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Old 05-17-2015, 09:44 PM   #1
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What helped you decide diesel or gas?

I know this is very subjective and I am not in this for a gas v diesel debate.. Not interested with that.. There is a 200 page thread somewhere for that fight.

Question: What made you choose between gas or diesel? Namely I am interested if the amount you tow helped that choice and what that number was.


I am a year or so from replacing my 1500 with something else. I have 100,000 on it now and am looking to break 130 or 140 before moving on. I have already set my mind on a 2500 for replacement. I am only towing 9000 or so lbs but I want the heavier truck just because. That is about as close to emotional buying as I am getting. I tow 3500 to 4500 miles a year. The remainder of my driving is 80 to 90% highway, 60 miles to and from work all highway.

I will concede to the fact that a diesel will out power the 6.o but I am not sure if I tow enough weight or enough miles to justify the 7500 price increase and increase in maintenance and fuel cost. MPG is a SMALL consideration but I am of the theory if I need to worry about this then I need not have a trailer.

Thanks!
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Old 05-17-2015, 09:51 PM   #2
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#1. Ease of use when not towing.
#2. Percentage of time towing vs not towing. 21K on the truck. 3.7K towing.
#3. Twin Turbo gas power is enough for what I tow and fun when not towing.
#4. Initial cost of moving up to a 3/4T or 1T.
#5. Cost of Diesel vs. gas at the time of purchase.
#6. Cost of maintenance.




30' deep garage or that would have been an issue also.
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Old 05-17-2015, 10:29 PM   #3
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Had a f250 V10 gasser that was wrecked. Decided to try diesel this time, mostly due to weight and size of our Sabre 34tbok. Went dually as well. Love it
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Old 05-17-2015, 11:01 PM   #4
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When we traded our armada for a used f250, we weren't looking at diesels at all to tow our 7300 lb tt. One fell into our lap at the right price so we bought it. Man did I love towing with that truck but in the long run that 6.4 power stroke had a lot of problems. One was a low payload (1500 lb payload). We wanted a fiver so we decided to trade the 09 f250 for a new 2014 3500. Since we just tend to camp 1 weekend per month and one long trip a year, we considered going gas. I test drove both the Chevy and dodge gas and diesel (I wanted no part of Ford but that is for another thread). Knowing the Chevy gas felt sluggish ruled that one out. Thinking back to the armada struggling up and down mountains and having crappy fuel mileage sealed the choice to go diesel with towing our fiver. The exhaust brake played a huge role in this choice. I actually gave up a more loaded gasser to go diesel.

One thing for you to be aware of, in Chevy a short bed has a max tongue weight of 1500 lbs whereas a long bed has a max tongue weight of 2000 lbs. This is true for 2500 and 3500 series gas and diesel.
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Old 05-17-2015, 11:16 PM   #5
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Sounds like you already made your own argument. LOL More than enough truck... mileage... longevity... stability in tow...

Can't add much there.
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Old 05-17-2015, 11:26 PM   #6
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Went with sister and brother-in-law on a trip pulling a 14K# 5er with a 6.0 Ford diesel. Later the same month I pulled my TT (7200#) with my F-250 and it's screaming 5.0 V-8. Like always it was getting 7 - 10 mpg and screaming at 4400 rpm to make it to the top of the hill. I remembered his diesel getting about 12 mpg towing, and hardly ever downshifting. I also remembered his truck never moving when getting passed by a semi.

I knew I was going to upgrade to a bigger trailer, so I swapped trucks to a Ram 2500 with the diesel option. I am VERY happy with it. It turned over 19K miles today, and about 5K of that is towing... at 13 - 14 mpg... and the engine is usually at about 1600 rpm. It seldom downshifts. I'm wishing I'd done this sooner.
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Old 05-18-2015, 12:47 AM   #7
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Difference in horsepower loss at altitude between diesel & gasser. Gasser will lose about 3% of HP for every 1,000 ft elevation gain. Diesel loses only about 1% per 1,000 ft of elevation. At 10,000 feet on some of the mountain passes that can make all the difference.

