Will a 10 mile commute kill a diesel?

Redsky wrote:


I cannot understand why anyone would recommend paying an extra $9,000 or more to get a 3/4 ton diesel pickup to pull a trailer like the one you have. Dumb does not even begin to describe it. Might as well get a Hummer to go grocery shopping.

I didn't. Bought used and though I no longer pull a fifth wheel with mine, it handles my TT just fine. More importantly.........it's paid for!

PS: Mine is an '05 Ram 3500 diesel. With its about 7000 lb. curb weight, it gets better fuel mileage (city or highway) than the Toyota Tundra it replaced.

Redsky wrote:
Diesel is great for pulling 13,000 lbs or more but for anything under 10,000 lbs a gas engine and 4.10 gears are all that is needed. Diesels cost more to buy, more to maintain, and more to keep in fuel (the extra MPG is offset by the higher price charged for diesel).

Maybe on flat ground but out West where we have big hills there is no gasser that is going to pull 10K pounds up hill without serious effort. It was a struggle getting my 7500lb toyhauler over the Sierra Nevadas with my previous 6.0 gasser.

In CA diesel has been running no more than ~10% higher than gas while I'm getting 15-20% better economy. I didn't buy the diesel for this reason however. The ease of towing over mountain terrain and my plan to move to a larger 5er in the near future were the deciding factors. Not everyone keeps small trailers for very long and wind up having to go larger as their family expands. Why not plan for a truck that is going to server current and future needs?

davisenvy wrote:

goducks10 wrote:

davisenvy wrote:
My dad has a 6.4 Powerstroke and it just left him on the side of the road because of too much oil. It turns out that if you shut the truck off in the middle of a regen, it dumps the fuel that was going to be used to burn off the soot into the engine oil. Ford dealer said it was not uncommon to see an extra 2.5-3qts of oil when they do oil changes on these engines. I can't speak for the other brands, but this is what the 2010 Powerstroke does.
Do your homework on the Dodge, GMC, or Ford forums to inquire about the ups and downs. Half that comment on these threads don't even drive diesels.
With all this being said, I'm a diesel guy and can't ever imagine driving a gasser again. There are ways around the problems with the new diesels:B

1st the 6.4 PS ain't no Cummins. 2nd if stopping the truck in the middle of a regen was going to kill it then why don't they put a regen notice in the DIC, EVIC so you know when to keep driving.

There is a regen notice in the DIC, but who has time to drive around for 15-20min every time this happens. My truck is pre emissions so I don't have to worry about this stuff. Just reporting an experience my dad had in this particular engine.

It's only for when the DPF is 80% full or higher. It doesn't say anything when going thru a regular regen IIRC. The one that shows up is a warning that the DPF is 80% full and needs to be cleaned immediately.

cyberiankhatru wrote:
The trailer I have is not the issue. The trailer I WANT is nearly 10k lbs.

I switched to a Ford diesel this year from a Chevy gasser. My FW is about 10K too. What a difference all that torque makes!

The trailer I have is not the issue. The trailer I WANT is nearly 10k lbs.

Supercharged wrote:
Ride a bike.

A diesel bike?:B

Diesel is great for pulling 13,000 lbs or more but for anything under 10,000 lbs a gas engine and 4.10 gears are all that is needed. Diesels cost more to buy, more to maintain, and more to keep in fuel (the extra MPG is offset by the higher price charged for diesel).

Fully loaded your vehicle is pulling less than 6,000 lbs and a 1/2 ton truck like the Toyota Tundra will handle that easily and be extremely reliable. The problem with an SUV is that the vehicle itself is very heavy and more engine is needed to move it and more braking to stop it.

I cannot understand why anyone would recommend paying an extra $9,000 or more to get a 3/4 ton diesel pickup to pull a trailer like the one you have. Dumb does not even begin to describe it. Might as well get a Hummer to go grocery shopping.

I have a diesel and it takes 20 miles to begin to reach operating temperature for the engine and even longer to get the transmission fluid temp into the normal range. Fuel economy is worse than for a gas engine for short trips and it provides no advantages for around town driving. Less than one quarter of the gas stations within 20 miles of my house sell diesel so I have to drive an extra 10 miles to get fuel and burn extra diesel in both directions.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Who cares, the Cummins will last far beyond the time the vast majority will ever keep a truck. Drive it use it and enjoy it!

The newer Diesels heat up quick. I really would not worry about a 13 or 14 Cummins.

True statement, and I'd venture to say that this pretty much applies to most engines available in vehicles today.

When the years and miles rack up it'll be everything else going toes up that'll prompt the owner to upgrade, not the motor.

On topic, OP let us know what you ultimately decide (CTD or Hemi).

I've read the comments and I am not trying to sway you either way, diesels are cool, but if we are talking Cummins as the others don't offer a manual transmission then please do some research on the 4th gen Cummins, they are not like the 1st and 2nd gen trucks of the past. Sure there was a way to make the 2010/2012 trucks run properly but that has almost disappeared and for the 2013/14's there is NO programmer available. The ECM went from 72 pin to 96 pin so there may never be anything available then you are stuck with what it is, which might work for you if you live in a reasonably warm climate. It's not about coolant temp or transmission temp its all about EXHAUST gas temp and remember the manual trans has no hi idle and to get the exhaust brake on you have to push the button every time you start it. For the people that say there is no problem with the 2010/12 Cummins they have never had their intake manifold off to see how much carbon is in there or almost plugged it is. I also think that what some people consider "cold" is a nice mild day.

colliehauler wrote:
I would talk with a a Diesel mechanic, not one person on the forum will help you with a repair bill. My opinion a 5 mile drive in cold weather will not bring it up to temp.

So plug it in at night. It will be 2/3 warmed up when you start out! Heat out of the heat right away etc etc!

Chris