Based on everything I’m reading, it seems I made a mistake in the truck I bought

[Whatatruck]

Yay me! Tell me I’ll be ok daddy. Went from a 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3 liter v8 with a 5’6” bed that had a towing capacity of almost 12k lbs. Traded it in for a $70k 21 Ram 2500 Laramie Cummins Crew cab 6’4” bed with a towing capacity of 15,700 lbs. That’s a 3,700 lb difference, which for the money doesn’t seem like a lot. My Chevy got 17-18 mpg on the freeway after 156,000 miles. Started off with 21-22 mpg. The Cummins is averaging 17 mpg. I guess I didn’t do my homework before buying and let the interior and torque numbers influence my decision. Had I known, I probably would have went with the Hemi 2500 or the HO 3500. I feel I picked the worst one I could have for towing. I own a 2011 26ft bumper pull. Weighs in close to 6k lbs. I felt my Chevy was dying every time I pulled it through the smoky mountains of North Carolina. I’ve also been contemplating buying a 5th wheel but now I’m wondering what size I’ll be able to get. I honestly thought there was more towing capacity and payload on this truck. Sorry for the rant, but I really wonder how bad of a mistake I really made.

 

[Yeasty McFlaps]

Have you towed with the Cummins yet? It's amazing. Plus almost everything else about the truck is awesome. Low on payload? Whatever. Add suspension parts. It's just politics at that point anyway. You made the right decision

 

[Whatatruck]

Have you towed with the Cummins yet? It's amazing. Plus almost everything else about the truck is awesome. Low on payload? Whatever. Add suspension parts. It's just politics at that point anyway. You made the right decision

Yeasty, I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, I’m just seeing a lot of people on here talking up the gas engines. I specifically left them for diesel for what I thought was the right smart thing to do. I haven’t towed with it yet. It has 800 miles on it. I love the ride over my other truck hands down, I just wanted some reassurance that I bought the right vehicle. Thanks for your response. It was much appreciated.

 

[Brutal_HO]

"the Hemi 2500 or the HO 3500"

Confusing.

But LOL, The HO MPG is worse than the SO.

As to payload, 2500 diesel trucks are not known for their great payload numbers. The 3500 is available SO or HO or Hemi.

"I honestly thought there was more towing capacity and payload on this truck." Sorry to say but you gotta research stuff before you buy. Don't kill the messenger.

 

[Yeasty McFlaps]

There's a lot of carryover from the good old days of diesel. The 7.3's, 5.9's, of the late 90's and early 2000's.
Today's trucks make you wonder why you should buy a diesel at all. This is all caused by the crappy emissions equipment bolted to the engine, under the guise of helping the climate.
I still like my diesel truck, but will fight hand over fist to remove/bypass/delete this crap once it starts showing problems.
For a country that only emits 13% of global emissions, we sure take on 90% of the burden

 

[gimmie11s]

Yeasty, I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, I’m just seeing a lot of people on here talking up the gas engines. I specifically left them for diesel for what I thought was the right smart thing to do. I haven’t towed with it yet. It has 800 miles on it. I love the ride over my other truck hands down, I just wanted some reassurance that I bought the right vehicle. Thanks for your response. It was much appreciated.

Hook that travel trailer to your new truck and go find the longest, steepest hill you can climb. You will come back to this thread and erase your original post.

You made a great decision.. relax.

 

[Moose074]

I have owned 3 Ram trucks, I wish I had kept my first, I loved the trucks I had in between them. Seemed like I kept trying to find what I got rid off. Traded my 2011 Ram 2500 for a 2014 Tundra loved the truck but needed a bigger fuel tank and 4x4 could have helped me a few times so after almost 2 years found a used 2014 Platinum 4x4 bigger tank and 4x4 loved this CAR towed great just like the Tundra but too nice to use as a truck. Then wife wanted bigger trailer only 6 months after I bought the platinum. So I got “ stuck” in a 2016 F350 SWD PS 4x4. Great truck never a problem but trying not to take a huge loss on the Platinum I found a new truck old age unit been at dealership around 6 months with 2017 new body coming out with repaired hail damage. So I got a good deal. Bought a 2018 Ram 3500 DWD 4x4. Went to buy concrete in April took a right instead of left wound up at dealership and with a 2021 Ram Laramie 4x4 HO. Grew up a GM guy only now trucks are Ram and cars Dodge you will be fine


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[Great White North Eh]

If you can read then you can buy the truck you need.

