RE: tow rigs

["Brian Shorey" <bshorey@domain.elided>]

> GM or Dodge is a wonderful tow rig.  It's also quite expensive to own and
> operate, and has far more towing capacity than most people need to pull a
> race car on a trailer.  These big rigs are designed for commercial
> operators who tow really heavy things, like gooseneck trailers loaded with
> farm machinery or building materials.  They're also marketed to the horsey
> set for hauling their long, extremely heavy rigs around the back country.
> For towing a race car and trailer on paved roads, a standard full-size
> pickup with a gasoline V-8 is perfectly adequate.   Some racers do have
> monster diesel pickups, of course, but then some people seem to be
> fascinated by machinery of any kind.  Something is off kilter, in my
> opinion, if your tow vehicle cost more than your race car.

Guilty as charged.

I opted for the Dodge Ram w/Cummins TD.  The Dodge V8 in the same package
gets around 15 mpg highway, 12 mpg city, and < 10 mpg when towing anything
substantial.

The Cummins gets 20+ mpg highway, 15+ mpg city, and 15+ mpg when towing
*anything*.  This vehicle doesn't even notice my enclosed trailer behind it.

So in addition to the extra towing capacity, the diesel offers better fuel
economy (for those who care).  The break even point is around 60k miles (the
point at which the savings in fuel offsets the extra cost of the motor).
Add to that the fact that the Cummins will go for 400k - 600k miles, and has
higher resale value, and I'm not sure why anybody in the market for a full
size pickup truck would opt for a gas motor.

Fwiw,

bs
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