Gas vs Diesel for towing vehicle

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it cost more for the diesel engine in the first place....so from a economics standpoint I can't see it working out for a diesel owner unless they have it for a very long time.
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10 years now and still rolling my diesel... Plan on owning it another 10 years at least. Yes every one is right about price and fuel mileage diesel will ALWAYS have better MPG number over the gasoline version. I run a ScanGauge II in both of my trucks and keep a full log of fuel mileage on both as well. My 96 Dodge 5.9L V8 only gets about 14-15 MPG empty ($3.279 Gasoline) compared to my 02 Dodge Ram 5.9L Cummins which pulls a easy 21-22 MPG empty ($4.229 Diesel).

Still in all the diesel can haul more cargo and the trailer without sweating at all... Even after crossing the scales at 16,080# last fall with the Jayco in Tow I still pulled off a 14.1 MPG for that trip. The gasser could even hold a candle to that kind of weight or MPG's...
 
gartash,

A couple of things that I do not think have been mentioned. With a 2500HD and a 5er you need to pay attention to the rear axle gross weight rating RAWR not just the vehicles GVWR, CVWR and max towing. There is a big difference in the RAWR of a dual wheel 3500 and a 2500. I don't think you can get dual rear wheels in a 2500 which also adds a lot of stability when towing. When I bought my 2008 Duramax there really was not that big a price difference between the 2500 and 3500. Also at that time, the only way to get the larger 34 gallon fuel tank was with the 8' bed as the tank is under the center of the bed. Another advantage of the diesels is the engine brake. Getting to the top of the hill is often the easy part. Getting down safely without burning up the brakes is the trickier part of mountain driving.
 
Not sure of Chevy, however Ford does not offer the DRW until the F350.  Ford does have a great website though, all spec's are available with easy reading.
 
Lone Star...you are right about the resale being more but if it starts off costing more then it evens out...now if you are saying they depreciate less then that would be a factor...but I'm not sure it's as big of a factor as it might have once been.  With diesel fuel higher less people want to drive diesel so there is less demand meaning the depreciation will be higher.

Keep in mind I have a gas truck but I'm not anti diesel...hell i'd like one for the power and extra range....but I know I'd have to pay a premium for that and I really dont think it would work out financially better unless I'm like Mopar and keep a truck for 10 years.

I'm a fan of Ford F250s and over the last week I've been looking at Auto Trader for used ones in my area.  Honestly there has been no obvious glaring difference in price between gassers and diesels.  I'm not saying there isnt a difference but I have not seen trucks that were lower priced and it mean that they were automatically gassers.  Granted this is a small sample and only one model among dozens...as far as a Ford F250 if I did sell my Tundra and got one I'd only consider a diesel since the gasser F250 would not really be much of a step up in power from y Tundra.  But it's not going to happen because I just can't justify needing it at this point.
 
In all of my life I don't recall ever talking to anyone who was sorry that they chose a diesel compared to a gas vehicle for towing. Since Dodge started putting Cummins Diesels in their truck I have never bought a gas truck for towing any of our trailers.
 
Rancher Will said:
In all of my life I don't recall ever talking to anyone who was sorry that they chose a diesel compared to a gas vehicle for towing. Since Dodge started putting Cummins Diesels in their truck I have never bought a gas truck for towing any of our trailers.
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I don't doubt it!
 
The replies in this topic are all excellent, and I'd heed their advice.  I'll throw in an anecdote:

When we got our 5th wheel, a 25', 5400 lb dry weight Jayco with no slides, we bought a new Dodge 1/2 ton.  Ordered it SPECIFICALLY for towing.  2WD 'cause it had a higher tow rating, 360 with the 3.73, and so on.  On the flat's it was fine, although mileage, even with our small, low 5th wheel was often down in the 6mpg range.  You also had to take it out of OD any time there was even a slight uphill and stayed pretty much in the right lane at 65 mph or less.
First time in Colorado, we headed up I-70 to the Eisenhower tunnel, and quickly found ourselves in first gear, at 20-25 mph with foot to the floor.  It climbed, but it wasn't comfortable.  Over the 5 years we had the Dodge, the rear end was rebuilt, the engine had a number of problems, but the transmission survived (I was told we'd destroy the transmission first). At 105,000 miles, after getting the truck back from the 9th visit to the dealer for engine problems - this time they decided the heads were "bad" and replaced them (this was the ONE time I can ever remember the extended warranty being worth the cost!  It expired at 100K and we replaced the truck at 105), I replaced the Dodge with a 2005 Chevrolet Duramax. 

