Diesel Question for truck campers

[Bigfootchevy]

I believe a diesel engine is the best for hauling a truck camper.

With the price of diesel going up more each week is it still worth it?

Just looking for opinions.

Today in Canada a gallon of diesel is worth about 75 cents more than gas!

With the extra cost of the diesel engine and extra cost at the pump, I am starting to rethink my decision to order my new truck with a diesel!

I cannot see me not ordering a diesel, but I just got back from vacation and drove pass the gas station and saw the new diesel price of $1.39 per litre cost, was a bit of a shock. Gas was $1.20 per litre. I believe their are 3.7 litres in a gallon.

Thanks

Paul

[Butch50]

pnichols wrote:
Hmmmm ... are you saying that many campers plus a pickup to carry them (no trailer) would weigh in at over 12,000 lbs.?

I ask this because I see a lot of diesel pickups carrying just a camper and wonder why a diesel pickup is needed in that situation, since my gasser setup pulls and climbs so well with it's 4:56 diff. Our Class C has large fresh/grey/black tanks, too.

It is not uncommon for a truck and camper to be 13,000# or even greater without a trailer in tow. I have seen some post on here that they are at 14,000#. I have a light camper compared to a lot of them on here without any slides and with my 3500 dually Ram I'm over 12,200#. I would probably weigh more if it was loaded to go to Alaska again. Take an Arctic Fox 1140, 1150 or 990 and they are going to weigh in the range of anywhere from 4300# to over 5000#. AFs have large tanks also. Then you take the Chalet campers and they are weighing 4700# dry and then add the water tank of 67 gallons and a 6 gallon water heater to that and batteries, propane and your camping gear and it is probably in the 6,000# or more range. Then take a truck that may weigh like mine and add 8500# to it.

[Super_Dave]

Gas engines must have really come a long way. My 2001 gasser had trouble with climbing the Sierras without a camper and just my boat in tow. Guys testifying to hauling heavy campers and a trailer are blowing my mind.

[jimh406]

Trucks can weigh up to 8000 lbs with diesel. Add a 4000 lb camper and you can easily exceed 12000 lbs with gear. Checkout the GVWR and payload on this chart for examples. http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/specifications/payload/

[brholt]

pnichols wrote:
Hmmmm ... are you saying that many campers plus a pickup to carry them (no trailer) would weigh in at over 12,000 lbs.?

I ask this because I see a lot of diesel pickups carrying just a camper and wonder why a diesel pickup is needed in that situation, since my gasser setup pulls and climbs so well with it's 4:56 diff. Our Class C has large fresh/grey/black tanks, too.

Yes. My truck with a AF 1150 camper loaded for camping comes in at 13,700 lbs. My choice of a gas engine was in part because I'm under the 14,000 lb GVWR of the truck with the gas engine. With a diesel I would lose 950 lbs of payload capacity and would be well over the GVWR. Since I'm not towing the gas engine (rated at 22,500 lb GCVWR) has plenty of power to handle any terrain.

[Super_Dave]

pnichols wrote:
Hmmmm ... are you saying that many campers plus a pickup to carry them (no trailer) would weigh in at over 12,000 lbs.?

I ask this because I see a lot of diesel pickups carrying just a camper and wonder why a diesel pickup is needed in that situation, since my gasser setup pulls and climbs so well with it's 4:56 diff. Our Class C has large fresh/grey/black tanks, too.

My truck weighs approx. 8,000 lbs and my loaded 850, which is on the small end of campers, is pushing the 4,000 lbs.

[Bedlam]

You really don't need a diesel to haul around a TC. It's the fact that people also tow behind their rigs putting the GCW in the 15K-20K lb range. Honestly going with a gasoline engine helps with payload issues since many of us are running over GVWR and rely on keeping the axle weights bellow maximum.

The truck campers can be very basic and weigh close 2000 lbs when full or have four slides and extend 4' off the rear of the truck bed weighing three times as much. My payload is about 4000 lbs with TC, people, gear, tie downs and fluids - Then I add weight distributed tongue weight on a 2' extension for a trailer that weighs 5K-8K lbs depending on what we bring...

[pnichols]

Hmmmm ... are you saying that many campers plus a pickup to carry them (no trailer) would weigh in at over 12,000 lbs.?

