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Old 07-19-2020, 09:13 AM   #61
travelin texans
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Originally Posted by sparky895 View Post
Just a thought on the Diesel trucks. Because of the screen installed for emissions, a short commute will not burn off the screen and could clogg up and cause major problems. They require freeway speeds on a regular basis. My father in law burned up a couple turbos in his 2008 Dodge that way.
As I mentioned earlier, I've had 2 diesels, both our only vehicle driven daily, both with over 150k miles when traded & neither ever had an issue due to short trips.
My son had a '05 Dodge that had injector problems & a Ford Excursion with the POS 6.0 that went through head gaskets, among a dozen other issues, quicker than oil changes, neither were claimed to be caused by being driven daily on short trips.
There are literally 1000s of diesels being used as daily drivers nowadays & this is the only place I've read of them having neverending mechanical issues due to this type of driving. Any vehicle with any engine can have issues at any time!
Also those that keep saying the maintenance costs are extremely high have probably never owned a later model diesel, or any diesel, say the last 10-15 years, from my experience it wasn't the case.
If you don't want a diesel, don't get one! But if towing heavy they won't be beat by any gasser by any manufacturer.
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Old 07-19-2020, 09:24 AM   #62
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As I mentioned earlier, I've had 2 diesels, both our only vehicle driven daily, both with over 150k miles when traded & neither ever had an issue due to short trips.
My son had a '05 Dodge that had injector problems & a Ford Excursion with the POS 6.0 that went through head gaskets, among a dozen other issues, quicker than oil changes, neither were claimed to be caused by being driven daily on short trips.
There are literally 1000s of diesels being used as daily drivers nowadays & this is the only place I've read of them having neverending mechanical issues due to this type of driving. Any vehicle with any engine can have issues at any time!
Also those that keep saying the maintenance costs are extremely high have probably never owned a later model diesel, or any diesel, say the last 10-15 years, from my experience it wasn't the case.
Agreed. When the first DPF diesels hit the road this is all we heard. It turned out to be a non-issue. I only drive mine about 8 weeks out of the year now and most of the time it's for 8 miles or less. Over 190K miles and no emissions issues other than the DEF heater and it was covered under warranty up until December of 2019. I'm waiting to see how low they'll go on the 2020's when the 2021's come out. I might replace it then. 475 hp and 1050 ft/lbs of torque sounds attractive. Don't really need it but, whatever, I like my diesels. They don't struggle with hills like gassers do.
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Old 07-19-2020, 09:26 AM   #63
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I agree, on my 4th Ford diesel All 67 Powerstroke, all my daily driver. Two have been a dually. Never a problem with any of them!

