Quick Truck Question

[Amastro46]

So pretty soon here I am looking to do some travel through Mexico, on four wheels this time, instead of two.

I have been planning and troubleshooting my potential rig options as to what would best suite me.

I am going with a slide in truck camper, and plan to mount a 315 pound motorcycle on the front of the truck. I need a larger camper, something that has a bathroom. I'tll just be the dog and myself.

So no that I know what kind of camper I want I have been looking for trucks.

I want a 1.5 cab, so access, or quad, or extended, whatever you call it.

The truck I am looking at is a 2005-2007 ram 2500 quad cab with short bed. The reason I want a short bed is because when I drop the camper, I want to be somewhat offroad capable. I suppose I could go with a long bed, but I don't really need the extra camper space that much.

So here's the question that I need help with......

GAS OR DIESEL?

I'll have a gas motorcycle so I would be nice to stay consistent with the fuel cans, also probably a small gas generator. I also like the lower acquisition price of the gas models. 5.7L Hemi.

The diesel would be nice, and I do consider it for the better fuel economy it would offer with like 2000 pounds in the bed, but how much better would it be??

Also I think there is less availability with diesel parts for these trucks in Mexico.

I would like to stay around $15,000 for the truck, maybe a few thousand more.

What are your thoughts, gas or diesel? Also any other options you might consider with my above stated preferences?

[Tequila]

BTW, fit the truck with Torklift stable loads

[Tequila]

navegator wrote:
Simple answer

Gasoline

Ultra low sulfur Diesel is only sold in Baja, some cities along the border and no where else in the rest of Mexico, the urea treatment additives for the catalytic to work are sold again only in the border areas.

Stay with gasoline, gas motorcycle, gas truck, gas generator I will recommend the small Honda unit, depending on the load that you need, if you go off the beaten path gasoline is easier to find not so much Diesel and many times it is contaminated with water.

Keep in mind that there are more Ford dealers than Chevrolet and Dodge in Mexico.

navegator

Only northern baja for ULSD. My buddy Dan Goy who runs Baja Amigos caravans always told be it was ULSD over all of Baja. Last year he had a late model Ford go into limp mode after the customer drove it around for month on short trips unloaded. As Ted White points out, the key with a ULSD truck is to only drive it under load. As for dealers, as I mentioned in my other posts, you can easier get a Dodge diesel engine worked on down here. My 2003 chev had injector issues last year and I had to drive it to Texas. Finding a diesel mechanic capable of the 12 hour job to change them was impossible. That is when I decided I had to change it.

[Tequila]

My 2 bits, go for diesel, look for a pre mid 2007 Dodge. Why? I am a chevy guy, but since they do not sell diesel pickups in Mexico, finding a mechanic who can work on a Dmax or Powerstroke is difficult, any of them can handle a Cummins. If a lter diesel you need to look at Ted Whites infomation at http://www.mexicorvforums.com/diesel.php

BTW DEF fuid is not available at Autozones in Mexico.

As for a truck & camper you run into a grey area with permits. They do not know if it is a truck carrying cargo or an RV. You can get away with regiterign it as an RV by getting the permit on-line, but that is not a good idea if you intend to take it off and drive around with just the truck. As soon as you add a motorcycle ot the permit, the 10 year will become a 180 day. now comes the issue of the bike, It it is over 150 cc, it will require a separate permit. That brings up a problem as you are only allowed one. However, you are allowed one RV & one non RV, so in that case you really do need to do it online and call the truck & camper a single RV. Its a good idea to rmeove the jacks if you od that and store them in the truck bed if there is room so it does to appear removable.

