Diesel or Gas

[hodgeman]

At my job, about half the crew have diesels and the other half gas....those diesel trucks spend way more time in the shop than any of the gas trucks and the fuel economy really isn't there unless you're towing heavy on a near constant basis. In this market, diesel is a $10k up charge over gas.

Unless you just have to tow horse trailers and farm equipment everywhere you go, I'd pass hard.

 

[mlgc20]

I have a 2018 Ford F-250 diesel. I do a lot of RV towing. The diesel is a huge improvement over gas from a towing power perspective. If you are towing with any regularity, diesel is the only way to go. I spent a lot of time in the NM mountains in sub-zero temps and never had any issues getting it to start. Even leaving it for a few days at the trailhead.

Having said that, if you don’t tow, then I would go with gas. Might as well save the money on the initial cost.

 

[browning2480]

Very few people actually tow enough to justify a diesel. The question is more about do you want one or not, because for the vast majority, the numbers always support gas.

 

[.270]

I had an 17' F250 with the 6.7 and I drove it around till I got to 160k. I didn't have any powertrain problems besides developing an oil leak that I never fix. Great engine lots of power after getting it deleted. I switched to a 19' 6.2L gasser because I never towed anything, I just drive around with a welder. Its had less power and I get about the same in gas milage, the diesel getting a little better. I have 110k on the 6.2 with no issues. Cost of maintenace is less then the diesel as others have stated. I would go with a gasser unless you a pulling heavy loads all the time.

 

[rayporter]

like i said above i like my diesels, but i tow and they do a good job. now there is a difference in the '06 vs th'17.

the '06
i have got 21 mpg round trip to florida with no load and 18 mpg pulling 3 head to colorado and back. it is still kicking too

the "17 is a hell of a go getter. great exhaust brake and it will out pull the other truck with ease -for a price. it has never seen 18 mpg ever. usually around15-16 empty, and 3 head to Colorado will be down around 11 if i drive carful. out in the mountains it is single digit mpg. no trouble yet but the def is a pain and i hear horror stories that it is only a matter of time till it dies.

 

[Whaledriver]

I went the gas route for a while. If I didn't tow in the mountains, I would probably still have it. Unfortunately the gas motor and 5k on the tach was enough for me. They say it could handle it but breaking down with a trailer would be a shit show. I plan on seeing how long the 6.7l Cummins will go. So far so good. Get around 30% better mileage towing and empty.

 

[Tbone58]

What I tell people who never had one don’t get one. Yeah they are cool, but have you ever gotten one stuck or gelled up? Or even understand what gelled up means or how to fix or prevent it? Diesels are front heavy also run two batteries for starting. I’ve seen people drop a front end into something and can’t get the front out because of weight. I’ve also seen people not understand the two batteries of a diesel and why. Maintenance is expensive and so are repairs. If you get anything newer then 2003 you deal with emissions. Which is another can of worms guys don’t understand. The newer the diesel the more stuff they jam on them. DEF is no fun. I’ve seen way to many guys say oh I’ll be fine. Then have problems and don’t know what to do. You ask why I know this stuff? 12 years of diesel. I love it but I’ll never own one. You would be surprised to what a gas engine can do for less. But that’s my $0.02

 

[Buffinnut]

What I tell people who never had one don’t get one. Yeah they are cool, but have you ever gotten one stuck or gelled up? Or even understand what gelled up means or how to fix or prevent it? Diesels are front heavy also run two batteries for starting. I’ve seen people drop a front end into something and can’t get the front out because of weight. I’ve also seen people not understand the two batteries of a diesel and why. Maintenance is expensive and so are repairs. If you get anything newer then 2003 you deal with emissions. Which is another can of worms guys don’t understand. The newer the diesel the more stuff they jam on them. DEF is no fun. I’ve seen way to many guys say oh I’ll be fine. Then have problems and don’t know what to do. You ask why I know this stuff? 12 years of diesel. I love it but I’ll never own one. You would be surprised to what a gas engine can do for less. But that’s my $0.02

Totally makes sense for guys just driving the truck or pulling a popup camper or a UTV on a flat bed. Buy a gas half ton and enjoy a way cheaper truck, better ride & off road capability, but @ 25,000lbs gross in the mountains of the west a gasser is just not an option. The power and exhaust brake on a diesel make a miserable white knuckle experience almost fun.

 

[ianpadron]

If you have to ask, then you probably don't "need" a diesel.

Modern half-tons ride like Cadillacs and still have the power and torque to haul more than most guys ever need to.

I went through the same process earlier this year and ended up with an F150, couldn't be happier.

 

[ianpadron]

Totally makes sense for guys just driving the truck or pulling a popup camper or a UTV on a flat bed. Buy a gas half ton and enjoy a way cheaper truck, better ride & off road capability, but @ 25,000lbs gross in the mountains of the west a gasser is just not an option. The power and exhaust brake on a diesel make a miserable white knuckle experience almost fun.

