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

[Less_Stuff]

This three story tall 2 cycle diesel engine might satisfy truck camper power requirements.

Just think you could have a three story tall nine slide camper.
Or even a ship connected to it.
Might even make a buck hauling freight on the side.

Diesel rules!


largest diesel

[TomG2]

deltabravo wrote:

TomG2 wrote:
I am curious as to why the diesel proponents feel compelled to preach the benefits of their Super Max, Super Duty, or Ram diesel fueled pickups.

We are preaching it because people are asking for our opinion.

Never heard of a Super Max truck though.

DuraMax, Super Duty, Ram, whatever, the names sound more like a male enhancement ad than simple fuel differences. Most of us know how to choose a vehicle, without being preached to.

[deltabravo]

TomG2 wrote:
I am curious as to why the diesel proponents feel compelled to preach the benefits of their Super Max, Super Duty, or Ram diesel fueled pickups.

We are preaching it because people are asking for our opinion.

Never heard of a Super Max truck though.

[TomG2]

I am curious as to why the diesel proponents feel compelled to preach the benefits of their Super Max, Super Duty, or Ram diesel fueled pickups. GM also produces Cadillac's, Corvette's, and Corvair's (at least they used to). Looks like there are plenty of choices for all without all the "My way is the best and only way to go" comments. There must be more to this than simply which fuel pump they use?

[Farmerjon]

Sheriffdoug wrote:
Gas is never in my equation.

Newer Diesels. - Better Burn,
Better economy, 15-40%,
More consistent power band,
Depending of Diff Ratio, Better high End Toque & TakeOff With A Load,
Very Quiet Under Load

New Gasser - Poor economy Under Load,
Noisy Under Load,
Fuel Consumption Accelerates Under Load,
More Workload On Gearbox,
Gas Engines Struggles At Speed With Load To Pass Other Vehicles,
Overheats In Hot Weather, Under Load,

Gas Engines are for Cars & Light Sports Vehicles.

Diesel Engines Are For Loads, And Hard Work.

Interstate Heavy Haulage & Semi's Are All Diesel, Not Gas!

If you Want a Sports Truck, Get Gas, but Use It without a Load, as under load, at speed,

IT'S GUTLESS!!!!

I Wouldn't Have A Mustang With A Diesel Engine, SO, Don't Put Gasser In Your Truck!

Each Has It's Own Uses!

X2

[Sheriffdoug]

Gas is never in my equation.

Newer Diesels. - Better Burn,
Better economy, 15-40%,
More consistent power band,
Depending of Diff Ratio, Better high End Toque & TakeOff With A Load,
Very Quiet Under Load

New Gasser - Poor economy Under Load,
Noisy Under Load,
Fuel Consumption Accelerates Under Load,
More Workload On Gearbox,
Gas Engines Struggles At Speed With Load To Pass Other Vehicles,
Overheats In Hot Weather, Under Load,

Gas Engines are for Cars & Light Sports Vehicles.

Diesel Engines Are For Loads, And Hard Work.

Interstate Heavy Haulage & Semi's Are All Diesel, Not Gas!

If you Want a Sports Truck, Get Gas, but Use It without a Load, as under load, at speed,

IT'S GUTLESS!!!!

I Wouldn't Have A Mustang With A Diesel Engine, SO, Don't Put Gasser In Your Truck!

Each Has It's Own Uses!

[deltabravo]

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
Is that the next town over from flatsville ? ?

Yep. LOL.

Someone mentioned earlier about a diesel truck not necessarily being something that would save a person money in the long run. That is very true for a truck that doesn't get used regularly.

Too may people try to over-think the economics of buying a diesel compared to gas.

Me? I bought one so I'd have plenty of power to do what I need a truck to do. I don't care about the "economics" of what makes the most sense financially, because I'm in a position of not needing to over-think it and try to justify one option or another when it comes to a truck. Most people that buy diesel truck say they will never go back to a gasser. I'm one of those. So is my brother, so is my dad. Between the 3 of us, we own 4 Duramax trucks: 2 2006s, a 2008 and a 2009.

[1stgenfarmboy]

Is that the next town over from flatsville ? ?

[trail-explorer]

If I lived in Flatistan, I'd be fine with a gasser.

[Less_Stuff]

valhalla360 wrote:

In rural areas, where there may only be one or two stations around, they almost always have diesel.

I'm in the camp that says diesel doesn't make sense if you are JUST hauling a camper around but to say diesel doesn't make sense because it's hard to find, is just silly.

Key word in your first sentence is ALMOST.
If one has plenty of fuel all gas stations seem to have diesel.
But every time my tank was near empty none seemed to have diesel, strange how that works.
My experience had me trying to keep the tank at least half full all the time.

