OT: Diesel pickup truck recommendation

[jimcav]

Originally Posted by Louis

That's what the bikes are for!

saw a very similar if not same rig parked at navajo rocks.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by jimcav

saw a very similar if not same rig parked at navajo rocks.

Just a random image I pulled off the web. Here's the story:

https://blissordie.com/2019/01/17/ou...cycle-carrier/

[clyde the point]

Bought a 2020 Ford F-250 6.7. Drove Dodge (liked the best but too $$$$), Chevy didn't do it for me at all. As BigBill sez, pulling up and down grades is no issue for the Ford. I debated on gas, as our trailer is about your weight loaded up. We have 30k miles on our rig so far with only one little hiccup on a sensor the dealer took care of. I change oil 5k, fuel filters 15k, and will have the tranny done at 50k. I like the 10 sp tranny, and my fuel mileage is not quite BB but it's close. Last fall on our trip out west we had hellacious winds in OK/TX that were blowing rigs all over the road. Not us! The Super Duty did its job.

[PaMtbRider]

Originally Posted by Gsinill

Ain't happening. Not in a truck.

Just curious as to why? In your original post you said you don't know anything about trucks and are concerned about the environment. You should really educate yourself more before making a decision. Only real trucks have diesels is 20 year old thinking.

A diesel is more capable, no argument there, but it comes at a cost to you and the environment. It is also absolutely not needed for an 8000 pound trailer.

As mentioned in a previous post, if you haven't already you should check out tfltruck.com. They do towing tests on all new trucks in some extreme conditions.

[AngryScientist]

FWIW, here is a useful webpage that lists all of the towing weights for the new 2500 in the various configurations available.

The diesel doesn't buy a whole lot of margin over the gas engine, but in either case, tow capacities are have a significant margin over 8k pounds.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2023/03...ng-capacities/

[morrisericd]

Great thread, as I am also in the market.

I have a 2017 F250 gas that I mostly bought for work (construction) and to tow a horse trailer. We started out with a 4 horse gooseneck, but then transitioned into a 8 horse stock trailer type gooseneck. And you think bikes are expensive!

Towing capacity of my truck seems to be 12,000 pound plus, which is in the range of 8 horses and a relatively light trailer for its size. I can tell you that after towing the bigger trailer for 2 years, my truck is not the same. It has some weird shifting issues - sounds like the truck is always in the wrong gear and the fan is running. I'm taking it in this week - either for service or to trade it in.

My other issue with my truck is the bone jarring ride when unloaded. It does have the FX4 package which is a stiffer ride - I mostly bought that for the increased height for plowing (ever been teeter tottered on a snow bank? It sucks). I know everyone says that they need to be loaded, but seriously, it's a work truck. Sometimes, I just drive to work!

Looking at all of the big three. Read a lot. Watched a lot of videos. The consensus I'm getting is that there is a slight advantage to the diesel - especially if you're towing a lot. Hard to justify the $10,000 uncharge and the DEF and increased fuel cost if you ask me.

If someone told me that besides the increased gas milage on the diesel towing, and both the gas and diesel can comfortably tow up to 12,000 pounds, I'd go gas. I'll deal with a little bit less power uphill for the benefits of gas. I just can't find that answer. Thoughts?

[ntb1001]

Look at the GMC or Chevy with the Duramax 3.0 diesel engine.
I bought a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 with this motor.
6 cyl diesel, lots of torque and very good fuel economy. It’s rated more than enough to pull 8,000lbs. I know someone who has one who hauls a trailer and a car from Florida to Toronto regularly with no issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[p nut]

Originally Posted by morrisericd

Great thread, as I am also in the market.

I have a 2017 F250 gas that I mostly bought for work (construction) and to tow a horse trailer. We started out with a 4 horse gooseneck, but then transitioned into a 8 horse stock trailer type gooseneck. And you think bikes are expensive!

Towing capacity of my truck seems to be 12,000 pound plus, which is in the range of 8 horses and a relatively light trailer for its size. I can tell you that after towing the bigger trailer for 2 years, my truck is not the same. It has some weird shifting issues - sounds like the truck is always in the wrong gear and the fan is running. I'm taking it in this week - either for service or to trade it in.

My other issue with my truck is the bone jarring ride when unloaded. It does have the FX4 package which is a stiffer ride - I mostly bought that for the increased height for plowing (ever been teeter tottered on a snow bank? It sucks). I know everyone says that they need to be loaded, but seriously, it's a work truck. Sometimes, I just drive to work!

Looking at all of the big three. Read a lot. Watched a lot of videos. The consensus I'm getting is that there is a slight advantage to the diesel - especially if you're towing a lot. Hard to justify the $10,000 uncharge and the DEF and increased fuel cost if you ask me.

