Advice on truck choice

[Flyfisherman]

Hi all, I currently have a 2007 Ram 3500 DRW Cummins under a 2012 Lance 992 (with 2 slides). They are a great pair! Love em both!

I'm going to retire in 18 months and will buy an 1165 to live in full time while I fly fish around North America. I have no interest in just "getting by" with my 3500 under the 1165 (always worrying about a catastrophic failure) so I plan to upgrade to a Ram 5500 DRW.

Given that a Cummins is a $7000+ option on new trucks I have considered either a later model (2013, 2014) diesel 5500 or a new 5500 w/a Hemi. All the Cummins have the 4.88 gears but the Hemi can go up to 4.1

Having never owned a Hemi, would it have enough power for me? I would think a 4.1 gearing would give pretty decent MPG on the highway but will it haul my 1165 up some decent passes in Montana and Colorado where I like to fish?

Other than to brag and bang our chests, do we really "need" the Cummins?

All thoughts would be welcome!!

[Rachelrichards@prodigy.net]

We recently bought the 1165 and we put it on the new Ford 350 Superduty Dually. What a great truck! We climb mountain passes and it never down shifts on the climb. We also noticed with the Dually we don't rock or sway. We used to get a liitle rock and sway in our Chevy that wasn't a Dually and we had a smaller camper.

[admin-rich]

Without having driven the gasser its hard to say. I've read that others are totally satisfied with their gas powered trucks and big campers. And like yourself, they've done their homework and bought the truck with the appropriate rear end gearing.

Your question is more of a diesel vs gas question. Diesel drivers rarely, if ever, go back to gas.
The diesels have far more torque than gas. That's what make them more popular.

Eventually, one will encounter that long mountain grade and road construction ahead that narrows the road to lane. And a slow crawling fruit truck in front about a quarter mile. Diesel drivers know that they can overtake and pass before the lanes narrow.

It's not worth it though if one's driving only a few thousand miles a year. Full timing or near full time driving with lots of miles driven year after year is a prerequisite for diesel. Otherwise, who needs diesel?