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

[JumboJet]

valhalla360 wrote:

If you just love the rumble and black smoke of a diesel,.....

If only my diesel would roll some black smoke! With all the pollution control excess equipment, I can't even blacken the inside of my exhaust pipe!

I did notice after a 4,200 mile trip, the back of my TC had some soot on it!

[Mello_Mike]

Bigfootchevy wrote:
The Pros & Cons of why we love our diesels:

- Too bad it comes with a $10k premium on the purchase, fuel costs 15-20% higher per gallon and when it does break it's going to be expensive.

- payload penalty of almost 1000 lbs.

- For a Cummins 6.7L diesel, the cost is $7,995.

- The payload penalty is actually more like 500 lbs.

[Bigfootchevy]

The Pros & Cons of why we love our diesels:

- Too bad it comes with a $10k premium on the purchase, fuel costs 15-20% higher per gallon and when it does break it's going to be expensive.

- once you have experienced the many advantages of diesel...it is hard to consider gas again

- gas engines are lighter and the extra power of a diesel is not needed for the lighter truck campers.

- diesel is better in mountain areas and under a load.

- diesel gets better fuel mileage, but has long term cost, plus buying new is expensive.

- oil changes more expensive, plus DeF for newer trucks.

- Higher resale value.

- diesel gives you the extra power merging onto the highway.

- payload penalty of almost 1000 lbs.

- extra price of diesel trucks

- lifetime warranty.

[jimh406]

I have a diesel. When I bought it, I was justifying it to future proof and there are almost no gasoline engine trucks in my area. The problem is diesels don't do excel for short distances and barely driving them. 🙂 I agree that the difference in diesel prices compared to regular makes up for the mileage differances. I have to say it is nice having a long range though. I'm currently looking at gas engines in my next truck, but I would consider a diesel as well.

[valhalla360]

stickbowjoe wrote:
I'm not certain of this, and I'm too lazy to review the whole thread, but as I recall, not a single person has asserted that a gasoline engine is a better truck engine, strictly from a "get the job done" standpoint, than a diesel engine.

Huh. 'Magine that.

Joe

Too bad it comes with a $10k premium on the purchase, fuel costs 15-20% higher per gallon and when it does break whoa nelly it's gonna be expensive.

No one is going to argue that the specs say the current model diesels have more torque than the gas engines that were purposely not designed to compete with the diesels, so it's only stating the obvious that the diesel has more capability.

There no technolgical reason, you can't build a gas engine that will hold it's own towing and durability wise with a diesel but for decades the lower fuel consumption and lower per gallon prices drove heavy trucking to diesels. Now it's become dogma that only a diesel can do heavy duty towing, so they don't even try to put out a gas engine that will keep up with the diesels (look at all the pushback ford got for the turbo V6 when dogma said you need a V8).

If you look at it logically, for hauling around a 2-3,000lb truck camper, there is no logical reason to select a diesel.

If you just love the rumble and black smoke of a diesel, it's an emotional choice and which is the better option on a factual basis is irrelevant. And that's OK, on a purely logical basis, it would be far cheaper to drive an econobox and stay in a hotel.

[stickbowjoe]

I'm not certain of this, and I'm too lazy to review the whole thread, but as I recall, not a single person has asserted that a gasoline engine is a better truck engine, strictly from a "get the job done" standpoint, than a diesel engine.

Huh. 'Magine that.

Joe

[work2fish]

Really no comparison from my limited experience. I bought my first diesel last summer after driving gas F-150s for 15 years. At this point I am just hauling the boat around until I get a truck camper, but there is no comparison. Set the cruise on 70 and go up and down hills, even in the mountains, without realizing that the boat is back there. The only downsides are the cost of fuel and oil changes. You will have to also learn a new way of driving given all that torque.

[Butch50]

billtex wrote:
Yeah...once you have experienced the many advantages of diesel...it is hard to consider gas again.
This is our first diesel. It has been a real eye opener.
I can't see having a gas truck again.
In fact, I can see all of our cars being diesel also going forward. Waiting for diesel Jeep for DW!

Bill

You don't have to wait for the diesel Jeep. When we bought our 2014 Grand Cherokee in December they had the 3.0 diesels on the lot. We considered it but with no more miles than we drive it just didn't make sense plus my wife wouldn't like fueling up at the diesel pump with the smell. She doesn't care if I have a diesel as I fill it up all the time and she doesn't have to. 🙂

[Mello_Mike]

Charlie D. wrote:

Mello Mike wrote:

Charlie D. wrote:
I believe that drive trains with a lifetime warranty is a myth as is any engine other than the one per state. I have done some research and can not find that info. anywhere.

