Diesel vs Gas Superduty's

[Pax2525]

Hey,

I currently own a F150 and a Hawk but I cant help but wonder about getting a diesel truck to accommodate my camper and a trailer when needed. I love the idea of never worrying about the payload and towing. I know diesels have extras costs for purchase and maintenance that could be used for gas. This would also be my DD.

Just wondering how many have diesel superdutys vs Gas and if they would buy it again.

Thanks!

 

[Foy]

I think you'll find that in the 3/4 to 1-ton single-rear wheel Superduty family payload actually goes down due to the weight of the diesel engine being 600 to 750 lbs greater than a gas engine. My old 7.3 liter Superduty, Crew Cab, long bed, 4WD has an absurdly low payload of around 2,600 lbs due the GVWR being at 9,900 lbs and the curb weight being at around 7,100 lbs. The engine checks in at around 1,200 lbs,

Foy

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I'm on my second Superduty diesel. The first a 2000 F250 7.3L that I bought new and kept for 16 years, the second a 2014 F350 6.7L that I plan to keep for quite a while as well. I went diesel for the torque/pulling power that comes in handy in our areas of travel. We have a moderate size, hard side TC and often pull a 5000 lb boat or a 7500 lb travel trailer. A gas engine would probably do the job, but I think it would struggle on some of the passes. The diesels handle them without issue.

If I didn't have the heavy load, combined with area of traveL, I might go gas (just to save $8,000 on the purchase price), but the awesome, smooth power of the 6.7L diesel is intoxicating.

 

[Wango]

My two Abes worth, I have one of each. Still have a camper for the 03 Gasser, and have pulled my 5000lb trailer over the cascades and rockies many times fully loaded.
And the cost of ownership can be higher as well. That being said, when I purchased my 2016 last December, the cost with incentives was only $1,500.00 more than a similar gas model. Having used the diesel truck for a year now, can honestly say I would never go back to a gas engine in a truck this size. Stress free towing, the torque is crazy, and the mpg improvement is substantial. If/when I get a smaller truck I may go back to gas, not sure. These things are big, the width is a factor for me in the desert at times, but not going to go crazy rock crawling in a truck/camper combo. I have pushed my older rig into some fairly serious terrain. Ground clearance and muscle helps overcome size issues to a point.
They are a different beast that's for sure.
w

 

[Beach]

Bought a 2012 f250 gasser 4x4 last spring, it has the Hawk mounted full time. After a run through Colo. this past summer I'm quite pleased with the set up with just the Hawk. But if I were towing a trailer would opt for a diesel for the added torque.

 

[Vic Harder]

I bought my 2002 8.1L gas 2500hd GMC last year, and it seems to get similar fuel economy to a big diesel, 12 mpg with Hawk on it at 80 mph. I don't like the smell of diesel, the cost of the truck was 1/2 of a diesel of the same era, and I can do all my own maintenance.

Are you looking at new trucks? I hear good things about the 2016 trucks with the small diesels.

 

[Pax2525]

Thanks for all the input. I am not looking at new trucks, i would only be looking at the older cheaper trucks.

My current payload is only 1400lbs so Im looking to upgrade for those reasons. I'm still undecided on whether which direction I want to go. I love the power of a diesel and the ideally better fuel economy. The gasser is a cheaper options but I don't want to have the super terrible gas mileage just the bad mileage, ha

 

[fish more]

My 2015 Super Duty F250 4x4 short bed super cab with 6.2 now has 36k. I could not be happier with this truck, Hawk stays on full time, and it tows my boat with ease all around the Sierra's. I ordered the truck with the camper package and the highest spring package I could get, 9900# with 3.73 gears. Have gotten up to 16 mpg driving with a light foot. No need for diesel here.

 

[smlobx]

Of course you will get a different answer for every person you ask so let me chime in as well...

I'm in construction so I have been around diesels of one sort or another for over 30 years and am very comfortable with them. Yes the newer ones are more complicated but I am hoping that they have finally gotten things worked out.

When we bought our Hallmark earlier this year we put it on our 2006 F-350 SRW cc lwb truck and was very happy with how it performed. In looking at our long term use of the camper we ended up recently getting a 2016 version of the same truck. As you might expect there have been tremendous upgrades in the 10 years between the two trucks.

The new truck has a GVW of 11,500#'s and weighs just over 8k so I have a payload of almost 3500#'s. I am a firm believer of never being overloaded so that's the way I go. My 2006 had a GVW of 11000#'s I believe.

I also have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Ecodiesel and am very happy with it as well.

The biggest reason to go diesel for me is low speed torque (particularly in off road situations) and the dramatically better mileage and distance you get with the diesel. In my 2006 F-350 I had a highway range of 600 miles and the Jeep is pushing 700 miles. I am still breaking in the 2016 so I will not get the best mileage out of it for another 5-8k miles. I get a kick out of some guys wondering how many additional fuel tanks to bring with them to run a particular trip....in my mind this is extremely dangerous but to each his own.