 

[Ramit530]

@Whatatruck for what its worth, your Cummings tow capacity is 1400 greater than mine with the Hemi. The Hemi need's to be light footed on the gas pedal to get an average of 17 MPG and when towing my enclosed trailer, lucky if I get 11 through the mountains. So for your tow and your mpg the Cummings winds hands down. I choose the HEMI over the Cummings due to price and I occasionally tow, unlike like many here that tow often. Also I did not want the maintenance cost of the diesel either. Where I most likely shine over the Cummings is my Payload, for I don't have the weight of the Cummings. But if your thinking 5th wheel and pulling often, the Cummings was a good choice for you!

 

[stinson87]

Here are my current HO numbers to maybe ease your mind? signature has truck specs.

non towing Average: 15.8mpg
towing Travel trailer: 13.1mpg flat, 11.8mpg heavy mountains. but the trailer is more aero drag than weight.

Cummins vs gas, my viewpoint is refueling... If I have a long travel trailer/box trailer/fifth wheel, getting in and out of the gas pumps is a pain, with the diesel I can just use truck stops made for large rigs. high flow pumps, DEF at the pump.

 

[Mat_HD]

As others have said, reserve your judgement for after you tow. MPG isn't everything. If you're in the hills a lot, you'll greatly enjoy the Cummins. The payload of the Cummins 2500 trucks can be an issue if you want a mega 5er, but you'll find plenty of folks breaking down the GVWR and GAWR ratings to show that the 2500 is underrated and their trucks do fine with some good pin weight. The hemi is a great engine for sure, and would have easily worked for what I do. I bought the Cummins HO because I wanted it, and I'd like a bigger trailer in the future.

Be careful what you seek out, you'll find plenty of debate here on the merits of the Cummins vs the hemi, but really it just comes down to preference if you're towing in the 10k range. Folks who bought the hemi will defend it to the death, and folks who bought the diesel will defend it likewise. They're both great options and everyone's needs/wants are different. The scales shift towards diesel for more frequent towing at or above 15k, but you'll even find folks who will sing hemi praises for towing that weight. People like to feel good about their purchase and will take to the forums to defend it, regardless of what they chose.

 

[Wmhjr]

Yay me! Tell me I’ll be ok daddy. Went from a 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3 liter v8 with a 5’6” bed that had a towing capacity of almost 12k lbs. Traded it in for a $70k 21 Ram 2500 Laramie Cummins Crew cab 6’4” bed with a towing capacity of 15,700 lbs. That’s a 3,700 lb difference, which for the money doesn’t seem like a lot. My Chevy got 17-18 mpg on the freeway after 156,000 miles. Started off with 21-22 mpg. The Cummins is averaging 17 mpg. I guess I didn’t do my homework before buying and let the interior and torque numbers influence my decision. Had I known, I probably would have went with the Hemi 2500 or the HO 3500. I feel I picked the worst one I could have for towing. I own a 2011 26ft bumper pull. Weighs in close to 6k lbs. I felt my Chevy was dying every time I pulled it through the smoky mountains of North Carolina. I’ve also been contemplating buying a 5th wheel but now I’m wondering what size I’ll be able to get. I honestly thought there was more towing capacity and payload on this truck. Sorry for the rant, but I really wonder how bad of a mistake I really made.

Like others have said, just drive it and you'll be happy. Your chebby may have a claimed towing capacity of "almost 12k lbs" but IMHO the manufacturers are telling some pretty tall tails when the put out what I think are total BS "capacity" ratings. It's ridiculous how they are massively overstated. I had a Silverado with the 5.3, and bluntly it was a pig trying to tow, and created all kinds of stress. I wouldn't recommend it for towing anything bigger than a friggin snowmobile.

OTOH, The 2500 CTD to me is really UNDER-RATED in terms of "towing capacity". It is a LOT more than a 3700lb difference in real life. Your new truck will make short work of a little 6k trailer. And if you pay attention, unless you're getting a big land yacht monster you should be fine down the road - maybe needing air bags (easy peasy). If you think any "real" truck is going to get the same fuel economy around town or unloaded as a 1/2T truck (which is nothing more than a lifted caddy these days) you need to reconsider that thought process.

