# New Tow Vehicle



## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

We overheated our van coming out of NYC back to NW PA. Many folks told us that the van wasn't powerful enough, but it was paid for. SO today we picked up our brand new 2011 Dodge ram 2500. I am stoked to have a diesel again. And now maybe I can see the other half of the country that I couldn't make it to before. 









I also grabbed a contractor cap off craigslist so that all my stuff stays safe and dry. Plus I can finally carry my ladders for work again. Or my canoe.


























I am excited about it.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

Looks like you're all set!









That should be an awesome TV! Congrats!


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## funbikerchick (Jun 6, 2011)

Congrats on the new TV!!!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Sweet ride!!

...need to update your sig photo now.


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## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

nice truck... Dangerous Old Dudes Go Everywhere.....


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Congrats! Nice! Best of Luck with your new TV!


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

Like * Comment (you and 5 others like this)


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## ORvagabond (Apr 17, 2009)

I would be anxious to hear what kind of mileage you get with the 6.7 both solo and towing as I have the 5.9


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

ORvagabond said:


> Sweet ride!! ...need to update your sig photo now.


Yeah I will make a new sig photo after it's hitched up. I hate how the new sig rules are so that's why I haven't changed mine. I left it grandfathered in.


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

Oh btw Oregon Camper, I was checking out your pix on your site, and you 301bq has a lot of differences from my 301bq and they are the same year. What's up with that? My shower is different, my control panel is located where your coat rack is up front. And I tried your door stopper mod and mine ended up ripping out of the wall. Apparently 50-70k miles in a year is hard on a camper.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Traveling Tek said:


> Oh btw Oregon Camper, I was checking out your pix on your site, and you 301bq has a lot of differences from my 301bq and they are the same year. What's up with that? My shower is different, my control panel is located where your coat rack is up front. And I tried your door stopper mod and mine ended up ripping out of the wall. Apparently 50-70k miles in a year is hard on a camper.


Heh-heh....Gilligan was hard at work on one of your trailers!!


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

yeah I noticed your shower had a corner shelf and is sort of tiled looking. Mine is smooth with a soap shelf that holds nothing. I put a spring loaded metal shower rack in the corner to hold shampoos and stuff. Also, I have the table that folds up and down instead of the pipes that hold it up.

I wonder how many different versions of the same trailer there are?


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

Finally towed the 301bq with this truck. HOLY CRAP!!! IT"S AMAZING!!! Haha. The trailer brake that is built in is phenomenal! It's progressive with the pedal which makes the trailer stop exactly with the truck. The transmission is super smart compared to the Chevy. It down shifts going down a hill in tow haul mode. The Jake brake is awesome. I can come off a ramp and hardly have to use the brake pedal. I just hit the jake and it will roll down on it's own and downshift as needed. It's amazing! Like magic.  Been a while since I had a diesel, but man, the 690ft lbs of torque is impressive. I can start out on a hill from a dead stop now. No more trying to get a fast run out it like the gasser. Also, I am getting about 4mpg better then the Chevy was. I might actually make a few cents a mile now instead of losing money on travel like I did before.

The 4 kids have been comfortable in the crew cab. The seats are actually wider then the van was.

I had to flip my hitch as the truck is way taller then the van was and I think I still need to tweak it a bit. Seems the back of the truck is still sagging more then it should, but the trailer is level and it towed just fine. Hardly knew it was back there.

The mirrors on this truck are amazing. I can actually see behind the trailer from the drivers mirror. The "cat eyes" show me the whole side of the truck and trailer now without guessing.

Over all I think it was great change up. I love it!


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## TwoElkhounds (Mar 11, 2007)

Traveling Tek said:


> What sort of mileage do you get from you 5.9?


Congratulations on your new rig!!! She will make your travels much more enjoyable!!









I have a 2006 5.9 liter towing a new 301BQ we purchased a few weeks ago. Prior to that I towed a 25RSS.

We went out to the factory rally in Indiana with our new 301BQ and I was quite pleased with the mileage. On a flat with no wind either for our against me I was getting around 12 mpg. Had a very stiff head wind when we made the trek into Bristol, IN and I was recording about 11 mpg. Had a real nice tail wind going home (heading East) and I got about 13.5 mpg. All going about 65 mph, maybe a bit more in Ohio and Indiana when the limit was 70 mph.

OMG ..... Did I just say 11 mpg was pretty good?!!










Disclaimer: I only use the trip computer on the truck. I know this may not be the most accurate, but I cannot be bothered to write down the odometer reading and the fuel I put in at every stop. I am really only interested in the differential from one trip to another, and the trip computer provides this.

I will also say that I think I have seen an increase in my mileage lately. I have heard that deisels burn in around 40k, and I am beginning to believe it. I cannot prove it since I have no records, but it just seems I am getting better mileage lately. I have around 45k on my truck. Maybe it is all in my mind, but hey, that is all that matters!









DAN


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

I too have heard better mileage after more miles. Maybe all the emmisions crap starts getting out of the way?  We found our MPG trip computer to be off only slightly from doing it the old fashioned way. I have been resetting it every tank. I think I could hit 11mpg if I headed the way you went. I did 9.6 to 10 climbing the mountains around there.

I have heard claims of 20-26mpg if you chip and remove all emissions junk, but I would have to see that to believe it and I am not about to tear into a brand new $40k truck like that.


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## e5b (May 26, 2011)

Traveling trek, I have a 2011 3500 SRW and I turn the exhaust brake on all the time towing or not. Running it all the time keeps soot from building on you turbo and saves wear on your breaks.

I get 12 MPG (hand calculated) towing my 312BH otherwise I get 18 highway and 12 city. So far I have 5K on my pickup and love it. Had an F350 before and it couldn't touch this Dodge.


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

Yeah it's a like a 1000 times better then my previous Chevy and Ford diesel trucks. It's like a million times better then the gassers I had. Although my old f250 with a 351 windsor was pretty awesome (plow truck).


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