to me the diesel option is basically free. The truck's value, when it comes time to sell/trade, will be (should be) increased exactly by the amount that it actually costs to get the diesel. So really, if you want the diesel, the cost of it shouldn't be a concern if you plan to turn it over before too long.

Now if you are planning on holding onto the truck for a long time - I would be very hesitant to get another diesel. While its under warranty you should be fine - but I have real doubts about the new diesels and their crazy emissions systems (and wonder if it continues if resale values will actually remain as high as they have been). My 2012, with less than 30K miles, gave me three big problems due to the emissions systems (once when I was 1500 miles from home and in the middle summer traveling through the desert). Those three times, there was nothing actually wrong with the truck physically - but the over reactive emissions controls along with problematic sensors would have left me stranded in the middle of the desert for no other reason than it thought there 'might' be a problem.

So after having the truck in the shop for a couple of weeks and also messing up a big trip for me far away from home, I decided to kick the diesel to the curb and go back to gas and I haven't been happier. I only tow around 10K max, but most of the time it is around 7.5K so I don't feel like I am missing much. At this point I don't think I would get another diesel until all of these systems have been refined or eliminated, and I would absolutely never own a current diesel that is out of warranty - just too much risk for me.

That's just my take on it.