# Dodge 2500 hemi 3/4 ton real world MPG's?



## MOE (Apr 30, 2011)

Just wondering what mileage you 3/4 ton dodge hemi 4X4's are getting towing and empty. I'm looking at putting together another work truck and the hemi dodges are half the price of a comparable cummins dodge. I'm towing about 8000 lbs when loaded. Don't laugh but I'm considering getting a reg cab 4x4, shortening the frame and putting a short bed on it to make a reg cab short bed 3/4 ton. Something that will turn tight and fit onto residential driveways with my 12' tandem trailer. How about F250 5.4 or 2500HD 6.0? Thanks


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## STLfirewood (May 1, 2011)

MOE said:


> Just wondering what mileage you 3/4 ton dodge hemi 4X4's are getting towing and empty. I'm looking at putting together another work truck and the hemi dodges are half the price of a comparable cummins dodge. I'm towing about 8000 lbs when loaded. Don't laugh but I'm considering getting a reg cab 4x4, shortening the frame and putting a short bed on it to make a reg cab short bed 3/4 ton. Something that will turn tight and fit onto residential driveways with my 12' tandem trailer. How about F250 5.4 or 2500HD 6.0? Thanks


 
Can't say anything about the mpg. But before I bought a 3/4 ton and did all that work I would buy a 1/2 ton and beef it up. Four tons isn't to much for a 1/2 ton if you have the proper brakes and springs. 


Scott


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## MOE (May 2, 2011)

STLfirewood said:


> Can't say anything about the mpg. But before I bought a 3/4 ton and did all that work I would buy a 1/2 ton and beef it up. Four tons isn't to much for a 1/2 ton if you have the proper brakes and springs.
> 
> 
> Scott


 
I haven't ruled that out another half ton with bit more motor. I'm currently using a 96 f150 reg cab short bed. I did put an extra set of leaves and a good tekonsha brake controller in it. It works but the 302 has a pretty good load and it does get pushed around a bit. I've got a crew cab 2500HD I used for a while and it handled the load great but I hated the long wheel base and poor visability for backing. I ended up parking on the street on more jobs. I've gotten pretty spoiled by the 119" wheel base for backing and being able to look over my shoulder and see everything. I'm leaning more towards shortening a 3/4 ton for the heavier brakes, springs and deeper rearend ratios.


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## sgt7546 (May 2, 2011)

I can't speak personally for the 2500, but I have a 1500 4x4 with the hemi. I use it to tow a 5800 pound wood hauling trailer and a travel trailer. Empty I get about 12mpg around town and 16 on the highway. When towing, I get 9 (on a good day) and 12 on the highway.


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## MOE (May 4, 2011)

After doing some searching and reading old posts, the wheels are turning in my head about the isuzu NPR flatbed option. They seem to sell reasonable, would be great in residential areas with tight or no turn around and it would be nice to leave a truck set up an loaded. My concern would be the deck hieght. I love my low deck trailer for loading and unloading. The truck height would certainly be higher. My thoughts were to build a flat bed as low as possible with fender wells. I'm thinking it could be about 4" higher than the top of the truck frame this way. The grinder should fit between the fender wells. Anyone running a set up like this?


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## ironman_gq (May 4, 2011)

Id say just about any 3/4 ton gasser is going to be around 12-14 empty and 8-12 towing depending on weight. The diesels are looking like 14-20 empty and 10-16 towing. Diesel truck will last a lot longer if maintained but will cost around 20-30% more when new, resale value will be better though. In my opinion I dont like to push the 1/2 tons beyond capacity due to the limitations of the drivetrain. The transmission and axles are not up to the work and wear out quite fast compared to a properly sized vehicle.


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## STLfirewood (May 4, 2011)

I have seen a lot of the Isuzu trucks around here with dove tails on the flatbed. They really make the bed height low for loading and unloading.

Scott


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## MOE (May 6, 2011)

STLfirewood said:


> I have seen a lot of the Isuzu trucks around here with dove tails on the flatbed. They really make the bed height low for loading and unloading.
> 
> Scott


 I'm starting to think of an isuzu as an option. It would be cheaper than buying a 10 year old pickup and it sounds like they get better MPG than a pickup and tandem trailer would. My tandem trailer has a 14" high deck,(pan type with the floor on the bottom) so loading is really nice. the trade off would be not having to tow a trailer wherever I go.


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## jhg (May 10, 2011)

MOE said:


> ...I'm leaning more towards shortening a 3/4 ton for the heavier brakes, springs and deeper rearend ratios.




And that is really why 3/4 ton is a better choice than a 1/2 ton to pull 8000lbs. . Lots of guys use 1/2 tons to pull moderate loads like yours, but can they stop it if they find an accident in front of them as they are travelling down a hill into an intersection? I seriously doubt it. They are going through whatever is there for better or worse.
I pull 8-10k a lot with my 12 valve Cummins, and the trailer has electric brakes on all four wheels. I still have to be careful- it sure does not stop on a dime.
Just some thoughts on why the heavier trucks are better for pulling working loads. Its not the engines, its the larger brakes.

Joshua

Accidents happen. You need the bigger brakes to stop the load.

BTW, if you could find a short bed 12 valve in good shape with under 250,000 miles - lot of miles left -and you'd have a very nice puller. The 12 valves are fantastic motors.


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## MOE (May 11, 2011)

jhg said:


> And that is really why 3/4 ton is a better choice than a 1/2 ton to pull 8000lbs. . Lots of guys use 1/2 tons to pull moderate loads like yours, but can they stop it if they find an accident in front of them as they are travelling down a hill into an intersection? I seriously doubt it. They are going through whatever is there for better or worse.
> I pull 8-10k a lot with my 12 valve Cummins, and the trailer has electric brakes on all four wheels. I still have to be careful- it sure does not stop on a dime.
> Just some thoughts on why the heavier trucks are better for pulling working loads. Its not the engines, its the larger brakes.
> 
> ...


 
Agreed. I don't think there was ever a short bed regular cab,(120" wheelbase) made with a cummins. If I don't go the isuzu npr route that will be my winter prodject, get a reg cab long bed 3/4 ton, shorten the frame and replace the box with a 6.5'.


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