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Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
As I mentioned earlier, I've had 2 diesels, both our only vehicle driven daily, both with over 150k miles when traded & neither ever had an issue due to short trips.
My son had a '05 Dodge that had injector problems & a Ford Excursion with the POS 6.0 that went through head gaskets, among a dozen other issues, quicker than oil changes, neither were claimed to be caused by being driven daily on short trips.
There are literally 1000s of diesels being used as daily drivers nowadays & this is the only place I've read of them having neverending mechanical issues due to this type of driving. Any vehicle with any engine can have issues at any time!
Also those that keep saying the maintenance costs are extremely high have probably never owned a later model diesel, or any diesel, say the last 10-15 years, from my experience it wasn't the case.
If you don't want a diesel, don't get one! But if towing heavy they won't be beat by any gasser by any manufacturer.
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Old 07-19-2020, 03:54 PM   #64
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Hi Big Toe. I have the 2016 Silverado 2500HD Double Cab LB 6.0 gasser 4:10, and carry a 5th wheel with a GVWR of 14000. Cat scaled at 3700 front, 5580 rear, 10440 on trailer axles ready to go. So 9280 on the truck (rated 9500) and 12560 trailer (14100 max rating), GVCW 19720 (rated 21400). So yes, a 2500 CAN carry if it is loaded right for you. After reading the other comments, my concern would be the 3:73 gears in the truck you are considering. I have a six speed auto tranny, if you would get an 8 speed maaaaybeee. This is my daily driver, and is a gasser for that reason. I do not tow full time, and long trips are a couple a year. So diesel was just not justified financially. I get avg 15 mpg, towing cuts it to 8 regardless of where I go. Mountains are right lane driving for me, but then I am usually there towing or not, so no problem. If I was rolling in money, I would be driving the 3500 diesel dually just cause I could. This configuration was the only way I could find in 2016 to carry my trailer with a gasser. Hope that helps.
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Old 07-19-2020, 04:13 PM   #65
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Old 07-19-2020, 04:34 PM   #66
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Hi Big Toe. I have the 2016 Silverado 2500HD Double Cab LB 6.0 gasser 4:10, and carry a 5th wheel with a GVWR of 14000. Cat scaled at 3700 front, 5580 rear, 10440 on trailer axles ready to go. So 9280 on the truck (rated 9500) and 12560 trailer (14100 max rating), GVCW 19720 (rated 21400). So yes, a 2500 CAN carry if it is loaded right for you. After reading the other comments, my concern would be the 3:73 gears in the truck you are considering. I have a six speed auto tranny, if you would get an 8 speed maaaaybeee. This is my daily driver, and is a gasser for that reason. I do not tow full time, and long trips are a couple a year. So diesel was just not justified financially. I get avg 15 mpg, towing cuts it to 8 regardless of where I go. Mountains are right lane driving for me, but then I am usually there towing or not, so no problem. If I was rolling in money, I would be driving the 3500 diesel dually just cause I could. This configuration was the only way I could find in 2016 to carry my trailer with a gasser. Hope that helps.
Pretty much same truck as you, I'm not saying it won't tow it, but those weights are beyond my comfort level. I am really happy with my weight ratios.
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Old 07-20-2020, 07:31 PM   #67
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Do you know of any issues with short commutes with the diesel? I was told to stay away with the 2-5 miles I only drive everyday. I have nothing against them just don’t want to get myself into trouble for something I didn’t really need to begin with.
I have a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 (3/4ton) 4x4 QC long bed Single Rear Wheel (SRW), with the Cummins 6.7 diesel. I bought it because my 99 Chevy with the 6.0 gas engine could not pull my fifth wheel (03 Cougar 276) up a long 20 mile grade without the speed dropping from 75 mph down to 45 mph, with the accelerator all the way down! The 5er is only 28ft and is a relatively light weight unit. This road is on US 70 east of Las Cruces, NM. The grade for the last 8 miles is about 10%, so it is steep. My Dodge with the diesel tows the 5er, with no issues even if I'm in Colorado going up Raton Pass or Monarch pass (much steeper) in CO. I've taken it up Wolf Creek, but it does slow it down some. The best thing about a diesel is the engine brake really helps safe your regular brakes.
I also have a truck camper (TC) which fully loaded is about 3200#. This is part of the load I carry. Although the gear ratio is 3.73:1, the Dodge handles it well but I've needed to add a lot of expensive mods to do so. If you are using a 5er, then the weight goes against the same Load Capacity I must contend with when using my TC. (This is one reason I'm now looking for a newer, one ton truck.)

After I retired, I stopped driving 25,000 miles a year in my truck and now only drive about 5,000 miles. Short distance does cause issues with a diesel since the engine doesn't get hot enough to burn off the carbon or other gunk. Taking it out on the Interstate and running it for a 60 mile trip (one town to another for me) is a good way to have the diesel run the regen so the gunk gets burned. My Dodge does not use DEF, it uses an older system.

Do your research on vehicles and on the trailer you want. My suggestion is to decide what you the purpose of each unit and how you'll use them. If you only want to use the 5er for one or two trips a year, you may want to reconsider and just think of using a tent or motel -you'll save a lot of money. Some people use a truck camper (I have one and love it) but you might use it more than a trailer. If you want to consider a TC, go to TruckCamperMagazine.com for good, detailed guidance on what to consider about either a truck or a TC.

Either way you decide is fine with me; you are the one who is spending the money. Regardless, any way you do it will require money each year for maintenance. I suspect most dealerships skip over this item so be forewarned it can get expensive. If I had known this, I would have saved $25K by not buying a 5er. A pop-up trailer worked well for me and the family. But now, they are grown and its just my wife and me at home.


One caveat: Few truck or RV dealer salesmen know much about the actual capacities of trucks or RV's. Don't take anything they "say" as gospel. If it isn't in the WRITTEN sales agreement (contract) it doesn't exist. I've made my mistakes over the years and learned accordingly. The real challenge for all of us, is to find something which will meet our needs and our wants. Both for the tow vehicle (usually a truck) or the RV, a small pop-up, a towed trailer, a fifth-wheel trailer, or a truck camper. Each has pros and cons. At the end of the story, you will need to decide what will work best for you. Take your time! It took me decades to realize the manufacturer's make thousands, if not millions of vehicles every year. Sometimes, what you want is a good used vehicle which is also true of an RV. I've bought new ones as well as used ones. I've been satisfied with both ways of purchasing. However, if you buy a used truck, usually you won't pay the extreme $10,000 add on for buying a diesel, if you buy a diesel.

