brooks379 wrote:
Can you use a rock to pound a nail into a wall stud ? Sure can but a hammer is the right tool for the job.
Can you use a butter knife to screw in a screw ? Sure can but a screw driver is the right tool for the job.
Can you pull a big 5er with a gas motor ? Sure can but a diesel with all it's torque and power is the right tool for the job.
Especially when you are running around the west coast in 100+ degree temps. and pulling long, steep grades.
The new diesel trucks cost more but one thing is for certain when you are loaded down on a long trip you can leave your worries as far as your equipment home when your 5er is hooked to a high torque diesel !! Ever see any of the guys towing 5er's , TT or any other type of trailer for a living using anything but a diesel pickup ?
Good luck with what ever you decide to get.
ronharmless wrote:
Most people use their truck less than 10 percent of the time towing, and use it 90 percent of the time for commuting. What makes sense when your using your truck to make a living pulling trailers may be way different then what makes sense when your using your truck for commuting and once in a while pulling your trailer.
Will the diesel perform better than a gasser when pulling a heavy load? Yes.
But, for a guy like me, and ronharmless, the gas engine made more sense. The diesels I had made me freeze every day on my commute to work in the winter. They just started blowing heat and I'd shut the engine off. I don't think the thermostat opened all winter.
My gasser never got hot while pulling grades, even in hot weather. I didn't have to concern myself with DEF or a clogged DPF. Just oil changes and filling the gas tank.
That and the 8-10k I saved getting the gas engine allowed me to get a fully loaded truck.
Also, when I really thought about how often the trailer was hitched up, it was about 5-7 days a year. Sure we went camping for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, but we pulled a day or two to the mountains, set up and then used the truck for sightseeing and adventures. Then pull the Rv a day or two home. If I was travelling all over the Country or full time RVing, the diesel would have made more sense. But for me, 95% of the time, the truck was a family vehicle and had nothing hitched behind it.
To each their own.