If someone told me that besides the increased gas milage on the diesel towing, and both the gas and diesel can comfortably tow up to 12,000 pounds, I'd go gas. I'll deal with a little bit less power uphill for the benefits of gas. I just can't find that answer. Thoughts?

Agreed. I grew up around trucks. Unless you’re towing 20k lbs regularly up steep grades, gas wins. Especially modern gas engines.


Some dealers may have a used model you could “demo” to compare.

[glepore]

8 horses loaded is a fair amount of weight. The weak link becomes the trans...

[Gsinill]

Thanks all for your replies.

Summarizing my answers to some of the questions asked:

1. 8000 lbs. weight
   This is Maximum Trailer Capacity (GVWR) (lbs.) weight.
   Dealer recommended at. least 10,000 lbs towing capacity.
2. Trailer vs. RV
   An RV is still a consideration, one reason for the truck/trailer combo has already been mentioned, having a vehicle after getting settled at the campground.
   Another one is that the p/u truck can be used for anything else that requires hauling, etc., e.g. working on the house, landscaping, etc.
   My wife fell in love with the trailer we are eye-balling and while some of the RVs were nice too, none of them comes close (so I am told )
3. Diesel vs. gas
   While I know nothing about pickups, I know a lot about Diesels, there is no better use case for them than hauling and heavy load.
   FYI: I am getting up to 35mpg with my Cayenne and 50mpg with my 328d wagon which puts a smile on my face every time I fill them up.
   While you probably spend more on a diesel if you add everything up, I'd cringe about the single-digit mpg at the pump with a 7L V8 gas guzzler.
   Also, all of my 7 RV rentals in Canada and the US and 3 Ryder truck rentals for cross-country moves were gas trucks, thanks but no thanks.

Will check out the links next.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Gsinill

[*]Diesel vs. gas
While I know nothing about pickups, I know a lot about Diesels, there is no better use case for them than hauling and heavy load.
FYI: I am getting up to 35mpg with my Cayenne and 50mpg with my 328d wagon which puts a smile on my face every time I fill them up.
While you probably spend more on a diesel if you add everything up, I'd cringe about the single-digit mpg at the pump with a 7L V8 gas guzzler.
Also, all of my 7 RV rentals in Canada and the US and 3 Ryder truck rentals for cross-country moves were gas trucks, thanks but no thanks.[/LIST]
Will check out the links next.

Hope you’re not expecting high MPG numbers with diesel pulling 8k lbs. Maybe big bill or others can chime in but in my experience, expect 8-12mpg.

That said, if diesel is what you want, they are nice when towing. Extra power is never a bad thing towing that much.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by Gsinill

While I know nothing about pickups, I know a lot about Diesels, there is no better use case for them than hauling and heavy load.

Yeah, it's really what they're made for.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by p nut

Hope you’re not expecting high MPG numbers with diesel pulling 8k lbs. Maybe big bill or others can chime in but in my experience, expect 8-12mpg.

When we went from a gas F250 (7.5 l ?) to a diesel F250 (7.3 l ?), efficiency went from 10 mpg empty / 9 mpg loaded to 18 mpg empty / 13 mpg loaded, with a 8,000 lb gooseneck trailer.

[downtube42]

I've never owned one, but spent the better part of two decades working for a diesel engine company.

OP mentioned caring for the environment. That and the related complexity is what I'm addressing. A good chunk of those working years were the period going from no emissions standards to highly regulated. Those changes employed a lot of engineers and technicians, who can rightly be proud of the smog reduction that has occurred; people may have forgotten, or weren't around, when you couldn't see across the Sound due to smog. Beijing, China shows us what unregulated looks like.

Having said that, diesel are now attached to a chemical factory that is arguably more complex than the engine itself. Designing something like that to survive the automotive environment and operating range, and last for the life of the truck, is no small task. One tank of full sulfur fuel will do a lot of damage. Add to that, the plethora of delete kits, tuning kits, and DIY mods, it's a nightmare trying to responsibly design and sell a diesel engine.

Cummins' recent $1.6B fine is dwarfed by VW's global cost, but that's a B for billion. And they simply paid, which speaks volumes.

A well maintained modern diesel should be environmentally cleaner than a gasser. But with manufacturer shenanigans, that's iffy. A gas truck will get the job done at a lower cost of ownership. Seems straightforward given the OP's interests.

I no longer have stock in the industry. Used to be when I got coal rolled, I'd say to myself "money" because that operator was shortening the product's life. No more.

[glepore]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

When we went from a gas F250 (7.5 l ?) to a diesel F250 (7.3 l ?), efficiency went from 10 mpg empty / 9 mpg loaded to 18 mpg empty / 13 mpg loaded, with a 8,000 lb gooseneck trailer.

That sounds spot on for highway use. I see 15-16 empty around town, 18-20 hwy, and 13-14 towing around 9-10k, in hilly country (mostly highway).