I ask this because I see a lot of diesel pickups carrying just a camper and wonder why a diesel pickup is needed in that situation, since my gasser setup pulls and climbs so well with it's 4:56 diff. Our Class C has large fresh/grey/black tanks, too.

[Bedlam]

That Class C is lighter than I would have thought. Many of the diesel trucks with TC's are heavier than you. With truck, TC and loaded trailer, I am over 19k lbs.

[pnichols]

I realize I'm in the wrong forum, but often check in here to see what the real truck folks are up to. Just for reference, our E450 V10 motorhome weighs in at around 11,800 lbs., wet. It's rear differential is 4:56. Our V10 is Ford's low-power two-valve 305HP (420 ft-lbs) V10 engine, while I believe Ford uses, or used to use, the beefier three-valve ~365HP V10 in it's one-ton and ton-and-a-half pickups.

FWIW, we have been on a lot of mountain drives in the west and on a long trans-U.S. trip that took us on a long high country run through Eastern Wyoming. Our V10 pulls fine ... keeps right up at highway speeds with TC's, tow trailers, and 5th wheel trailers .... even at 8000-9000 feet. We sometimes pull a boat behind the motorhome through the Sierras through Reno into Nevada. It just needs to rev to do it, which would probably make folks nervous who like lower rpm diesel engines in their trucks. The 55 gallon tank gives us a 500-550 mile range, with of course gas being available in any podunk town.

[happycamper1942]

Here in Western Canada,Vancouver Island, gas is $1.15 a liter and diesel is $1.37 a liter, 22 cents a liter, or 83 cents a US gallon more.
While it is nice to have the power for the approximately 20% of the year I am using my 5th wheel or camper, the rest of the time I could manage very nicely with a gas truck, and will give serious thought to this if I change.

[markchengr]

We travel pretty much all of the Western states and use the back road routes as much as possible in our diesel truck. We're retired and never in a hurry, hate the interstates. Our experience has been much different than you describe. I never seem to have any trouble finding diesel in the smaller out of the way towns. Seems many of the rancher/farmers in those areas drive diesel trucks. -Mark.

[Redsky]

Depending upon the terrain and the amount of wind blowing my MPG with the diesel engine varies from 9.5 to 13.5 MPG. I have to plan on 9.5 MPG as we go where AAA does not, nor is there cell phone reception much of the time.

I am planning a trip to Glacier NP via eastern CA, eastern OR, Idaho, and western Montana. These areas have few people, few towns, and few gas stations, much less gas stations with diesel. It stands to reason that when you are in states where the total population is much less than for many cities San Jose, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Boston, Phoenix) that there will be fewer gas stations that can sell enough fuel to stay in business.

It is different on major interstates that support the trucking industry. If you don't mind doing all your traveling on the interstates and only going where they go then it is true that one can find diesel. But that is one heck of a limitation in the western states.

I have a diesel truck now but my next truck will definitely have a gas engine (and 4.10 gears).

[Bigfootchevy]

Just got the new prices from GM for the 2015 Diesel engine and transmission in Canada.

LML ENGINE, 6.6L V8 DURAMAX DIESEL $9,670.00

MW7 TRANSMISSION, 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC, ALLISON $1,445.00

So I guess when I stated $10,000 I was a little bit off

Paul

[tdium]

Own at diesel?

In Buffalo:

Cheapest gas 3.52
Cheapest diesel 4.30
I pay 22% more for diesel.

Now, if you had bought a diesel a few years ago (like me) the cost relationship was reversed. If gas cost 3.52 then diesel was at least 10% less remember?

In 2014 I have ended up paying 4.30 v. old days 3.17 for my diesel...a massive 36% increase!!

The oil companies are doing everything to stifle the use of consumer level diesel cars to maximize their profits. Diesel is less profitable.

I'm now happily camping in my gas truck.Love it. Smells good too.

If auto manufacturing was truly free enterprise and not an oil company/union/government monopoly, Moores Law would have had us driving our trucks with vastly improved power sources not using a drop of oil.

Morgan Chevalier.

[JumboJet]

If you cant find a station with diesel, look for a farm tractor, dozer, grader, backhoe, etc. NOT to siphon and steal, but to know that someone is supplying diesel fuel close by.