Question about travel trailers and trucks please.

[InspectorVol]

I have plans to purchase a 26-27 ft travel trailer and truck for towing. My question is about the truck mostly. It is my great hope to travel the country quite a bit in the years to come. My question is basically gas or diesel? At a minimum I’m getting a 3/4 ton but a single wheel ton truck is not off the table either. I do not want a duel wheel truck. As I said I want to travel across the country which will mean at least some mountainous driving. What has been your experience with either gas or diesel, pros and cons etc. Thanks in advance.

 

[YankeeVol]

I have a 25' travel trailer that I tow with a Silverado 1500 with the baby diesel. I've also towed it with a Chevy gasser (5.3L) and the Ford 3.5L V6.

By far, the diesel gets the best fuel economy, and tows it a lot easier (more torque). The Ford V6 SUCKED towing mileage wise. It Pulled it just fine though.

 

[YankeeVol]

Unless you're going with a 5th wheel, you don't really need a 2500/3500 truck.

 

[InspectorVol]

Unless you're going with a 5th wheel, you don't really need a 2500/3500 truck.

I don’t want to strain the driveline is why I’m going with the heavier duty pickup. I was out west in 2019 in a gmc 1500 with a 5.3, not towing and those long grades out there made the trans gear down to maintain 80 mph. Going into a strong headwind I had to back off to 65 mph to keep it from downshifting. That’s hard on a driveline.

Thanks for the input though.

 

[YankeeVol]

I don’t want to strain the driveline is why I’m going with the heavier duty pickup. I was out west in 2019 in a gmc 1500 with a 5.3, not towing and those long grades out there made the trans gear down to maintain 80 mph. Going into a strong headwind I had to back off to 65 mph to keep it from downshifting. That’s hard on a driveline.

Thanks for the input though.

The '19 5.3 more than likely had the 8 speed. They should have the 10 speed now. The baby diesel and 6.2L V8 have the 10.

 

[JFreak]

Diesel will make you much happier especially as you get to the mountains out west.

Have you completely ruled out a 5th wheel? I towed a lot with a '04 Duramax and 28 ft 5th wheel (11k dry weight). From a towability perspective you can't beat the combo.

 

[InspectorVol]

Diesel will make you much happier especially as you get to the mountains out west.

Have you completely ruled out a 5th wheel? I towed a lot with a '04 Duramax and 28 ft 5th wheel (11k dry weight). From a towability perspective you can't beat the combo.

At one time I wanted a 5th wheel, but have ruled it out because it takes away the storage capacity of the truck bed. If someone has a large 5th wheel they have plenty of storage, but not on small ones. I’m going to install a retractable, locking bed cover for coolers, generator etc. that will be out of sight from bears. If a bear sees a cooler they will, on occasion, damage a vehicle to get at it.
Anyway, that is my reasoning for deciding on a travel trailer type.

 

[JFreak]

At one time I wanted a 5th wheel, but have ruled it out because it takes away the storage capacity of the truck bed. If someone has a large 5th wheel they have plenty of storage, but not on small ones. I’m going to install a retractable, locking bed cover for coolers, generator etc. that will be out of sight from bears. If a bear sees a cooler they will, on occasion, damage a vehicle to get at it.
Anyway, that is my reasoning for deciding on a travel trailer type.

Having the truck bed capacity makes sense. But I think you'd be surprised how much you can fit in the trailer for travelling and the cooler can go in the back seat of the truck. You actually bring up my most important consideration when looking for a trailer.. make sure it has an installed generator! Opens up all sorts of options for boondocking for a few days. #2 consideration for the trailer is make sure to get a 4 season if you plan to spend much time below 32 degrees. Oh and never spend too much $$ on your first setup until you figure out what's important to you.

 

[VolTull]

Don't go the motorhome route, diesel or gas, unless you are ready for that experience. A good used Tiffin can be less to purchase than a truck-tow combination.

 

[GVF]

I have plans to purchase a 26-27 ft travel trailer and truck for towing. My question is about the truck mostly. It is my great hope to travel the country quite a bit in the years to come. My question is basically gas or diesel? At a minimum I’m getting a 3/4 ton but a single wheel ton truck is not off the table either. I do not want a duel wheel truck. As I said I want to travel across the country which will mean at least some mountainous driving. What has been your experience with either gas or diesel, pros and cons etc. Thanks in advance.

