Diesel Pro’s and Con’s

[spock123]

If I should ever buy another truck I think I would buy a 1 ton gas truck. Install a larger gas tank on the truck plus another tank in place of the spare tire. Diesel is thirty to forty cents a gallon more than gas. Plus diesel may go up more down the road, more than gas. I saw something on the web that ocean going ships were going to use low sulfur diesel. They couldn’t use bunker fuel anymore.

[Ejs4029]

I have a Diesel....The PRO: I wanted it No other justification needed

[ronheater70]

Honestly , it comes down to what you are comftorable with. My latest camper was well within the capacities of my 2016 2500 Hemi 6.4 . And it towed it fair enough on level ground or very minor hills. Like I said earlier, going up a major interstate in 2nd gear at nearly 5K rpms really annoyed the heck out of me.
I know the engine makes it's peak torque up there in the rpm range, but shifitng from 4th to 2nd and skipping 3rd all together followed by the high rpms and it just became a point of annoyance that took the joy away from me and camping trips. I also found myself avoiding campgrounds I wanted to check out because I felt the truck would have struggled too much.

But like I said, it depends on what you are comftorable with and for many, the revving motor and slower climbs is not an issue and they appreciate the cheaper fuel etc.. I think the 2019 and up gasser HD trucks are really getting it together. The 8 speed in the Ram HD gassers is a game changer. I always thought the Motor had the power it was just neutered by a transmission with stupid programming. The 8 speed is supposedly worlds better.
Myself, I'll never go back to a gasser for loads of 10K or above, i'm adddicted now, I just never understood all the talk until I did it. My first big tow with the new truck and I was actively giggling while cruising up the hills.

[mopwr4me2003]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

I have a Diesel....The PRO: I wanted it No other justification needed

Ok so this made my day 🤣

[Lins]

Originally Posted by ronheater70

My first big tow with the new truck and I was actively giggling while cruising up the hills.

Same here, the first time you approach a hill/mountain and the engine just gets throatier and you hear the turbo spool to maintain speed is just awesome.

[CaptnJohn]

A load of more than 10K no one should ask that question or at least not feel bad as others giggle.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by mopwr4me2003

So as for our current TT we just have a shamrock 183. Fully loaded about 4600#. We were talking about in 2-3 years time a slightly larger TT no longer a hybrid style but probably one around 5-7000# range maybe a little more. I know eventually probably 8-10 years down the road a 5th wheel but who knows that far down the road. We do want to travel in areas with mountains and such which is one reason I was considering it. The other reason is if we have the truck now we open up a few more options for a TT and wouldn’t have to worry to much. I know for now the truck would be a little overkill So this is why I have come to the all mighty knowing people of this forum [emoji16].

The way you're thinking, my first choice would be a 3/4 gasser. I debated Diesel / Gas for our 2018 TT. I decided diesel due to the fact that the TT can be loaded to 11,000 lbs. Our last trailer was 7000 loaded and we pulled it for almost 10 years with 1/2 tons. 2003 F150 and 2013 Chevy 1500.

[DieselDrax]

If I were going to tow locally, say to a seasonal site, or only a few times a year then I would likely go with a gasser for cost savings.

However, that's not what we do or have done. We do make some local-ish (2-4 hour) trips but we also do long road trips. Last summer we did 5,700 miles in ~3 weeks. With a previous TT we went from SoCal to OR/WA multiple times.

Towing heavy (either near a vehicle's limits or over 8000-9000lb) and often I'll only buy a diesel for the job, they just do better under load. Less stressful as the engine isn't screaming often, transmission isn't shifting often, fuel economy is better, etc.

Maintenance costs are nearly the same as modern gassers tend to use synthetic oil so their maintenance hosts are higher than they used to be.

For me, the choice really came/comes down to comfort while towing. I find towing with a diesel to be much more relaxing, if towing is stressful then it takes away from the pleasure of the activity. People like to talk about cost, I like to talk about value. Diesel adds more value to me, TCO varies but let's be real here. We don't do this because it's cheap.

[polishdon]

Another pro of a diesel, the resale value. I bought my 2014 Chevy 2500 Duramax at the end of 2015 for $46,000. I just traded it in for $33,300, the dealer put it on their lot for $38,800 and it sold within 2 weeks.

[Crusadernoob]

So you too a $5,500 hit by not selling it yourself

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by Crusadernoob

So you too a $5,500 hit by not selling it yourself

Ever been able to sell a used vehicle for retail/dealer price? Me either.

