Help us decide on tow vehicle and daily driver

[Jake1962]

Hi, we are a young couple with 2 small children, 2 large dogs and a new 24' travel trailer. We purchased a Jeep Grand Cherokee (against Dad's advice) and have had nothing but trouble without even towing. Needless to say the Jeep is gone and we are searching for the ideal tow vehicle and daily driver for our family. The decision is definitely a GMC pickup truck with cap, 4 doors for 2 car seats and it must be a 4x4. My wife will be driving it 20 miles per day with children.
I have always wanted a diesel but my Dad says the cost of ownership is way more then a gasser for the amount of towing we will be doing. If we go with a gasser, what rear end do you recommend for a 6000# trailer and at most 10,000#? I will be taking a yearly trip thru mountains to visit inlaws but most less then 100 miles. I believe a 2500 is in order because years ago I had a 1500 that just didn't have what I felt I needed to tow my 5000# "toy jeep". We also want the longest bed available.
I guess my biggest questions that I have is do I go gas or diesel and why? Do I go with a big rear end or smaller for daily driving?
My Dad has always had a 454 in his trucks to tow with and the 4;10 rear end and is telling me I need to go big from the start but stay away from diesel.
Please give me your advice or tell me of your experiences.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

[DaveF-250SD]

Jake1962,
I think you will be most happiest with a 3/4 ton gas engine truck for the size loads you will be carrying. You will never have to be counting every pound of stuff you bring, etc., as you will have well more than enough payload for whatever comes up. Both My trucks are gas, an F-250 Super Duty with a V-10, and (need to update my signature) a '78 GMC C-35 one ton SRW pickup, yes, with a 454. Great engines, timeless and bullet proof. Your Dad is not the only 454 fan out there. 🙂

[blt2ski]

A 15 series truck will generally speaking, not have what could be the need for 2000-3000 lbs of payload. 6-8k of trailer is upwards of 1200lbs for hitch. 2 large dogs....my two salutes were 150 each with crates. 2 adults...except and I are 450 lbs. 2 kids......mommy daddy can we bring 2 friends.....now you are a family of 6. We were 1200-1300+ when I had 4 adult sized teen kids.
Anyway, I had a 9200 gvwr sw 3500 usually running down the road at 9000-9500 lbs with 6500-7000 on trailer axles. 2500-3000 lbs of people etc in truck!
Any current gas motor will move you better than a 454. I had a couple of 454's. Decent motors. Tranny options sucked.
My 02 on this from my experience.

Marty

[mhamershock]

My 2018 F150 has a 2400 lb payload. You put an ARE cap with the cargo rack on it and it will handle you and your family, plus dogs, trailer and boat on top and have a few 100 lbs left in payload. I drove a LOT of trucks before I ordered it. The GMCs and the RAMs were too primitive inside, and I didn't want a gas motor w/o turbos (hate to hear a motor tow at 5000 rpm) and the diesels were too expensive, and too big for a DD.

The F150 was MT Truck of the Year for a reason. The HD version with the 3.5EB and 10 speed is an amazing truck.

M

[Jake1962]

bikendan wrote:

guidry wrote:
One other thing to consider, with a 1/2 ton truck; they size of the gas tank. Towing with my Tundra, I had to stop every 2 hours to fill up. That caused a big problem trying to find a gas station and was very inconvenient on a long trip.

A newer F150 with Max Tow Package will get you a 36 gallon fuel tank.

Ford always had the larger fuel tanks as I remember Dad filling both the front and rear tanks on our conversion van. I believe one was 16gal and other 18 gal.
Remember, since this will be her daily driver,I have to make my bride happy, that's why I'm asking all of your experiences.
I should mention that I drive a older sedan 30+ miles one way to work and it sits in a open area all day or night. I want my family to have the newest and safest. Thank you again ALL.

[bikendan]

guidry wrote:
One other thing to consider, with a 1/2 ton truck; they size of the gas tank. Towing with my Tundra, I had to stop every 2 hours to fill up. That caused a big problem trying to find a gas station and was very inconvenient on a long trip.

A newer F150 with Max Tow Package will get you a 36 gallon fuel tank.

[rexlion]

Considering your bad experience with the Jeep, I can appreciate staying away from Ram; after all, they're both FCA vehicles. However, I've never been a GM fan and I do read some negative comments about repairs/reliability of GM stuff. I agree with danrclem, a 3.5L ecoboost Ford will give you diesel-like performance without any of the diesel downsides. That engine has proven itself in reliability, and oil changes and other maintenance is pretty familiar and straighforward... no fancy low-ash oil, etc.

Diesels were great. With DEF and all the emissions junk, not so much now IMO. And when they break, hoo boy... they can break the bank. I hear tales of 5-figure repair bills to fix engine problems. Too rich for my blood!

[danrclem]

A 3/4 ton gas truck will pull what you have easily but (and you probably already know this) they don't get very good fuel mileage. I have one but don't put many miles on it. If you don't mind the poor mileage a gasser would be an excellent choice. If you don't mind spending more money a truck with a diesel would be an excellent choice and get better everyday mileage than the gas.

I know you said GMC but a F150 HD with a 3.5 Ecoboost will pull your TT without breaking a sweat and will get good everyday mileage also. If I had a smaller trailer that's what I'd get.

[KD4UPL]

MFL wrote:
Since you say buying new, I'd just get the GM 2500 with 6.0 gas. AFAIK, the new ones come standard with the 4.10. With the 6-speed transmission, and high HP 6.0, you will have ample towing power to go bigger, when the time comes. The gas trucks have lots of payload too.