Wow, some folks are difficult to convince. Here's the link: Warranty Forever Program

So now we are talking about a lifetime warranty from a dealership and not the Big Three. From a previous post you stated that one dealership per state is allowed to offer a lifetime warranty backed by the dealer. You also stated that the drive train already comes with a lifetime warranty. If one looks at the definition of a drive train warranty it includes the engine. Is that also backed by the dealer?

Yes, and I get that warranty anywhere in the US.

[billtex]

Yeah...once you have experienced the many advantages of diesel...it is hard to consider gas again.
This is our first diesel. It has been a real eye opener.
I can't see having a gas truck again.
In fact, I can see all of our cars being diesel also going forward. Waiting for diesel Jeep for DW!

Bill

[Bigfootchevy]

First let me thank everyone who shared their opinions. It made for great reading and very interesting with all the different points of view.

When I wrote this post I was in Canada. Tonight I am in Florida and their is a big difference in the price of gas and diesel between Canada and the U.S., which favours my American friends. But after driving down here and paying the road tolls you start to wonder what the real difference is.

Regardless of the brand, which I am very glad we didn't get into in this post, it looks like most people agree a diesel is the way to go for truck campers. But I must say, some people gave great answers why they prefer gas engines.

I cannot find any dealerships offering Lifetime Warranty here in Canada so I guess that means I will continue to trade in my truck before the manufacturers warranty runs out. I worked and retired from GM for over 33 years so I will likely continue to buy their trucks in the future.

I hope to order a new truck shortly and its going to be another diesel thanks to all the great opinions I got on here. I am kicking around the idea of going to a one ton dually long box, instead of the same as the one ton SRW short box I have now but that a another question, and yes its one I have asked in the past, but still think about a lot.

Paul

[Charlie_D_]

Mello Mike wrote:

Charlie D. wrote:
I believe that drive trains with a lifetime warranty is a myth as is any engine other than the one per state. I have done some research and can not find that info. anywhere.

Wow, some folks are difficult to convince. Here's the link: Warranty Forever Program

So now we are talking about a lifetime warranty from a dealership and not the Big Three. From a previous post you stated that one dealership per state is allowed to offer a lifetime warranty backed by the dealer. You also stated that the drive train already comes with a lifetime warranty. If one looks at the definition of a drive train warranty it includes the engine. Is that also backed by the dealer?

[campingken]

We have done a lot of traveling in our truck. Diesel is available at most stations but we have found that even at stations with several fuel islands usually only one or two of them have a diesel pump. Some times we have to wait because the diesel pump is blocked by someone using the adjacent gas pump (even when all other islands are empty).

[JumboJet]

billtex wrote:

Redsky wrote:
If I had it to do over I would have bought the truck with the gas engine

I go to Sears to get the best oil for the diesel engine

Jumbo,have you looked at that guys profile?
Just joined,no rig listed
Posts in every forum:a,c,tt,tc
Don't feed the troll
B

I guess you may be correct.

I have a multitude of different places to buy my engine oil if I was changing my own oil. I have never even considered Sears. Shell Rotella T can even be found everywhere.

[billtex]

JumboJet wrote:

Redsky wrote:
If I had it to do over I would have bought the truck with the gas engine and the 4.10 gears instead of the diesel engine and the 3.73 gears for the simple reason that the benefits of the extra power from the diesel are negated by the harder time it is to find diesel fuel when traveling out of town and the greater difficulty getting basic maintenance done in town.

I go to Sears to get the best oil for the diesel engine as the GM dealer only stock a second tier type. I go to the local Allison dealer to have the transmission fluid changed as the ones recommended by Allison are not stocked at the GM dealers.

Smog controls were a problem with the first gas engines with the then new catalytic converters and MAF and O2 sensors but it sorted out after a few years. With the new diesels with DPF and using DEF and NOx sensors this is new technology with new reliability problems and the dealers' mechanics are not equipped to deal with them in an efficient and cost effective manner. And this is going to be the case regardless of make for the next 3-5 years.

If you have to have the added torque of the diesel then you will deal with it as there is no choice. For hauling a camper around you do have a choice. The problem is making the decision without letting emotions enter into the process or information regarding diesel engines that is either 10 years out of date or applies to the engines used in semi's and not the ones in pickups. The Cummins engines that go into cars and pickups are very different from the ones going into a Freightliner.

I have traveled in most of the lower 48 since I bought my first diesel in 1999. Never ever had a problem finding fuel. I stay off interstates as much as possible.

Some of the Freightliners use DEF too. Explain the difference in a Cummins 6.7 and an 8.1.

Who is having major costly problems with the newer diesel's? Don't mention Ford's 6.0 or 6.4 diesel's.

Jumbo,have you looked at that guys profile?
Just joined,no rig listed
Posts in every forum:a,c,tt,tc
Don't feed the troll
B