Which 1 ton pickup

[Wrangler13]

Looking into a new 1 ton pickup. Will need the extended cab but not the crew, 6ft bed. Going to be towing about 12,000lbs for 8hours straight once per week. Diesel is out of the price range, needs to come in around $40-45k. What does everyone think for brand?

Ford
GMC/Chevy
Dodge

 

[Vandy321]

Looking into a new 1 ton pickup. Will need the extended cab but not the crew, 6ft bed. Going to be towing about 12,000lbs for 8hours straight once per week. Diesel is out of the price range, needs to come in around $40-45k. What does everyone think for brand?

Ford
GMC/Chevy
Dodge

Why buy a new gasser for towing when you can get a low mileage diesel in that price range?

 

[madcalfe]

if your towing a lot id get a diesel no questions asked

 

[AK Troutbum]

Why buy a new gasser for towing when you can get a low mileage diesel in that price range?

^^^this! I bought a new Dodge 1 ton diesel back in ‘03, and my only regret is that I didn’t get the manual transmission. If I had it to do all over again I would buy roughly the same truck with the manual six speed. I think it was in ‘08 where everything changed with having to add def, etc., so I probably wouldn’t buy anything newer than that. I don’t think that I’d want a new diesel with the way they are being made today.


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[Sccritterkiller]

Ford 7.3 gas..if you can find one in stock. Ford has most HP in the class gas or diesel.

 

[Vandy321]

^^^this! I bought a new Dodge 1 ton diesel back in ‘03, and my only regret is that I didn’t get the manual transmission. If I had it to do all over again I would buy roughly the same truck with the manual six speed. I think it was in ‘08 where everything changed with having to add def, etc., so I probably wouldn’t buy anything newer than that. I don’t think that I’d want a new diesel with the way they are being made today.


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2012 ram was the last year before DEF.

 

[Wrangler13]

Leaning toward the Ford with the 7.3. Just don’t like the clamshell doors.

 

[JLane330]

I've been debating the gas vs diesel thing lately. I have an '06 Duramax Van with fairly low miles (99k) and tow fairly light (wakeboat, utility trailers, etc). GF has a '12 Ram Cummins that we use to tow heavy (Toyhauler, gooseneck with skid steer, etc).
Talking a good friend who owns both gas and diesel versions of the same truck (2012 Ram), he prefers the gas. He tows a big 5th toy hauler, not sure of actual weight, and says that he prefers the gas truck more and that it's towing mileage isn't much worse than the diesel. His opinion is that the gasser has plenty of power, and he drives pretty fast.
This is similar to another friend who was a big diesel fan. His input was that the diesel is great until the EGT's get real high while towing up big mountains. He prefers his gasser motorhome to his diesel truck towing the 5th wheel.
I bought my Duramax for the fuel mileage. It's been pretty good overall, but there are several things working against diesel's these days:
- The EPA cracked down on deletes and mods a year or two ago. Good luck finding delete kits. Tunes may be affected to.
- The cost of a diesel engine on initial purchase is high. That pays for a lot of gas.
- Maintenance: Oil changes, fuel filters, etc adds up.
- Cost of fuel. Diesel is a good more expensive than regular gas, has been for quite a while now.
- DEF. While the fluid isn't necessarily expensive, the system is if it needs repair. This is why the '12 Ram's seem to be the sweet spot.
- Extra battery to replace, can be hard starting in the cold (I've never had an issue with my Duramax in below 0 weather without it plugged in, but am told the Duramax is the exception...not sure).
- Noise, although most new trucks are pretty quiet inside these days.
- Long term repair. This is a biggie! Injectors, injection pumps, head gaskets, etc can be ridiculous to repace!
- Unlikely to run veg oil or homemade biodiesel in any newer engine without major issues. Leave that to the old engines.
- Turbo maintenance/replacement/repair...
- Weight. They are heavy, and can tear up front ends, make it harder to get thru sand/mud, etc.
- Diesels don't like to sit (been told this over and over). Not really sure what to think about this... they don't like short trips for sure.

