Newbie question

cycler wrote:
Boogie 4Wheel and bvereshagen, thank you both for you replies. Boogie 4whl, I see you have an older Dodge w/Cummins, do you think your mileage would be better with the newer models?

I think newer diesel mileage would be similar. When the DPF's first came in to play ('07.5 6.7L Dodge, 6.4L Ford, '07 new body style GM), the fuel economy really took at hit because of the added fueling required to burn the particulate filters clean. With the addition of DEF, economy numbers have come back up a lot, and the taller overdrives have made them just as, if not more efficient than the older diesels, and they have more gears and more power.

My parents have a '14 Cummins (4wd, dually, 68RFE, 3.73) pulling a horse trailer, and GCW of around 25k. 65-70mph their economy is sub-11, but I do not know the exact numbers. I've used that truck to pull a 24' goose flat bed (once loaded with 45hp tractor, once empty) across country, running 75+, and while it drank DEF, it was in the low teens. I would expect that truck to get comparable economy numbers as my pre-emissions truck with my trailer, and it has more power, more gears, and more comfort. There is also more to fail.

I know what the expense would be for certain parts on my truck if they fail (no major issues so far), and a newer one would only be more expensive; I would love to own a new(er) truck until something went wrong. The same applies in the other direction, a 2nd Gen Cummins is even more simple than my 3rd Gen, and the 2nd Gen is cheaper on parts (just compare the cost of an injector for example). This is why I fall back on saying if I were to go get a new truck, I'd most likely go with a big block gas. I would have to shift a little more, and burn a little more fuel, but it would get the job done just fine. I have no intentions of getting a larger trailer at this point in my life.