Who has a diesel tow vehicle and wishes it were gas?

[jeffnick]

jeffnick -

Hope this wasn't one of those times when you forgot to tilt you motor before hauling her out! :shock:

Thanks for the words of caution guys, but the boat was on it's way IN! We like to light it up before we turn it loose...although once at that ramp it did jump off the trailer as I pulled it out of park, before we got the motor running.

For the record....this is how we do it when there's 2 of us:
put in the plug
remove the stern straps
back the trailer/boat in the water (about as far as shown in the pic above)
disconnect the bow strap(s) without getting feet wet
if necessary, move the trailer farther in -- enough to lite up the motor
back farther in to get the boat off the trailer

 

[wharf rat]

I have an 05 Dodge Ram 2500 with the 5.9 turbo. The 06 and older 24 valve is amazing. Without any chips or modification it is getting 21.5 mpg. That will change while towing but the power is unbeatable. The 5.9 cummins engine is awsome. The 07 and newer has the smog package and lowers fuel milage considerably. California smog regs suck! To reduce emisions we have to burn more fuel to do the same job. The other option for gas in my opinion would be the chevy Silverado I think it get close to 20mpg but they lack the clearence at the ramp. Dodge is the ticket!

 

[Sully]

I have a 1998 E350
6.8L V10
Amsoil oil! Motor trani,rear end fluids with Duel bypass filters
252K
And still runs and looks great
Thing can still pull a hole shot and a house
Not to forget a 2120SC :lol:

 

[dave11]

TOL

I have a Super Duty Ford F-250 with the V 10. If you want to try it out pulling your boat, give me a call.

 

[JamesTX]

I have seen on more then one occasion here in DFW triple axel boats pulled with Tahoes and other like trucks. The trick is they only have to go a few miles to the boat ramp. No long highway trips so horsepower isn't a big concern. Good trailer brakes save on the wear tear as well.

When I was youngun we traveled to the coast from west Texas, sometimes 500 miles one way for a 1 week vacation. I'll never forget. The family we fished with had a 25 Sea Ray i/o. Not sure of the exact weight but it was pretty heavy I would think. They pulled it all that way with a 160hp 6.2 diesel suburban loaded down with people and other vacation stuff. Granted it was "foot on the floor" more often then not. made it just fine several years in a row.

Does any one make a v-8 with less then 250hp these days? In other words buy what you find the best deal and and can be happy with; gas, diesel, whatever they all will pull. Especially for short trips.

 

[MaxOut]

Horsepower has little to do with towing safely. As stated most trucks have plenty of horsepower but when you are looking at a tow vehicle I would prioritize your towing concerns in this order, actual tow rating, brakes, suspension, torque and weight. The heavier rated trucks will have larger brakes, suspension and associated drive train. I recommend getting a vehicle rated to tow 20% more than what you intend on towing so you are not towing the max. Even though you can pull allot more than the OEM's rate their trucks at I would stay below the max.
You can pull a loaded 2820 with a VW bug TDI and it might hold together for a long time but pulling and towing are totally different.
A triple axel trailer will tow easier than a tandem because the weight is dispersed over more of the road and the trailer is less likely to shift fore and aft putting less strain on the tow vehicle on curves and when braking.
Ultimately whatever you tow with needs to be level and balanced as much as possible meaning the boat needs to sit properly on the trailer to where the tongue weight is not excessive and the trailer is level with road when hooked to the truck. I also suggest the biggest brake system on the trailer and on all wheels if possible. The more work the trailer can do the less work the tow vehicle will have to do.
It is not uncommon for trailer brakes to be problems and if your tow vehicle is undersized and your trailer brakes give up you may end up wishing you had got a proper sized tow vehicle.

 

[JamesTX]

Exactly, the tow vehicle over-all is more important then deciding between gas vs diesel. I wouldn't lose any sleep with any late model engine combination just as long as the vehicle is rated to handle your boat.