No doubt the torque out of a diesel is nice to drive, but the transmissions seem to hit and miss. The Allison has a great reputation on a stock truck. Depends on the 6sp in the Ram, there were two offered IIRC.

Please don't misunderstand, diesels can be great, but the EPA has really made them much less attractive the last 10-15 yrs. I'd love to tow heavy with a newer gasser to really see how they do. The difference in purchase and maintenance costs can pay for a lot of gas, if it's even more expensive given the price difference of the fuel.

 

[rayporter]

2 years ago i got a dodge diesel all in all done out the door for 39 thou and it has been a great truck. not the best mileage compared to my '06 but a great truck.

i frequently put 14000 lb in the mountains and hills and it just is an awesome puller.

 

[RBTX]

If you can find one the a 12 valve Cumins is a real work horse. Straight mechanical engine that does not have all of the computers.

 

[nrh6.7]

I think it was in ‘08 where everything changed

Correct, the 2007 MY was the last year before all the emission laws went into effect.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I've been debating the gas vs diesel thing lately. I have an '06 Duramax Van with fairly low miles (99k) and tow fairly light (wakeboat, utility trailers, etc). GF has a '12 Ram Cummins that we use to tow heavy (Toyhauler, gooseneck with skid steer, etc).
Talking a good friend who owns both gas and diesel versions of the same truck (2012 Ram), he prefers the gas. He tows a big 5th toy hauler, not sure of actual weight, and says that he prefers the gas truck more and that it's towing mileage isn't much worse than the diesel. His opinion is that the gasser has plenty of power, and he drives pretty fast.
This is similar to another friend who was a big diesel fan. His input was that the diesel is great until the EGT's get real high while towing up big mountains. He prefers his gasser motorhome to his diesel truck towing the 5th wheel.
I bought my Duramax for the fuel mileage. It's been pretty good overall, but there are several things working against diesel's these days:
- The EPA cracked down on deletes and mods a year or two ago. Good luck finding delete kits. Tunes may be affected to.
- The cost of a diesel engine on initial purchase is high. That pays for a lot of gas.
- Maintenance: Oil changes, fuel filters, etc adds up.
- Cost of fuel. Diesel is a good more expensive than regular gas, has been for quite a while now.
- DEF. While the fluid isn't necessarily expensive, the system is if it needs repair. This is why the '12 Ram's seem to be the sweet spot.
- Extra battery to replace, can be hard starting in the cold (I've never had an issue with my Duramax in below 0 weather without it plugged in, but am told the Duramax is the exception...not sure).
- Noise, although most new trucks are pretty quiet inside these days.
- Long term repair. This is a biggie! Injectors, injection pumps, head gaskets, etc can be ridiculous to repace!
- Unlikely to run veg oil or homemade biodiesel in any newer engine without major issues. Leave that to the old engines.
- Turbo maintenance/replacement/repair...
- Weight. They are heavy, and can tear up front ends, make it harder to get thru sand/mud, etc.
- Diesels don't like to sit (been told this over and over). Not really sure what to think about this... they don't like short trips for sure.

No doubt the torque out of a diesel is nice to drive, but the transmissions seem to hit and miss. The Allison has a great reputation on a stock truck. Depends on the 6sp in the Ram, there were two offered IIRC.

Please don't misunderstand, diesels can be great, but the EPA has really made them much less attractive the last 10-15 yrs. I'd love to tow heavy with a newer gasser to really see how they do. The difference in purchase and maintenance costs can pay for a lot of gas, if it's even more expensive given the price difference of the fuel.

