Just bought a 27' Gulf Stream Cavalier travel trailer and need a truck now (or next spring). Initially I was going with a 2002-2005 1500 4x4 but that was when I was looking to buy a 20' camper. Now with the 27' I am wondering if a 2500 would be the better choice? I am guessing the 2500 has a beefier suspension?

I'll be using the Truck as a DD, well mostly my wife as I have a company truck. MPG should be the same from what I read, it just sits a couple inch higher from what I saw. I live in the rural so city-MPG isn't a big factor to me.

Will a 1500 do the job as well, maybe even better with some bags in the back? Or should I go with the 2500?

Also, is it "safe" to go with a higher mileage Hemi (120k miles)?

 

What is the "all up" weight of the trailer? If it's over 7,000#, a 2500 will provide more long-term satisfaction.

 

Get you a 2500 with a diesel and you won't ever have to wonder that question again

 

No way would I consider pulling almost 30' of travel trailer with a gasser for any type of distance... Look at CTDs...

 

I looked at CTDs but I won't be towing the camper around all year and friends told me the Diesels are so high in maintenance cost/repair.

 

For an occasional tow I'd vote for a 2500 gasser. You'll be a bit slower but the higher cost of diesels doesn't pay off IMO.
I'm also a broke student who doesn't want to have another $5000 tied up in a truck.

 

That may very well be true, I do 98% of my own work and all my own maintenance, so I can't say for certain.

I will say that I've owned BOTH and used a diesel 4WD truck for the most part to pull a less than 3000 lb. bass boat all over the southeast when I was tourney bass fishing, the reason I went with one is I was putting well over 25k miles a year on the truck and I found that cost of keeping that that diesel running, combined with the better fuel economy was half of what running a gasser was. For instance with a bypass filtration system I changed my oil every 25k miles (and the manufacture claims 50k is good with a full synthetic).

IMO, running over 20k miles a year and/or heavy towing (5000k lbs plus) just automatically dictates diesel.

I've since retired from tournament fishing (hell for the first time in over 20 years I don't even own a bass boat), my truck only averages 7000 miles a year and the only heavy towing I do is a tractor to cut my farm property 3-4 times a year - yeah it's 7700 lbs. but it's only 14 miles and back. I have no need for a diesel anymore.

If the weight of your 27' camper is within the specs of a 2500 gasser, it'll pull it and do so LEGALLY, but I'm betting your gas mileage will be single digit and NO WAY would I be buying a gas engine with over 100,000 miles on it to do it...

 

I have been looking at the same thing. Its down to hitch wieght of the trailer 1500 is only a 1/2 ton 1000lbs most trailers of that size are around 800 lbs depends on your water tanks and grey water it they are twards the front then your are over so no weight for gear in the bed of the truck. The other thing is how uch useage are you going to do gasses drop mileage fast and is eveything flat or are going up and down passes, dont forget wind head end wind the gasses doesnt have the power. I have a 1500 4x4 hemi and looking at buying a toy hauler around 27 foot close to 10k lbs when loaded but going up the mountain passes and long trips hands down diesel.

 

Thansk for your replies. I checked the numbers on the camper. 6600 gross weight, and it has a weight distributing hitch. Tanks are behind the axles.

I live in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, to get west I have to climb some hills with truck and camper, probably I should invest in a tranny cooler and gauge...
We have lotsa wind here, too. But you know I don't have to drive very far to get to a nice spot. I can camp out in the backcountry here which starts right at the border of my town. We've got a nice lake with nice camping two hours from us. Not too much elevation in between.
I can see the pro's of a Diesel but unfortunately I'm on a tight budget here, so it's outta question. So what I'm looking for is either a 1500 or 2500 Hemi. Hope it'll do the trick and it will get more than 7mpg towing the camper.

 

In all honesty with that thing and a Hemi. You're gonna see about that in mpgs unfortunately. The weight may be good but with the wind blowing against that thing its gonna be alot of drag