Good luck with your research. Don't give up, just think about it. We'll be around for a long time. After all, we don't have anywhere else our spouses will allow us to go.
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Old 01-18-2021, 11:13 AM   #68
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Just posting a update from a while back. After 7 months and deals gone south in 4 different states and 3 different vehicles sold while I was working a deal with another dealer I finally got it done just two hours away. Man these things are hard to find.

2021 Chevy 3500 diesel with 3800 payload. First time owning diesel. Had way more features and options than I was looking for but like I said it was like pulling teeth to find them unless you want a white truck.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help. Now onto the camper.....if I can afford it.
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Old 01-18-2021, 01:18 PM   #69
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Congrats on that new truck! You found, as I did, that finding one close to what you want can take a lot of time and gets to be work vs fun. Now, the next "fun" thing....trying to find the right trailer! Good luck and keep us posted (or ask away with questions if you have them).
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Old 01-18-2021, 01:24 PM   #70
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Thanks sourdough. I was and still am pretty nervous about the diesel since I’ve never had one but that’s what was available and I knew it’d be quite a while before I’d find another one. I was up to searching and dealing 700 miles away and felt pretty lucky to get one about a 100 miles away.

Crossing fingers I don’t run into emission issues.
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Old 01-18-2021, 01:37 PM   #71
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I think you'll be just fine. If it were me, and it was the first diesel I owned (and it would be) I would study that manual and figure out what to do and not do. Then, for me, it's getting over the smell, the greasy fuel and the sound....BUT they are very good at what they do. Heck, I may get one the next go round and I've told myself I would never own one....but I said that about a 5th wheel....and about a washer/dryer. Probably saved yourself a step in the truck musical chairs game.
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Old 01-18-2021, 01:52 PM   #72
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There is no more smell, and virtually no sound. You're thinking of long-ago diesels.
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Old 01-18-2021, 02:41 PM   #73
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I think you'll be just fine. If it were me, and it was the first diesel I owned (and it would be) I would study that manual and figure out what to do and not do. Then, for me, it's getting over the smell, the greasy fuel and the sound....BUT they are very good at what they do. Heck, I may get one the next go round and I've told myself I would never own one....but I said that about a 5th wheel....and about a washer/dryer. Probably saved yourself a step in the truck musical chairs game.
It'll be VERY little louder than your Hemi plus no more exhaust smell than your Hemi, but the fuel smell is still strong. Those that delete & chip their diesels will smoke & smell, but the newer models haven't had smelly exhaust or belched black smoke for well over a decade.
The biggest advantage to towing big RVs with a diesel is you can pull in & fuel up in the truck lanes & not have to put up with the idiots in their tiny little cars parking in your way at the gas islands, even the rv islands.
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Old 01-18-2021, 03:37 PM   #74
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Mark, I told you that the answers would come to you on this forum, I don't want these dudes to get the big head, but once you wade through the BS they're pretty sharp, although we have to weed through a couple from Ontario now and then....
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Old 01-18-2021, 03:39 PM   #75
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Just my .02 cents. I love my Ram, even though I swore over the years I would not own a diesel vehicle. As stated, there is very little noise and no exhaust smell or black smoke from the new ones.

This Ram can tow and is way better that the GMC 1500 Sierra AT4 I pulled my TT home with. What a scarey ride that was. Even though I drove GMCs for 15 years and still love them.

OP, I do not believe you will regret getting the diesel as I have not. GL on your search for your new RV amd safe travels to you.
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Old 01-18-2021, 03:40 PM   #76
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It'll be VERY little louder than your Hemi plus no more exhaust smell than your Hemi, but the fuel smell is still strong. Those that delete & chip their diesels will smoke & smell, but the newer models haven't had smelly exhaust or belched black smoke for well over a decade.
The biggest advantage to towing big RVs with a diesel is you can pull in & fuel up in the truck lanes & not have to put up with the idiots in their tiny little cars parking in your way at the gas islands, even the rv islands.
Diesels have come a long way since I retired 14 years ago I know. The fuel still stinks and I don't like the exhaust smell although it is light years better than it used to be. Black smoke used to be very irritating but like you point out that is pretty much gone. The fuel is still greasy and stinky because it's always poured all over the drives in stations and then I track it in my truck unless I'm extremely careful.

