3500 diesel dually in Baja Mexico?

[Combs]

I am retiring soon and interested in getting a Host Mammoth truck camper. After talking to the local dealer as well as touring the plant, a 3500 dually appears to be the ideal truck for this big camper

I will be using the rig to drive down to Cabo in the Baja and have heard from many the issues with Mexican diesel.

Finding a used 3500 dually with gas engine is next to impossible. Also concerned with the lower torque, horsepower and durability of a gas engine.

With this in mind, thought I would ask this forum their experience with driving diesels in Mexico, especially remote Baja towns that may not have low sulfur diesel fuel. Are there additive packages that may assist?

Thanks in advance!!

[HMS_Beagle]

You'd want to be pretty sure about the availability of ULSD fuel, at least if you are going down there with your '15 Ford. The engine warranty requires ULSD fuel, unless the required engine mods have been made to allow it.

[bighatnohorse]

Combs wrote:
I am retiring soon and interested in getting a Host Mammoth truck camper. After talking to the local dealer as well as touring the plant, a 3500 dually appears to be the ideal truck for this big camper

I will be using the rig to drive down to Cabo in the Baja and have heard from many the issues with Mexican diesel.

Finding a used 3500 dually with gas engine is next to impossible. Also concerned with the lower torque, horsepower and durability of a gas engine.

With this in mind, thought I would ask this forum their experience with driving diesels in Mexico, especially remote Baja towns that may not have low sulfur diesel fuel. Are there additive packages that may assist?

Thanks in advance!!

You can pretty much ignore 95-percent of the posts here. Baja is now totally USLD. Check the "RVing in South America" forum here on this forum - do a search for "Ed White" and you will learn from the horse's mouth. And post your concerns there.
Bye the way, we just signed on for a Baja caravan and might see you there next January. Best of luck!

[_1Flyboy]

... NODEPOSIT & whoever.... On the Sea of Cortez side the road is decent until the Chapala intersection; on the Pacific side road is decent until below San Quentin.... I actually measured ( with a Tape measure ) the road below Chapala in a GOOD section & got 19’ 0”” before the drop off .... Some BAD sections are less than 19’!.... YES, your mirrors might be in the other lane but there’s actually several companies doing RV Caravans down in Baja ( Google is your buddy ); Multiple RV Parks in Baja cater to the RV crowds... If it’s doable is up to you....Good luck & again bajanomad.com ..... Roads there are definitely not built to US standards.....

[egarant]

Baja Nomad Forum

The Nomad Forum is where you will find some definitive info on the low sulfur diesel question. There is a member that regularly tests the diesel up and down the peninsula.

[nodepositnoretu]

So one poster said that the roads are do narrow that your mirrors will stick out into on coming traffic ,or your run off the 4 inches of shoulder??
So if the roads so narrow that a Dually is too wide how can a class C do it of a 5th wheel?

I just want to go down and camp on the beach with a 03 diesel ,not worried about Low sulfur.

Worried about narrow roads?

[_1Flyboy]

... Also you can get maps for Baja & Camping Guides for Baja on Amazon....

[MikeJinCO]

You need to go look at the traveling in Mexico/SA forum here. We have been going down for the past 15 years, always with a TC. Diesel is supposedly converting to ULSD, but I'm not prepared to believe it yet. We keep our 2006 GMC as it loves the older diesel fuel. The 2008-2010 trucks seemed to be ok back then, just faster regens. I don't have any direct knowledge about any DEF models. As far as maintenance there, I know of almost no capability for anything more sophisticated than the old 7.3 Ford, as none of our current trucks seem to be sold down there and the semi's are different animals.

The biggest problem these days is getting a the truck in the country as due to some poorly worded rules and atruck over 3500kg is deemed a cargo ie commercial truck. They didn't say cargo capacity, just the weight. Many have been turned away at the border. Discussion of this topic could go on forever. Read the Mexico travel forum. Some how the 5'ers get in, I haven't figured that out.

We will be crossing in Texas next week, but we got all our permits on line which will reduce the chances of getting turned away.

Bottom Line. If you really want to travel down there and don't have a rig I would go find a small 23-25' class B or C that runs on gas(no Sprinter's). Every road we have found is a 2wd including the back roads of Copper Canyon. We have used 4wd one time getting off a beach.

[TxGearhead]

Unless you want to do a lot, or any, off-roading I think I would look at Class C MH.

[67avion]

We were in northern Mexico last year in our F350 diesel. Lots of local folks were admiring it since its the truck of choice for the regional cartel....who excel in truck-jacking.

[Travels_with_Yo]

valhalla360 wrote:

Combs wrote:

Finding a used 3500 dually with gas engine is next to impossible. Also concerned with the lower torque, horsepower and durability of a gas engine.

They aren't as common but plenty of gas trucks around.

For a truck camper (even a monster one), they have plenty of torque and HP. A truck camper doesn't take a monster engine. Depending on brand, you may even be able to get more HP in the gas version (example 2010 Ford: gas V10 = 365hp vs diesel = 350hp).

Durability is ancient history from back when 100k miles was a lot to get out of a gas engine and diesels were simple slow turning low HP 2 ton blocks of iron. Modern gas engines typically outlive the truck and modern diesels have plenty of electronics and ancillary devices that make them no more reliable.

The 6.4L Hemi in the Ram 2500/3500 has 410 HP and 429 lbs-ft of torque. Ours never breaks a sweat carrying either of the two TCs we've owned (the current one doesn't count) 🙂

[HMS_Beagle]

No personal experience, but a friend of mine drove deep into Mexico with his diesel duallies frequently. His latest experience was with a Ford, broke down, no expertise or parts available down there because none of them are sold there, Ford says not covered in Mexico using Mexican non-ULSD fuel. He ended up having to come back to the US, drive back down with a trailer and bring it back to the US on the trailer. He has since moved to Mexico, but sold his diesel and bought a gas truck.

[GeoBoy]

I have a 3500 gas dually and it carries my AF990 well but I wouldn’t put a Host Mammoth on it. You need a 550/5500 truck to carry it comfortably.

[valhalla360]

Combs wrote:

Finding a used 3500 dually with gas engine is next to impossible. Also concerned with the lower torque, horsepower and durability of a gas engine.

They aren't as common but plenty of gas trucks around.

For a truck camper (even a monster one), they have plenty of torque and HP. A truck camper doesn't take a monster engine. Depending on brand, you may even be able to get more HP in the gas version (example 2010 Ford: gas V10 = 365hp vs diesel = 350hp).

Durability is ancient history from back when 100k miles was a lot to get out of a gas engine and diesels were simple slow turning low HP 2 ton blocks of iron. Modern gas engines typically outlive the truck and modern diesels have plenty of electronics and ancillary devices that make them no more reliable.

[Travels_with_Yo]

If you have one of the newer diesels that require DEF you don't want to travel Mexico I've heard. DEF is not a commonly found commodity in Mexico.