Refueling while pulling a 315RLTS with a Gasser

Also please note, you will be stopping at a lot more exits for gas as compared to diesel.

If you don't delete your diesel, your fuel economy may be surprisingly close to gas. JB Reviews posted some interesting results this week where he towed a large car trailer with a diesel and gasser on the same day. Both 2024 GM HDs. On the same loop on the same day, the Duramax yielded less than 10% better fuel economy. 8.7 MPG vs 8 MPG or around 8.75% better economy. Certainly not the night and day difference there used to be between diesel and gas tow vehicles.

Of course, YMMV, but modern diesels aren't the fuel misers their fathers were.
 
If you don't delete your diesel, your fuel economy may be surprisingly close to gas. JB Reviews posted some interesting results this week where he towed a large car trailer with a diesel and gasser on the same day. Both 2024 GM HDs. On the same loop on the same day, the Duramax yielded less than 10% better fuel economy. 8.7 MPG vs 8 MPG or around 8.75% better economy. Certainly not the night and day difference there used to be between diesel and gas tow vehicles.

Of course, YMMV, but modern diesels aren't the fuel misers their fathers were.
Very true, but consider the amount of horsepower the modern diesels are producing. And without looking like a smudgepot. :)

I had a very nice 2001 Dodge 5.9 and it got around 10-11.5 mpg pulling our 12,000 lb. 5th wheel. That dropped to around 9.5-10 mpg when I hooked up to our current 17,000 lb. toy hauler. And it struggled when it came to longer and steeper grades, and it smoked a bit, not a huge amount, but some. Our new-to-us 2018 Ram 6.7 has absolutely no issues pulling the same toyhauler up mountains, and can accelerate if I need to. And, yep, it gets 8.5-9 mpg.
 
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Very true, but consider the amount of horsepower the modern diesels are producing. And without looking like a smudgepot. :)

I had a very nice 2001 Dodge 5.9 and it got around 10-11.5 mpg pulling our 12,000 lb. 5th wheel. That dropped to around 9.5-10 mpg when I hooked up to our current 17,000 lb. toy hauler. And it struggled when it came to longer and steeper grades, and it smoked a bit, not a huge amount, but some. Our new-to-us 2018 Ram 6.7 has absolutely no issues pulling the same toyhauler up mountains, and can accelerate if I need to. And, yep, it gets 8.5-9 mpg.

The power is impressive, no doubt. :)
 
We tow a 315RLTS with a F350 6.7 Diesel SRW long bed. It has a 48 gal fuel tank which makes it nice as I try to avoid fueling while towing the trailer. I have found that most Wawa, Racetrack, CT’s and the like have sufficient space to maneuver with the trailer. You just have to be patient and wait for the right pump that works for you.
 
RV & tow vehicle shopping now. I really like the 315RLTS but wanted to purchase a F250 7.3 or similar to avoid some of the maintenance and purchase expense of a diesel. One of my friends who has a 34' travel trailer mentioned that sometimes it can be a bit of an ordeal to maneuver in gas stations with his 34' TT and the 315 is about 4' longer. I have been towing a boat (about 30' from end of trailer tongue to end of outboard) for 15 years and can usually manage to get to a pump but it is sometimes a bit of a circus depending on how busy. My friend said that I might consider a diesel just to be able to use the truck stops for refueling with a trailer this long. The short bed truck I was hoping to buy also only has a 34 gal tank, so there will be a fair amount of refueling stops on a multi-day trip. Wondering what the opinion is of others who have experience pulling a 38' TT. Thank you very much.

I pulled a 35' trailer with a GMC gasser and have had to back out of two gas stations! It is definitely a hassle! I recently traded for a Diesel for that very reason! I have not had to fuel at a truck stop yet as I have not been on a trip any further than the Smokey Mountains yet and that is only about 250 miles for me. With all the companies building all the new gas stations where you pull in facing the building, most of them do not have room to swing out without hitting the pumps! I tried to be careful, but the first time I had room to get out but about the time I finished filling up, a bread truck pulled into the store to unload and blocked me, so I had to back out or wait 15 to 20 minutes for him to finish! The second time, I just misjudged how much room I needed to swing out, had to back out again!
 
I towed my previous 5,500lb TT with a 2018 Ford F150 ecoboost and averaged right at 9mpg on premium gas over a 6,500 mile trip from Utah out to Michigan and lots in between.

I traded it out for a 2022 Ford F250 PSD in preparation for a major TT upgrade last year. Couldn’t get the new TT in time so I towed the same one about 3,500 miles last summer mostly out west, and averaged about 13mpg.