Really depends on the weight of the trailer. Flat ground you can tow with just about anything. The diesel will excel when you hit the mountain highways. You may not want a dually, but they do help reduce or eliminate the rear end "walking" when towing larger/heavier trailers. May not apply so much to towing RV's.

 

[Smokey X]

agree with what J. Freak said...Our experience thru the years is that our priorities changed with regard to what was important with the travel trailer which is why we are now on our fifth RV.

All that to say, get a 2500 diesel and that way you don't have to worry about whether you have capacity to tow whatever you may want both now and in the future.

 

[InspectorVol]

agree with what J. Freak said...Our experience thru the years is that our priorities changed with regard to what was important with the travel trailer which is why we are now on our fifth RV.

All that to say, get a 2500 diesel and that way you don't have to worry about whether you have capacity to tow whatever you may want both now and in the future.

I appreciate what you are saying but I’m 60, so I likely won’t own but the one travel trailer. I’ve got maybe 15 years left to travel without being a danger to others on the road. Hopefully I can go for 25 years but that will be pushing it most likely.

 

[Smokey X]

I appreciate what you are saying but I’m 60, so I likely won’t own but the one travel trailer. I’ve got maybe 15 years left to travel without being a danger to others on the road. Hopefully I can go for 25 years but that will be pushing it most likely.

I most certainly can relate to that

 

[CAVPUT]

Unless you're going with a 5th wheel, you don't really need a 2500/3500 truck.

Gonna disagree on this. Coming from a 1/2 ton I can honestly say there's a big difference every time a semi passed. It would suck you in and then push you around when it passed. With 3/4 ton it was far more stable. Sway was way down. Never liked the tail wagging the dog. Much better towing experience. Another thing...people always forget about the brakes. The 3/4 stops the load much much easier with much larger brakes. You do some mountain roads and trust me, you'll feel a heckuva lot better coming off those mountains with a 3/4 than a 1/2 ton with that load behind you going downhill. A good place to get things clear in your mind is watch some video about the Ike gauntlet and towing. Was an eye opener....for me at least. As for diesel vs gas for towing...no contest IMO. Diesel all the way.

 

[YankeeVol]

Gonna disagree on this. Coming from a 1/2 ton I can honestly say there's a big difference every time a semi passed. It would suck you in and then push you around when it passed. With 3/4 ton it was far more stable. Sway was way down. Never liked the tail wagging the dog. Much better towing experience. Another thing...people always forget about the brakes. The 3/4 stops the load much much easier with much larger brakes. You do some mountain roads and trust me, you'll feel a heckuva lot better coming off those mountains with a 3/4 than a 1/2 ton with that load behind you going downhill. A good place to get things clear in your mind is watch some video about the Ike gauntlet and towing. Was an eye opener....for me at least. As for diesel vs gas for towing...no contest IMO. Diesel all the way.

To each their own. I will refrain my “opinion“ about those who choose to tow a tiny trailer with an HD truck. 97% of people who buy even a 1/2 ton could get by with a Maverick or Tacoma/Colorado/etc.

I’ve drove them and sold them.

 

[hog88]

At one time I wanted a 5th wheel, but have ruled it out because it takes away the storage capacity of the truck bed. If someone has a large 5th wheel they have plenty of storage, but not on small ones. I’m going to install a retractable, locking bed cover for coolers, generator etc. that will be out of sight from bears. If a bear sees a cooler they will, on occasion, damage a vehicle to get at it.
Anyway, that is my reasoning for deciding on a travel trailer type.

I have a 42' fifth wheel and use a Reese Goosbox to tow instead of a traditional fifth wheel/kingpin setup so I get to use most of my bedspace plus it allowed me to put in a retractable bed cover.

But back to your original question, you should at least go with a 3/4 ton truck. Don't listen to a salesman or dealer tell you the trailer is 1/2 ton towable, moving a trailer down the road is only a part of towing you have to be able to stop it and control it. Plus 2ft itis is a real thing, a couple years down the line you might want a bigger rig and not have the truck for it.