Also, the power & torque of the diesel makes towing so much more pleasant.
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Old 05-18-2015, 02:28 AM   #8
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Diesel makes it all flow so much better. It was worth the cost to me. Would never tow with a gasser again. It is what you think is best for your budget.If you can afford it, buy it. Good Luck
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Old 05-18-2015, 05:43 AM   #9
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Hi. Just wanted to say I have had gassers and diesels. As far as I can say I will never have another gasser truck. I had a 97 F250 5sp. manual (now my son has it). I now have a 08 F250 6sp. manual I got it about a year ago I put a K&N air filter exhaust and programmer on it and I just came back from Texas visiting my son and got 27.4 miles on the average without the trailer. I get around 15.3 with our 30ft about 8,200 lb. trailer and we love it.
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Old 05-18-2015, 06:55 AM   #10
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I knew I wasn't going to upgrade to a bigger rig (30' 5er now), a diesel was more than I needed, it was about 5 grand more for the truck and I'd be lucky if I put 4,000 miles on it yearly so I went with the gasser. If I was going to go bigger, I'd have to go with the diesel.
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:11 AM   #11
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In May,'14, bought a new Chevy 2500HD gasser.....didn't want to spend $8000 for the diesel.....didn't need it with the TT we were pulling......by mid Oct,'14....we had our eyes on a Silverback 33RL 5th wheel and you guessed it....we traded RVs and also traded trucks....now pull with a 2500HD diesel....couldn't do it anymore with the gasser.....got to stay away from trade shows!!!!!
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:30 AM   #12
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We encountered an extremely windy day pulling our ultralight through Arizona. When we had a hard time maintaining 45 mph as did some of the tractor trailer rigs. This experience told me I needed a new larger truck. I was one of those that was pulling at or slightly above the max of the truck. We like the length of our 30 footer because of the national parks we weren't interested in a longer rv. We had I probably could have gotten away with a gasser, but as someone else stated, the altitude really saps the power from a gasser. I can now tow with the cruise control on and the Allison transmission in the manual shift mode. It pulls so well that the DW has no issues driving with the rv behind us.
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:47 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doc73 View Post
I know this is very subjective and I am not in this for a gas v diesel debate.. Not interested with that.. There is a 200 page thread somewhere for that fight.

Question: What made you choose between gas or diesel? Namely I am interested if the amount you tow helped that choice and what that number was.


I am a year or so from replacing my 1500 with something else. I have 100,000 on it now and am looking to break 130 or 140 before moving on. I have already set my mind on a 2500 for replacement. I am only towing 9000 or so lbs but I want the heavier truck just because. That is about as close to emotional buying as I am getting. I tow 3500 to 4500 miles a year. The remainder of my driving is 80 to 90% highway, 60 miles to and from work all highway.

I will concede to the fact that a diesel will out power the 6.o but I am not sure if I tow enough weight or enough miles to justify the 7500 price increase and increase in maintenance and fuel cost. MPG is a SMALL consideration but I am of the theory if I need to worry about this then I need not have a trailer.

Thanks!
I was in the same boat as you when when I bought my #9000 Aviator. I had a 2004 2500LD Chevy 6.0 gas and that was really not enough truck for the trailer. I went to a 2012 Chevy 2500HD with another 6.0 gas and while the chassis was great for towing the 6.0 ran 3000 to 5000 rpms all the time except cruising on flat ground. I decided to trade that in a on slightly used 2012 Ram with a 6.7 Cummins diesel and difference in tow power is nearly unbelievable. Over twice the torque at 1/3 the rpms! You will get most of your diesel upgrade cost back if you resell but any repairs are likely to cost more. You daily 60 mile commute is well suited for diesel because the emissions systems need that highway time to work properly. To be sure, the 6.0 gas is a great engine with a low cost of ownership and will get you where you are going. But to me, difference between gas and diesel is like the difference between driving construction screws with a cordless drill or driving screws with a cordless impact driver. The cordless drill will get the job done but the impact driver makes it a whole lot more fun!
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:49 AM   #14
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I chose the diesel for the constant power while towing, I always disliked the constant gear changing of gas, I don't get that with the diesel, I also like the mileage and while diesel is more expensive and maintenance is more I feel the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages.
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:52 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefty59 View Post
Difference in horsepower loss at altitude between diesel & gasser. Gasser will lose about 3% of HP for every 1,000 ft elevation gain. Diesel loses only about 1% per 1,000 ft of elevation. At 10,000 feet on some of the mountain passes that can make all the difference.

