new truck

[Atimm693]

I've been thinking about this deal because I have been in the market for a 3/4 or 1 ton gas truck as a run around, feed, truck. Problem is when you look at the mileage on those things its brutal. If I did the math right, even with a .2$ spread on fuel, with my diesel doing 18mpg vs a gas doing 10mpg, at around 125K miles, you have paid for 10K which covers the extra diesel cost and some maintenance.

With the 7.3 you dont even get the benefit of the lighter weight motor.

I don't think the difference is that much in the real world. I don't know of anyone getting 18mpg average in a diesel. It's closer to 15, unless you sit on the highway for hours.

The only time you will see a big difference is when pulling heavy, gassers will flat out drink, and the diesels will retain somewhat decent fuel economy. It's what they do best.

 

[Brute 23]

If I dont go over 65 and dont idle for hours on end I can do 18 all day long. That's with hundreds of pounds of tools, feed, and 35x12 heavy azz Nitto tires. Even if you put 250K miles on the truck and 125 are at 18, and the rest are lower, like 10-15mpgs, it's still really close on dollars. Your kind of splitting hairs. Especially with the higher resale. Charge some of that against the initial higher purchase cost and a lot more of that fuel savings can go toward maintenance.

I'd like to see those tires put on that Ford 7.3 only doing 10 mpg now. It might go single digits. When I had the smaller 33x12 ATs in the same conditions I could do 19 or 20 mpgs.

 

[Brute 23]

This is me running around today. As long as I'm not going over 65mph or pulling a trailer the mileage is pretty good.

I can pull around 10-12K 7 hrs out to WTX with the cruise set on 80mph and get 9-10mpg. I dont see a gas getting close to that.



I'm not in love with the diesels by any means. Have a F150 I drive around in to check cattle and what not. I just dont see the major cost savings with the gas.

 

[Lucky]

Brute, I've also got a 2018 4 door dually with the powerstroke and 3:55 gears that's got around 22,000 highway miles on it.....according to the computer it gets 12 mpg. I don't drive it 65 mind you but figured I'd get at least 15 mpg. I did go on a 400 mile round trip to get a couple bulls last December and pulling a 28' cattle trailer I got 11 mpg.

 

[Atimm693]

If I dont go over 65 and dont idle for hours on end I can do 18 all day long. That's with hundreds of pounds of tools, feed, and 35x12 heavy azz Nitto tires. Even if you put 250K miles on the truck and 125 are at 18, and the rest are lower, like 10-15mpgs, it's still really close on dollars. Your kind of splitting hairs. Especially with the higher resale. Charge some of that against the initial higher purchase cost and a lot more of that fuel savings can go toward maintenance.

I'd like to see those tires put on that Ford 7.3 only doing 10 mpg now. It might go single digits. When I had the smaller 33x12 ATs in the same conditions I could do 19 or 20 mpgs.

Is your speedometer calibrated for those 35s? If it isn't, your fuel economy calculations are gonna be off by the difference in tire diameter. About 10% between 32s and 35s. That's almost 2 mpg.

 

[Brute 23]

Brute, I've also got a 2018 4 door dually with the powerstroke and 3:55 gears that's got around 22,000 highway miles on it.....according to the computer it gets 12 mpg. I don't drive it 65 mind you but figured I'd get at least 15 mpg. I did go on a 400 mile round trip to get a couple bulls last December and pulling a 28' cattle trailer I got 11 mpg.

Ya. This truck is the same way if you go 70-85mph the mpgs drop significantly. You will be in the 13-15 range. 65mph is a sweet spot and 80 is a sweet spot.

I think Ford has the worse mileage of the big 3 diesels, empty, followed by GM, and Dodge has the best. It's with in 2mpgs but it is a difference.

 

[Brute 23]

If I dont go over 65 and dont idle for hours on end I can do 18 all day long. That's with hundreds of pounds of tools, feed, and 35x12 heavy azz Nitto tires. Even if you put 250K miles on the truck and 125 are at 18, and the rest are lower, like 10-15mpgs, it's still really close on dollars. Your kind of splitting hairs. Especially with the higher resale. Charge some of that against the initial higher purchase cost and a lot more of that fuel savings can go toward maintenance.

I'd like to see those tires put on that Ford 7.3 only doing 10 mpg now. It might go single digits. When I had the smaller 33x12 ATs in the same conditions I could do 19 or 20 mpgs.

