bullshit, been there done that 99 ram 5.9 magnum 8mpg tops, 13-15 empty if i was lucky. now with 02 cummins 16-18mpg with large camper and trailer and i like to cruise at a very high rate of speed. sean just dump all that **** now, my friend had the same issues before he even had 10,000 miles and junked the **** parts and has beeb trouble free for 30000 and gets 20 mpg on 37's
My 96 regularly pulls 15-16 empty on the highway. Same drivetrain in the 00 durango and it gets 16-18mpg.
8,000lbs trailer goes behind it and the fuel economy drops to 11mpg in the flats. Going over snoqualmie it'll average about 10mpg. Pulling the grade in vantage at 55mpg, I think it's fuel economy was in gpm, I could watch the fuel gauge drop.
Travis, how many tranny's have you put in those half tons?
And, it is very rare for anyone to do a tow where you are not climbing hills here in the PNW.
Now, I am not saying you can't tow with a half ton. If you do, you will just encounter some increased maintenance issues, including changing the tranny fluid/filter more often, changing brakes, cooling system upgrades etc. Your top speed and thusly, your fuel mileage will suffer when real world towing in the PNW.
For me, its worth it to buy a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel, and have enough power, enough cooling system, a beefy enough tranny, and big enough brakes that I don't have to worry about towing every trip.
And with that being said, I still drive my rig to and from the trails.:haha:
In my truck, it needs tranny #3. First tranny made it 140,000 miles, second one only 50,000 miles. There is a possibility it's tranny was rebuilt at 70,000 miles when it had a seal problem under warranty though. It's possible this is tranny #4 which would be more inline with what most seem to experience with dodge trannies of those years.
The hills have never been an issue for the truck towing that trailer.
Now, 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton, my research has led me to the conclusion that the transmissions sold in dodge pickups that start with a "4" are all steaming piles of **** just waiting to hit the fan. From what I've gathered, first thing that goes is the torque converter, it silently spews it's clutch material in to the tranny, and that kills the tranny. By the time it's bad enough to be noticed, it's too late. Even the billet ones don't promise that not happening, and purchasing a $1,000+ torque converter so a stock transmission can survive a stock engine is ludicrous IMO.
Braking while towing with my truck has never been an issue. Even with 8,000lbs behind it, ceramic pads on my truck allow the truck to stop the load sans trailer brakes fine, it can cost rotors though. Admittedly the rotors on my 1/2 ton are undersized for the truck, just heavy commuting ate pads up in 10,000-30,000 miles, until I worked up to the ceramic pads. With the trailer brakes, I stop loaded faster than unloaded minus the trailer.
I've driven a functioning 6.0 6 speed ford with 12,000lbs of trailer behind it. I'll admit the power was intoxicating. But for me, towing that weight or less, I can't justify the added cost of owning a diesel. The fuel economy especially now days isn't so much better than gas to make up the difference in fuel costs. When something breaks on a diesel it's almost always measured in $1,000 bills vs. $100 bills of a gas engine. Who cares if the diesel per trip is cheaper to operate
when you blow those savings on one repair. The resale on diesels aren't THAT much better than gas if you drop behind years 99-02 or so, well, unless it's a 6.0 ford, the resale on those is horrible. :haha:
Anyone that says owning a diesel for towing a 10,000lb trailer and below is more economical is lieing to themselves.
sers) for tow rigs....And I'll never go back....Not if I can help it anyhow...:; 
