2010 Dodge 2500 Crew Cab

[Eric 28]

Hi,
I am looking at the 2010 and 2011 Dodge 2500 Crew Cab 4x4. I would appricate any information on the Hemi 5.7 Liter Engine. Also the 6.7 liter Cummins diesel Engine. Such as the mileage both towing, and solo. We have a 2003 Safari 28SO. The trailer wt. loaded is 8000-8500 lbs.
Thank You
Eric 28

[Campaz]

Eric, I have an 03, Hemi Quad Cab. It does a very good job on my 87, 23ft A/S. I just got back from a trip and averaged 12mpg. Some flat towing and some mountainous. I get 15-16mpg around town. My trailer is probably 5500lbs. I really like the Dodge, didn't think I'd ever own one. I have 3:73 gears in back. If you're going to pull a lot in the hills and mountains a diesel is probably a better choice. More power, probably better economy although I'm not sure about newer models. All brands continue to wreck their fuel economy. Your trailer is quite a bit heavier. I'd opt for more power but that's just me.

[gaylejoe]

Mine is an 06 Dodge Cummings diesel so I can't really compare to the late model Dodge diesels. I get better mileage than any gasoline 3/4 ton pickup both towing and not towing. The sorry milege of late model vehicles can't be blamed on the manufactor but on all the EPA restraints placed on the engine. I have friends who are waiting in line to purchase older Dodges, with the Cummings, from retiring Airstreamers in order to get better mileage.

[barts]

Originally Posted by gaylejoe

The sorry milege of late model vehicles can't be blamed on the manufactor but on all the EPA restraints placed on the engine.

The 2011 Fords are reporting better numbers than my 1996 PowerStroke....

- Bart

[RDM16CCD]

I have an 05 Ram 2500 Quad Cab with the 5.9 Cummins and have been following what others are experiencing with the 6.7 - figuring some day I may get the newer model. The switch to ultra low sulpher fuel a couple years ago cost me 1 to 2 mpg (other diesel owners report similar). 6.7 owners report another 1 or 2 mpg less than my 5.9 when driving solo - so on the average I figure the 6.7 is about 3 mpg less than the 5.9. Still better than the gas Hemi owners report by 4 or 5 mpg.

It's harder to figure out comparable numbers for towing since there can be such a big difference in trailers.

If you don't tow a lot of miles each year the lower mpg for going with gas doesn't matter so very much. I opted for the diesel because of the power (I travel a lot in the Rockies with higher elevations and mountain roads to deal with). If I towed mostly on flat, low elevation terrain I would probably have gone with a gas engine for the lower purchase cost and not having to deal with the cold weather things that diesel owners worry about (fuel additives to prevent gelling, plugging in the block heater overnight, etc)

I really like my 05 Ram in every regard - and when I looked at the 2010s a few weeks ago I liked those even better!

[Rebee]

I like the diesel for the pulling power. I like the truck for the way it rides, the height and visibility.
The power and dependability of the Cummins speakes for its self.
Dealer has flashed my computer twice, present "indicated" mileage is 18 to 19 unloaded and 13 to 14 towing (east coast with some PA highlands)
53,000 miles on truck, 40% towing, 60% unloaded.
I bought it for the engine in the truck, not the name on the truck.

[48Bob]

With the weight of your trailer I would probably opt for the diesel, especially if mountain trips are in your plans. I have both, an older 1996 diesel and a new 2010 Hemi. With our light weight trailer (4300 lbs loaded) the Hemi does a great job, even in the Colorado mountains. We bought it as a dedicated puller for our AS, and love it. But when it comes to pulling our steel gooseneck horse trailer and horses, at about 8000 pounds, the old diesel gets the nod.

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Eric 28

Hi,
I am looking at the 2010 and 2011 Dodge 2500 Crew Cab 4x4. I would appricate any information on the Hemi 5.7 Liter Engine. Also the 6.7 liter Cummins diesel Engine. Such as the mileage both towing, and solo. We have a 2003 Safari 28SO. The trailer wt. loaded is 8000-8500 lbs.
Thank You
Eric 28

Eric
For whatever it's worth, I have an '03 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins (5.9) with a 6 spd manual tranny. 70,000 miles and probably 60,000 of them towing either our 30 Excella, or a 36' Alfa 5th wheel.
We just completed a nearly 14,000 mile Alaskan trip with the Excella, averaged 14.6 MPG for the trip. We met several people pulling various size units with the Hemi, the best mileage I heard from any of them was in the 8 to 10 MPG range. The worse was 4.5 MPG with a guy trying to pull a Carraige 5th wheel in the Canadian Rockies.
This is my 2nd Cummins, it's a fantastic engine. If Ford ever goes with Cummins, I'll switch to Ford.
Good luck!
Larry

[munimula]

fuel economy is a certainly a consideration but you also have to consider the $10k premium for the cummins engine and then the higher cost of diesel at most pumps.

with that being said my '06 2500 mega cab is getting 14 mpg pulling my 34 footer and over 15 pulling my 1964 trade wind. i get 20 mpg highway with nothing in tow.

you have to take a hard look at how long you're going to hold on to the truck and how many miles you're going to put on it to cover the premium cost of the diesel.

i'm not sure i will ever be able to cost justify the diesel and i've put on 110k miles in four years. maybe a quarter of that was towing.