The difference is incredible.  On the flats, the trailer is invisible.  At 60mph we get 14mpg.  At 70 (a speed we never were able to drive with the Dodge) we get 10mpg.  My wife, who does the vast majority of the driving, is infinitely more comfortable and confident in the Duramax.  AND, on I-70 heading for the Eisenhower tunnel, we now easily run 55-60 mph and the truck doesn't even shift out of overdrive.

Yes, the diesel was more expensive.  And it probably isn't any cheaper to operate.  But the peace of mind is worth it to us.  We're at 150,000 miles, towed trailer approximately 40,000 miles with this truck, and we're now looking at going to a SLIGHTLY longer, slightly heavier 5th wheel that's nicer, and I'm not at all concerned about the tow vehicle's ability to handle the new trailer.
 
horse power is horse power. 300 gas or diesel is still 300.......BUT the difference is the torque! the diesel will give you so much more torque, and that is why it pulls so much better up the hills. 

as for the cost, well it does cost more to purchase. someone already put the percentage numbers to look at to see if a 'per mile' cost is real or not. as someone else mentioned, if you're of the mind you trade vehicles every couple of years, you won't recover the depreciation on either type engine, so it really doesn't matter. but if you're of the type who keeps a vehicle till you wear it out, then you better be happy with the diesel vehicle when you buy it, cause you'll have a hard time wearing it out! it will definitely last so much longer.

i even went with the diesel engine when i bought my lawn mower a few years ago. i haven't found tall enough thick enough grass to bog it down yet!
 
Sure do love the HP/Torque of the diesel.... Didn't however enjoy filling half a tank this past weekend for $77.00.... I remember paying like .56 for gas and if I remember right diesel being about .20 less than that.... Unbelievable...
 
no kiddin JJ! i remember getting mad and driving out of a gas station by the interstate once years ago because i thought they were price gouging just because they were by the interstate...at 72 cents per gallon!!!  :eek:

isn't diesel fuel a byproduct of producing gas??? i realize there's some additives, but tell me and make me believe that the oil companies don't know how much they're making off the trucking industries......
 
diesel diesel diesel thats all i have to say both my trucks are 7.3l powerstrokes and i will never go back to a gasser
 
dkperez said:
The replies in this topic are all excellent, and I'd heed their advice.  I'll throw in an anecdote:

When we got our 5th wheel, a 25', 5400 lb dry weight Jayco with no slides, we bought a new Dodge 1/2 ton.  Ordered it SPECIFICALLY for towing.  2WD 'cause it had a higher tow rating, 360 with the 3.73, and so on.  On the flat's it was fine, although mileage, even with our small, low 5th wheel was often down in the 6mpg range.  You also had to take it out of OD any time there was even a slight uphill and stayed pretty much in the right lane at 65 mph or less.
First time in Colorado, we headed up I-70 to the Eisenhower tunnel, and quickly found ourselves in first gear, at 20-25 mph with foot to the floor.  It climbed, but it wasn't comfortable.  Over the 5 years we had the Dodge, the rear end was rebuilt, the engine had a number of problems, but the transmission survived (I was told we'd destroy the transmission first). At 105,000 miles, after getting the truck back from the 9th visit to the dealer for engine problems - this time they decided the heads were "bad" and replaced them (this was the ONE time I can ever remember the extended warranty being worth the cost!  It expired at 100K and we replaced the truck at 105), I replaced the Dodge with a 2005 Chevrolet Duramax. 

The difference is incredible.  On the flats, the trailer is invisible.  At 60mph we get 14mpg.  At 70 (a speed we never were able to drive with the Dodge) we get 10mpg.  My wife, who does the vast majority of the driving, is infinitely more comfortable and confident in the Duramax.  AND, on I-70 heading for the Eisenhower tunnel, we now easily run 55-60 mph and the truck doesn't even shift out of overdrive.

Yes, the diesel was more expensive.  And it probably isn't any cheaper to operate.  But the peace of mind is worth it to us.  We're at 150,000 miles, towed trailer approximately 40,000 miles with this truck, and we're now looking at going to a SLIGHTLY longer, slightly heavier 5th wheel that's nicer, and I'm not at all concerned about the tow vehicle's ability to handle the new trailer.
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Great story and glad things are working out.  I can't help but say this is kind of apples and oranges though...1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton right?  Also do you attribute all the breakdown problems to the Dodge to the towing or do you just think they are not as reliable?
 