Agree 100%

Drove a buddiy's GMC Duramax back from Idaho last year pulling a trailer. Insane to be doing 80mph up a grade without even blinking an eye.

BUT...most guys don't need that kind of power, even the ones that think they do haha.

 

[Tbone58]

Totally makes sense for guys just driving the truck or pulling a popup camper or a UTV on a flat bed. Buy a gas half ton and enjoy a way cheaper truck, better ride & off road capability, but @ 25,000lbs gross in the mountains of the west a gasser is just not an option. The power and exhaust brake on a diesel make a miserable white knuckle experience almost fun.

i don’t disagree. They have there places. Pulling 25k sure a diesel is better. My point is don’t just buy one to buy one or drive it like a car or pull an atv on a trailer and don’t just buy one for the one week hunt a guy does once a year. Also my point is most guys don’t understand what owning one actually means unless they have the experience and knowledge of having.

 

[99sastacoma]

I have a 06 dodge 5.9. Would have a hard time going back to gasser after having this for ten years. To me what would be the deciding factor is if you going to daily it or not. Mine sits unless its pulling a trailer. I put on between 7 and 10k a year between rockcrawling and hunting trips. But a gas 3/4 ton would be more practical to use every day and occasionally tow with. No issues with cold weather down into the single digits. Offroad its a fullsize truck and sucks accordingly lol.

 

[browning2480]

I have a 06 dodge 5.9. Would have a hard time going back to gasser after having this for ten years. To me what would be the deciding factor is if you going to daily it or not. Mine sits unless its pulling a trailer. I put on between 7 and 10k a year between rockcrawling and hunting trips. But a gas 3/4 ton would be more practical to use every day and occasionally tow with. No issues with cold weather down into the single digits. Offroad its a fullsize truck and sucks accordingly lol.

You have one of the best ones. My Dad has an 06 with a Banks System. Those trucks are hard to beat.

 

[Idahoguy]

It is funny hat everyone says you need a diesel for towing and for mountains. Until about the mid 80's the most common truck pulling a trailer full of horses in the mountains was a 2wd chevy with a 350 engine. My buddy hauled horses all over the west when he was outfitting and packing for the forest service. Ford 460 is all he ever had.

 

[Dust Rider]

At the weight station last year my '15 F 350 6.7 Diesel was 8800lbs. We tow trailers in the mountains. Need the power and weight. She is not a off road rig. I keep chains handy in the mountains. If work did not require a work horse I would run a 3/4 ton gasser, it is a good compromise for sub 30' RV and boats. Used to have a Chevy 2500 HD 6.0 Vortex crew cab long bed. Great work and hunting truck, I almost regret selling it.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’ve never had any issues with cold cranking in either of my diesels and have never plugged them in.

 

[tdhanses]

Yeah the guys talking about trucks not starting and emissions issues and gas trucks towing as well as diesels probably have no experience with the newer trucks. 1000lbft of torque and exhaust brake in trade for a few gallons of def every once in a while and a few extra quarts of oil is a no-brainer imo.
The truck costs more but will also sell for more down the road so it's not that big of a deal
Even if you have emissions issues down the road you can still delete.

Good luck deleting since the gov banned it, unless you want to get a tune from China. As of last Sep you can’t get a delete from any American companies.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’m sitting at the fuel pump right now reading this thread while filling up my ‘03 Cummins at $2.09 a gallon. I got almost 600 miles out of my last tank, and I feel pretty good about that, especially considering the fact that the old girl’s a 1 ton, with almost 250,000 miles, a small lift, and running 35” tires. She’s been the best truck I’ve ever owned and I have no plans on getting rid of her anytime soon. I’m thinking I’ve got at least another 15 to 20 years before I’ll need to start worrying about that. I just put new batteries in her this summer, but prior to that I was still running the same stock ones, and have never once had a problem starting in the cold. Over the last 17+ years I couldn’t even begin to guess how many nights she’s spent in temps down to -30°, and I didn’t have the ability to plug her in, but she always fired right up the next morning.

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[twall13]

What a timely thread as I'm looking at getting a toy hauler which would necessitate a bigger truck. I really don't want to get rid of my Tundra but the toy hauler will mean I need a stiffer chasis. I've been casually browsing the classifieds for a 3/4 ton Diesel but I think you guys have me convinced that I don't tow enough to make it worth it. This will be my daily driver. Sure I'll tow with it, but probably not more than 6-8 trips a year with the toy hauler and anything else I've been more than happy pulling/hauling with the Tundra currently so I don't think I tow heavy often enough to make the diesel worth it. A brief search shows fewer options available but at about $10k less for a comparable truck in my area. I'll gladly take that savings and deal with having a "lessor" truck a few times a year when towing.

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[Brooks]

The days of diesels not starting in cold weather are long gone. The new diesels start up like a summer day in any weather. Old models were hard to start but cold starting is a non issue today.