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Purchasing a diesel pickup.

UncleTom

UncleTom

Well-known Member
The post below about purchasing a diesel pickup made me want to post this. I see in my town people that start a mowing buisness get a 16 ft trailer and a lawn mower and get into mowing lawns. Most of them run out and buy a Duramax to pull the trailer. Yes i dont know there whole story on there operation. Dont get me wrong. We had a Duramax at work and i loved the power and the engine brake function. Had a guy in town that has a tree service and bought a brand new Dodge cummins 70k diesel. Never had it a week and put DEF in the fuel tank at a truck stop. It started running bad. It cost 11k to fix it. His insurance company paid for it. My question is is at what point should you buy a diesel. It seems to be a luxury.
 
Today's medium size trucks with gas engines have pretty strong engine braking when the automatic transmission is set in TOW mode. When braking the transmission down shifts much quicker in TOW mode.
 
For heavy towing you can't beat a diesel, for up to 10,000# a gas engine is cheaper to operate and will do just fine in my opinion, I have owned diesels for the last 20 years and enjoy the power and stability over the smaller trucks (1/2 ton) but the upkeep is only justified on heavy hauling.
 
(quoted from post at 11:33:16 04/30/22) The post below about purchasing a diesel pickup made me want to post this. I see in my town people that start a mowing buisness get a 16 ft trailer and a lawn mower and get into mowing lawns. Most of them run out and buy a Duramax to pull the trailer. Yes i dont know there whole story on there operation. Dont get me wrong. We had a Duramax at work and i loved the power and the engine brake function. Had a guy in town that has a tree service and bought a brand new Dodge cummins 70k diesel. Never had it a week and put DEF in the fuel tank at a truck stop. It started running bad. It cost 11k to fix it. His insurance company paid for it. My question is is at what point should you buy a diesel. It seems to be a luxury.
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y car is diesel (VW Jetta), my truck is diesel (Dodge/Cummins), my tractor is diesel (Kubota B7200). I like diesels. But I think it's getting a lot tougher to justify the extra cost. Modern gas pickups are more fuel efficient than ever, and last almost as long as a diesel. I think the only advantage today is if you need the extra power.
 
Diesels are more expensive but when you need power, they have excelled. Therefore I use them for the power. When I dont need power I use something else.
 
(quoted from post at 08:33:16 04/30/22) The post below about purchasing a diesel pickup made me want to post this. I see in my town people that start a mowing buisness get a 16 ft trailer and a lawn mower and get into mowing lawns. Most of them run out and buy a Duramax to pull the trailer. Yes i dont know there whole story on there operation. Dont get me wrong. We had a Duramax at work and i loved the power and the engine brake function. Had a guy in town that has a tree service and bought a brand new Dodge cummins 70k diesel. Never had it a week and put DEF in the fuel tank at a truck stop. It started running bad. It cost 11k to fix it. His insurance company paid for it. My question is is at what point should you buy a diesel. It seems to be a luxury.
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mvphoto91509.jpg
 
IF... you pull over 10k to 35k trailer loads, a diesel will do it better. But at the cost, you need to be pulling often. It drives me crazy to see the guys pulling a 10 ft trailer with a f350, or even worse using a hd diesel as a daily driver. Then there are they guys who jack em up, put crazy rims and tires on them and huge, loud stereo systems with glow lights underneath. Luckily, I can afford a daily driver, a passat tdi diesel that gets 46.5 lifetime average mpgs (and getting better) and keep my big truck for hauling hay, tractors and cattle with farm plates on it and my trailers. My 2013 f350 now has 48k on the clock and its mpg's are moving up a bit. I hope it will be the last one I buy. It only moves,,, to pull a trailer. Each to their own.
 
In Michigan, landscapers seem to opt for gas 3/4 ton pickups rather than diesels. It makes sense, given that most of these trucks are used to plow snow in the winter; between salt spreader-induced body rot and drivetrain abuse, few of these trucks last long enough to wear out even a gasoline engine, let alone a diesel.
 
Granted the towing advantage, but diesel just hit $6.00 a gallon here. I'd have to be in the hotshot LTL business to make that pencil out.
 
At the bottom of the sign it says 2.39 with what looks like a picture of a soft drink and a cheeseburger, that would be a very good meal deal here.
 
(reply to post at 09:11:43 04/30/22)
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Mrs B&D has a GMC 1500 4x4 crew cab with the Max Trailering option and the 6.2 . 8000-9000lbs on the trailer and it keeps up with the left Lane traffic on hills without being flooded . Doesnt sway or wonder either . Able to park in underground garages where 3/4 tons scrape the roof .
Contrary to the story the diesel owners like to tell . The gas engine is not going to wear out or blowup while turning 3500rpm on a hill .
 
In my area, is what I am seeing, is people getting the diesel pick-ups, that don't even have the lawn mowing business. Just getting a diesel over the gas, because that's what they think they ought to have.

