Gas/Diesel Payload trade off

serpa4 wrote:
I'm not giving up my Diesel, but it cost freaking .65 more per gallon in Columbia, SC.
3.65/13mpg=.28 per mile
2.99/8mpg=.37 per mile
I guess about 70,000 to 80,000 miles to pay for the $7K option of a diesel in fuel savings.
If you truck is a daily driver, diesel.
If your truck is only for camping, 70,000 miles for a non-full timer is a long time. I have about 68,0000 on my truck and it's pretty much used to haul my TC or boat only. So, it's been about 7 years and it hasn't paid for itself yet.

I wasn't going to post but I had to after this post. Where are you getting the numbers for a gasser? I just completed a 11,000 mile trip to Alaska and back and the first 2,000 miles was towing my boat into heavy head winds and storms and over the whole trip (which the camper was loaded on the truck all the time) I got a 10.88 MPG and this is hand calculated. So taking your cost of fuel I come in at
$2.99/10.88MPG = $.27 per mile

This is with a 2011 F350 4X4 CC LG KR SWR loaded and with a 10 2 cdse NL that weighs 4,000# loaded. This also included a lot of quick stops (to see the animals along the road) and then start up and a lot of pulling right up hill which starts shooting gas mileage down the tubes. For some reason most of the animals always were in the valleys and not on top of the hills how inconsiderate of them. I did not see a pass that I had any trouble pulling them and I didn't have any diesels with campers passing me. I was traveling the speed limit when conditions permitted it. A lot quick slowdowns for bad sections and then pick speed back up. Not the best thing for mileage either.

I have had diesels and yes duallies also over the years and this time I ordered a gasser as being retired it does not get driven that much so I decided a gasser this time, now if I was going to tow another 10,000# behind the camper than I would go with a diesel, but I have towed a 12,000# 5er with this truck also and this pulling the passes out west and it did fine, now at that time I was getting still in the mid 9s with it so the 8mpg stated above is with older gassers and not the newer breed.

But bottom line to the OP, get what works for you as you are the one that is going to pay for it and use it, get what you want just like I did and ever one else here has done.