[polishdon]

Originally Posted by Crusadernoob

So you too a $5,500 hit by not selling it yourself

Like any deal involving a car dealer, you'd always make out better selling it yourself, but who wants to deal with low ballers and tire kickers? I also traded in my toy hauler with the truck and used the equity in the truck to lessen the hit on the camper. So, I would have had to sell both outright, and wasn't having any luck selling the camper. I only owed 21,500 on the truck so I was real happy with the trade in number I received.

[DouglasReid]

Since you aer not very knowledgeable about diesel truxcks Id suggest you join and read a forum for each of the big three.

duremaxforum.com is a VERY good forum for GM trucks

Im sure there are forums for the Cummins and Ford Powerstroke as well

Then when you decide what yo like and buy become active in reading those forums to help educate yoruself on how to care for and maintain them.

Also learn how to tow using a diesel (there is more to it than just stepping on the long skinny pedal.)

Care for it and maintain it well and it will easily last you 500,000 miles,. But you can harm it (just like you can harm a gasser) if you don't drive it correctly, while towing heavy, to minimize engine and transmission temps (especially in hills)

Treat it right and you will have a smile from one ear to the other as it functions as the Pulling Machine it was designed to be.

[frank4711]

Good info .... Looks like a lot of agreement that diesel just tows better. I would move up to a 1 ton diesel SRW when ready , 3/4 does little for me most only add 400-700 lbs payload above my Ram 1500. Will be ready when we both retire full time and leave on longer trips away from the flat lands here in Florida. Thanks Frank

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by frank4711

Good info .... Looks like a lot of agreement that diesel just tows better. I would move up to a 1 ton diesel SRW when ready , 3/4 does little for me most only add 400-700 lbs payload above my Ram 1500. Will be ready when we both retire full time and leave on longer trips away from the flat lands here in Florida. Thanks Frank

In addition to just the payload increase the 3/4 ton also adds a Significantly improved brake system.

Im not trying to talk you out of the 1 ton just informing you of one area you may not have considered.

And generally the 3/4 an 1 ton SRW of each brand have the same brakes. Same with frame, etc.

Biggest difference between them is the rear spring and tire size.

[frank4711]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

In addition to just the payload increase the 3/4 ton also adds a Significantly improved brake system.

Im not trying to talk you out of the 1 ton just informing you of one area you may not have considered.

And generally the 3/4 an 1 ton SRW of each brand have the same brakes. Same with frame, etc.

Biggest difference between them is the rear spring and tire size.

Thank you .... I am short payload on my current set up by about 175 lbs and just never want to be close again .... with a gasser 2500 I pick up 1000 lbs payload over a diesel but with 3500 diesel I get about same payload as the 2500 gasser , which more than doubles my current 1870 lbs to 4,000 .... Thanks again for the feedback

[johnruff]

I will suggest this site for Ford Powerstroke
POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners & Mechanics
I have owned both a gas and a diesel F250. Liked them both but plan to keep the diesel for a loooooooong time. Could be the last truck I buy.
I agree with the 1 ton option - I would do that if I did it again.

[Mikolow]

I have a F-250 with diesel and no issues whatsoever in 40k miles. I also manage a fleet of Kenworths and Peterbilts that run almost forever. Diesels with proper maintenance with outlast a gas engine by far. Only higher expense I see is oil changes (13 qts.) and fuel filters ($80) which I have only changed one time. The computers on the newer trucks monitor about everything and will tell you when to change oil, filters, etc.

[SlowrideHD]

I love my F350 powerstroke. Effortless towing up or down mountains, high winds, etc. Everybody makes a pretty decent diesel engine now. The Cummins engines have always got the best fuel mileage. I have a high school friend that delivers rv's commercially and put a bit over a half million miles on a Duramax before the engine came apart.
The modern diesels in stock form, perform amazingly well, don't smoke or smell, get much better fuel mileage than they used to. They are very complex with all the government mandated gadgetry. The best thing is the approximate 900 ftlbs of torque to get a heavy load rolling in a hurry!

[Theb2b]

I have the 1\2 ton diesel, Ram 1500, purchased it for mileage get over 27 empty and typically 12 but have gotten 14 towing. First time out with camper the difference was night and day compared to my Ram gasser, it just goes. Limits are the truck not the motor.
Tell folks loaded wagon pulled by horse, it will do it but takes work hitch up a bull he'll pull it easily and limit is now what the wagon can hold.