I currently have 2 trucks. Still have the '04 5.9 CTD and now the '21 CTD - both are 2500s. I pull a 28' race trailer that loaded down is usually between 10-11k, a GN 3 horse slant horse trailer that loaded down is easily 10k, a dump trailer, a beavertail equipment trailer, etc. I'm in serious hills. Been through the smokies many times. That 2500 never broke a sweat. It does it all at low RPMs, smooth, easy, quiet and consistent.

 

[AJDANTE]

There's a lot of carryover from the good old days of diesel. The 7.3's, 5.9's, of the late 90's and early 2000's.
Today's trucks make you wonder why you should buy a diesel at all. This is all caused by the crappy emissions equipment bolted to the engine, under the guise of helping the climate.
I still like my diesel truck, but will fight hand over fist to remove/bypass/delete this crap once it starts showing problems.
For a country that only emits 13% of global emissions, we sure take on 90% of the burden

Ya know Yeasty,
My 2012 f250 6.7 is stock with nearly 330,000 miles on it. Never deleted it, and didn't expect to keep it this long. But it has been an exceptional truck. Pulls the horse trailer like nothing, and the wife LOVES the acceleration that comes with the Turbos. So we're just waiting on the 2021 2500 BH hemi for daily driver + occasional towing. By everything we read here, I'm assuming that we will love it.

 

[Phil T]

You have made a good decision. We finally took our first towing trip on spring break. The truck (we call it the beast) is a 2019 Laramie 3500 with the HO Cummins. Our trailer is a 32' TT at 7700# empty. The beast kept complaining the whole trip that it wanted a bigger trailer back there. Really, the power is AMAZING. The grade going from Indio to Desert Center was like driving on flat ground.

 

[Frank]

The difference is your half ton was never going to pull that much due to running out of payload first. The number you are hung up on had one purpose and that was make half ton buyers feel like they were buying something useful. HD trucks can actually do what they say in the real world and will hold up to regular towing where the half ton will age at light speed. The difference is night and day.

 

[Whatatruck]

The difference is your half ton was never going to pull that much due to running out of payload first. The number you are hung up on had one purpose and that was make half ton buyers feel like they were buying something useful. HD trucks can actually do what they say in the real world and will hold up to regular towing where the half ton will age at light speed. The difference is night and day.

I really appreciate this comment as I started having a whining coming from my 14’ Silverado 1500. When I drained the transmission fluid after just 50k miles, the fluid looked like motor oil.

 

[loveracing1988]

There's a lot of carryover from the good old days of diesel. The 7.3's, 5.9's, of the late 90's and early 2000's.
Today's trucks make you wonder why you should buy a diesel at all. This is all caused by the crappy emissions equipment bolted to the engine, under the guise of helping the climate.
I still like my diesel truck, but will fight hand over fist to remove/bypass/delete this crap once it starts showing problems.
For a country that only emits 13% of global emissions, we sure take on 90% of the burden

I wonder if we would have had the internet back in the 60's and 70's if people would have cried just as bad when the removed leaded fuel and brought out catalytic converters.

 

[jeffjcalweb]

Ok first - and unless I missed it in this thread, I have two words for you "Exhaust Brake" ... so we can all wait for you to come back after you actually tow something - uphill who cares - tell us how you feel about your "mistake" after you come DOWN hill and realize you were just as relaxed as you were on flat ground... i'll wait for you to compare your Chevy 5.3 downhill towing experience to your 2500 CTD downhill experience...

 

[Whatatruck]

Ok first - and unless I missed it in this thread, I have two words for you "Exhaust Brake" ... so we can all wait for you to come back after you actually tow something - uphill who cares - tell us how you feel about your "mistake" after you come DOWN hill and realize you were just as relaxed as you were on flat ground... i'll wait for you to compare your Chevy 5.3 downhill towing experience to your 2500 CTD downhill experience...

Actually my 5.3 handled going down steep grades very nicely.

 

[Wmhjr]

Actually my 5.3 handled going down steep grades very nicely.

Lolololol

Now that's funny.