Is your speedometer calibrated for those 35s? If it isn't, your fuel economy calculations are gonna be off by the difference in tire diameter. About 10% between 32s and 35s. That's almost 2 mpg.

That would be in my favor though because I'm covering more ground correct? I've covered 10% more ground than what my odometer actually shows?

I hand calculate also. It's with in a couple decimal places always.

This is kind of my deal because my jobs have always been tied to a lot of driving. It was always my biggest expense.

 

[Brute 23]

My deal is I was really rooting for 7.3 to be a real viable option for a good ranch truck but I think Ford way over hyped it. At the point, I'm not see the benefit of it over the 6.2L.

 

[Atimm693]

If I dont go over 65 and dont idle for hours on end I can do 18 all day long. That's with hundreds of pounds of tools, feed, and 35x12 heavy azz Nitto tires. Even if you put 250K miles on the truck and 125 are at 18, and the rest are lower, like 10-15mpgs, it's still really close on dollars. Your kind of splitting hairs. Especially with the higher resale. Charge some of that against the initial higher purchase cost and a lot more of that fuel savings can go toward maintenance.

I'd like to see those tires put on that Ford 7.3 only doing 10 mpg now. It might go single digits. When I had the smaller 33x12 ATs in the same conditions I could do 19 or 20 mpgs.

Is your speedometer calibrated for those 35s? If it isn't, your fuel economy calculations are gonna be off by the difference in tire diameter. About 10% between 32s and 35s. That's almost 2 mpg.

That would be in my favor though because I'm covering more ground correct? I've covered 10% more ground than what my odometer actually shows?

I hand calculate also. It's with in a couple decimal places always.

This is kind of my deal because my jobs have always been tied to a lot of driving. It was always my biggest expense.

It would be, I think. Its late. So you're actually probably getting closer to 20 in that situation, depending on the stock tire size.

 

[Brute 23]

Stock would be a 32ish I think.

 

[Aaron]

I've been thinking about this deal because I have been in the market for a 3/4 or 1 ton gas truck as a run around, feed, truck. Problem is when you look at the mileage on those things its brutal. If I did the math right, even with a .2$ spread on fuel, with my diesel doing 18mpg vs a gas doing 10mpg, at around 125K miles, you have paid for 10K which covers the extra diesel cost and some maintenance.

With the 7.3 you dont even get the benefit of the lighter weight motor.

There have been threads on Ford truck sites that have covered the difference extensively. Gas only loses if you are trucking heavy loads, over 30k, every day. That being said I know of guys ordering gas duallies because the diesels are that big of a pain in the a$$. Maintenance after 100k miles is huge.

 

[Brute 23]

I've been thinking about this deal because I have been in the market for a 3/4 or 1 ton gas truck as a run around, feed, truck. Problem is when you look at the mileage on those things its brutal. If I did the math right, even with a .2$ spread on fuel, with my diesel doing 18mpg vs a gas doing 10mpg, at around 125K miles, you have paid for 10K which covers the extra diesel cost and some maintenance.

With the 7.3 you dont even get the benefit of the lighter weight motor.

There have been threads on Ford truck sites that have covered the difference extensively. Gas only loses if you are trucking heavy loads, over 30k, every day. That being said I know of guys ordering gas duallies because the diesels are that big of a pain in the a$$. Maintenance after 100k miles is huge.

30K! That sounds sketchy. No way in hell I'm going over 10-12K behind a gas truck. Between driving 50mph and stopping at every gas pump you would never make it any where.

I'm not a regular hauler by any means but I haul around 12Kish 7hrs out to WTX fairly often. I can pin my cruise on 80mph and get 9-10mpgs. From the last gas pump, I can make it in to the ranch, do what I need to do, and back out to that pump with around an 1/8th of a tank left. I have a 36g tank I believe. A gas truck would not make it. You would have to pack fuel, nor do I believe I could do that speed, especially thru the hills.

I wish I had money to burn. I'd buy one just to see.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

I've been thinking about this deal because I have been in the market for a 3/4 or 1 ton gas truck as a run around, feed, truck. Problem is when you look at the mileage on those things its brutal. If I did the math right, even with a .2$ spread on fuel, with my diesel doing 18mpg vs a gas doing 10mpg, at around 125K miles, you have paid for 10K which covers the extra diesel cost and some maintenance.

