I surrender you Diesel guys win! I am coming!!!

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by Oops

Thank you! To me this is reason enough to go diesel. After having to find an exit that has a station you can fit in then struggle to fill but not block the other lanes, wait for the little fiat that blocked you in while they were getting their 88oz slushy, etc. Just go to the truck stops & pull thru - Yep Im ready! I don't care how much the oil costs LOL

What guys don't say about the diesel trucks is it takes 12 qts of oil and not 5 like a gasser. Thus you can go a lot longer between oil changes.

If a guy is looking to save money, a diesel truck isn't a cheap purchase.

I say buy a Prius....but it won't tow anything.

Cheap to buy and own cant be used in the same sentence as power and torque.

That is.....unless you buy an old used diesel. Still not cheap to maintain.

[DreiHunde]

Originally Posted by Dogpatch

What guys don't say about the diesel trucks is it takes 12 qts of oil and not 5 like a gasser. Thus you can go a lot longer between oil changes.

If a guy is looking to save money, a diesel truck isn't a cheap purchase.

I say buy a Prius....but it won't tow anything.

Cheap to buy and own cant be used in the same sentence as power and torque.

That is.....unless you buy an old used diesel. Still not cheap to maintain.

And a Prius will stop shorter than a Hemi...

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by DreiHunde

And a Prius will stop shorter than a Hemi...

Unless the Prius is in the bed of a 1 ton being used as a spare tire or has a tail wind.

[Ford Idaho]

My 6.4 takes 15 quarts, so if I have the oil changed and fill the 250 with fuel I triple it's value....

[DreiHunde]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

Unless the Prius is in the bed of a 1 ton being used as a spare tire or has a tail wind.

Now THAT is funny right there!!

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

My 6.4 takes 15 quarts, so if I have the oil changed and fill the 250 with fuel I triple it's value....

lol... an oil change will total some of them

[papatioman]

Originally Posted by Rvdixie

For whatever it's worth. I just returned from a 2000 + mile trip from Central Florida to Baltimore and back, returning by way of the Outer Banks with the package you see below. The Eco Boost could not have done a better job and I averaged 12.2 mpg at 60 MPH. At one point coming down 95 I was averaging 13.3 miles per gallon for about a 200 mile stretch. And when I unhook I have a nice comfortable passenger car type vehicle to drive. They all have their ups and downs I guess.

I pulled a Layton 29' TT from Oklahoma to Vegas 2 years ago with my 2011 Eco Boost with no problems. 9MPG to Vegas and 11MPG return trip. My 36' Salem is a whole different animal.

[papatioman]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

My 6.4 takes 15 quarts, so if I have the oil changed and fill the 250 with fuel I triple it's value....

lol....it's even better when you use synthetic!

[fanrgs]

One thing I didn't find in this thread was discussion of the current cost per gallon of regular gas vs. diesel fuel. Currently diesel fuel in my area is from 2 to 15 cents per gallon CHEAPER than regular gas and it has been at least that much less for the 16 months since we bought our new Ram.

And, for those who doubt the diesel mileage figures discussed in this thread, I was a non-believer too until we got a calculated 23.4 MPG on the highway on our first non-towing trip in the new truck. This was for driving 1,000 miles on I-76 and I-80 between Denver and Chicago, with 107 miles on the odometer when we left our house. I never got that non-towing highway mileage in any of my previous gas-engined trucks.

We now have 17,000 miles on the Ram, about 2/3 of which was towing the 5th wheel through the mountains of the West (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California, and even the roller-coaster U.S. 50--the "Loneliest Road in America"--all the way across Nevada. And our average mileage while towing is now at 12.4 MPG.

And, incidentally, our 2015 Ram 2500 diesel cost a few hundred dollars LESS than the 2015 F-150 Eco-Boost long-bed 4x4 that we special-ordered from Ford with the Max-Tow and H-D Payload packages. We cancelled the Ford after we were told, 5 months after ordering, that it was going to take a year from ordering to delivery. We are now grateful that Ford couldn't deliver the F-150 in a reasonable time because we love the Ram!

[BandJCarm]

Per one question above. I not only can use the truck lanes, I have to. 22 foot truck and 40 foot fiver....I won't fit in any if the 'new' perpendicular auto gas lanes, not without backing out somehow. So I get in line with the semi's.

I do have to go inside first (often a long way) and give my credit card and a max *technically a minimum* before they'll turn the pump on. If I'm pretty empty I just say "$75" (at today's prices), and if I pump less, they credit the card the difference. I've only seen one "big boy" station that allowed private credit card automatic use.

What ticks me off is that those stations charge a premium to charge diesel vs. Cash.

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I simply was giving my opinion as well backed up with actual facts and then start getting ad hominem comments directed at me. I have no problem with what people drive, I simple was pointing out why somebody with personal experiences on the topic might have a different view.

Well, no I believe you were stating that some of your opinions were indeed facts....and I don't believe they were all facts. I might be wrong. But when you state an opinion quite adamantly, claim that it's a fact, yet it's wrong, and then that is pointed out, yet you say those pointing it out are being an ass...........that is what I had issue with.

