I have a 2003. 1500HD crew cab and I pull 2003 rockwood 9284 31 1/2 footer that hasa dry weight of of just under 5000 lbs. I have not used the trailer that much but I usualy get between 8 and 9 miles per gallon and have not had any trouble pulling in the hill country of Texas. I have enough time before I retire to buy and pay for a new dodge with a cummings diesil engine. I am told that I could get as much as 14 to 15 mpg towing and 18 to 19 not towing. Although the mpg is not a problem now I am concerend about it after I retire and when I will be on a fixed income and I am conceren how my present rig will pull in the mountains of Colorado. I Am interested in someone that has practical experience with the dodge cummings and someone that has used a 1500HD in the mountains.
With my cummins, I get around 10mpg to 11mpg pulling in the hill country but I`m pulling around 12k pounds, give or take. Going down to the coast I get around 12mpg. My Dad pulls around 11k pounds with a Chevy 6.0L and on the same roads get around 7mpg to 8mpg. My mpg is pulling mostly at 70mph. His mpg is pulling around 60 mph he said.
1996 Dodge Dually 5 speed Extended Cab 5.9L Cummins
2005 31LBHBS Cedar Creek Silver Back
Around town: 19 to 21 mpg
Hwy empty: 20 to 22 mpg
Towing 6000# 5er: 11 to 12 mpg @ 65-68 mph
Don't let your work become your life. 2002 Ram 2500 Quad Cab, SLT, shortbed, 5.9L turbo diesel, 3:55 limited slip axle, Tekonsha Prodigy 2010 KeiferBuilt Evo 3 Horse with LQ
Don't buy any new diesel truck if you're only buying just to get improved mileage. It would take years and hundred's of thousand's of miles to just break even the expense of a new diesel truck that get's 10 to 14 MPG towing vs. what you have now that gets 6 to 10 MPG. Now if you "NEED" a new truck, then go for it and get the new 2006 Dodge Supercrew 1 ton Dodge Cummins; it's the "Mac Daddy" of all tow vehicles. But don't spend $40k plus just to get an extra 2 to 6 MPG towing.
Happy Camping!
USAF RETIRED '92, "EITHER LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUTTA THE WAY"!!!
"THE SILVER FOX" 06 GMC 3500 CC DRW D/A LBZ 4X4 SLT
"THE BEAST", 00 DODGE 3500 QUAD CAB DRW CTD LARAMIE
04 HR 30SCD 5'ER OPTIONS? EVER DANG'ED ONE OF'EM!!!
I HAVE A 2004 DODGE 3500 QUAD CAB, LONG BED AND TOW A 28 MONTANA 5TH WHEEL WEIGHT 8200 DRY AND TOWING I GET FROM 10-14 FROM OREGON TO YUMA AZ. WITHOUT RV I RUN 22-24 ON THE LEVEL. THE MANUALSAID MILAGE WOULD IMPROVE AFTER 10,000 MILES AND IT DID, GOING FROM 18 TO 20 PLUS, I ALSO RUN AROUND 1700 RPM WHICH COMES OUT MID 60S. I AM NOT THE FASTEST ON THE ROAD BUT DO ENJOY IT MORE. SLOWER SPEED BETTER MILAGE GOING 70 CAN PULL IT DOWN. I PUT IT ON CRUISE CONTROL AND LET HE GO.
Towing a '94 22' Hornet with '03 Cummins shortbox, with a 16' Lund boat behind it-- truck gets about 23-25 on freeway (as long as it's not over 65!)when alone- with trailer it gets about 14 traveling up to Canada along MN northshore (very hilly). The engine loves to work but don't get stupid and try to see how fast you can get there and expect good mpg. If I go 70-75 on the freeway w/o trailer the mpg drops to 18 or 19 like clockwork. Also, kick it out of OD on the hills- be nice to it and it will be nice to you...
I don't think that you would get 14-15 towing. You would probably be more in the range of 11.5-13. Maybe 15 down hill with a tailwind. The unloaded mileage might be 1 mpg higher. But, it depends a lot on how fast you drive. The 6.0L has a similar torque/hp curve as my former Hemi. I expect it would do ok in the Rockies with the size of trailer that you are pulling.
Dodge RAM 2500 QC, 4x4, 3.73, 5.9 CTD, 6 sp, towing mirrors, line-x, P. Blue over Silver
Laredo 25 + 4 RL
I get 12 with my 2001 Cummins towing a tall 5th wheel just under 10,000 lbs gross so I don't think 14 or even 15 with your trailer sounds unreasonable. Depends on how fast you like to travel. Diesel's huge low end torque makes them superior for towing and their turbocharger lets them produce nearly all their rated power at high altitude. Your present combination sounds like it's probably OK to me but if you are looking at a long term situation and think you will be in the mountains a lot, invest in the diesel.
"Never trust a man who has not a single redeeming vice" WSC
I got 22 MPG hauling 2 quads to the mountain this weekend, get about 19 around town and depending on the load get between 11 and 13 towing. I did get as low as 10 MPG on my last trip, but there was nearly a 30 MPH headwind and I was towing 9K trailer with the quasd on the back of the truck
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