When I originally posted on this topic I had a Chevy 2500 with the 6.0 gas engine - then I upgraded to a Chevy 2500 with the Duramax but I hadn't had a chance to pull my trailer yet. This past weekend I moved the camper up to the house to start getting it ready for next weekend and couldn't help but go ahead and take the trailer on the highway to see how the truck did. What a difference! There is absolutely no comparison between my old truck and this one. As long as I am pulling a trailer I will never go back to a gas engine. The hills that would normally slow me down didn't bother the diesel at all. I don't think the truck even knew there was a trailer behind it most of the time. I was a bit hesitant at first to spend that kind of money, but I'm really glad I spent the extra and moved up to a diesel.
 
papachaz said:
horse power is horse power. 300 gas or diesel is still 300.......BUT the difference is the torque! the diesel will give you so much more torque, and that is why it pulls so much better up the hills. 

as for the cost, well it does cost more to purchase. someone already put the percentage numbers to look at to see if a 'per mile' cost is real or not. as someone else mentioned, if you're of the mind you trade vehicles every couple of years, you won't recover the depreciation on either type engine, so it really doesn't matter. but if you're of the type who keeps a vehicle till you wear it out, then you better be happy with the diesel vehicle when you buy it, cause you'll have a hard time wearing it out! it will definitely last so much longer.

i even went with the diesel engine when i bought my lawn mower a few years ago. i haven't found tall enough thick enough grass to bog it down yet!
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Totally agree... But the difference between diesel torque and gasoline torque...

Gasoline engine create maximum torque at near red line on the tach.

Diesel starts creating torque at about 1,500 RPM and max troque at about 2K on the tach. So they are more suited to pulling over grades than a gasser.

Not to mention diesel engines will cover over 500K miles without thinking twice, where must gasoline engines need to be rebuilt at this point. Like I 've got a buddy down in Florida with a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 and has over 1.2 MILLION MILES. He got his money worth from it.

Like my truck my last time on the dyno I created 381 HP/ 831 TQ... (2007 Meridian Motorsports, ID) The peak of the 831 Ft/LBS was right at 2K on the tack after that point the torque curve starts to fall... Old saying... HP is how fast you'll make it to the wall... TQ is how far you'll drag the wall behind you...

No I'm not trying to only sell Dodge... I'm just happen to be very knowledgeable with Dodge products over Ford and Chevy... But any diesel engine is better than gas...  8)
 
I don't know why we don't have smaller diesel powerplants for smaller trucks and cars.  A lot of the imports available as gas only here are available with a diesel powerplant in other parts of the world.  Seems that VW and Mercedes are the only 2 that offer small diesel power plants for their cars in North America.


Edit to add:  Actually, one of my friends had a 1984 Ford Ranger with a small diesel 4 banger.
 
Marc L said:
I don't know why we don't have smaller diesel powerplants for smaller trucks and cars.  A lot of the imports available as gas only here are available with a diesel powerplant in other parts of the world.  Seems that VW and Mercedes are the only 2 that offer small diesel power plants for their cars in North America.


Edit to add:  Actually, one of my friends had a 1984 Ford Ranger with a small diesel 4 banger.
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Because the EPA doesn't want diesels to begin with.  They are going to make sure that as few of them are imported as possible and they are going to keep tightening emissions standards until the option of a diesel engine is too expensive for anyone to buy.
 
Well after reading all this I'm sold on the diesels.  My Tundra is fairly new(and I'll add...its an awesome truck) and we just got our first TT...that's only like 6300 gross so its easily handled but in the future I'd like to go ahead an step up to a 3/4 ton so can have the option of going bigger with a TT or 5er.  That will be a minimum of 2 years.  I'm working to pay off my 5 year loan in 2.5 years...which should be this summer hopefully...and when that's done I'll start making that same "payment" to myself.  Between savings and trade in I'm hoping to only need 10-20k financed and that's if I go new. 

My other consideration is getting one that will fit in my garage...my Tundra has about 5"s.  I actually remove my trailer hitch to park it.  Some of the Dodge 2500s look to be around the same length but the Ford F250s look longer....not sure about Chevy. 
 
CakeHenn said:
My other consideration is getting one that will fit in my garage...my Tundra has about 5"s.  I actually remove my trailer hitch to park it.  Some of the Dodge 2500s look to be around the same length but the Ford F250s look longer....not sure about Chevy. 
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Depends on cab configuration and box length.  And all that can change in 2 years too.
 
True...everything is always changing.  But you know I think when it's time I'm going to go with something used...so in two years when 2014s are out I'll be looking at 2010s to 2013s.  I'll probably go for something that has 50k miles or less...although sometimes you don't really save as much on that one year old vs a new because of all the incentives.
 
Agree with buying used... Normally.  I've bought many vehicles (all gas) over the years used, saved a bunch, low mileage and great deal.  When I went to do the same after deciding we needed a big diesel, got quickly frustrated with finding a couple of year old vehicle with low mileage, the prices were almost the same as new!  This actually indicated to me that it was a solid investment to go with the diesel, they must hold their value for a reason.  Just one's perspective though.
 
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