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Info on MPG with diesel compared to gas

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BrownieNpadre

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Bought a 2020 Hemi 6.4 mainly just to pull my boat out a couple times a year. So I just upgraded my TT to a 30’ jayco @ roughly 6k# and getting around 7 MPG. Any diesel guys pulling the roughly the same that would care to share real life MPG. I know the diesel will pull better , just trying to figure out if the added cost of diesel fuel would work to roughly same cost per mile and would like the extended range for sure. I has seen some post at around 11 mpg.
 
9-11 towing a 6-12K trailer. 5th wheel or TT are about the same, weight doesn’t make much difference either. Speed makes the biggest difference. Closer to 11-12 below 65, closer to 9-10 at 70-75.

That’s all inner mountain towing.

I’ll bet a 30’ Jayco is heavier than 6K lbs.
 
Similar experience to @AH64ID Tow a 10k boat in the mountains and get 10-12 MPGs consistently.
 
AH64ID said:
9-11 towing a 6-12K trailer. 5th wheel or TT are about the same, weight doesn’t make much difference either. Speed makes the biggest difference. Closer to 11-12 below 65, closer to 9-10 at 70-75.

That’s all inner mountain towing.

I’ll bet a 30’ Jayco is heavier than 6K lbs.
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That is listed dry weight
 
BrownieNpadre said:
That is listed dry weight
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Makes sense, so it’s doubtful it’s that light loaded for towing. I’ve found that we end up 2-3K lbs above brochure weight when loaded for camping, thou it never feels like we add that much.

When people talk about their trailer weights they generally talk loaded weight.
 
What are you get mpg without towing as daily driver.
 
16-18 around town most tanks. It’ll do better on the highway, but with the 50 gallon tank I don’t get many all easy highway driving tanks.. and none on the 22 that didn’t involve winter weather either.
 
The time to have made this decision was before you purchased your truck.

With loss in depreciation in a trade, you'll never make up the difference in fuel savings by upgrading to a diesel unless you tow like > 30k per year and keep it 10+ years, and then if you have any diesel related issues outside the warranty you'll definitely never make it back at all.

Diesel can be cheaper, but it's too late at this point to make that switch if you're doing it 100% to save money.
 
BrownieNpadre said:
What are you get mpg without towing as daily driver.
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14 around town with some stop/go, 17 highway at 65-70 MPH.

Towing in the mountains, it varies so much based on the amount of uphill vs. downhill, I'm not sure it's useful to provide an average. I usually see somewhere around 6 to 9 on the dash going up fairly steep grades.
 
Towing my 32' Salem tow behind which weighs around 7-8k I get around 9-12 mpg depending on speed, elevation changes, etc. I'm running 37s and I expected worse to be honest. (these numbers were hand calculated, so don't @ me)

Daily driving I get between 16 - 20mpg (again hand calc) depending on how hard I am, winter vs summer fuel, and around town vs highway trips.

As was said by @silver billet, unless you're towing a lot, it's not gonna be a financially sound deal unless you find someone who is willing to trade you for around the difference in the cummins upgrade cost. The difference in fuel cost for diesel currently doesn't make it worth it. The only real reason to would be purely non-financial (towing longer distances with less fuel stops, using the trucker fill ups at fuel stops, etc.)
 
elephantrider said:
I get between 9 and 11 towing a 38' 10k lb bumper pull tt.
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This is completely unrelated, but how do you like towing such a long tt? I've been debating between a 5th wheel and TT for a bit and the only way to get the dual bedroom layout we want is a 36'+ TT unless we go 5th wheel. I just feel like it would be a nightmare to tow considering how long it is.
 
it's no biggie. main thing is to watch the rear swing out when turning tight. I don't really think about it but I love to pull stuff, so there's that.. lol

...and I love my 2 bedroom 34bhts.
 
