Diesel truck with best MPG

[Diamondpilot]

Chris, you realize when you make a post like this its like your saying it costs 10 times as much to maintain a diesel as it does a gas engine. My guess is if the difference was on twice as much, everyone would dump their diesels. I'm talking ag tractors, over the road semi's, constructions equipment, light trucks, everything would switch to gas engines. I'm sure you realize that's not going to happen. Just a guess on my part, but if you take the identical piece of equipment, truck, car, heavy equipment, ag tractor you name it, and the only difference is a gas or diesel engine, the total operating cost is going to come out within 10% of each other, and it will favor the diesel engine. Take the long term cost into account, it would almost always favor the diesel the harder the engine is worked. How can you compare the maintenance cost of a Ford F150 to that of a F550? It would be like me comparing the operating of my Kubota BX2350 to that of a Cat D8 dozier. If I here another post about how Dodge builds junk trucks with a good engine, I'll loose my lunch. Any body with an open mind knows all the big three have been making good trucks for several years.

I said unscheduled maintaince. Do you truly believe a company that size does not track cost? Simple fact is the diesels are worked harder, I agree with that.

The other fact is when they break its more expensive. I'm not a diesel hater, I have one, and yes it's more expensive. The problem is it's needed. Not going to pull a 16,000# load with a gas motor comfortably.

$2000 a year is not that much work. I've seen brake jobs cost nearly that.

Chris

 

[kevin37b]

IT must be winter in pissing match county ?

 

[dodge man]

But when they break does it have anything to do with the fact its a diesel? Is the $2000 a year strictly because its a diesel or because its a heavy duty truck and worked harder?

I think people get confused when they read your posts. They keep reading on how much more you say it costs to operate a diesel when in reality the extra cost is often about it being a heavy duty truck that are often worked harder.

I sit here and think about what would cost more to fix on my Cummins if it broke down. Turbo? Ecoboosts have two of them. The injectors cost more? A lot of the new gas motors are now direct injection, I'm sure their injectors cost more than they used to. I have a CP3 pump, that costs more? I read about people running the original CP3 with several hundred thousands of miles. Filters and more oil? At the most, that's going to be about $70 per year. So where is the actual higher cost of diesel maintenance at?

I'm not promoting a diesel engine over a gas engine. I'm just saying from the maintenance point of view, not that big of a difference. The big killer now isn't the fact that the price of diesel has risen lately, but the fact of gas having dropped a lot but diesel hasn't. In my town, the difference is about $1.30 a gallon, and that's too much of a difference for a diesel to make it up. Is this price difference a long term trend? I think not, but who knows.

 

[kevin37b]

Hydrostat vs gear , turfs or ags , chains or not syn or dino , blondes or brunettes , ford dodge or gm loader or plow loaded tires or chains HASH BROWNS OR FRENCH FRIES ,scrambled eggs or over easy We just dropped off a bunch of surplus toys and surplus clothes at the local center . Get off your *** and quit stroking yourself and your BIG truck . MERRY CHRISTMAS .

 

[Loadstar]

If I hear another post about how Dodge builds junk trucks with a good engine, I'll loose my lunch. Any body with an open mind knows all the big three have been making good trucks for several years.

"Look on the bright side, you've got one Cummins to help tow that fleet of Fords home."

What's that stone thrower hahaha
I have some old shirts I snagged holes in on rusted out dodge fenders while wrenching on their mighty cummins I can send you to mop up your lost lunch with.

 

[buickanddeere]

Dodge man. How can you lump light duty service in with light duty service for gas vs diesel? Gas wins in light duty and diesel wins in heavy duty.

 

[dodge man]

I don't think I did try and lump them together. DP made a post a few pages back about how his companies mechanics said it was cheaper to maintain their gas trucks vs the diesel trucks. It sounds like their gas trucks are F150's and the diesels F350's and F450's. My comments were directed at this post and I was saying you can't compare the heavier duty truck maintenance and the lighter duty ones.

 

[Degolyerent]

I will keep my 12v Cummins and my 7.3 Ford as the new diesels are to costly to buy and maintain.
John

 

[doxford jim]

Yup, my '86 IH 6.9 diesel with after market turbo does just fine for it's intended purpose. My '02 5.9 Cummins 24v engine does just fine for it's intended purposes.
Both trucks have rust and both trucks work hard.
New trucks nice but expensive and repairs not cheap these days.
As far as the diesel with best mpg - I read that the Ford Ranger with manual transmission and little diesel engine got great mileage (55mpg ?) but you needed all day to get where you were going.
I don't think there really is one as there are too many hardware variables and too many biases.
Thanks.

 

[aczlan]

As far as the diesel with best mpg - I read that the Ford Ranger with manual transmission and little diesel engine got great mileage (55mpg ?) but you needed all day to get where you were going.

I have a friend who had a VW Diesel Rabbit pickup with a 4 or 5 speed stick and it would get up and go till about 65. Then it ran out of steam and wouldn't go any faster.

Aaron Z