Got the 315rlts at the end of last summer. Didn’t get to use it much until our big trip this summer. Not quite done yet, but after about 2,500 miles the trip computer says 11.4 mpg. I find this pretty remarkable, and love the diesel truck.

Having towed with a gas F150 and the diesel F250, there is no comparison. I love both trucks, but they are completely different machines. Especially when towing. FWIW, no way could I tow the 315rlts with the F150. It couldn’t even take the tongue weight. Never mind manage the overall weight/length safely.

As far as refueling goes, I use larger truck bays when I have to refuel with the 315rlts, which I try to minimize with good planning. Most of the time I refuel after set up and disconnected.
 
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If you don't delete your diesel, your fuel economy may be surprisingly close to gas. JB Reviews posted some interesting results this week where he towed a large car trailer with a diesel and gasser on the same day. Both 2024 GM HDs. On the same loop on the same day, the Duramax yielded less than 10% better fuel economy. 8.7 MPG vs 8 MPG or around 8.75% better economy. Certainly not the night and day difference there used to be between diesel and gas tow vehicles.

Of course, YMMV, but modern diesels aren't the fuel misers their fathers were.

I watched that video and was a little confused? He was pulling a similar load as I pull and without as much wind resistance as my trailer would get with the exact same truck as I have but I get about 11 towing a similar load? Not sure if he had a strong head wind, or pulling long grades but the numbers he gave seemed low! I towed with essentially the same two trucks he had with very different results! I got about 8 with the gasser and 11 with the diesel? Still not night and day but at least I won't have to back out of any more gas stations!
 
I have. 300RBTS, 35’ and 10k GVW. I tow with a 3500 Chev diesel and would not use less; especially the 315. Gas pumps would be a challenge to find unless you go to Loves. I signed up for a ESD FLEET CARD and use the commercial lanes.
A 2500 gasser is just not enough in my opinion especially considering stability on the road.
 
IME, the fuel mileage from the truck lie-o-meter is usually considerably more optimistic than actual real world calculations. :)
 
All this station talk about gassers... sure, there are some challenges. Not as much access etc.. None of this has been a big deal in our opinion.

So our way to deal with this is to always start looking for adequate stations on the highway with either of our F150 6.2 or F250 7.3 gassers at 1/2 tank or about 200 miles. Sure more stops, but, the DW likes the breaks and we have always played it safe on gas usage, towing or not. Did the same with our previously owned deisels too and wouldnt do it differently no matter what mpg/vehicle. We also only pull into end spots or passthru's with plenty of turn room. Again, besides the turning limitations of the F250's, it hasnt been an issue finding a station for our 20' TV pulling a 33' 5er.
 
Problem I run into with refueling gas

RV & tow vehicle shopping now. I really like the 315RLTS but wanted to purchase a F250 7.3 or similar to avoid some of the maintenance and purchase expense of a diesel. One of my friends who has a 34' travel trailer mentioned that sometimes it can be a bit of an ordeal to maneuver in gas stations with his 34' TT and the 315 is about 4' longer. I have been towing a boat (about 30' from end of trailer tongue to end of outboard) for 15 years and can usually manage to get to a pump but it is sometimes a bit of a circus depending on how busy. My friend said that I might consider a diesel just to be able to use the truck stops for refueling with a trailer this long. The short bed truck I was hoping to buy also only has a 34 gal tank, so there will be a fair amount of refueling stops on a multi-day trip. Wondering what the opinion is of others who have experience pulling a 38' TT. Thank you very much.
I have pulled into interstate rest area/ fueling stop in NY and Fla and followed the signs to truck/ RV Area but then don’t have access to gas, only diesel. Have to get off at next exit to find gas station.
 
I tow an Imagine 2800BH which is 32’ with an F250 with 7.3 and have no problem finding stations with the night and turn ratio to fill up.
 
I tow an Imagine 2800BH which is 32’ with an F250 with 7.3 and have no problem finding stations with the night and turn ratio to fill up.

Agreed. I think this topic is a bit overblown. Another benefit to using gas vs diesel is you don't smell like a whole bag of butt when you get back in your vehicle with diesel all over your shoes, don't need a set of dedicated "fueling" gloves to put on when filling up, etc.

To each their own though! :)
 
We love our F450 dually diesel. It has a 48 gal tank but we have not, as yet, pulled our 5er for any long distance. We have had 4 F250's and 2 350's. Have not had any mayor in-out problems. There have been a few times when DW had to get out and direct me in backing out of a fuel stop.
 