With the 7.3 you dont even get the benefit of the lighter weight motor.

Maintenance after 100k miles is huge.

Even though here gas is over $1/gal cheaper than diesel, this is where the real savings on gas engines are. The chances of any brand diesel making it to 250k without expensive repairs are very slim any more. Dpf $5,000, fuel system $10,000, new engine $18,000. Most modern gas engines are making it to 250k with little more than spark plugs. If you cannot afford a $10k repair bill then you have no business owning an out of warranty diesel.

 

[cfpinz]

I've been thinking about this deal because I have been in the market for a 3/4 or 1 ton gas truck as a run around, feed, truck. Problem is when you look at the mileage on those things its brutal. If I did the math right, even with a .2$ spread on fuel, with my diesel doing 18mpg vs a gas doing 10mpg, at around 125K miles, you have paid for 10K which covers the extra diesel cost and some maintenance.

With the 7.3 you dont even get the benefit of the lighter weight motor.

To compare apples to apples, I have a 2019 F350 single cab DRW with the same bed as Lucky (Hydrabed) and the 6.7 diesel. I'm averaging around 9 mpg with a trailer, doesn't really matter what weight. I've only put one tank of fuel through it completely bobtailed and it got 13.1 mpg. I wouldn't even consider another diesel if I could keep my loads 15k or below.

Those are hand calculated mpg values, the onboard computer adds almost exactly 1.0 mpg on every tank.

 

[Lucky]

2019 6.2 gas

 

[callmefence]

Right now we are working
2015 3500ram diesel 320000 miles , ttanny replaced under warranty at 65,000 miles that's all the work ever done to it

2013 ram 3500 gasser, 309,000 replaced engine and tranny with crate units around 270000

2017 ram 3500 diesel 70,000
20?? Ford 6.0 diesel 220000 the gutless wonder

Two early 2000 model Toyota tundras. We use trucks for what we buy them for. If you want a truck to work buy a Dodge. If you're truly gonna work it buy a diesel. If you have to replace your hitch balls yearly, buy a diesel. If your truck sits idling in the Texas heat all day buy a diesel.

If you buy some kinda big aftermarket tires you didn't buy it to work, so don't worry about it.

 

[Brute 23]

Im going to assume the tire comment was directed at me. The tires are actually like a 295/65-20. Its a very common tire size on any of the big 3 diesels. My truck is 100% stock, no wheels, no lift... nothing. Got a replacement grill guard and toolbox.

I have found that tire and size to be a great all around tire. They have to be 10ply for the brush and weight ratings. That tire/ size combo actually has a high weight rating. If its not close to 12" wide you won't make it near the sand here, especially in a diesel. If its not a mud a terrain you won't make it thru the black mud, especially pulling a trailer. The height is good going out to WTX to get over the rocks. You cant have low hanging hitches, dove tails or ramps, nothing over 24' of deck. I barely make it with a bed on the truck. One days some thing will wash out and I will smack it. Any thing over 15K won't make it up the hills. There are several spots you have to lock it down in 4Lo and its between 2500-3000 rpms with the turbo whistling like crazy crawling up the hills. On top of all that you can run them thru down town Houston or where ever and get 50-55K miles. Only down side is, they are heavy. You can barely lift them to rotate them.

Im by myself 95%+ of the time and Im not taking any chances on flats, getting stuck, or hanging up. I don't have a crew with equipment following me to save the day. I know I may not haul 30K down the highway from point a to point b but I put my trucks thru the ringer in my own way.

 

[Lucky]

Nothing wrong with oversized mud grips on a work truck. 6" lifts, big fancy wheels, and the biggest tires that will fit is another story. If you need a 6' ladder to get in the bed I'd say you don't have a work truck.

I checked the 6.7 powerstroke milage yesterday and the computer was up to 13.4 mpg. Maybe it's getting better.

 

[callmefence]

Yeah we don't have mud rocks or brush....lol

 

[callmefence]

Nothing wrong with oversized mud grips on a work truck. 6" lifts, big fancy wheels, and the biggest tires that will fit is another story. If you need a 6' ladder to get in the bed I'd say you don't have a work truck.

I checked the 6.7 powerstroke milage yesterday and the computer was up to 13.4 mpg. Maybe it's getting better.

Thing is lots a folks think cause they drive the truck to work....it's a work truck.