Gas tow rig....possible? NEED DIESEL.
08-07-2014, 09:02 AM
#43
Rode in a 6.0 Excursion yesterday.....159K miles, bone stock one owner. Trip computer noted 14.4 avg which wasn't terrible for a daily driver, guy couldn't remember the last time he reset it. My F150 crew hovers 12-14 in mixed driving and 17-18 highway......seems the diesel is a lot more vehicle for the same $hitty mileage! 
My wife drove a Mercedes GL diesel, she loved the 600+ miles to a tank vs. 350 miles to a tank in her Yukon (short wheel base/small tank). She complained it was always empty!
My wife drove a Mercedes GL diesel, she loved the 600+ miles to a tank vs. 350 miles to a tank in her Yukon (short wheel base/small tank). She complained it was always empty!
08-07-2014, 09:46 AM
#44
Registered
Yup, on a 2004 Chevy crewcab dually duramax, I went through a set of injectors ($2300), headgaskets ($3100), and a waterpump ($850). But I only paid $9,000 for the truck with 145,000 on it. Kept it for a little over 2 years and it pulled the boat great for those 2 years. In March I traded it in on a 2013 crewcab 2500 duramax. I cannot ever go back to a gasser now 
But I do agree, I don't really need the diesel but I do love it. I also have no problems with guys pulling with gas trucks.
But I do agree, I don't really need the diesel but I do love it. I also have no problems with guys pulling with gas trucks.
Last edited by BIGSLOW; 08-07-2014 at 10:26 AM.
08-07-2014, 10:07 AM
#45
Not bad only a little over 6k dollars in repairs. That had to be a kick in the nut bag.
I replaced the injectors in my 454 vortec with some takeout LS1 injectors from a Vette with 30k miles. They were 60 bucks. Took me about 2 hours to do them, with a few beers in between. My stock ones were working ok but heard they start leaking around 100k miles, so I was being preventive. I had the ecm tuned for them since they were a bit larger than stock. They also firmed up my shifts and some other crap while tuning. That was about 250 bucks.
I did have a fuel pump fail me. A new Delphi pump was about 85 bucks.
I replaced the injectors in my 454 vortec with some takeout LS1 injectors from a Vette with 30k miles. They were 60 bucks. Took me about 2 hours to do them, with a few beers in between. My stock ones were working ok but heard they start leaking around 100k miles, so I was being preventive. I had the ecm tuned for them since they were a bit larger than stock. They also firmed up my shifts and some other crap while tuning. That was about 250 bucks.
I did have a fuel pump fail me. A new Delphi pump was about 85 bucks.
08-07-2014, 10:26 AM
#46
Towing this:
Gas:
Loses speed on any slight incline, always downshifting and revving to 3000rpm plus, doesn`t wanna shift back to overdrive unless I let off, horrible gas mileage, still horrible when empty not allowing me to use it in the off season.
Wanna pass, better have a half mile to build speed.
440tq @ 4200rpm gas
or 650tq @ 1600rpm Diesel.
9mpg empty gas
15mpg empty Diesel
Plus mine has a tune that requires me to use 89+octane so gas price difference vs. Diesel is nill.
Maybe I should just get a smaller boat
Gas:
Loses speed on any slight incline, always downshifting and revving to 3000rpm plus, doesn`t wanna shift back to overdrive unless I let off, horrible gas mileage, still horrible when empty not allowing me to use it in the off season.
Wanna pass, better have a half mile to build speed.
440tq @ 4200rpm gas
or 650tq @ 1600rpm Diesel.
9mpg empty gas
15mpg empty Diesel
Plus mine has a tune that requires me to use 89+octane so gas price difference vs. Diesel is nill.
Maybe I should just get a smaller boat
I know my boat/truck combo is 4k lbs lighter weighing around 20 total, but to me it sounds like something is wrong with your 8.1 if it can't maintain speed on a mild northern illinois incline on I94. Heck there's been a bunch of tests with guys towing 5th wheel campers up mountain passes with the 8.1, and while they revved hard they rarely lost any speed while climbing.
08-07-2014, 11:16 AM
#47
VIP Member
VIP Member
Ive towed my tiger since 05 with an 01 2wd 8.1 gas lowered dually with Allison trans and have never had an issue, regular maintenance, towed to Ohio numerous times, lake Champlain, long island, Richmond many times and all the way to Miami in 08 for the Bimini race. runs on 87, i may stop more for gas, but with the diff in price diesel costs more. Allison trans downshifts on its own and only time i have ever had an issue at any ramp was because of sand, low gear and slow pulls right out.... 177K miles on it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]527489[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]527489[/ATTACH]
Last edited by offshoredrillin; 08-07-2014 at 11:28 AM.
08-07-2014, 01:15 PM
#49
Registered
Do I NEED a diesel? Nope! Do I WANT a diesel, well, er YES! My only problem is paying attention while I'm towing and keeping it under 80! Last trip to LOTO, I was cruising down I-44 cruise set on 78, then BLAMMO! Trailer tires I guess are not rated for that....
08-07-2014, 01:15 PM
#50
Multiple transmissions, some covered under warranty, others not. Waterpump(triple the cost of a gas counterpart), truck likes to eat wheel bearings/hub assembly. Under valve cover harness(both sides). Still have a electrical gremlin. Its v-10 counter part, has had zero problems, still on the original wheel bearings too. All other issues were maintenance type issues. Still love my truck, just would have done it differently if I did it over again.