Agreed. I think this topic is a bit overblown. Another benefit to using gas vs diesel is you don't smell like a whole bag of butt when you get back in your vehicle with diesel all over your shoes, don't need a set of dedicated "fueling" gloves to put on when filling up, etc.

To each their own though! :)

Yeah.... I think I'll stick with some of that 87 octane Irish Spring. :D

That "bag of butt" smell could certainly be expensive at that! Maybe deisel'rs should get some Poof? LOL!:D
 
RV & tow vehicle shopping now. I really like the 315RLTS but wanted to purchase a F250 7.3 or similar to avoid some of the maintenance and purchase expense of a diesel. One of my friends who has a 34' travel trailer mentioned that sometimes it can be a bit of an ordeal to maneuver in gas stations with his 34' TT and the 315 is about 4' longer. I have been towing a boat (about 30' from end of trailer tongue to end of outboard) for 15 years and can usually manage to get to a pump but it is sometimes a bit of a circus depending on how busy. My friend said that I might consider a diesel just to be able to use the truck stops for refueling with a trailer this long. The short bed truck I was hoping to buy also only has a 34 gal tank, so there will be a fair amount of refueling stops on a multi-day trip. Wondering what the opinion is of others who have experience pulling a 38' TT. Thank you very much.

Are you sure you can pull a 38' trailer with a F-250. This seems like you might need to upgrade to the F-350/3500 HD.

I just don't want you to become a member of the "I didn't buy enough truck the first time" club, there are too many members in that club on this forum already.

Anyway, I really like pulling my camper with the F-350 diesel. I completely understand not wanting to spend the money for the diesel and worrying about the repairs. However, what I did was spend the money for the Ford extended Warranty, the Ford warranty covers almost everything and it is honored by every ford dealer (it even covered the gas struts for my hood). If you go this route, make certain you are getting the Ford warranty and not some other warranty the dealer wants to sell you.

Good luck and really check the towing numbers on the actual truck, not just the spec sheet.
 
Are you sure you can pull a 38' trailer with a F-250. This seems like you might need to upgrade to the F-350/3500 HD.

I just don't want you to become a member of the "I didn't buy enough truck the first time" club, there are too many members in that club on this forum already.

Anyway, I really like pulling my camper with the F-350 diesel. I completely understand not wanting to spend the money for the diesel and worrying about the repairs. However, what I did was spend the money for the Ford extended Warranty, the Ford warranty covers almost everything and it is honored by every ford dealer (it even covered the gas struts for my hood). If you go this route, make certain you are getting the Ford warranty and not some other warranty the dealer wants to sell you.

Good luck and really check the towing numbers on the actual truck, not just the spec sheet.

You can pull a 315 with the F250. The powertrains in all of the Ford SD trucks are the same. The difference is in GVW. This is the key thing to consider. Also, the diesel consumes about 800lbs of GVW, as it (and its associated systems) are much heavier than the gas drivetrain models.

My F250 is a diesel, but I also have the high capacity tow package which ups the GVW from 10,000 to 10,800lbs. My truck weighs right at 8,000lbs bare, and about 8,600lbs loaded. That leaves me about 2,200lbs to “give” to a trailer. This is more than enough for the 315, which can range from about 1,400 to 1,600 lbs tongue weight. Some report even higher tongue weights with this model.

However, 2,200lbs to give is too light for most 5th wheels. A similar gas F250 would have about 800lbs more to give, or around 3,000lbs with the 10,800 GVW package. This is smaller 5th wheel territory.

The F350 is a better choice if you might be going for a 5th wheel some day. Typical GVW is 11,400lbs I believe. Larger 5th wheels would be dually territory.

The moral to the story is, pay close attention to these weights. Specifically, tongue or pin weight is usually the limiting factor. Also, manufacturer specs are notoriously optimistic. Door label cargo capacities on the trucks are “as built” from the factory. Everything you add is excluded. Trailer tongue weights are the same. They don’t even include batteries, propane, or any water. Never mind camping gear, food, etc.
 
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I tow a 310Gk with my 2023 GMC 3500, 6.6L and am happy with it after towing 8000 miles. My previous tow vehicle was a 2018 model diesel and I had nothing but problems and was ready to go back to the reliability of a gas vehicle. I agree that it does not have the pulling power of a diesel and the range between tanks but on the other hand I'm not pulling 5 days a week and couldn't justify the $12000 difference in new costs. Last winter i pulled from Missouri to Arizona with my motorcycle trailer behind my fifth wheel. I discovered that the fuel stop were not as difficult as I had imagined, you just need to be careful and selective about the stations you use.
 

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