Community Forums

dcarver · 12-04-2015, 11:49 AM

I totally agree that after having towed with a diesel I will never go back to a gas motor. Heck just everyday driving I love my cummins. I'm not gonna throw out some BS mpg claims or low maintenance costs, here's the absolute truth from my experience. I get 14/17.5/11 mpg for city/hwy/towing our 9200lb TT. Oil and filter change is $91 and fuel filter is $35 and easy enough to do myself. This means I change everything at one time, once a year (btw my service manual says change oil every 15k for regular driving or 7500k if severe duty. Diesel is $0.35 more than regular and $. 10 cheaper than supreme gas. That means it actually cost me less to drive the diesel than my 8.1 big block gasser that needed supreme to tow the same trailer when on tow tune with my programmer. That 8.1 big block is an absolute beast but is not even close to being as easy to drive as my 06 cummins. Big deal though, sold the 02 8.1 private party 6300, bought the cummins 19k out the door with 100k. So ya that's a lot of gas you could buy. As far as the new gas motor are concerned I think the 6.2s and 6.4 are very stout motors and if you gear them with 4.30s or 4.10s you'll be happy with the performance while pulling that 5th wheel. The new 6spds are far better than the 4spd I towed with and the 5spd you tow with currently. The 5.4 is a dog compared to most any big gas motor especially in the 3500. I also second smokey's claim that finding a 3500 SRW with a gas motor loaded up will be crazy difficult to find some good luck if go that route. Let us know what you're looking at along the way

drittal · 12-04-2015, 07:37 PM

A 6.2 will be a nice step up from 5.4.

schrederman · 12-07-2015, 04:30 PM

As to the comments about the diesel being more expensive to maintain... I changed my oil, oil filter, air filter, and both fuel filters Saturday. The oil was $21- per gallon (3 used), and the filter was $13-. Air filter was $29-. I found both fuel filters on line for $73-. That's $176- for all of it, plus about 50 minutes of my Saturday. The truck's just about 18 months old and is just about to turn over 30,000 miles. Kwik Kar would have charged me $188 for the oil change and wouldn't have used synthetic. The air filter would have been $48- and one fuel filter would have been $88- and the other would have been $94- with another $50- labor.

This was my third oil change and my second fuel filter change, but my first air filter. In the same time period and mileage I would have had 6 oil changes at 7 quarts each and probably no fuel filters, but the air filter would have been changed this time. The gasser oil is a bit more expensive, and the oil filters about the same.

So it's a bit more expensive for the diesel, but nothing I'm going to get all upset about. The extra towing ability of the diesel is definitely worth it to me...

tuffr2 · 12-08-2015, 07:52 PM

The 5.4 litre Ford engine was a real dog of an engine. It makes more noise than acceleration.

I would buy a 2011 or newer used diesel over any gasoline powered new engine.

If you can not make the jump to diesel then check out the Ram 6.4 litre gas powered truck. Ram makes a very nice truck so it is worth a look.

I test drive a Ford 6.2 litre F-250. I thought the truck was under powered.

roothoss1282 · 02-07-2016, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

Then don't buy that F-250. If you insist on a gas engine, then continue shopping until you find an F-350 SRW with 6.2L and 4.30 axle. The F-250 would be right on the borderline of being overloaded with a 9,500 pound 5er that has about 1,900 pounds pin weight, and the F-350 SRW has 1,500 pounds additional payload capacity. The 3.73 axle will be okay, but merely okay, not great. Truly great would be the PowerStroke diesel, but the gas engine with 4.30 axle would have plenty of power and torque to get you over the pass without drama.

Finding a used F-350 SRW with gas engine and 4.30 axle will probably be a real challenge. Most people that want that much truck will insist on the diesel, so not many gas SuperDuty pickups are available. Most available with that powertrain will be fleet vehicles with work truck trim and driven by uncaring hired hands. The alternative is to order a new one from the factory with exactly the options you want to pay for.

Better check your facts on the towing numbers, the F-250 and F-350 have the exact same numbers with the 6.2 in both 3.73 and 4.30.

