[Mattswaggs]

Sounds like you got a good one. Try not to idle or sit in city traffic and your mpg should only improve from here.

 

[Mattswaggs]

Are you towing anything heavy or just your TT?

So it sounds like, all-in, it’s costing you quite a bit more to tow with this truck than it cost with the Raptor.

8,500 lbs is way to heavy to pull with a Raptor. I was in the RV business. 8,500 lb travel trailer is too heavy for any 1500. An 8,500 load on a flatbed trailer, ok, but a travel trailer, especially bumper pull requires a little more weight in the tow vehicle.

 

[Mattswaggs]

Agreed. That is why I went up to the 2500. The problem is I am in between, light for a 2500 6.6 Duramax but heavy for a 1500, especially in any kind of cross wind. I probably should have got the 2500 6.6 gasser. The Raptor pulled it great, even held 6th most of the time (6 speed) but the suspension was not up to the task.

Yes it is typically not the power of the tow vehicle that is the problem, but the weight of the vehicle. RV’s have the tendency to push around the tow vehicle if it isn’t sized right. I noticed a huge difference even going from a short bed to a long bed. The extra wheelbase helped keep things straight during cross winds.

Either way, I would rather be oversized than undersized. Your setup is great. As for the gas vs diesel. I tried an HD gas. It is really not ideal for RV towing because of how often you have to stop for gas. I had about a 200 mile range with my 2020 Ram HD gas, and about 400 miles with my diesel. When out west, 200 miles isn’t quite enough range to feel safe, for me.

 

[Mattswaggs]

I never understand, nor can I follow the logic of these statements. A new 1/2 ton is rated to tow over 13,000 pounds, but people say it’s unsafe to tow at 2/3 of the maximum rated towing capacity. Why? You say it’s because the truck doesn’t weigh enough. Well, everything scales. A 8,500 pound camper will have less surface area than a 13,000+ pound FW, so the wind factor idea doesn’t really apply. The new half tons weigh as much as the old 3/4/1-ton trucks, and people had no problem towing well over 8,500 pounds with those trucks. And finally, for the ”truck doesn’t weigh enough” argument, look at which new truck is rated to tow the most weight, a RC, 2WD truck, the lightest truck of them all. yet that truck is rated to tow over 36,000 pounds. That argument doesn’t hold water.

Let‘s look at it from a different viewpoint. You say it’s unsafe to tow a trailer that is 1.5 times the weight of a half ton. By that logic, a one ton truck would be unsafe towing less than 13,000 pounds, that’s all just based off of the weight of the truck.

Or, let’s look at it from the tow ratings perspective. You say 2/3 of tow rating for half ton is unsafe, then, following that logic, towing with a one ton SRW gas truck, it would be unsafe to tow 9,600 pounds, since that is 2/3 of the weight rating for a conventional bumper pull trailer for that truck.

None of that is logical.

It doesn’t need to make sense to you now, but when you do it, and have a little more experience I’m sure it will make sense.

Those 1/2 tons aren’t rated to tow 13,000 lb campers. Frontal area matters.

Owners manuals mention frontal area, and how it limits tow capacity.

I have towed over 50 different campers with 8 different trucks. And sold 30-35 campers to people, probably showing each of them on average to 3 people. So, short story long, I’ve talked to a lot of people who tow campers. A LOT of people thought like you, because they didn’t have the experience, that if the camper was within the ‘tow rating’ it was ok. They found out that wasn’t true. Every camper I’ve bought was from auctions, I’ve bought campers that rolled on their sides and others sustained other damages. Most of them due to towing with inadequate tow vehicles.
By no means am I trying to convince you. I hope one day you tow a 8,500 lb camper with a 1500. You’ll learn first hand.

 

[Mattswaggs]

You made my point, heavy isn’t the issue, campers with their unique aerodynamics is the issue.