Diesel or gas truck

[CAT MAN]

ok when I do get my lawn care business up and going with my two zero turns and a WB and all my blowers and weed eaters should I get a diesel or a gas truck the trailer will be a 20' or 23' enclosed trailer

Please reply

[vos]

hmmmmm are you willing to pay near $5.00 for each gallon of diesel fuel? because the point im getting at is that you can buy a diesel and get slightly better financial economy in the long run as well as performance and immediate response while driving and pulling. personally i would go with ford for body quality and diesel reliability,you could go with cummins for low end torque or chevy because of the allison and i hear their diesel is also a pulling dog. but in the long run i would go with a diesel just because of power and reliability.



cheers, landon

[SIWEL]

i own a diesel truck and want to buy a gas truck. diesel used to be worth it when you where paying 20% less for diesel and getting 20% better fuel milage. Now diesel is 60 cents more and your only getting 20% better mileage making it uneconmical. id rather have a gas truck and pay 4 bucks a gallon and get 5 miles worse a gallon then a diesel truck and pay 4.60 a gallon to only get a extra 5 or so miles to the gallon. gas all the way with the economy where it is right now.

[nosparkplugs]

Diesel, Yeah its hit $4.19G here in Memphis; however I still see fuel savings over a gasoline tuck. I just cannot see how getting worse fuel economy with a gasoline truck, and filling up more at the pump is good business?? I may spend more for diesel; but I fill up once a week to some buddies in the LC business fueling up three times a week running 3/4 ton gasburnes. Diesel truck sales are hitting all time records, supply & demand more diesel trucks= more expensive fuel. You cheap diesel haters will be the first in line for the "cheaper" diesel 1/2 tons coming in 2009

[Saltydawg]

I have the 5.4 gas engine in my f-250. Yea it's not a powerhouse pulling a loaded trailer around but it's not too shabby.
Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off with a deisel.

Then I filled up today, gas at 3.81/gallon and deisel sitting at 4.75/gallon.

I'm glad I have the gas engine.

[POPO4995]

I have both: 1 diesel, 2 gassers. The gassers will get about 10mpg pulling my dump trailer around loaded with 5K in it where my diesel will get 12-13mpg doing the same. It all depends on your personal preference really. I'm not impressed with my mpg in the diesel, I know that!:rolleyes:

[Lawnut101]

I have a 5.9 gas in my Dodge. It's got a ton of power for pulling, hauling and plowing snow. I'm planning on getting another truck in a few months and I'm thinking of going diesel, but mainly because I'd be doing commercial snow plowing and that gives you the best torque. I haven't ruled out gas yet, but we'll see. If I did get a diesel, I'd probably get a Chevy or GMC Duramax/Allison or a Ford Powerstroke.

[CAT MAN]

well ive been a diesel nut for awhile I like the chevy dmax/allison setup and my thinking is put a chip in it and staright pipe it then you can get 18-20mpg's Ive seen it. And diesel is 4.55 a gallon here in PA, All the guys I know that have a diesel with a chip arent complaining, but my uncle has just stop running his its all stock and gets at best 15mpg and a gas truck gets like 12mpgs empty so I would rather have a diesel in the long run.

Keep the comments coming.

[BigStew]

I have owned 3 diesel vehicles, GMC JIMMY and Suburban 3/4 ton, VW Jetta. I used the trucks up with over 300K on each prior to selling. The VW was sold at about 200K. When I needed a new truck I went straight back to gas. In the long run you are better off with gas. I don't think I saved any money with diesel over the life of the three I owned, initial price difference and maintenance costs eat up any mileage savings you enjoy. I towed with both trucks and got great mileage but injector pump rebuilds at $1.5K each and the cost of rebuilt injectors, along with the other diesel related problems will eat up any mileage savings IMO. Diesel is the only option for big trucks but for 1/2 to 3/4 you can't beat a good old American V/8 for reliability. It is about the total cost of ownership, not just mileage.

BigStew

[CAT MAN]

well I dont know I like the gas jobs always have and I think a 6.0vortec with 4.10 rears can pull that trailer with no prob

[Saltydawg]

If you don't routinely pull 10k lb loads you don't need the diesels.

Yes the diesels are more powerful and better suited for hauling really heavy loads but the extra cost at purchase and ridiculous price for fuel now makes them a very expensive option.

A landscape trailer with a couple mowers and trimmers is an easy pull for any 300+ horsepower gas engine.

[k911lowe]

gas has always been less expensive than diesel and the repairs on vehicles are less.they really gouge the poor guys that have diesels and if you take care of it you can get just as many miles from gas equipment.

[CAT MAN]

yea I think gas is the way to go now adays

[nosparkplugs]

If your logging long hours behind the wheel, towing or hauling over 11,00GTWR here's a good example of why diesels are better. I subcontract my lawn spraying out to a local spray company, and their running new & old gasoline & diesel NPR cab forwards. While the diesels are more expensive, the cheaper NPR with 6.0L GM Vortex is a gas guzzler, and their wishing they did not purchase the NPR gasburnes with 6.0L GM Vortex. Consequently; their going back to diesel. Maybe I am an exception to the rule; because I have had zero problems with my diesel. I invested in a dual by-pass oil filter system to virtually eliminate engine wear & oil changes, so oil maintenance for me is zero for this year!!. I had a 1999 Dodge 2500 V8 magnum that i started the business with; while I sold it to my brother with 210,115 miles, and no oil leaks or oil consumption it was struggling while towing & hauling. He loves the Dodge, and it has been put out to pasture now limited towing now. I would never go back to gasoline trucks since the switch to diesel I no longer have to worry if I can handle the weight I need to tow or haul for a job.