SmokeyWren · 02-07-2016, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roothoss1282

Better check your facts on the towing numbers, the F-250 and F-350 have the exact same numbers with the 6.2 in both 3.73 and 4.30.

The F-250 and F-350 SRW have the same tow rating. But that's not the overloading we're discussing. The GVWR and payload capacity of the F-250 will be overloaded while the F-350 would not because of the difference in GVWR. F-250 has 10k GVWR. F-350 SRW has 11.5k. That extra 1,500 pounds of payload capacity is needed if you don't want to be overloaded,

roothoss1282 · 02-08-2016, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

The F-250 and F-350 SRW have the same tow rating. But that's not the overloading we're discussing. The GVWR and payload capacity of the F-250 will be overloaded while the F-350 would not because of the difference in GVWR. F-250 has 10k GVWR. F-350 SRW has 11.5k. That extra 1,500 pounds of payload capacity is needed if you don't want to be overloaded,

I just weighted mine and with me and full of fuel and Anderson hitch was 6880. I would say that leaves a lot of room for payload. Not everyone is the same. JMO I have 2015 250 6.2 crew cab with 3.73 pulling 12000lbs and I am right at my numbers.

marcham · 02-08-2016, 05:44 AM

Is there a difference in the brakes, frame, suspension or axles between the f250 and f350? Is there a difference beyond the payload sticker an ride height?

chertz · 02-08-2016, 01:47 PM

back to the OP's question...

I am in a similar boat... I drive my truck between 7,000 and 8,000 miles per year. While it is certainly true that maintenance on a 3/4 ton or a 1 ton is much higher than on a 1/2 ton (brakes for example are more expensive) I disagree with the idea that a diesel is higher cost to maintain.

As I mentioned, I put 7-8 thousand miles on my Cummins per year. I change the oil every July before our big vacation camping trip... at 3 gallons and a filter it costs me $50. I also change my fuel filter every year just to be safe.. it costs about $10.

My total maintenance costs for the diesel is about $60 (maybe $70) per year. I don't think a gasser is really gonna save you enough to be worth it.

It is true that a gasser will be cheaper to purchase, but also consider that you will loose much more in resale... I just ran a NADA value on my truck. The base truck (a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab SLT 4x4) avg. retail value is $12,550. The Cummins engine option adds $7,200 to the value making it worth $20,050. Mind you, in 2005 the Cummins engine option cost less than the $7000 value it represents 11 years later.

Just some additional food for thought. You may ask is having a diesel worth $7,000 more?... In my opinion your damn right it is! I would never go back to listening to a little gas mill scream down the highway!

Tollyman · 02-08-2016, 11:27 PM

Thanks for all the comments.
OK, so I finally pulled the plug. I wasn't planning to buy new, but found a 2015 end of the year deal on a GMC 3500HD. It has 4.10 rear end, gas 6.0 L. Slightly less towing capacity than the Ford 6.2, but not significant. I wasn't planning on buying new, and wasn't planning on GM .... but what the heck. Things change.
I'm not necessarily a dedicated Ford fan, and most of the reviews show very little real difference between the big three for 1 Ton trucks. I must say that this truck is much more comfortable and quieter than my F350. But it was 10 years old.
Still getting used to all the gadgets & gizmos on the GMC. It seems that today's vehicles are an entertainment & communication center with 4 wheels & an engine.
I haven't installed the hitch yet, so I don't know how it tows. Cheers.

marcham · 02-08-2016, 11:55 PM

Ennoy.

smurfsofwar · 02-10-2016, 06:36 PM

Nice! That 6.0 is definitely a step up from the old 5.4!

marcham · 02-10-2016, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcham

Ennoy.

Darn auto correct... "enjoy"

SmokeyWren · 02-11-2016, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tollyman

I haven't installed the hitch yet, so I don't know how it tows.

I hope you're talking about the WD hitch and not the receiver. I don't know anything about the GM trucks, but if it doesn't have a receiver hitch, then it probably doesn't have the tow pkg which includes tranny cooler and increased engine cooling.