UglyViking said:
This is completely unrelated, but how do you like towing such a long tt? I've been debating between a 5th wheel and TT for a bit and the only way to get the dual bedroom layout we want is a 36'+ TT unless we go 5th wheel. I just feel like it would be a nightmare to tow considering how long it is.
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Not used to handling long equipment? Haha
 
IndyRamMega said:
Not used to handling long equipment? Haha
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Nope. I towed small boats, jet skis, small trailers, etc. and am comfortable with them. I've towed a bit locally with my Salem 27DBK (32' length) and the turning radius is straight garbage, not to mention the thing is pretty long overall, at least for someone with my experience level of towing something that "long". Took a trip from NH to MT and back and was fine, but some of the parking spots got a little tight, especially when we were in upstate NY.

I think the issue is likely compounded by my WDH being poorly setup due to the tongue propane and battery placement.

All that is the reason we are kind of poking with the idea of a 5er. I really just don't wanna lose my cap and had planned a tire carrier swing out. I'm forever conflicted between doing a standard tow behind, or stepping up to a 5er and doing a flatbed + canopy so I can have the "best of everything". Only major downside is cost, which is basically the downside for everything.
 
Most all new 2500 ,4x4,,crew cab ,Hemi owners I talk to say they get 11-13 mpg daily driving, highway and city total average,, and 6-9 mpg towing.,,just sayin what they tell me.
 
BrownieNpadre said:
Bought a 2020 Hemi 6.4 mainly just to pull my boat out a couple times a year. So I just upgraded my TT to a 30’ jayco @ roughly 6k# and getting around 7 MPG. Any diesel guys pulling the roughly the same that would care to share real life MPG. I know the diesel will pull better , just trying to figure out if the added cost of diesel fuel would work to roughly same cost per mile and would like the extended range for sure. I has seen some post at around 11 mpg.
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I tow 8800 lbs. about 10K miles a year over all terrain. (I live in Colorado). My long-term average is 9.32 mpg. Some are in the 6's and some as high as 11. I don't tow over 65 mph. What amazes me is this truck does 18.28 (evic 18.9) over long runs on the highway. I did a write up in this forum describing the terrain and speed with this mpg. Before ordering this truck I compared cost and maintenance between the diesel and hemi and figured I could never recover the additional cost of the diesel.
Hemi with 4.10's
 
UglyViking said:
Nope. I towed small boats, jet skis, small trailers, etc. and am comfortable with them. I've towed a bit locally with my Salem 27DBK (32' length) and the turning radius is straight garbage, not to mention the thing is pretty long overall, at least for someone with my experience level of towing something that "long". Took a trip from NH to MT and back and was fine, but some of the parking spots got a little tight, especially when we were in upstate NY.

I think the issue is likely compounded by my WDH being poorly setup due to the tongue propane and battery placement.

All that is the reason we are kind of poking with the idea of a 5er. I really just don't wanna lose my cap and had planned a tire carrier swing out. I'm forever conflicted between doing a standard tow behind, or stepping up to a 5er and doing a flatbed + canopy so I can have the "best of everything". Only major downside is cost, which is basically the downside for everything.
Click to expand...
I prefer my 30' TT for a few reasons. I have full use of my 8' bed and I do fill it up. It is low enough I can fit under most trees in campgrounds. The handling is great with speeds up to 85 mph when passing slow pokes on two lane highways. (Don't make a habit of that.) I think the added height of the 5th wheel has to affect mpg. The only good thing I can see with the 5th wheel is the turning radius but I've squeezed my TT into some pretty tight spots.
 
My previous 30’ TT, current 31’ 5th wheel, and a 26’ Toy Hauler all get about the same mileage given the same weight and road conditions.

The 5th wheel is taller, but a TT seems to have more drag due to the distance between the truck and trailer.

I know adding a 6” longer shank has a noticeable impact on fuel economy towing a TT.

There are pros and cons to each, but I think we’re going to stay with 5th wheels and get a pop-up slide in for remote back roads camping.
 
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