So, a couple things on this: While general maintenance is definitely more expensive, it is done less often, so that might be a wash. The cost of fuel is dependent on where you live, for instance gas is 5-10 cents/gal. more than diesel around here, and has been more expensive than diesel for at least a couple years now. Two batteries to replace is true, but I just recently (last summer) replaced my stock batteries after 17 years and 250,000 miles, so not a huge expense. Also, to elaborate a little more regarding cold startups, we frequently see temps. below 0 much of the winter (although not as much as we did 30 years ago), and I can't say that I've ever had a problem starting my truck, even if it sat out over night in -25 temps.

 

[fmyth]

I've been debating the gas vs diesel thing lately. I have an '06 Duramax Van with fairly low miles (99k) and tow fairly light (wakeboat, utility trailers, etc). GF has a '12 Ram Cummins that we use to tow heavy (Toyhauler, gooseneck with skid steer, etc).
Talking a good friend who owns both gas and diesel versions of the same truck (2012 Ram), he prefers the gas. He tows a big 5th toy hauler, not sure of actual weight, and says that he prefers the gas truck more and that it's towing mileage isn't much worse than the diesel. His opinion is that the gasser has plenty of power, and he drives pretty fast.
This is similar to another friend who was a big diesel fan. His input was that the diesel is great until the EGT's get real high while towing up big mountains. He prefers his gasser motorhome to his diesel truck towing the 5th wheel.
I bought my Duramax for the fuel mileage. It's been pretty good overall, but there are several things working against diesel's these days:
- The EPA cracked down on deletes and mods a year or two ago. Good luck finding delete kits. Tunes may be affected to.
- The cost of a diesel engine on initial purchase is high. That pays for a lot of gas.
- Maintenance: Oil changes, fuel filters, etc adds up.
- Cost of fuel. Diesel is a good more expensive than regular gas, has been for quite a while now.
- DEF. While the fluid isn't necessarily expensive, the system is if it needs repair. This is why the '12 Ram's seem to be the sweet spot.
- Extra battery to replace, can be hard starting in the cold (I've never had an issue with my Duramax in below 0 weather without it plugged in, but am told the Duramax is the exception...not sure).
- Noise, although most new trucks are pretty quiet inside these days.
- Long term repair. This is a biggie! Injectors, injection pumps, head gaskets, etc can be ridiculous to repace!
- Unlikely to run veg oil or homemade biodiesel in any newer engine without major issues. Leave that to the old engines.
- Turbo maintenance/replacement/repair...
- Weight. They are heavy, and can tear up front ends, make it harder to get thru sand/mud, etc.
- Diesels don't like to sit (been told this over and over). Not really sure what to think about this... they don't like short trips for sure.

No doubt the torque out of a diesel is nice to drive, but the transmissions seem to hit and miss. The Allison has a great reputation on a stock truck. Depends on the 6sp in the Ram, there were two offered IIRC.

Please don't misunderstand, diesels can be great, but the EPA has really made them much less attractive the last 10-15 yrs. I'd love to tow heavy with a newer gasser to really see how they do. The difference in purchase and maintenance costs can pay for a lot of gas, if it's even more expensive given the price difference of the fuel.

My 2014 Ram 4x4 CC Cummins/Auto got 12mpg towing my 28' toyhauler. Traded it for a 2019 Ram 2500 6.4hemi w 8speed auto CC 4x4 and it got 6-7mpg towing the same trailer. The only advantages my gas truck had over the diesel was lower upfront cost, cheaper maintenance, slightly lighter weight so more payload & better off road & tires last longer. Diesel pulls so much better and uses less fuel. When I completely retire I'll buy a new diesel w the longest most comprehensive extended warranty I can find and a new 5th wheel toyhauler.

 

[fmyth]

So, a couple things on this: While general maintenance is definitely more expensive, it is done less often, so that might be a wash. The cost of fuel is dependent on where you live, for instance gas is 5-10 cents/gal. more than diesel around here, and has been more expensive than diesel for at least a couple years now. Two batteries to replace is true, but I just recently (last summer) replaced my stock batteries after 17 years and 250,000 miles, so not a huge expense. Also, to elaborate a little more regarding cold startups, we frequently see temps. below 0 much of the winter (although not as much as we did 30 years ago), and I can't say that I've ever had a problem starting my truck, even if it sat out over night in -25 temps.