[Toldfield]

We have the 6.7 Cummins that came with a 2500 Mega Cab 4x4. I had heard mixed reactions to the 6.7 due to the emissions stuff. After a year of use, we bought it used, all I have for it is high praise. It has lots of power and incredible torque. It does not even notice the Caravel, although it rides a bit smoother, and has no problem with our SOB 5th wheel. It has been trouble free. The mileage does suffer a bit with the emissions equipment, but we still get 15 towing the little trailer and 13 towing the big one. We have the six speed automatic which works very well and the factory exhaust brake. I have had several Fords but this truck is a real keeper

Tom

[jrudd1968]

I have an '03 Crew Cab 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins (5.9) 2 WD with an auto transmission. 105,000 miles and probably 1/2 or more of them towing my 01 25' Airstream Safari. (4900 lbs) I get 19.9 mpg not towing and 14.6 towing. Never had a wrench on anything. Great truck! About a month ago we made a trip of about 4K miles and my wife said she was concerned about towing that far with a 7 year old truck so far from home and she would like a few upgrades on the interior. I visited our local Dodge dealer and drove the same truck in a 2011 model 6.7 and 4wd. The salesman told me I would not get as good MPG in the 2011 4wd or 2wd. After a lot of shopping and lots of research, I decided to keep the 03 and get some after market upgrades for the interior that my wife would be happy with. Had a 01 gasoline that I towed the Safari with first couple of years. Got 5 MPG on a trip from East Texas to Yellowstone and back. Pretty costly trip!

[BillTex]

Small block gassers, like the Hemi are fine for 1/2 ton's...I can't see getting that in a 3/4 ton...I think you would be disappointed. Kind of like buying a Charger wit a 6 cyl...

IMO; HD trucks and deezul are synonomous...

The Cummins, is of course, a great engine...

B

[crispyboy]

About 3 weeks ago I stumbled upon a deal I couldn't resist. We purchased a 2009 Dodge Quad Cab 4wd with the diesel engine and 6 speed automatic transmission. I bought it with 10,500 miles on the odometer. I was really only going to buy a half ton because I didn't need this much truck.
The truck is amazing when it comes to it's ability to tow and stop a trailer. We are towing a 1989 29' Excella which weighs in the neighborhood of 6,300 lbs. We took a 500 mile round trip to northern Ohio last week with the trailer in tow. Even at 70 mph on the interstate you have to hold the reins back on this truck - it will just flat will fly down the road and stop the trailer on a dime. The combination of the tow/haul mode and engine brake are almost too aggressive and will guarantee you a bump from your Hensley hitch. It looks like Dodge finally caught up with the others when it comes to transmissions - the Chrysler 68RE (6 speed auto) transmission is sweet - the driver can manually switch the gears or just allow the transmission to pick the gear. The shift pattern seems well thought out.
I set the cruise on 68 mph to go with the flow of traffic. Hand calculated at 13.25 mpg while towing the airstream.
My truck has the short bed/short wheel base. This combination is pretty easy to maneuver around town. If you towing long distances I would probably opt for the longer wheel base. This was our first time towing with the truck. I had to adjust the weight distribution a bit to get a smoother ride.
My only real complaint is that the truck sits high. Get some low running boards or a 2wd version.
The only thing that worries me about the truck is the regeneration mode of the diesel particulate filter. Apparently these engines like to be used and worked - their not so happy just being a grocery getter. Time will tell.
It looks like you will be towing a heavy trailer - you will be impressed by this truck. All brands have the diesel particulate filter.
I think the hemi engine would do the job just fine but you won't fly up the hills like you will in a diesel. I could have easily gotten by with a properly equipped half ton truck.

[Eric 28]

Thank You all for your imput.

[RMB]

Well, to begin with I try to be careful with money and not over buy. ( I realize tahat non Airstream owners may choke on that!) Anyway, I have an International 23 @ 6000lbs and loaded probably closer to 7000lbs. I live in the Rockies.

I bought a 4x4 Dodge 1500 with the 5.6 L engine, The diesel was 10 grand more and that represents a lot of gas. After a lot of thought I decided not to go diesel and stick with the hemi enhine which is well known and has a proven record.

With this truck, the Rockies are no more of an issue for me. I can tow my AS up a local 14% grade and even accelerate to the top. I get 20mpg and the truck has some kind of antisway mechanism built in as well as a complete towing package.

I'm happy with this combo.

[Jager]

A pal of mine has owned 3 Dodge diesel 2500s since '97, all 4 wheel drives. He has well over 300,000 miles between the three of them. His new Dodge with the 6 speed is by far the best of them. He has never had any issues with the trucks. He told me the 2010 is the only one of the three with an interior that matches the quality of the running gear. He wants to buried in a Dodge pickup.

[jwgreen]

I'm towing a 34 ft. Excella with a 2005 Dodge 3500 dually. Bought it new in July '05 trading in my '96 Dodge 2500 with the V10 gas engine. I'm on a caravan in the SE USA now and did another caravan in the summer that went 9300 mi. I now have 80K on the odometer and consistently get 13+ mpg towing and 17-18 solo. I'm also a member of the Turbo Diesel Registry (TDR), the Dodge/Cummins truck owners group based in Cumming, GA. They publish a magazine 4 times a year and it is invaluable to know all the things you need to know about your model. If you can find a 2004 through 2007 Dodge truck with the 5.9L Cummins, you will get better mileage than the 2007.5 through 2011 with the 6.7L engine due to the emission controls on the newer models. I've had absolutely NO engine or mechanical problems with my truck. The OEM General tires went about 64K before replacing. My truck is 2WD and I've never needed 4WD.
John Green, WBCCI #4432, W9CJX
1999 Airstream Excella 34 ft.
Eureka, IL

[flitzwhopper]

Donna and I have hauled our "twink" which runs a little over 4400lbs with our 2005 3/4 ton. I won't start a fire storm here with our exploits and what may seem to be my radical driving but you will have no problem with a 7,000lb trailer and your truck. Donna and I will be picking up a 25FB in a year or so and I am completely confident that it will be just fine. One of our club members pulls a 25FB with a Hemi Dodge Durango. NP dude - have fun