Point is we can go back & forth debating the diesel vs gasoline topic, and their will be no winner. IMO it's what you want, I have found that sometimes when you listen to others in this business it can be a mistake; I go against the grain according to the gasburners. Looking at my fuel records form before & after the diesel switch, their is enough of a reduction in our monthly fuel bill to make it a wise choice. With investments in Amsoil products i have further reduced oil consumption & engine wear. It took me a month to make the money back I invested in the Amsoil synthetic lubricants & dual by-pass oil filtration system FYI going on 54,500 miles without an oil change, and no oil consumption either sweat savings$$$$$

Also added a 7 quart PML Dana 70 rear differential cover with AMSOIL 75w-140 severe gear lubricant for reduced friction, heat, added fuel economy, towing power,long gear life.

[CAT MAN]

well if you dont have to change your oil for a year thats a big savings

[slowleak1]

I have owned 3 diesel vehicles, GMC JIMMY and Suburban 3/4 ton, VW Jetta. I used the trucks up with over 300K on each prior to selling. The VW was sold at about 200K. When I needed a new truck I went straight back to gas. In the long run you are better off with gas. I don't think I saved any money with diesel over the life of the three I owned, initial price difference and maintenance costs eat up any mileage savings you enjoy. I towed with both trucks and got great mileage but injector pump rebuilds at $1.5K each and the cost of rebuilt injectors, along with the other diesel related problems will eat up any mileage savings IMO. Diesel is the only option for big trucks but for 1/2 to 3/4 you can't beat a good old American V/8 for reliability. It is about the total cost of ownership, not just mileage.

BigStewyour comparing apples and oranges. and you dont take care of your truck. the ONLY way injectors/pumps go out is bad oil/fuel.most diesels, especially the cummins, can go 300K plus before any rebuilds of any parts. you take care of a diesel and it will out-do gassers any day of the week. not to mention the savings on fuel. because diesel WILL be cheaper than gas soon.

gasoline- 30 gallons at $3.60 a gallon=$108. 10 mpg=300 miles per tank, approx 36 cents per mile

diesel- 30 gallons at $4.20 a gallon=$126. 14mpg=420 miles pr tank,
approx 30 cents per mile

looks like diesel is more cost effective to me. and the 14 mpg is lower than usual....

[BillyRgn]

i pull my landscape trailer with my 2000 GMC Sierra 2500 with the 6.0 vortec and 3:73. the trailer is a 16 foot big tex with 2 exmark lazer's 60", 1 exmark metro 48", one lazer has the ultra vac, three trimmers, a push blower and two back packs, i generally get around 9 miles per gallon. i am thinking of selling it for a duramax allison. Come leaf season it gets pulled with my f-350 mason dump with the 7.3 powerstroke, the trailer also has an addittional push blower, backpack and several rakes and shovels. the truck has a 18 hp giant vac leaf sucker and a good size leaf box and i deffinatly save money in fuel. if i didn't need the dump for the landscape construction crew, i would definatly be pulling the trailer with it. i would imagin i would save even more if the dump had two less wheels in the rear and a pick up body instead of a dump body.

[06HD BOSS]

well I dont know I like the gas jobs always have and I think a 6.0vortec with 4.10 rears can pull that trailer with no prob

Thats what im running. Last week i had the truck loaded with 4 yards of mulch and pulling my 14' trailer with a Deere 4210 on it. Truck was loaded down but pulled no problem.....i wouldnt do this everyday though. :weightlifter:

[kbrashears]

i own a diesel truck and want to buy a gas truck. diesel used to be worth it when you where paying 20% less for diesel and getting 20% better fuel milage. Now diesel is 60 cents more and your only getting 20% better mileage making it uneconmical. id rather have a gas truck and pay 4 bucks a gallon and get 5 miles worse a gallon then a diesel truck and pay 4.60 a gallon to only get a extra 5 or so miles to the gallon. gas all the way with the economy where it is right now.

So where did you learn your math skills at?

[escient]

GET GAS! It's not even a discussion!

Unless you're one of the VERY rare people who will really keep the diesel for 10 years.

The average person keeps their car 3.3 years.

You're gonna pay a MINIMUM of $7000 more right off the top for a diesel. Or for a Chevy - try $8500, cuz you've also gotta buy that 'I need three ways to shift' Allison transmission, too..

So considering how much you're gonna pay right off the top for that diesel..

Here's some simple math, and I'm gonna give diesel a HUGE break here on gas mileage. And I'm only gonna price gas and diesel at .40 cents apart, which we all know diesel is more than .40 higher than gas.

Let's just say you drive 15,000 miles per year...

Diesel - average $4.20 per gallon at 25 MPG - $2,520 a year in diesel
Gas - average $3.80 per gallon at only 15 MPG - $3,800 a year in gas.

You're looking to save a whopping $1,280 a year on diesel. That would be huge right?

So considering that you paid at least $7,000 more for the diesel, it'll only take 6-7 years to get your money back from buying a diesel truck! Sounds like a winner, doesn't it?

Not to mention that your oil changes are more than twice the cost in a diesel.

Creek View is right - a couple years ago when diesel was priced like it should be - less than gas - diesels would be the way to go..

Now, unless you're pulling 10K regularly, you're better off with gas.

[CAT MAN]

well I want to keep my truck and I just drove my friends 2001 dodge quad cab long box cummins with 6 speed and I love it has lots of power, and Ive been thinking I will not get a enclosed trailer I will get a open trailer and a dump trailer want to do mulch as well so need a tractor with a bucket