Wow 17 years on your batteries? Here in AZ you are lucky to get 3 or 4 years on batteries. The heat kills our batteries and our tires. But, we don't have to worry about rust.

 

[mike.adams.467]

Leaning toward the Ford with the 7.3. Just don’t like the clamshell doors.

They aren’t bad; I have one.


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[browning2480]

Wow 17 years on your batteries? Here in AZ you are lucky to get 3 or 4 years on batteries. The heat kills our batteries and our tires. But, we don't have to worry about rust.

This is what I was thinking. Probably a world record if he got 17 years out of batteries in a Diesel truck

 

[AK Troutbum]

This is what I was thinking. Probably a world record if he got 17 years out of batteries in a Diesel truck

Ha, ha, IDK but no bs. I bought the truck new in ‘03 and just changed the batteries out last year for the first time. It’s always been garage kept but I work 12 hour shifts at a hospital and it’s never plugged in when I’m at work. For four years I worked night shift and there were many winter nights that got down to close to -30° and it always fired right up the next morning.
The stock lift pump went out at around 60,000 miles which was covered under the warranty, lost my first transmission at just over 70,000 and warranty went ahead and covered that one as well, then lost my second transmission at around 200,000, hence the reason why I wish I would’ve bought the manual. Also had a couple injectors go bad at around 150,000 or so, but other than those problems, nothing else. It’s my daily driver and basically no rust to speak of either. The only rust is a little bit of surface rust on the bottom of the tailgate.

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[Buffinnut]

My 2017 f350 srw powerstroke has 50k on it. A lot of those miles are at 25,500lbs gross. It does well at this weight but I am way over GVWR and slightly over rawr.
the truck weighs 9500lbs with me and my wife, the dog, toolbox, 5th wheel hitch, etc.
The gvwr of the truck is 11,500 which leaves you with 2000lbs of usable payload. If your 12k trailer is a 5th wheel and has 15% pin weight you will come in barely legal. A more realistic estimate is 20% (mines 22.5)
A 250/2500 will have a lower gvwr/payload and you will be over your trucks ratings with most 5th wheel.
If you go with a gas truck you will gain a good deal of payload because the engine weighs less. The trade off is you lose the exhaust brake which makes going downhill heavy a dream with a diesel.

I would be crapping my pants on every downhill without that exhaust brake.

If you are towing a flat gooseneck or bumper pull you will have more control over load distribution obviously and may be able to get away with lower ratings. It is really easy to go over on SRW trucks.

If you are out west and will be towing in the mountains I would 100% buy a diesel 350/3500 with a higher gvwr.

If it’s flat where you tow you can definitely get away with a gasser and I might do it if that was my situation.

If I was doing it all over again I would buy a dually or a 450 for my 16k 5th wheel. I really don’t like being overweight but I also don’t want to put 25k into upgrading trucks.

I would triple check all of your ratings (gvwr, rawr and tires) and get more truck than you think you need.
The 2013+ fords have been excellent trucks(both gas and diesel). My second choice would be a Cummins. A brand new base model Cummins could probably be had in your price range.
A low mile used truck would be a better than new financially where someone’s else took the huge hit on depreciation but then you have to worry about possibly having serious issues with no warranty.

People who constantly work their trucks hauling heavy have Ford and ram. GMs sweet spot seems to be 2500 Grocery getter or grandpa trucks. “They ride smoother”

 

[Fatcamp]

Whatever you decide better get moving. Stock is way low and I heard chip supply is holding up production.

 

[rayporter]

a comment or two.
count the troutbums tires. it is not a dually. dont get a dually unless you really think you need one. they get stuck way too easy.

if you dont need a diesel i would not get one. i pull 14000 lb and i really dont think a gasser would make me happy but if you dont pull that much -get a gasser.

know, as in weigh, your rig-dont guess.