If you do buy that dodge, make sure you carry spare, oil, fuel & air filters for it. They are pretty specific for dodges and you probably will not find them down here. Also the recommended oil is tough to find. Mine was real dirty and I tried to find replacement oil. I got close, but not what they tell you to use. It only has to be in there for 1500 more miles, so I will change it again when I cross into the US. For what it's worth a mechanic told me to use a product called Hot shots stiction eliminater http://www.hotshotsecret.com/ to prevent injector issues. I have been using Optilube XPD diesel treatment in my truck. A bunch of research shows it has the best rating (I was using stanadyne). It's really improves mileage, I am averaging 17 MPH towing a 25 foot 7000 lb trailer. The weak points with the dodge are the front end & the tranny. Dodge tranmisisons are usually only good for about 125k miles, so if it has not been done you may want to have it looked out. There is an external band adjustment that is the tip off. If there is no adjustment left, then it's due. When they took mine aout ($183,000 kms which is 125 miles)it was down to the glue, I would not have gone 100 miles before trouble. The other issue with Dodges is the so called death wobble. It appears mainly on trucks with lift kits. Anyone comeing from GM or Ford will noticee that Dodges have an uncomfortable wandering feeling. You can do some improvements with products like BD diesels steering brace (about $300 installed). Anotergh good thing to do is to install a FASS or Airdog lift pump. Leave the origina fuel filter in place and these add 2 mor elevels of fuel filtration. A bit pricier with dodges as the internal fuel tank pump has to be removed. You can ge tbad diesel in Mexico as diesel vehicles are not common except trucks or buses. You risk getting stale diesel. That is why you should always try to re-fuel where you see lots of trucks filling up, not in small towns off the beaten track.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Someone near Tulum said a Canadian friend had a 50 gallon supplementary tank...

CAMPFIRE TALE

At Aduana right at the border is the ONLY PLACE in Mexico the Aduaneros check for illegally imported gasoline in STORAGE tanks, jerry cans, drums, etc. A tank connected to a vehicle fuel system is absolutely exempt. Quicksilver has a pair of HUNDRED FIFTY GALLON TANKS, with the liter capacity written on thermo tape and pasted right next to the 2" commercial fill necks.

Spreaders of ridiculous tales, don't even bother to check for obvious flaws in their whoppers. Near Tulum who the hell can prove where when how and why the fuel was purchased? At the border fuel is either confiscated (rare) or the vehicle is turned around to re-enter the USA. No filled gas containers allowed.

The entire state of Baja California, every last Pemex gasolinera has ULSD and not only that, every last drop of Magna, and Premium is also refined in the USA. Southbound once you pass the B.C.S. state line, diesel is Mexican refined, Magna is almost always a product of the Salina Cruz, Oaxaca refinacion, but every last of Premium sold in la republica is refined in the USA.

Garitas with a commercial entrance to the USA require USA ULSD be available for varying distances from the garita. Cross border trucking companies are notified which stations have UBA diesel. There is no signage.

It is pure unmitigated B.S. that ULSD (UBA) is available in Mexico (DF) or Monterrey. Only the state of B.C. and a select few gasolineras near garitas have UBA diesel.

Wanna chew on something? Mexican Magna has FIVE TIMES the PPM of sulfur that USA gasoline is permitted to have. Pemex does not place the letters UBA on gasolinera Premium signage for the heck of it. Part of the grand dream scheme is for Mexico (DF) to ban all but UBA gasoline sales not only in the Distrito Federal but the state of Mexico as well. Gobernacion wants everything to change to UBA. Good Luck.

[moisheh]

Do not expect to find a dealership with the software, parts or the knowledge to work on a USA PU with a diesel. The diesels that are sold in Mexico are more like a 2006 USA truck. No ULSD or DEF required. But I think they do use an EGR system.

