gas vs. diesel hauling

[jrisingmoon]

At what weight does it simply make more sense to pull with a diesel rather than a gasser, either economically or the truck itself? I know that the engine, make, model, and rear axle matter when it comes to this but I'm not sure what else. I've heard some prefer v10s over diesels. I'd imagine v8s would make more sense than v6s for most stuff, but even v6s could pull light loads I'd imagine. What else am i missing here?

 

[bikepilot]

I think its really a matter of personal preference. I have a 2k lbs (empty) motorcycle trailer I pull. I used to pull it with a compact 1989 V6 toyota, now I pull it with a F-250. Both trucks use about the same amount of fuel, the F-250 pulls it better and has more room. The toyota was nicer to drive, less maintance and much less fidly to keep operating correctly.

 

[FULL FORCE]

I will never own a gasser again,I get 15 mpg in my 94 turbo,towing (cars) at 5500# is usually 13-14 depending on speed,I used my dads 03 dodge to have the crew cab with a hemi and it was 13 empty and 10.4 towing,no gassers for me!!

 

[jrisingmoon]

Were you hauling around 5500# in the dodge hemi?

 

[JohnBoyToo]

Although I do limited hauling....

It's ALL personal preference if you're a part time hauler...

most dezzles'll pull more weight cuz they're in stronger chassis...
but it's more of the percentage of time you're hauling than the weight... IMHO...

if u only pull once a year... no biggee.. either one...
but if you pull constantly you'll probably want the diesel...

anything in between, still your call...

I personal love the fact that a 8K bus can get 16+ mpg running around DFW

 

[NapaBavarian]

When the price of diesel was super low any truck with a diesel would pay for its self, however with the price of diesel being at or above gasoline the only real advantages of diesel are longer range on the same sized fuel tanks and more power :Sly economy is gone, it is a little less expensive per mile for fuel, but that may never make up for initial investment, the other huge advantage is off idle torque, and the diesel sound but not everyone considers the purr of a diesel to be sweet

Either fuel will get you there, but gasoline will always be inferior because I said so!

 

[RKOCH]

Diesel is more than gas out there?? Around here diesel is .50 cent cheaper than reg gas. Diesel has always been the cheaper fuel around here.

 

[jrisingmoon]

Do you live in the country RKOCH?

 

[RKOCH]

Not really I live in the most populated area in SE VA. During the winter it went up as much as premium. but in the summer it is always cheaper.

 

[NapaBavarian]

Diesel is more than gas out there?? Around here diesel is .50 cent cheaper than reg gas. Diesel has always been the cheaper fuel around here.

Ship me a tank truck right now it is hanging with mid grade gasoline, it has been 30-40 pennies above premium

 

[jrisingmoon]

I was near the Georgia-Alabama line a few months ago and diesel was ~$0.30 cheaper out there than in the Atlanta suburbs. It was country so I figured that was the reason for the lower prices.

 

[RKOCH]

No wonder you guys complain about fuel milage out west if you are paying that much for diesel. I just checked the station @ the end of my street and it was $2.61 and reg was $2.99 not quite .50 cent but still cheaper.
Thank God for Bio Diesel. I think I will keep homebrewing. The last time I bought diesel it was a $1.50 gal and I thought that was outrageous that is when I started homebrewing.

 

[tgatch]

Cheapest Diesel here in the Boise area is $3.18. I'm gonna make a batch of bio out of some left over fryer oil I have here as a test. I'm reading it is less than a buck a gallon to make. Might see how that goes

Back to the topic. An 8.1 from GM or the V-10 from Ford will pull just as well as a diesel. Anyone that says different hasn't driven them, or they are at much higher altitudes. So weight isn't that much of an issue, save for the Tow Boss option from Ford. Problem is 8.1s and V-10s are single digit MPG in city driving, and almost never see double digit towing.

So when does it make sense to choose gas over diesel? If it is a second or third vehicle that is solely used to tow, and then your towing is limited to a few hundred miles once or twice a month.

When does it make sense to choose a diesel? When it is your daily driver like mine is. Or if there is a trailer back there more than there isn't.

At least that is how I would look at it.

 

[Full Monte]

If gassers were better at towing/hauling, commercial trucks would all run them.

 

[tgatch]

Let's take a look at GM's 8.1. It is making 400lbs-ft @ about 1100 to a Peak of 450@3200 back down to 400lbs-ft @ 4500 RPMS. 3400 RPMS of above 400lbs-ft. Not many Stock diesel pickups are over 400lbs-ft for 3400 RPMs.

The current Duramax Gives you 400lbs-ft@about 1100 RPMs up to its peak of 605 @1600 and the graph ends at 3000 RPMs @ about 540lbs-ft. So 1900 RPMs of usable range.

The Cummins is a little broader but still about 2,000RPMs. And similar for the current Powerstroke.

It's not a matter of which will pull better... Which one will pull the miles more economically? Where the diesel really hands Gas its butt is in the economics of driving a ton of miles. So why are all the big rigs diesel? Mileage and longevity, pure and simple economics.