The part in red is one of the primary reasons I might think of switching to a diesel; I've just about had it waiting for some clueless individual to finish putting on makeup or feed the family while I'm sitting behind them congesting the flow of traffic. THAT would be so much nicer. On the other hand, I'm not inclined to jump in the truck and make a 100 mile run every week so it can "regen" - won't happen so there's that. Still, the next time I sit behind a vehicle as I wait for the 7th person to come out of the Love's store to get back in the pickup and then all of them stare at me while they eat their chips and drink a coke......I'll probably be at the nearest dealership grabbing a diesel off their lot in a whirlwind.....
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Old 01-18-2021, 04:13 PM   #77
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I don't know how you do it Danny with a large 5er and a gas TV. I had a 2016 F250 6.2L and a 27 ft. bunkhouse TT before my present combo. I always had to plan gas stops using Google maps and look at the street view as well. I would have a particular pump picked out that I could get in and out of easy.
I do enjoy the diesel refueling at the truck stops, much less headache.
DW and I have the drill down pretty good, when I pull up she goes inside and activates the pump and then buys lunch. Almost every time it works out that I pull up and park in front of the fuel pumps and she is coming out of the store.
I get in and out as quick as possible but it is much easier than the gas station for the reasons you mentioned.
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Old 01-18-2021, 04:39 PM   #78
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It'll be VERY little louder than your Hemi plus no more exhaust smell than your Hemi, but the fuel smell is still strong. Those that delete & chip their diesels will smoke & smell, but the newer models haven't had smelly exhaust or belched black smoke for well over a decade.
The biggest advantage to towing big RVs with a diesel is you can pull in & fuel up in the truck lanes & not have to put up with the idiots in their tiny little cars parking in your way at the gas islands, even the rv islands.

I have a deleted diesel with a tune and my truck neither smells or smokes. Guess smoke and stink must not be true in all cases. I am sure folks can have whatever opinion they want but I have to call BS on this one. BTW: Chips are hardly in use these days; most folks use a tuner and put a canned or custom tune on their computer. I have a 50hp tow tune that also adjusts the shift points towards towing.
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Old 01-18-2021, 04:42 PM   #79
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I don't know how you do it Danny with a large 5er and a gas TV. I had a 2016 F250 6.2L and a 27 ft. bunkhouse TT before my present combo. I always had to plan gas stops using Google maps and look at the street view as well. I would have a particular pump picked out that I could get in and out of easy.
I do enjoy the diesel refueling at the truck stops, much less headache.
DW and I have the drill down pretty good, when I pull up she goes inside and activates the pump and then buys lunch. Almost every time it works out that I pull up and park in front of the fuel pumps and she is coming out of the store.
I get in and out as quick as possible but it is much easier than the gas station for the reasons you mentioned.
RMc

My old 96 F250 pulled the same trailer as I currently pull but the brakes were not good... Had the 460 and twin 18 gallon tanks and while it was a gas hog, (7-8 mpg towing) I never worried about finding a gas station. I have also never filled up my current truck (diesel) in a truck lane. Tried it once but didn't know how to work the prompts; I seldom camp in places that have truck stop type filling stations anyway.
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Old 01-18-2021, 07:25 PM   #80
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My old 96 F250 pulled the same trailer as I currently pull but the brakes were not good... Had the 460 and twin 18 gallon tanks and while it was a gas hog, (7-8 mpg towing) I never worried about finding a gas station. I have also never filled up my current truck (diesel) in a truck lane. Tried it once but didn't know how to work the prompts; I seldom camp in places that have truck stop type filling stations anyway.
George,
The "prompts" you mention (at least in my experience) on the pumps are set up for the truckers commercial credit card accounts. I do not have one so that's why DW goes to the inside counter and activates the pump (#) with our credit card. She sends me a text that it's on, uses the little girls room and usually gets lunch while I fuel up. I fill up a lot faster than the trucks so when I'm finished I clear from the pump and let the truck (if there is one) behind me fuel up. Since his/her truck tanks are so large it will be a while before I am in the way.
I do not camp where "truck stop type fueling stations" are either. I get my fuel on the road before entering any campground.
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