Jerry

This,
GMC is a great truck. You're wise in getting a 2500 instead of a 1500. It WILL come with 4.10 gears. My '15 Chevy 3500 at work has the 6.0 gas engine and 4.10 gears. It handles up to 10,000 pounds quite easily. More than that and I wish for more power.
I've owned several diesel and gas GM trucks over the last 15 years. I love the diesels for hauling and towing heavy. I use my '05 diesel dually for such duty regularly and it's great.
However, for your application I see no need to spend the extra money on the truck, the fuel, or the maintenance of a diesel. The GM 6.0 is a solid proven engine. That makes more HP than the old 454 and even the early Duramax diesels.

[MFL]

Since you say buying new, I'd just get the GM 2500 with 6.0 gas. AFAIK, the new ones come standard with the 4.10. With the 6-speed transmission, and high HP 6.0, you will have ample towing power to go bigger, when the time comes. The gas trucks have lots of payload too.

Jerry

[kw_00]

A gas 3/4 ton will pull what you have easily. No need to go diesel unless u have to or just want one.

[jerem0621]

Since I’m helping spend your money :B

2018 GMC Denali 1500 with the NHT package and the 6.2 monster V8. Should also come with the 3.73 gears.

Around 1900 ish lbs of payload

Plenty of suspension, good Daily Driver manners, lots of power and decent MPG. You will not be struggling around towing with this beast.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[smurfs_of_war]

Jake1962 wrote:
First I would like to thank all of you for your help, we are taking all in.
First is we live in lower Michigan. We say that we will not be going bigger as the kids grow but if I have my Dad's genes we will go big fast,that's where the 454 came in. He had vehicles with smaller motors, got fed up fighting them so went with the biggest 2500 he could and all had 454's. The last one he still drives and only tows a 5000# boat but babies his truck.
The reason I said GMC is we had been shopping before the Jeep ordeal and we both loved the GMC over any other truck but went Jeep because I listened to salesman. Never again. It is now time to decide 1500 or 2500 and gas or diesel. The heat part scares me as well as the cold winters so gas might be the way to go. The rear end on a truck will depend on whether we go 1/2 or 3/4 ton and what is available on the lot. We will be buying new and will be hauling my little 12' boat on top as I want to bring kids up as I was. We just have to remember the boat is on top when kids want McDonalds.LOL.
Thanks again and keep ideas coming.

Boat on top too? Yeah- 2500. Just makes life easier so you don't have to worry about every little pound. The GM twins make some nice trucks- the 6.0 is a great motor too and really resilient.

I am not anti-diesel. I drive them every day which is maybe why I wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole for my personal daily driver and fun hauler. Too many things can and do go funny with them over time and it's never a cheap fix. All of the emissions on them are finicky now- that's not opinion, it's a fact. Fuel quality is sometimes an issue here as well. Just got sick of the stink, the pain in the butt when it drops to -35C, the DEF, antigel, everything. When they work, they work great. When they don't- better pucker up. If your wallet allows and that's what you want, then I say go for it! Lots of people go for years with no problems at all, so I am not beating on the diesels just for the sake of doing it. I think they are great for real work horses. They're just too much of a pain for me for my daily driver and fun truck.

[Terryallan]

Jake1962 wrote:
First I would like to thank all of you for your help, we are taking all in.
First is we live in lower Michigan. We say that we will not be going bigger as the kids grow but if I have my Dad's genes we will go big fast,that's where the 454 came in. He had vehicles with smaller motors, got fed up fighting them so went with the biggest 2500 he could and all had 454's. The last one he still drives and only tows a 5000# boat but babies his truck.
The reason I said GMC is we had been shopping before the Jeep ordeal and we both loved the GMC over any other truck but went Jeep because I listened to salesman. Never again. It is now time to decide 1500 or 2500 and gas or diesel. The heat part scares me as well as the cold winters so gas might be the way to go. The rear end on a truck will depend on whether we go 1/2 or 3/4 ton and what is available on the lot. We will be buying new and will be hauling my little 12' boat on top as I want to bring kids up as I was. We just have to remember the boat is on top when kids want McDonalds.LOL.
Thanks again and keep ideas coming.

Don't just go with what is on the lot. Often they only have 3.15, or 3.42. Trying to meet the MPG standards. You really need a lower gear. Like a 3.73. In any event. a 3.55 is as high a gear as you could stand

[Jake1962]

First I would like to thank all of you for your help, we are taking all in.
First is we live in lower Michigan. We say that we will not be going bigger as the kids grow but if I have my Dad's genes we will go big fast,that's where the 454 came in. He had vehicles with smaller motors, got fed up fighting them so went with the biggest 2500 he could and all had 454's. The last one he still drives and only tows a 5000# boat but babies his truck.
The reason I said GMC is we had been shopping before the Jeep ordeal and we both loved the GMC over any other truck but went Jeep because I listened to salesman. Never again. It is now time to decide 1500 or 2500 and gas or diesel. The heat part scares me as well as the cold winters so gas might be the way to go. The rear end on a truck will depend on whether we go 1/2 or 3/4 ton and what is available on the lot. We will be buying new and will be hauling my little 12' boat on top as I want to bring kids up as I was. We just have to remember the boat is on top when kids want McDonalds.LOL.
Thanks again and keep ideas coming.