Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives 3/4 tons and gas engines

Are you referring to fuel additive or DEF (Diesel Emission Fluid)?

When you are trading in a gas truck and shelling out for a new one, a diesel is just getting broken in.

200K on my Duramax and she's been paid off since '07.

I've got almost 200K on my Toyota and fully expect at least 400,000 out of it. Bought it new in 07 and paid a lot less than a Duramax. So far an alternator is the only part replaced other than fluids, belts, plugs,tires, brakes etc. I expect the same out of my Ford.

This Gas engine was still running great after a million miles. That is right with any diesel for longevity. And how often to front ends need to be rebuilt from the weight of the heavier diesel engines. The other parts will usually wear out before the engine on either one if they are taken care of.

http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/project-trucks/1705-million-mile-tundra-the-tear-down/

If you need the power then you need the power. And when fuel was cheap they made sense even if you didn't really need the power.

If you need it nothing can substitute. Yes if you only haul a 18' trailer of calves to the local sale barn a gasser is the way to go. If you find yourself out on the road towing burning multiple tanks at a time I've not seen anything that can touch a diesel.

A diesel has been my daily driver since 05. From Florida to Idaho through Texas New Mexico Colorado I've never had stinky fuel all over my coffe cup biscuit or weaner. Maybe I've been lucky?

There's a Taco here too. . And yes, their reputation for longevity and reliability are primary reasons why.

But the OP was talking 3/4 ton trucks, no? Exceptions are exceptions. A one million mile gas engine in a 3/4-ton truck is not the norm.

Diesel engines tend to last significantly longer. For a guy who likes working on them himself and running them into the ground, a diesel has a lot to like.

I will say I am very glad I bought mine before DEF and urea and all that stuff became the norm.

Doesn't much matter if the engine lasts a million miles, when the body falls off in a couple hundred thousand. Which is what tends to happen on pickups that see a lot of gravel and ranch life.

DEF I am pretty sure.

Yes, modern trucks use it. Somewhere just prior to DEF, I had a ford that simply dumped raw fuel into the exhaust stream for the purpose of burning clean the "exhaust filter" which was in the series of filter, cat, muffler along the path to the tailpipe.

Shortly after that method, DEF came along.

You could not beat me hard enough to want another diesel pickup.

I had a "97 Dodge with the 360 gas engine. It got between 9.5 and 10 mpg. A small trailer would knock it down a little. I had so much transmission trouble with that truck that I didn't try to pull a heavy trailer. At the same time I had a 3/4 ton Ford van that I used in my electrical business. It had the 300 six cylinder and averaged around 8.8 mpg. It was heavily loaded all of the time. Bins, racks, lots of material and tools. I replaced the Dodge with a Ford F-250 and the 6.7 Diesel. It averages between 17 and 19 mpg. Pulling my 32 ft gooseneck with my 6200# tractor and some other stuff will knock it down to around 10 or 10.5. I replaced the 6 cylinder van with an F-350 and the 7.3 diesel. It averaged around 14 mpg and it was also always loaded. Theres no comparison to the towing ability between the gassers and the diesels.

It does cost more to service my diesels and the diesel option is a good bit more up front cost. I doubt that the fuel savings will ever pay for the diesel option like it once would. I keep a pair of gloves in the side pocket of the door for use when fueling. That helps a lot. If you need repairs they will cost more also. Its a little bit of a pita dealing with the DEF. Also a cold dead diesel can be a bear to jump start!

EGR has cut the longevity of diesel engines significantly, and SCR /EGR/DPF have similarly decreased the reliability of diesels.

I won't buy a modern diesel unless there's no other way to do the job.

YEP - I will NEVER own a diesel unless I pull horse trailers for a living

I have a 98&1/2 cummins. 150 K on it. 36 gal fuel tank.You need a healthy savings account to run a diesel. I just put $3400 in mine. Got back from a hunting trip today and now have to put another $500 in it to get the engine compression brake repaired. I have probably put another $10k in it over the 20 years I have owned it .

My tuck with slide in pop up camper, three horse slant bumper pull trailer loaded and with two mules runs about 16,000 pounds going down the road.I get 13-14 mpg and that includes going over two 10,000 ft passes.Empty, I get 19-22mpg

If I ever buy another truck, it will probably be a gasser since my pulling will be limited in a few years.

The last gasser I had was an 85 Ford 3/4T dually. 460, 4 speed,4:11 rear end. I got 8 mpg empty, 3 mpg pulling 17,00 pounds.Of course it was the last year of carburetors. I had to put an extra electric fuel pump and an ice bucket on it to keep it from vapor locking.That hing couldn't pull a prostitute off a pee pot.

If you need a diesel go for it, if not buy the gasser. Don't confuse need fro want

I had a 2015 Ford Super Duty with the 6.7L PowerStroke Diesel engine. In order to offset some of the cost of the Diesel engine, I bought a dressed down XL version. The only options it had was a CD player. That thing was an absolute hoss, I mean like flying a rocket ship with the low end torque (820 ft.lbs) it had. Baddest son of a bitch I've ever driven. However, the only reason I drive a 3/4 ton is because occasionally, I tow our 30ft camper, which weighs around 8,000 lbs, to the lake or river.

