Dodge CTD vs Dodge 360 gas

I have a 26-5c Arctic Fox 2006 5th Wheel on order, due end of October. I visited the dealer today and found he has a 2005 model sitting in his inventory. He told me that the previous owner had a 360 Dodge Gas truck and had problems pulling this unit. Frankly this scared the blazes out of me. My truck is a 97 - 3/4 ton CTD 12 valve. I know the truck has 180 HP and

420 ft lbs of torque. It's an auto. transmission and I don't intend ever using the OD feature with this new trailer. I know nothing about the power of a 360 Dodge vs my truck. Do I need to be worried?
Reply to
Dennis
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Yes.... I will never pull anything with a gas motor again. Had an 02 HO CTD sold it and got the Hemi... LOL... I now have a 04 HO CTD and I will never go back to gas...

Reply to
Sledneck

Nope. The CTD will pull that no problem.

Reply to
Max Dodge

Yes, be very worried.

Every time you encounter a grade while pulling your trailer with your CTD, you run a very high risk of running the gassers over. ;-)

Reply to
aarcuda69062

You shouldn't have any problems. My father towed a 12,000 lb fiver all over the country for years with a 92 -3/4 CTD 12 valve/auto tranny with no problems whatsoever.

Greg

Reply to
Greg Surratt

You should have no problems but even a 360 properly geared would pull it okay. It is likely that the person that pulled it with a 360 had a 3.55 axle ratio and it would tow poorly on hills with that and a gas 360.

Reply to
TheSnoMan

Thanks for the advice and comments. Believe me, I feel a heck of a lot better after reading these post.

Reply to
Dennis

IMHO, if you can't pull it with your CTD, it shouldn't be pulled...

I have the 360 gas engine and would guess that you'd need about 2 1/2 of them to equal the TD, and we pull a 28 foot, 6,000 pound trailer with it... YMMV

03 Tahoe Widelite 26GT Travel Trailer 99 Dodge Ram QQ 2wd - 5.9L, auto, 3:55 gears
Reply to
mac davis

No you just need better gearing. Tall gears that some pickups come with really can cripple performance. While a 3.55 or 3.73 might worlk well with a oil burner, you need a 4.10 or 4.56 to get the best out of a gas motor in a heavy pull because it has a differnet power curve.

Reply to
TheSnoMan

also i feel you should note he said the owner of the "other truck" felt there was a problem. you can take 5 people off the street and put them in the exact same truck pulling the exact same trailer and get 5 differnt reports as to how it performs.

atleast thats been my experiance.

chris

Reply to
Christopher Thompson

This is true because some think it is normal or okay to tow in second gear on interstate hills while others do not. Myself I do not consider using second gear on a interstate hill a viable option.

Reply to
TheSnoMan

I have a '96 single axle 1 ton, CTD extended cab, long box, auto with

3.55 axle and carry an 2000 lb truck camper which is like driving a billboard. Only once have I taken it out of OD. I get sick and tired of gassers than won't pull over into the 25-35 mph lane. I am quite sure that the 18 wheelers do to! My wife wants to move so I told her, no problem, pick a site, get a big chain and I will haul the house to where you want! :) And your truck has more power. LJB
Reply to
LJB

I hear ya! (not sure that SnoMan gets it though...)

Reply to
aarcuda69062

I have towed with gas for years and I have no plans of changing now. never had any problems if they are properly geared for the load. I like the quietness of a gas motor and I am not found of the oder of diesel fuel or exhaust. I do work around diesels though and I have a 19k dozer sitting in my yard now for a job this weekend. (still do not like the smell though)

Reply to
TheSnoMan

Not for us, Sno.. it pulls ok when we need it to, and it's also a daily driver... the 14 - 15 mpg on trips and maybe 11 in town are bad enough with the 3.55.. *g*

Reply to
mac davis

well, i am on the opposite end. i towed with gas for years because i listened to all those people who hate diesels. finally bought my first diesel about four years ago. there is no comparison. not only do i like the diesel better as a daily driver, but when you get to towing the diesel shines. i am not a techy guy and rely on others here for the technical answers, but from a drivers perspective, i can not imagine anyone that would tow with a gas motor anymore.

Reply to
thenewguy

You need a 3.55 with a diesel because of its limited RPM range so that does not mean much. The false edge that oil burner gets towing is that some people have a mental block about deeper gear ratios with a gas motor. The though of a 4.56 with a small block scares them off but OD takes it down to about a effective 3.2 or so. You can tow some very serious weight with a gas motor and a 4.56. Heck I drove a 427 powered

20 sp triaxle dumptruck in the later 70's while attending college. It weighed 20k empty and 60 k loaded. It was pretty perky empty for it size and could still hit and hold 60 to 65 on faily flat ground hauling 20 tons with its "weak" gas motor. It is all in the gearing. BTW I used to average about 5 MPG with it and about 7 to 8 MPG with a C60 single axle dump with a 10 speed and 366 hauling 8 tons or so. My 2000 SRW K3500 does not see much daily use but it averages about 13 around town and 16 to 17 on the road. DUring the winter when loaded with salt and plow I average about 9 or 10 overall. It is long paid for and if I repolaced it tommorrow it would be with another gas truck (Not planning to for a few years at soonest though), with money saved on cheaper truck I get and keep some econoboxs for most daily chores and the big iron last a lot longer and the fuel saved pays for the econobox too. So rather than have a truck with 100k plus after five years, I have one with 30 or 40k and and a paid for econobox for same money or less.
Reply to
TheSnoMan

They have their place but not in my driveway, again heir edge is over played but detriot no offering proper ratio options with gas motors like they did years ago. When you gear a gas and diesel the same way, the gas will loss every day and it is that mind set that give the oil burner its big jump. BTW gas is 2.71 here and diesel 3.34and you have to get over

20% better MPG, just to break even with fuel cost with a diesel. A friend of mine bought his first oil burner and he is starting to have some second thought now a that extra payment is sinking in AND he is paying more for fuel too.

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Reply to
TheSnoMan

What would you feel are the optimum gear for a gas and a diesel? When you decide that, perhaps would you give the results of MPG, both loaded and m/t of the two trucks.

Here in MA, diesel and reg are the same price 2.79, at least it was yesterday

Roy

Reply to
Roy

not that much difference in price around here, but my ctd gets much better mileagge than my dodge 360 ever got in its best wet dream. anyway, to each his own i guess and again, i am debating the technical merits, mine are just comments from someone that has driven both, used both as daily drivers and towed the same loads with both. if you think a gasser is better..................well, then drive a gasser.

Reply to
thenewguy

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