Well, I may have wandered into dangerous territory again—and this time it has nothing to do with buying another camping gadget that Dawn says we absolutely do not need.
On our recent trip to Mississippi, the 2024 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 HEMI did a good job pulling our Grand Design Reflection 295RL. We averaged right around 10 mpg, and the truck never acted like it could not handle the camper.
However, it did spend a fair amount of time downshifting. Every hill seemed to trigger a transmission meeting where all eight gears took turns deciding who wanted the job. It always got us there, but it was definitely working for its supper.
Now I have found what appears to be a very good deal on a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Custom with the Duramax diesel. It has 23,300 miles, the factory puck system and a payload rating of 3,620 pounds. The previous owner traded it for a new 3500, which either means he needed more truck or he suffers from the same condition many of us have where “good enough” lasts approximately six months.
If you’re wrestling with the same question, I later took a deeper look at gas vs diesel for fifth-wheel towing and what actually matters when pulling a fifth wheel.
Here is where I need some honest opinions.
Would you trade the Ram for the Duramax, or would you keep the Ram and continue letting the HEMI sing the song of its people every time the road starts going uphill?
Starting next year, our trips will begin getting longer, including trips out West. We will be pulling the Grand Design 295RL through mountains and areas where the next fuel station may be somewhere beyond the edge of the known world.
The Ram has done everything we have asked of it, but the Duramax torque, exhaust brake and better towing range are extremely tempting.
A few days later, I made the decision—and here’s why I traded my Ram 2500 gas truck for a Chevy 2500HD Duramax.
So what say you? Keep the familiar Ram gas truck, or make the move to the Chevy Duramax before the western mountains teach me an expensive lesson?
Leave a Reply