I discovered real quick that I really had no real need of the Diesel engine for my purposes, and as others have explained in this thread, there are many downsides, higher costs being one of the main issues. The straw that broke the camels back for me was when I drove it though the slightest of mud holes down at deer camp and the front end sunk to the bottom. This was a little hole that I could always drive through in 2WD with my 1/2 ton Z-71. With so much weight in the front I had to engage 4x4 and luckily it had an electric rear diff. Lock. Even with all this, I barely was able to get that heavy pig out of the hole by rocking it back and forth 100 times. I really thought I was going to have to call one of my club members to pull me out.

It was as that point that I decided to trade it for a Chevy 2500 with the 6.0 Vortec gas burner. This is a Z-71 model and it is the nicest truck I've ever owned. It's a 2016 model that the dealer carried over into 2017 and they were trying to blow it out by discounting it about $15,000.

It is a thirsty pig, but even with the 4.10 gears in the rear, I average between 14-15 mpg without a load. Much if this has to do with the 6 speed transmission, the top two gears are both overdriven and my RPMs are about 1,750 at 60 mph. Without a doubt, I sacrificed a lot of power from the Diesel. With the Ford, I could barely tell any difference from being unloaded while pulling the camper. With the Chevy, I definitely know its back there and when climbing hills, the engine is turning like a Indy Car at 200 mph. However, it still gets the job done, and with a whole lot more comfort. I don't have to pay out the nose for oil changes or routine maintenance and the best part is I can still drive the truck around my deer camp and other unpaved roads without any problems.

I've read many opinions on the 6.0 Vortec and by all indications it is as reliable a gas engine as you can get in a truck today. So far I'm happy with my decision to trade. I always wanted to own a diesel truck, but in my case, with only minor hauling tasks it just wasn't what I needed. That was the big problem, it was a want for me and not a need. For someone who makes their living hauling big loads on a daily basis, diesel is the only way to go. But for a guy like myself who only hauls recreationally, just every now and then, the gas burner just makes more sense.

The secret is '07, good for another 200K.

My good Gooseneck trailer pulling cowboy bud had a new Dodge diesel.. He said that thing was full of sensors, lights going off all the time. It finally left him stranded in the field, dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree.. He sold it, bought a new Ford gasser, 4WD, 4 dr,, fitted it with aluminum bed for Gooseneck trailers. Says it gets around 13 mpg empty, 8 or so pulling. And it hasn't left him high and dry.

I see long time diesel P/U owners going back to gassers.

You're right about long engine life. But with all these pollution additions, they're getting to be a problem. And, diesels are very front end heavy, stick pretty easy when the ground is soft, even 4WD.

Keep that '07. Don't get a new one and think it's gonna be the same...

The Duramax with Allison is about the best, IMO. But, I'm a Chevy guy.

DF

I recently went through this dilima and it only took me two years to decide. I had a 2011 f350 single wheel 6.7 power stroke. It was a beast empty or loaded but I didn't use it much. It would pull 30k as fast as you wanted to go.

I recently sold the ford and acquired a 2016 2500hd gas. It lacks the power of the Ford but has plenty to handle the occasional pulling i do anymore. I pulled about 15k last weekend and it did ok at about 10mpg. It's defiantly not a diesel but a lot lighter and hope to get around better when it gets wet this winter.
Time will tell how I like my decisions but so far I'm happy

Sounds like a 6.0 GM gasser would be the ticket. Or if you could find a lower mileage (<130k) 05' ish to pre DEF years Duramax. I've done the diesel thing (12v Cummins) and loved every mile of it except for fuel filter changes - had to be a contortionist to reach the dambed thing. But economics of diesel pickups have changed significantly since the hippie juice was added to the mix. Not to mention the gap per gallon price.

A few years back major municipalities started seeing this trend and started ditching their 1 ton diesels in mass.

Unless you're yanking a 5th wheel cross country 30k miles / year, just stick to no lead.

I recently bought a Dodge 2500 HD with the 6.4L Hemi. Only have a little over a thousand miles on it but it’s getting 16 mpg on the highway. Next weekend I will be hooking up a Ranger boat, enough supplies for 10 guys and 3 others to go on a fishing trip so we’ll see how the gas mileage changes with it being loaded down. I’d love to get a diesel but the up front costs puts me off as I’m not going to be getting the return on investment. Dave

Has the 411 's but I run a 255/85r16 tire, (tall and skinny) giving me an effective ratio of something like 3:55, works well and does good in deep snow.

will a gasser pull 10K, yup, but it wont last long doing it. Ive got a travel trailer that weighs 11,400 ready to camp, I had a half ton max tow chevy (2015 6.2v8) that was rated for that weight. I can tell you that thing would have pulled its guts out and not lasted long. I bought a 2018 Highcountry 3/4 ton duramax chevys top of the line, nicest truck ive ever had for sure, ride is great, and that thing doesnt even realize it has a trailer behind it. If youre in a non emissions area, get a diesel and delete it, bet of both worlds. They finally broke into the computers of the 17-18 duramax so delete tuning is possible now, its expensive as of yet, but if im going to keep a truck 500,000mi its a minimal cost. FYI the beta tuning WITH emissions on these engines produced 585RWHP and 1300ftlbs of torgue. my bone stock truck gets 22-23 at 78mph on the highway, and 14 pulling my trailer at 72-74 with the air on and the wife and kid in the truc