Replacing a gas engine with a diesel

I wonder if the OP has considered the increased maintenance costs associated with a diesel. Short runs are best made with gas motors (as long as they come up to temperature), diesels are general considered long distance machines. I hate generalizations. :)

I keep wondering how he justifies a diesel with a minimal budget. I tend to believe its a case of I want instead of a reasoned case of what works best. In my opinion a diesel has no advantages over gas given the set of parameters he has given us.