[DreiHunde]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Well, no I believe you were stating that some of your opinions were indeed facts....and I don't believe they were all facts. I might be wrong. But when you state an opinion quite adamantly, claim that it's a fact, yet it's wrong, and then that is pointed out, yet you say those pointing it out are being an ass...........that is what I had issue with.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Per one question above. I not only can use the truck lanes, I have to. 22 foot truck and 40 foot fiver....I won't fit in any if the 'new' perpendicular auto gas lanes, not without backing out somehow. So I get in line with the semi's.

I do have to go inside first (often a long way) and give my credit card and a max *technically a minimum* before they'll turn the pump on. If I'm pretty empty I just say "$75" (at today's prices), and if I pump less, they credit the card the difference. I've only seen one "big boy" station that allowed private credit card automatic use.

What ticks me off is that those stations charge a premium to charge diesel vs. Cash.

What ticks me off, Pilot and Flying J often have the highest prices even when using a discount card! BUT you can always get in/out with backing...

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

What ticks me off, Pilot and Flying J often have the highest prices even when using a discount card! BUT you can always get in/out with backing...

I have to agree with you on that one!! In fact all the truck stops out here are higher than in-town stations now. They used to be cheaper. Don't know what is going on. Feel bad for the semi companies. But we do use the heck out of that flying j/good Sam discount card

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I have to agree with you on that one!! In fact all the truck stops out here are higher than in-town stations now. They used to be cheaper. Don't know what is going on. Feel bad for the semi companies. But we do use the heck out of that flying j/good Sam discount card

Help me out.

How do I use it when on truck lane.....and I have to pay in advance?

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Help me out.

How do I use it when on truck lane.....and I have to pay in advance?

You go inside to the fuel desk, tell them what pump number you are on.

Give them the discount card along with your credit card.

The pumps are setup for cards from Comdata or others used by semi fleets.

And yes you will need to do so in advance.

BTW if you use the RV pump you can just use what ever card you buy fuel with.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Help me out.

How do I use it when on truck lane.....and I have to pay in advance?

Depends. If you have the flying j/pilot/good Sam card that allows you to charge to the card then you can just use that at any of the pumps... if the truck stop has the upgraded/newer pumps and software. Most of them do now. The chargable card has its own control code that the pump asks for.

If you just have the discount card I think you have to go inside but I'm not positive about that one.

The only time I use the semi lanes at pilot is when some motorhomes have taken up residency at the RV pumps

[NMWildcat]

I should of said if you have the RV PLUS card you can use it at the semi lanes and receive your discount. But you have to charge it to that card ( can't use a personal card) You have to have a valid good Sam membership. Just pick up an application at the truck stop if you don't have one.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

You must be a lot of fun at parties......😞

Isn't it time to close this thread anyway?

This is the ad hominem response I was referring to. I quoted the whole thing, no where is he disputing a claim I made just making a personal attack. Now go read the definition of ad hominem. This, and only this was what I was referring to as being an ass. If this kind of stuff is acceptable on here that's fine, suit up because after 11 years in the Navy I'm sure I can dish it out with the best of them.

The whole point of me posting in this thread was to give my personal experience with 2500, and 3500 trucks both gas and diesel. Something I wish somebody would have pointed out to me before I also surrendered, you diesel guys won, and I came over. Luckily it wasn't a big deal, live and learn. I could see if I had spent a year's salary, or a college education for my kids on a new truck, like some have done. I might be a little more likely to convince myself it really did do ok day to day. Instead I had a 3rd car so the pretty diesel sat there, month after month, and then gloriously came to life 4-5 times a year for a run down to Yellowstone. If you are overloaded then by all means you need a bigger truck or a smaller camper, and you may need to live with what you got day to day. That wasn't the case here with the OP. Maybe money is no object, then again, get a big truck. I personally wouldn't stop at a 3500, I would get an International Terrastar 4x4 or MTX. These are all just my opinions, and based on sales numbers I would say I'm not alone in these opinions.

As far as my opinion -vs- facts, what I claim to be a fact is almost always the 1500 version of a truck stops shorter, accelerates, faster, and handles better unloaded then the 2500 or 3500 versions. There are plenty of road test comparison reviews of trucks where they hook up instruments to the trucks that accurately measure such things, and then run them head to head, on the same day, same conditions, and same road. My brother just bought a 2015 f150 3.5 ecoboost for example. That truck is a beast in all catagories, 1/4 mile, 60-0 braking, etc. MT got 15.0 sec @ 92.5 mph, and 126 ft 60-0. The 2015 3500 silverado in the same test did 16.1 sec @ 84.2 mph, and 146 ft 60-0. This was just this year's test, go back and you see the same thing over and over, without the trailer the 1500s put up better numbers.

No hard feelings with anyone here, just want to give my experiences like everyone else seems to be allowed to do. Actually I kind of like the ad hominem attacks. They always let me know when I hit the mark. If you can't argue substance, attack the man!

[NMWildcat]

*sigh*