Gas or Diesel

Regardless of size, .. if he's a diesel man now, he'll be disappointed if he goes back to gas.

What do the Ford towing specs say?

If he tows in the mountains, the diesel is nice to have. Have they fixed the exhaust brake on the Ford to work as well as Ram and GM's?

I would recommend diesel for that heavy of an RV. Because of the characteristics of diesel engines vs. gasoline, they generate more torque and continuous power. That is because the fuel burns throughout the piston movement cycle, rather than the instantaneous spark and chamber combustion in a gasoline engine (simplistic explanation).

The choice depends on circumstances. The new 2015 Powerstroke has twice the torque that the gasser has.

What it comes to -- what will the truck be used for? For example, I'm looking to buy almost exactly the same configuration of a Ford F-350 pretty soon... but since this is going to be a daily driver dealing with the city with the second worst congestion in the US (and a city council that seems to have little interest in anything changing that... except for adding tollways), I'm going with a gasser, as they are easier to deal with in a metro area.

However, in almost any other circumstance than mine, I'd would recommend the diesel. It costs $7-8k more, but it will definitely be worth it. The gasser will pull the trailer, the diesel will -happily- pull it. When going up steep grades, it doesn't lose power as normally aspirated engines do. Diesels require a bit more upkeep, and require DEF, but the different isn't that significant.

The other reason I'm getting a gasser is that I only have two fuels to worry about when boondocking. Gasoline (which will be used for both the second generator and the truck), and propane (which will be used by the TC's inbuild generator and the other appliances.) I normally carry about 8-10 gallons of gas for the generator, but when done and heading home, the fuel goes into the truck's tank.

To make a long story short, unless you have a specific need for a gasser, get the diesel. The newer Ford diesels don't have the bad reputation the "6.blow" does, and if maintained properly, will last a while.

I can't imagine getting a 1 ton pickup w/ a naturally aspirated gas engine, but maybe that's just me ...

Well I learned one thing here...they actually make that big of a truck with a gas engine...

I'm with Tystevens...if you ae going with that big of a truck it has to be diesel

coolbreeze01 wrote:
If he tows in the mountains, the diesel is nice to have. Have they fixed the exhaust brake on the Ford to work as well as Ram and GM's?

I was not aware that the Ford Super Duty trucks were equipped with exhaust brakes. My truck has a braking capability, but it is with the transmission which shifts down and takes advantage of engine compression to slow the truck.

Do the newer Fords actually use the exhaust for braking?

Road Runners wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:
If he tows in the mountains, the diesel is nice to have. Have they fixed the exhaust brake on the Ford to work as well as Ram and GM's?

I was not aware that the Ford Super Duty trucks were equipped with exhaust brakes. My truck has a braking capability, but it is with the transmission which shifts down and takes advantage of engine compression to slow the truck.

Do the newer Fords actually use the exhaust for braking?

Yes, at least they did. I don't see an EB mentioned in their 2015 ad.........

I think now days, you buy the diesel for the power that it will provide. The fuel economy that we used to look at, is offset by the higher costs for the fuel now.

The longevity thing isn't what it used to be, because both engines will outlast the use of the vehicle in most cases now days....we simply don't keep them as long as we used to.

How much more will that diesel cost than the gasser? Could a year older truck balance the price differences?

Personally, I'd go with the diesel, with that trailer, but then again, it will depend on how much he's actually towing it.....and will it be a daily driver.