As for gas v diesel yes a diesel will give you better mileage while towing and torque for those hills but the cost of ownership is a lot higher. We run a lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks pulling small equipment and the last few trucks we bought we went with the Ford 7.3 gasser, so far I've been impressed with them.

 

[InspectorVol]

I have a 42' fifth wheel and use a Reese Goosbox to tow instead of a traditional fifth wheel/kingpin setup so I get to use most of my bedspace plus it allowed me to put in a retractable bed cover.

But back to your original question, you should at least go with a 3/4 ton truck. Don't listen to a salesman or dealer tell you the trailer is 1/2 ton towable, moving a trailer down the road is only a part of towing you have to be able to stop it and control it. Plus 2ft itis is a real thing, a couple years down the line you might want a bigger rig and not have the truck for it.

As for gas v diesel yes a diesel will give you better mileage while towing and torque for those hills but the cost of ownership is a lot higher. We run a lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks pulling small equipment and the last few trucks we bought we went with the Ford 7.3 gasser, so far I've been impressed with them.

My only question about gas burners is the longevity factor, when used for towing mostly. I also like the idea of hill descent speed control with a diesel. I could live with the mpg issue, if it has enough torque to pull those long grades without shifting in and out of lower and higher gears. Had that issue with my 04 gmc with a 5.3 and it was just pulling itself.

 

[hog88]

My only question about gas burners is the longevity factor, when used for towing mostly. I also like the idea of hill descent speed control with a diesel. I could live with the mpg issue, if it has enough torque to pull those long grades without shifting in and out of lower and higher gears. Had that issue with my 04 gmc with a 5.3 and it was just pulling itself.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Duramx and PowerStroke diesels I pull my 5er with a GMC equipped with the Duramx. You can't go wrong buying a diesel, I don't have any of our 7.3 gassers over 100k miles yet so I can't give any input on longevity yet only that we haven't had problems yet and maintenance cost is considerably lower without an increase in fuel costs.

I don't think you'll see the shifting you experienced with the GM 6.6 or Ford 7.3 gas engines.

 

[InspectorVol]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Duramx and PowerStroke diesels I pull my 5er with a GMC equipped with the Duramx. You can't go wrong buying a diesel, I don't have any of our 7.3 gassers over 100k miles yet so I can't give any input on longevity yet only that we haven't had problems yet and maintenance cost is considerably lower without an increase in fuel costs.

I don't think you'll see the shifting you experienced with the GM 6.6 or Ford 7.3 gas engines.

Thanks for the info

 

[InspectorVol]

I have a 42' fifth wheel and use a Reese Goosbox to tow instead of a traditional fifth wheel/kingpin setup so I get to use most of my bedspace plus it allowed me to put in a retractable bed cover.

But back to your original question, you should at least go with a 3/4 ton truck. Don't listen to a salesman or dealer tell you the trailer is 1/2 ton towable, moving a trailer down the road is only a part of towing you have to be able to stop it and control it. Plus 2ft itis is a real thing, a couple years down the line you might want a bigger rig and not have the truck for it.

As for gas v diesel yes a diesel will give you better mileage while towing and torque for those hills but the cost of ownership is a lot higher. We run a lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks pulling small equipment and the last few trucks we bought we went with the Ford 7.3 gasser, so far I've been impressed with them.

Do you care to share a few photos of your setup? I’m not opposed to a 5th wheel except for the truck bed storage. Thanks.

 

[hog88]

Do you care to share a few photos of your setup? I’m not opposed to a 5th wheel except for the truck bed storage. Thanks.

I don't have any pics of mine but quick google found this one. Also there are a bunch of videos on Youtube reviewing them, you can also go on reeseprod.com and they have tons of videos and pics of the setup.

I'm able to put my poop tank a Yeti 50 cooler and some firewood in the bed of my truck without any issues. 8ft bed of course.

 

[superdave1984]

Check out these two vids regarding the gas burner. I trust Dave's opinions (other than he thinks the Mustang II is cool).

 

[hog88]

@InspectorVol let us know what you decided on.

 

[VolKnight9]

Get you a 2500 Duramax. Get it tuned and deleted and it’ll be the best truck you’ll ever have. Won’t even feel the trailer behind it. Diesel trucks will always have my vote when it comes to towing anything. Better fuel economy and much better towing hills.