One additional comment...many complain about the initial high cost of the diesel option and yes it is significant but you also get most of that back when you sell it. As an example my 2006 with the notorious 6.0 Diesel engine cost me about 40k when I bought it new. I sold it last month with over 150k miles on it for over $20k so the truck only cost me about $.13 / mile.....food for thought..

 

[camper rich]

We bought our gas truck in 2008 because we spend winters in Baja and have friends who don't come down there any more because they bought new diesels that require ultra low sulfer fuel and it is not available south of the State Line at Guerrero Negro. This was still the situation last winter. Diesel trucks before 2008 models did not require that fuel.

 

[Pax2525]

All good insight on going either way. It really all depends on what you may do besides the camper and how many miles you drive overall, not to mention how long you may keep a truck for. Im looking at a 2000 F350 V10 with low miles and its tempting but I know mpg will be terrible and yet what do I expect from an older SD truck.

 

[XJINTX]

Hope I'm not Hijacking... I'm 66 and have heard all my life... it's got a lot of miles but it's all highway miles. Are highway miles actually easier than stop and go city miles? I have a 2009 F250 6.4diesel. What do diesel's consider HIGH mileage and what would be HIGH mileage for the same truck with Gasser?

 

[Happyjax]

I have a buddy at work who had over 600,000 miles on his diesel and got rid of it because the body was shot.

I would guess a gasser will go 200,000 may 250,000 before it would be time to shop new....

I have never put over 120,000 on a vehicle but I have also never driven across country a gazillion times which is what I hope to start doing next year

I am sure there are more experienced answers ahead

 

[Vic Harder]

maintenance is everything i have had two vehicles with over 300k on them that are still sound today

 

[smlobx]

Hope I'm not Hijacking... I'm 66 and have heard all my life... it's got a lot of miles but it's all highway miles. Are highway miles actually easier than stop and go city miles? I have a 2009 F250 6.4diesel. What do diesel's consider HIGH mileage and what would be HIGH mileage for the same truck with Gasser?

I think everyone's answer may be different but to me looking at pick ups I would think that over 200k for a gasser is high and over 350k for a diesel. As someone said maintenance is everything. That's why I keep all my maintenance records in. Binder for a future potential buyer to see...

As a side note my first dump truck (a Mack) had 750k on the original engine when I sold it about 15 years ago and I still see it on the road. The second one I sold had 350k and was running great when I sold that to a guy who bought it sight unseen. He said I sold it too cheap but I didn't think so...of course these trucks are in a league of their own...

 

[klahanie]

I want to mention 2 things about my 6.4l diesel vs gas.

First I understand that diesels should have a bit of a warm up and certainly a bit of a cool down, the latter especially after a heavy run (to allow the turbo to cool). This possibly costs me time a over a gas engine.

Second is the regen of the DPF that 2008+ superduties are equipped with. I understand that it is best to let a regen complete once it has started, that's usually not a problem if it occurs during a drive but sometimes a regen starts close to home or a planned stop. In that case I understand (from online comments) that the motor should idle for 15mins to allow for a cool down. That's a pain. And when touring around if a regen starts it is a disincentive to stop the vehicle (put it in park which stops the cleaning process) to get down to look at something, take a pic, check something out, talk to someone etc.

I bought a diesel because I wanted too - the best reason I can think of. Where I live and most places I travel diesel is cheaper and I think the mpg is prob better than the gas gas alternative. And there were other benefits to me. But I think next time I will buy a gas, the only concern is how bad the fuel consumption could be. That's not necessarily a deal breaker though. If I'm buying fuel for the rig at least I'm using it !

 

[Vic Harder]

I bought my 2002 2500HD gasser with 120K miles on the clock last year. It still has the factory stickers on the frame, looks pristine inside and out and the oil looks pretty clean when I change it (every 3K miles or so). I see no reason why it won't run another 120K miles or more.

 

[Happyjax]

Well I will certainly be hoping for 200,000 + out of mine and I will take care of her

 

[UHAULER]

About ten years ago a Ford engineer posted on a truck forum that the 6.8L V10 was designed with a 450k mile service life. I don't think there is any reason (save crap maintenance practices) any of the current gas engines in a truck won't go 200K+ miles. An engine should last as long as just about any other component.

Some people think gas engines are only good for 150k miles. My brother in law has a 2000 f250 v10, 250k miles and running fine. I see lots of ford vans with either the 5.4 or v10 with 300-400k miles. My dad was a Buick guy back in the 70's-80's. He went through 3 of them, 2 electras and a centurian. He would commute in them until the were falling apart. The first one we drove to the wrecking yard with 250k miles, the second one about the same and the last one was running fine with 290k miles.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

1996 Dodge Ram with original 5.9 liter (360 ci) gasser...300k+ miles. Same transmission, too! Do I get the same performance out of her? Of course not. But as others have said, regular maintenance is essential. Now about those pesky freeze plugs, fan clutches, and radiators...don't get me started!