Moisheh

[briansue]

There are lots of diesel vehicles used in Mexico - buses - trucks - and lots of diesel mechanics. But you don't see diesel pickups in Mexico very much. One of our RV friends has a Ford pickup with a diesel and we went to the Ford dealer near Guadalajara and they had parts and mechanics to work on it. But one of the problems is that Mexico does not have ULSD everywhere yet - if at all. Many RVers do take newer diesel vehicles to Mexico - even though these vehicles require ULSD. I think maybe the jury is still out on what the consequences might be of using inappropriate fuel. I think there are many factors. The newer diesels have pollution control devices to keep the air clean but these devices are designed to clean fuel containing only 15ppm of sulfur while LSD fuel may contain as much as 500ppm. If you put 20 to 30 times as much sulfur into one of these devices it needs to clear the sulfur more often. I don't know the technical answer but I understand these things heat up to high temps to burn the sulfur. If there is 20 to 30 times as much sulfur would the regenerator have to burn 20 to 30 more times? No idea. So if it burns more often will it wear out sooner? No idea. How much does a new one cost? No idea. Where can you get one? No idea. These would all be questions to ask the manufacturer of the vehicle - and no one else - the engineering dept at the manufacturer and not the dealer or local mechanic. That said - we have never been anywhere in Mexico where we could not find diesel fuel and we have never gotten a bad tank of fuel. If you buy an older diesel prior to 2007 you will not need the ULSD.

[navegator]

Simple answer

Gasoline

Ultra low sulfur Diesel is only sold in Baja, some cities along the border and no where else in the rest of Mexico, the urea treatment additives for the catalytic to work are sold again only in the border areas.

Stay with gasoline, gas motorcycle, gas truck, gas generator I will recommend the small Honda unit, depending on the load that you need, if you go off the beaten path gasoline is easier to find not so much Diesel and many times it is contaminated with water.

Keep in mind that there are more Ford dealers than Chevrolet and Dodge in Mexico.

navegator

[bigdog2]

Whatever you get make sure it's 4 wheel drive and, if possible, a limited slip rear axle.

[Bedlam]

I understand they are built there, but how many are actually sold there? There are still questions how they fuel their new diesels and how many mechanics have the knowledge, tools and parts to service them - That's a big difference compared to manufacturing. Maybe this is less of an issue in metro areas, but what about the places that you want to visit?

[reed_cundiff]

There are certified Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge dealerships in every large city in Mexico.

The RAM is built in Saltillo Truck Assembly in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Production for General Motors’ redesigned 2014 Chevy Silverado began in Mexico earlier this wee (2014)

It's also good publicity for Ford (F), which has been under fire for investing so much in Mexico. In April, the automaker said it would invest $2.5 billion in transmission plants in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Guanajuato, creating about 3,800 jobs there

They build them there.

[Bedlam]

I'm told that you will have harder time finding diesel mechanics or shops who can work on any of the modern diesels south of the border. Considering LSD fuel is not available, I would be looking at the older 7.3 PSD or 5.9 CTD engines if you need an oil burner.

[hedgehopper]

A longbed will give you a lot more choices of campers and better weight distribution.

Yes, a diesel is nice for the high torque at low engine speeds. But a gasser will make it easier to stay within your purchase budget.

[BMB]

A truck camper and toys equals diesel. I cant imagine not having a diesel with a truck camper. I have driven to mexico with 2005 dodge diesel 3 times, never a problem with gas. Also go long bed, the only reason for a short bed is a play truck.

[reed_cundiff]

We intentionally bought a 2006 diesel GMC (destroyed in 70 car pile up between Orizaba and Puebla. So we bought a 2006 dualie diesel 4x4 Chevie. This is designed for the 500 ppm sulfur diesel. We have a 45 gallon Transfer-Flo which simplifies fuel stops.

Someone near Tulum said a Canadian friend had a 50 gallon supplimentary tank and were fined several thousand dollars worth of pesos for such. Turns out he had been using farming (non-taxed) diesel for his truck and the fuel tanks/fuel lines had that dye that put into farming diesel to catch scofflaws who try to get around not paying road tax on their fuel. You will pay thousands in the US if caught doing this as well.
Reed and Elaine

[kayco53]

If you are using a hardside TC get he 3500 even more so with diesel.I'am wishing I had a 3500 instead of my 2500hd. My light camper and my stuff put me within 300lbs of my GVW.A bike would put me over.My camper is a old one but not rotten and doesn't even have hot water and its that close.Important up in BC as they sometimes check on the highway.