My diesel experience has me not wanting another because:

High purchase price.
High regular maintenance costs.
High repair costs. (New Injectors cost me $4700)
Nervous about finding fuel in the places I liked to go.
Fueling a diesel can be unpleasant for me at least.
Every pound the diesel engine weighted more than a gas engine was a pound off my trucks payload 600 - 800 lbs.
Diesel fuel can and did gel in the engine at very cold temperatures. A $500 repair for me one time.
(Note: Biodiesel is prone to this. In 2003 Chevrolet did not mention Biodiesel in the owners manual.)

But thats just silly me.
If you like, need, or want a diesel please get one and be happy.
I sure am now that I don't have one.

[valhalla360]

Redsky wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

JumboJet wrote:
New Nissan Titan - Cummins 5.0 diesel
New Toyota Tundra - Cummins 5.0 diesel
New RAM 1500 - "Italian" 3.0 diesel (8,000 first run dealer orders placed)

More cars getting diesel engines.

I might not have slept in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I surely doubt that the manufacturers and dealers would be excited to sell diesel powered vehicles if a fuel source was scarce (See CNG powered vehicles).

Proactive people plan fuel needs before they ever go on a trip. Starting in Salem, OR I traveled US20 from Albany, OR to Boise, ID in 2011 with my Lance 1050S. You can't get much more scarce towns and stops than that nearly 400 mile road. I didn't have any problems finding diesel.

Fuel source either way is a silly discussion for RV's. You can get diesel at most stations and gas trucks can cover reasonable distances.

Unless you cover insane miles and don't stop to take breaks, getting fuel and having enough range is an academic subject at best.

You cannot get diesel at most gas stations and only someone who does not get out much could be that ignorant. Take any city from San Francisco to Dallas and do a gasbuddy.com lookup for gas stations and see how long the list is for those where people have posted a price and then look at the diesel section and see how many places are shown.

My truck has a 300-360 mile range with its diesel engine depending upon the terrain and the wind conditions and the route taken. I have no way of knowing in advance whether I can get 300 miles or 360 miles so I plan on 300 miles when determining fuel stops.

Going into Glacier NP from the west I can get gas at any one of 10 stations in Whitefish but not one of them sells diesel. Going out the east side the first town is Browning where again I can get gas at any of the 3 gas stations but not a single one has diesel. If my truck used gas I would never give it a second thought but with a diesel truck I do and I go out of my way many times on trips to get diesel for the truck.

I do this when traveling and I have to do this around my house as well where it is 3 miles to 2 stations selling gas and 20 miles round trip to where I can buy diesel, not the cheapest diesel in the area either. I burn more than $10 in diesel to get to a place that sells diesel. I also get to pay $0.90 more for a gallon of diesel than I do for a gallon of regular gas.

This is a camper forum and I may be incorrect in thinking that the people who bought trucks and slide in campers did so to get off the interstates and out into the boondocks. From the emotional response I guess this was incorrect.

Apparently, I'm just ignorant and lucky.

Only place I don't see diesel is in heavily built up urban areas I occasionally come across a station that doesn't have it. Of course in those areas, there are usually lots of stations to choose from if the first one doesn't have diesel. It is sometimes a bit annoying as they usually only have 1 diesel pump and you have to wait.

In rural areas, where there may only be one or two stations around, they almost always have diesel.

I'm in the camp that says diesel doesn't make sense if you are JUST hauling a camper around but to say diesel doesn't make sense because it's hard to find, is just silly.

To the original point, I'm still saying Diesel makes sense if you are pushing above the tow ratings of the gas engines but otherwise, it makes no financial sense in today's world. (20-30yrs ago the arguement was much different)

[Buzzcut1]

What folks forget is that it is torque that will get you up the steep grades with a heavy load at Slow speeds and lower RPMs. All life is not driving down the interstates at 65mph.

[jimh406]

Yeah, back to the thread, I was looking at gas engines for my newer truck hauler, but I didn't know for sure if I wouldn't later own a fifth wheel as well. Besides, practically speaking, F-450s are pretty much impossible to find in anything other than diesel around here unless you want a cab and 4.88s.

I do know for sure that a F-450 diesel with 4.30s should handle anything I plan to own. I can't say the same for a gas truck unless I went slower and filled up every 200 miles.

I realize that most people are compromising. I'm lucky this time to go for what most would consider extreme capability.

A smaller camper, gas, short bed, supercab would be compelling as a lightweight alternative that is also good for short trips in town.

[kbaum]

brholt wrote:
Dar,

I think you are right, peoples views are colored by their past experiences. The idea that a modern 400 hp gas truck hauling a truck camper can go up an 8% grade at 65 on cruise control is just outside their experience.

Agree, gas engines have come along way and can produce lots of hp some have improved from a torque standpoint also. Torque is what is needed going up a 8% grade at 65 on the cruise control pulling a load, I imagine the 400 hp will do it however it will revving higher and shifting more often

[brholt]

Dar,

I think you are right, peoples views are colored by their past experiences. The idea that a modern 400 hp gas truck hauling a truck camper can go up an 8% grade at 65 on cruise control is just outside their experience.