I'm venturing a guess here, that people in your area would of gotten a diesel anyways. The lawn mowing business, is just something they happen to do with it. That part, didn't matter. They were going to get a diesel anyways. Now they can feel like a MIGHTY TRUCKER when they pull up to the diesel pumps. Lawn mower trailer hooked on the back, OR NOT.


Diesel engines in pick-ups have come along ways in the last 20 years. They sure are delivering a lot more responsive torque to the ground. A lot more responsive than they did before, in my opinion.

But bottom line, I think it is still smart to only get one, if you can justify having one. That's the surprising thing to me. People seem to be getting them, with no justification.

This is coming from a guy (myself), who recently bought a used pick-up. I do SOME trailer pulling (20 ft. cattle trailer). And I got a GAS, not a diesel. I don't need to look cool every time I pull up to the diesel pumps, no more trailer pulling than I do. And this gas one that I got, will handle that 20 ft. cattle trailer just fine. I have insurance for those stupid people that pull out in front of me. Not gonna be needing any extra engine braking for that.
 
The Russel is doing ok!
cvphoto124386.png


Ive had two 6.0s and an 8.1. The 8.1 will pass anything but a gas station. Im no longer a 20 year old boy that needs a step ladder to get my girlfriends into a Dirtymax so I stick to gassers.
 
I purchased my 1st and only Ram diesel in 2014. It had excellent pulling power. But not that much more then the Hemi it replaced.
Now being retired I realized that I just dont need that big truck anymore. So a year ago I downsized to a Tacoma. Although its small bed creates some hassles I compensate for that with a trailer. I got more for the diesel then the Tacoma cost.
And at this point I couldnt be happier with my decision.
 
Interesting!
Here in the UK there is no option to buy a gas pick up - they do not exist, and would have to be imported privately.
Pity, perhaps, as diesel has now hit an all time record price of 1.79 pounds per litre ($8.52 per US gallon) at my local gas station - much more expensive now than gas at 1.55 pounds per litre ($7.38 per US gallon). And there are still no viable electric pick-ups in sight..... Jim
PS the YT board will not accept the keyboard symbol for 'pounds' Curious.....
 
(quoted from post at 12:16:47 04/30/22) At the bottom of the sign it says 2.39 with what looks like a picture of a soft drink and a cheeseburger, that would be a very good meal deal here.
Click to expand...

Small Coffee and a muffin .
 
I see similar actions by lawncare guys and contractors here also. All that is real nice, except the payment book that comes with it. I cut yards and general contracting with a 2001 Chevy, 1992 F350, and 15 year old mowers. I keep them running and dont have any payments. That allows me to work when I want to, not because I have to.
 
I bought my first ram diesel 9 years ago it's a 2011. I had been very careful pulling heavy loads with the 1500 dodges with 5.9 engines plenty of power and I always made sure the trailer brakes were doing their job. I'm still careful with the diesel, now the steering wheel doesn't have deep finger marks on it and the springs aren't bottomed out or broke. Now the only time I have an issue is if I don't quite get the load as balanced as it should be. I pull a 25' gn deckover and some farm machinery around. I'm at the point in life where I want work to go easier even if it takes a little extra money.
 
Diesels get decent fuel mileage if you want to ride around in one for a car. Pulling heavy loads, my experience has been 1 mpg less with a gasser. Id give a nod to the power and engine brake if you are hauling loads in the mountains. Where I am at what we call a hill, most people call an overpass.

Considering the cost of maintenance, and the cost of fuel at the moment, gas looks pretty good.
 
I drive school bus for sports trips. I was at an out of town track meet with several other schools involved, so quite a few busses there. Talking to another driver and he had a new Navistar bus with a gas engine in it. He been driving it since Sept of 2021 when it was new. He says it pulls as good as a diesel and starts at -20 with no block heater. The engine is made by a company that makes race car engines, the driver said his company has a few LP busses too.
DWF
 
It's a free country, who cares how someone spends their hard earned money? Only person it has to make sense to is the purchaser. Luxury to you is a necessity to another. My great grandparents thought indoor plumbing was a luxury, bet none of you would go without that, even though it would be cheaper.
 
. Was that a carbureted 454 up to 1986?
An injected L19 454 from 1987-1994 ?
Or the 1996-2001 454 that was called the 7400 Vortec ?
How about a comparison to both your 454 and your F550 diesel to the 2020 and later L8T direct injected 6.6 gas .
 
Small coffee and a plain muffin is being advertised . Every morning the old coots are lined up at the door waiting for the McDonalds to open . They sit in there for hours .
 
> Prius repellant.

Rolling coal will repel pretty much any car driven by a young lady. Makes you wonder what these yokels are trying to accomplish.
 
I saw this ad yesterday in our local Facebook market place....'22 Ford f350 King Ranch with every option, 6.7 diesel, 13k miles, 4wd, great condition, $115k firm. Looking to upgrade!
 
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