Diesel is definitely cool when it comes to towing. At high elevations (i.e., Rockies) a gasoline engine will lose 10 to 20% of its power. No fun trying to summit an 11,000 foot pass when your tow vehicle is roaring for all it's worth in second gear, it's starting to overheat, and you're holding up a long line of increasingly angry motorists behind you. I drove an F-250 diesel for 10 years and it would tow my 3400-pound trailer effortlessly. Diesels are not affected by altitude. I bought it just when diesel prices skyrocketed. Sold it just as diesel fuel dropped below regular again. Same philosophy I've followed in the stock market.
I replaced it with a six-cylinder Eco-Boost F-150 which, while it doesn't match a diesel, out-tows any gasoline-powered V8 I've ever had. The turbos do their job. I just couldn't justify $70k+ for a few RV trips per year. I do miss the diesel, though.
In response to the question of motorhome vs. trailer, I've had both. Motorhome is really comfortable if you plan on spending nights at a fully developed RV park. RV parks are getting quite expensive, though, many charging upwards of $60 per night, which kind of negates the idea of avoiding motels. Motorhomes are helpless off-road and a death-defying experience if you find yourself in winter weather. And if anything breaks, you aren't going anywhere. You had best have the AAA RV coverage.
You can get a travel trailer with all the comforts of a motor home. Unhook it anywhere, any time, and use a normal tow vehicle to go wherever you want. I would never go back to a motorhome unless I were (a) much wealthier, (b) never wanted to get away from other human beings, or (c) lived the full-time RV life. And I also advocate, if someone goes the travel trailer route, to invest in some sort of equalizing hitch. I eliminated any fishtailing of my trailer by simply installing a couple of Firestone air shocks on the rear suspension. I leave them at about 10 pounds pressure for daily driving, pump them up to 30 or 35 pounds when towing. Makes a huge difference, eliminates white knuckles.
The extra costs "pet friendly" hotels/motels often charge even if they allowed our dogs will usually pay for a nice campground. Dogs love RVs!
I replaced it with a six-cylinder Eco-Boost F-150 which, while it doesn't match a diesel, out-tows any gasoline-powered V8 I've ever had. The turbos do their job. I just couldn't justify $70k+ for a few RV trips per year. I do miss the diesel, though.
In response to the question of motorhome vs. trailer, I've had both. Motorhome is really comfortable if you plan on spending nights at a fully developed RV park. RV parks are getting quite expensive, though, many charging upwards of $60 per night, which kind of negates the idea of avoiding motels. Motorhomes are helpless off-road and a death-defying experience if you find yourself in winter weather. And if anything breaks, you aren't going anywhere. You had best have the AAA RV coverage.
You can get a travel trailer with all the comforts of a motor home. Unhook it anywhere, any time, and use a normal tow vehicle to go wherever you want. I would never go back to a motorhome unless I were (a) much wealthier, (b) never wanted to get away from other human beings, or (c) lived the full-time RV life. And I also advocate, if someone goes the travel trailer route, to invest in some sort of equalizing hitch. I eliminated any fishtailing of my trailer by simply installing a couple of Firestone air shocks on the rear suspension. I leave them at about 10 pounds pressure for daily driving, pump them up to 30 or 35 pounds when towing. Makes a huge difference, eliminates white knuckles.
The extra costs "pet friendly" hotels/motels often charge even if they allowed our dogs will usually pay for a nice campground. Dogs love RVs!