Why diesel trucks?

[Gjac]

Judging from my other two posts a lot of folks that responded drive DRW diesel trucks to carry the heavier multi slide campers. I understand the DRW for heavier payload but why diesel? Just looking at Fords web site the gas models have a greater payload capacity than diesel models, I am guessing because they are lighter. I am trying not to have to buy a DRW diesel to use just when camping a few weeks out of the year. Is there another reason to buy a diesel truck such as durability that drives this decision.

[valhalla360]

azdryheat wrote:
If gas engines were so awesome wouldn't they be in the larger motorhomes? It's all about torque, which gas engines can't deliver on.

Except the driving force behind the big heavy duty engines is commercial fleets. RV's just utilize whatever is built for them because they aren't a big enough market to justify an RV specific engine.

Commercial trucks are typically heavier and more importantly, they do anywhere from 30-100k miles per year. They choose diesel due to fuel efficiency primarily (doubly so 30yr ago when diesel was 30% less per gallon)

You can build a gas engine that will have the power and longevity of a diesel but there is no market for it because diesels save money on fuel for commercial operators...of course the typical RV doing something on the order of 2-10k miles per year will never get that benefit.

For a truck camper not towing a boat or similar...as mentioned, a gas V6 is plenty of power. Without some other justification, it's mostly about ego.

[bighatnohorse]

For a few weeks of camper use per year, gas is the way to go.
If you do thousands of miles hauling a camper year after year, maybe never taking the camper off, diesel is the way to go.

Why? It's that hay hauling truck creeping up grade ahead of you - about a quarter mile ahead and doing 15 miles per hour. You see the highway narrows to one lane ahead due to construction.

Do you want to fall in behind the hay hauler at 15 miles per hour for the next 15 miles of uphill grade? Or do you want to pass before the lane narrows?

Diesel will do it. Gas, maybe if it doesn't throw a rod.

[mountainkowboy]

Some people like nuts and some don't, purdy simple

[deltabravo]

Diesel - because I haul the camper AND tow.... usually about 3500+ lbs of trailer.

[pira114]

Another aspect is longevity. Even though diesels have been "ruined" in my mind, they still last easily three times as long as gassers with regular maintenance. My old pre turbo naturally aspirated 7.3 is still running tip top. Since 1992. It won't produce the HP or Torque that a new diesel will, or even not as much as the gas version did back then.

But it'll keep doing it forever. Those old diesels, you'd never get their first, but you'd always get there. Newer diesels are laiden with **** they don't need, but are still far more likely to hit 800,000 miles than any gasser I've ever heard of.

[BradW]

GeoBoy wrote:
With the new gasoline engines coming from Ford, Ram and GM there is no real need to have a diesel engine just to haul a TC. If you plan on towing a large trailer then a diesel may be the better choice.

I agree with that. My last four trucks have been diesels, but a big block gas motor would work just fine for just a T/C and no trailer or a lite weight trailer.

[Kayteg1]

This is old family story, but still applies.
When my oldest son was on his last college year, I had nice Mercedes diesel who I wanted to sell. The older diesel did not have the performance newer do, but still back in 1990's 112HP car was delivering 35 mpg.
So I offer the car to my son, who politely declined the offer saying "Mercedes are for old people" and bought Mitsubishi 3000 with his own money (red, sport car).
So Christmas time few months later and son come home for visit. He ask me if he can take my Mercedes for night out with his HS friends.
I agree on the condition that he will fill it up.
So following morning we are all in the car going to Church and I see fuel gauge at 1/2, so ask my son if he fill it up day before.
"I did" was his answer and at that moment I figured out he filled it up before going with his friends.
1/2 tank on that car was making over 250 miles. How many times he would have to fill up his Mitsubishi that night?

[azdryheat]

If gas engines were so awesome wouldn't they be in the larger motorhomes? It's all about torque, which gas engines can't deliver on.

[work2much]

For the first time in years I am not sure if I will go diesel again. The new power ratings for HP and TQ of the gas engines are more than my first diesel truck which did fine. We go down the road about 21k combined truck, camper, jeep. That's well within the capabilities of a strong gas engine. All but the steepest grades should be at the limit no problem.

Fuel economy on my new truck isn't great, about 10 mpg with the camper and diesel is often more expensive per gallon. All the new emissions and added power really dropped the fuel economy. At least that's what I have observed compared to our 2004 Ram CTD. Oil changes are more expensive. DEF adds costs. 2 fuel filters at regular intervals. Adding in a lower initial price of purchase and gas starts to make serious financial sense for a number of reasons.

We are thinking of a new C&C truck in 2020. Not sure what way we will go at this point. One thing I would seriously miss is the diesel exhaust brake.

[mbloof]

Coming from a under powered 5.8L gas truck, I was not convinced that the modern 6.2L gas trucks would perform all that much better than what I already had. As an example with the camper on I had ~200-225 mile range with 34 gallons of gas.

As it ended up the decision came down to special order a truck or buy the last one off the lot. Around my area, all the dealers lots were chock full of Crew cab short bed trucks, but it was a challenge to actually find a super cab truck with a long bed. Since I was already leaning diesel it was a no brainer that the last super cab Ford in my area was a 6.7L PSD.

Personally, I like the power and fuel economy.

- Mark0.

[burningman]

Gas trucks do not have more useable payload.
The extra weight of a diesel engine is all on the front.
The camper weight all goes on the rear.

[jim223]

It's all about the mountains for me. My experiences towing through the Rockies and Sierra Nevada mountains has been lackluster at best with a gasoline engine. For me, a diesel is well worth the expense and reduced payload for these situations.

[Lantley]

You buy a diesel for the performance. THe diesel makes it power at lower RPM's.
In the end the diesel is providing more low end torque/power creating a more relaxed experience. The engine is not spinning as fast or revving as loud vs. a gasser. The transmission is not shifting or searching for the right gear.
The diesel is simply more capable when at the extremes.
If your only towing a few times a year on flat ground a gasser will be OK.
However if you tow regularly especially in hilly or mountainous terrain you will want a diesel.
The big three will all have a larger gas motor in 2020 which may change the equation going forward

[GeoBoy]

With the new gasoline engines coming from Ford, Ram and GM there is no real need to have a diesel engine just to haul a TC. If you plan on towing a large trailer then a diesel may be the better choice.

[Area13]

I bought an older low mileaged mint DRW to haul my beast around for less than 1/3rd of what a new one costs. Not many if any older Ford DRW gassers around, so diesel it was. Pretty much a diesel only game with Ford F350 DRW’s in any year really. I have a company rig I make my living in, hard to justify a new deticated camper/boat hauler with a few beer runs sprinkled in for around 4k miles a year. BTW, my work telco rig is a gas powered V10 2017 F450 DRW. I get 6-7 mpg. Glad I don’t pay that gas bill! My Diesel with the camper on it gets double that and the power is nice to have.