Input, take 2, & leave the politics out!

[Wade Mahaffey]

Sorry Mick, 22 MPG no trailer. Not many duallies can do that.

Wade Mahaffey

[magnumv8]

Ed....to make it as short as possible.....FORD refused to give DIESEL POWER a POWERSTROKE for their towing test against the CHEVY DURAMAX so GM purchased BOTH trucks for them to use in the trailer towing test....to level out the test they managed to snag a former FORD towing engineer to drive both trucks( because he had a CDL to legally haul the load).....I am sorry to report that the FORD didn't stand a chance in overall performance including the exhaust braking test....(the test was pretty extreme BUT the DURAMAX had no issues and the FORD really struggled)this was with 1 ton duallys pulling close to 28,000lbs.GCVW.....

when the test was complete the former FORD engineer returned the loaded trailer with the DURAMAX.....

DODGE'S 1 ton dually wasn't rated to pull this amount of weight due to a lower front axle capacity so they didn't get one for the test even though they mentioned that guys pull more than that with the DODGE'S already.....


D L Rambo.....

[Ed Wright]

Interesting!

[RacingRicki]

Even if the mpg is better and it has enough power and the brakes are better I would still be very concerned about the weight of the trailer -vs- the weight of the truck. Wind, road construction, etc. can cause real problems.

Tongue weight is another thing to think about. How much is that truck going to swat when you hook up the trailer. You are going to need air bags or something to keep it level.

I went from towing a 28ft tag with a 3/4 truck to using a 1 ton dually and there just wasn't any comparison. The dually was way better and it was a gas truck to boot. I felt the 3/4 ton was undersized. I couldn't image what a 1/2 ton would feel like.

[Marvin Robinson]

I'm also considering a MH/enclosed trailer setup. Anyone have any experience with a Duramax powered tow vehicle or motorhome?? Durability, driving impressions, mileage?? How does it compare to Cummins power??

Thanx in advance

[Bill Bogues]

I'll tell you what, I drove Bobby Brannons 2007 F-350 back from Sulphur- springs Texas to Shreveport last week and I don't believe I've ever drove anything that will tow anything on a road that has as much power as that thing does. I was pulling our 24' ft enclosed trailer with his car in it between 75 and 78 mph and It wouldn't lose a bit of mph going up the steepest hill. It didn't know it was pulling 6500lbs; and got 15.9 mpg to boot.

[Bobby Brannon]

Thanks Amy Faulk and Hypertech .. Programmer is Bad A**

[Steves68Nova]

I have a 2001 Ford 5.4 Supercrew 1/2 ton pickup with a 175,000 miles. I use it to pull a 24 ft steel framed trailer. It has brakes on one axle. I use a good Tekonsha Trailer Brake Controller which is a pretty good brand. The trailer, tools, 6k generator, small air compressor, charger, 2 five gal fuel jugs, and my Nova in it and plus 2 big 'ol boys weighs about 8800 pounds. Add that to around 5 thousand for the truck. The truck does OK on flat ground. Will stay in overdrive most of the time, but if you hit any kind of hill it shifts down. I have a very good Equalizer brand hitch which keeps the trailer pretty well in control. But I still feel it when the trucks go by. Not bad, but if you have a crosswind and a semi passes it gets a little hairy once in a while if you are not on top of it.

It gets up to speed OK. It will keep it at 70 if you want except for long hills. Then it starts dragging down. Short hills no problem. Gets about 6 MPG when pulling. Sometimes 8 if real flat land. The one thing it does not do well is stop. There is just not enough truck there. That is the first thing I would ask before buying this 1/2 ton truck. My f150 does not have double real wheels also. I keep good tires on it, but you never know when you are going to have a blowout. I have had trailer blowouts already and no problem there, but I am scared about blowing a front or real truck tire. Also driving while watching way out there is stressful. I am tired when I get to the track and the furthest I have towed is Tulsa or Mo-Kan. Let me tell you going up I-540 in the Boston mountains is hard for the truck. It made it OK, but struggled at times.

I have to pull with this because I have not got the money to buy a larger truck, but do not want you to make a mistake. Do what you want, but I suggest you look for a dually with a larger motor or a motorhome.

(And yes I know it is overloaded)

[james schaechter]

I have a 2002 Duramax K2500HD crewcab. It has a stickshift and 3.73s. Pulls my 24 ft trailer with ease. I can get as good as 24mpg empty in the summer and right now am getting about 20 mpg empty commuting to work in Chicago suburbs. Towing I get about 15 average going 70 mph. I have over 260k on it and I bought it new.
I love mine. I would probably get a newer one with an auto trans next time, but I would not get one with a DPF on it. I think that mess started in 2007 or 2008. It is a pretty poor attempt at emission control for diesels. That is something to consider on any newer diesel.

I have not heard anything bad about a cummings although some of the older ones seem very noisy.

Originally Posted by Marvin Robinson

I'm also considering a MH/enclosed trailer setup. Anyone have any experience with a Duramax powered tow vehicle or motorhome?? Durability, driving impressions, mileage?? How does it compare to Cummins power??

Thanx in advance

[rx dealer]

Bob... this is coming from a reliable source at ford..the production of the eco-boost truck maybe delayed because of a problem with the catalytic converter... they had a few converters melt!!! ford is working very hard to solve this problem...from what i hear it's a great truck...fyi I went from a 2007 GMC yukon XL 1/2 ton ( suburban ) with the 6.2 gas and 6 spd auto, to a 2010 1 ton Dodge RAM non dually mega cab with the cummins and it"s no contest towing my 28 foot pace trailer. total weight about 11,000 pounds...my RAM stops so much better than the 1/2 ton GMC and thats what was my problem before and it handle the load much better and 12 mpg towing..I did give up the smoother every day ride of the GMC but i gained a much better towing ride with the RAM...This is my first Dodge ever and yes I will buy another RAM...good luck with your choice ...Luke SS 311