Also, the power & torque of the diesel makes towing so much more pleasant.
Hmmmm? Wouldn't any engine lose horsepower at altitude? There is less air and air pressure. I would think the difference would have more to do with naturally aspirated vs. turbo charged instead of diesel vs. gas. Even a turbo charged diesel vehicle would lose some power at altitude but, for comparison my Ecoboost is not down 20% at home and surely doesn't have a problem going higher.
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:54 AM   #16
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It was an easy decision for us, prior to retirement we decided on and purchased our unit then looked at TV's. It was a no brainier based on size and weight it had to be a diesel.
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Old 05-18-2015, 07:59 AM   #17
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I weighed the same aspects as you are weighing. I went with a gas based on initial cost and the amount of towing I would do (about 3000 a year). Still dont regret that decision. If I would tow more, the diesel would have been the better choice.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:14 AM   #18
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It was easy for me to go with a diesel engine option for the following reasons and I never looked back. In fact the wife's vehicle is a 2011 VW TDI a diesel engine vehicle also.


1. Ease of filling up with a diesel engine truck over a gas engine truck when pulling on the road with 5er attached.


2. Higher energy content of diesel fuel over gasoline.


3. Better fuel mileage when pulling with a diesel engine over a gas engine truck even around town driving without the trailer attached.


4. All trucks require maintenance and my cost through 82,000 miles breaks down to $0.07 a mile. This includes tire replacement and new brakes on the front.


5. My fuel cost through 82,000 miles is $0.026 a mile which included the very high fuel cost of 2008 when diesel fuel was over $4.00 a gallon. Diesel in my area today is about $0.20 cheaper now.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:18 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lefty59 View Post
Difference in horsepower loss at altitude between diesel & gasser. Gasser will lose about 3% of HP for every 1,000 ft elevation gain. Diesel loses only about 1% per 1,000 ft of elevation. At 10,000 feet on some of the mountain passes that can make all the difference.

Also, the power & torque of the diesel makes towing so much more pleasant.
This is not a gas/diesel thing. It's a naturally aspirated versus forced induction thing. Since the majority of diesels are turbocharged whereas the majority of gas engines are naturally aspirated, it is a very common misconception that it is the fuel type. The Ford Ecoboost is a gas engine and does not experience power loss because of altitude.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:27 AM   #20
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I had a 1500 GMC which we really liked but towing with it I felt that the trailer was too much for it. I use my truck for much more than just towing. We go to a remote cabin often in the fall/early winter and the truck sits in the bush at -35C or colder quite frequently and no place to plug in. I also do a lot of short drives which is not good for diesels. Service costs are somewhat higher with diesels but that really wasn't a major decision factor nor was price of fuel. I also considered that we wouldn't be making any really long trips with it until I retire and will likely need to get a newer truck at that time. I ended up choosing a Chev 2500HD 6.0l gas. It works well for us and at the price point I was willing to spend to. There are days when I think I need more truck but there are more days when I think it's too much truck, so I'm happy with my truck. It tows our #7500 TT not the TT pushing the truck and for the trips we have made so far it works well. Fuel economy is 19-21 mpg( imperial gallon) empty on the highway and on average 10 mpg towing the TT. I spoke to lots of people in campgrounds about tow vehicles so the fuel economy is what I expected. If we do go to a larger heavier trailer I won't go gas because the diesel is better suited especially in hilly terrain. My thoughts.


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