F250 or F350 to Haul a 5th Wheel???

[FL-JOE]

One very important thing to consider when deciding between gas and diesel, where are you going to fuel that big boy up?

If you are towing a 37' to 44' fiver it will be a real adventure to find regular gas stations to whip into and pump gas. A handful of Flying J and/or Pilot stations have small RV lanes out front with gas and diesel pumps but those are far and few between, especially out west. You can limit yourself to just getting gas when not towing but that becomes a problem at times.

If your truck is diesel then you can simply pull into any major truck stop commercial lanes and have tons of room. There will always be DEF available plus a windshield cleaning brush with a handle longer that 2 feet. In addition you can get a discount fuel card and start saving anywhere from $0.20 to $0.60 per gallon on your diesel, it doesn't work on gasoline purchases.

 

[Adeakins]

My experience was just the opposite. I traded my 7.3 diesel and 35’ 5th wheel for a 7.3 gas F350 to pull my 41’ Montana. I found diesel scarce when driving back roads to avoid the flotillas of tractor-trailers that crowd the freeways in the southeast. (US 441 south of Macon and the US1 alternatives leading into Florida for example.) We are full timers and haven’t had a problem yet finding an appropriately accommodating service station, on or off the freeway. My truck burns regular gas and gets 7~ 12 mpg towing and 15mpg without the trailer (which is not often). It has a 48 gallon tank, I should mention as well. Also, so far, my gas 7.3 does as good as my diesel did pulling mountains and operating at higher altitudes and that’s with a naturally aspirated engine versus the twin turbos on my diesel. I live in Wester North Carolina and have toured the 8,000 elevations if northern Arizona and southern Utah. There are a lot of considerations that go into any gas vs diesel decision especially if you really want that GM or Ram as Ford is the only truck offering a gas rival to diesel at this time. I’m not selling here. You need to do your own research to find the right puller for your RV. I’m just saying; don’t discount gas.

 

[billnourse]

I have found in my studies that the difference between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton in single wheel configuration is minimal. In my particular year, 2002 Chev. HD, the only difference is an overload spring on the 1 ton. I just went up in trailer size to a Nitro XLR 321 toy hauler (12,300 empty) and stayed with the 2500 HD Duramax. Here are my impressions after a first tow of about 1,000 miles: Truck: 2002 Chev. 2500 HD Duramax with 115,000 miles. Has a Bullydog chip set on tow/haul. Oversized transmission pan. 7,500 # Air Lift bags at 60# of air. Upgraded tires from 3,000 each to 3,400 each. The weight of my truck is 7,300 with hitch, me and the stuff in the back. The rear wheels are 3,100# and rated for 6084 with stock tires. My tires upgrade this to 6,800#. This allows for a pin weight of around 3,000 if I am figuring correctly. Pin weight on the trailer is about 2,500. My route ranged from 3,500 ft. elevation to 7,800 ft. with temperatures from 39 degrees to 75 degrees. Speeds were 60 to 70 MPH with a combination of interstate and regular highway. Trans temp was never above 210 degrees, engine temp was never above 210 degrees. EGT was never above 1,200 degrees except for a few short durations when they hit 1,300 on a hard pull. The trip included some periods of crosswinds that were noticeable but not scary. All this being said, if I was going to be doing a lot of long trips, or pulling a lot, I would try to fit a 3500 SRW into the budget. If I planned to go full time it would have to be with a dually, but for now I plan to get by with what I have.

 

[OTH]

if you haven't bought yet, F350 for sure. The drive is the same as the 3/4 ton, your worry about weight will be gone, and the price isn't all that much more. You can never have too much truck. From my experience, which is Chevy not Ford, but my 2021 3500 rides much better than my 2016 2500. A few years ago, I bought the 3/4 ton thinking it would be enough for almost anything. I was wrong.

 

[FL-JOE]

You have received a lot of different advise, especially on gas vs. diesel. Just a final word of caution on buying a gas 1-ton (if you can even find one). Unless you get the large tank or add a tank you will find yourself needing to gas up while hooked up. Envision trying to find regular gas stations that you can slide into towing a 38' to 42' fiver. You might get away with it a few times but even an expert driver will probably get into trouble sooner or later.

Now if you have a 48 gallon OEM tank on the truck and only drive 300 miles or less and plan it out carefully then you can always gas up when not hooked up. I 100% promise you the day will come when you will get stuck in traffic due to an accident and all that will go out the window and you will be trying to find a gas station to squeeze into because you are goiing to run out of gas before you arrive at the campground. Any anyone that tells you they can pull a steep grade just as good with their gas engine as you can with your diesel either has never owned a diesel or is simply not being honest.