Considering Purchasing a 3/4 ton Diesel

The key thing is where do you live?

If BR, NOLA, Lafayette- a gas 3/4 ton will suit you just fine. It’s the hills that make towing heavy stuff w/o a diesel no fun.

Modern 3/4 ton gas trucks have come a long way- I have a 2016 Chevy 2500 HD gas with nearly 200k miles and all it does is pull a gooseneck. The truck has NEVER been to the shop- original battery, alternator, starter, etc.

OTOH, modern diesels are something else- the numbers they put out are 18 wheeler territory from just a few years ago. BUUUUT....be prepared to work on them.
They are maintenance nightmares- the DIY oil change will cost you over $100.
You’ll need to change fuel filters that you never had to before.
And- when the DEF goes bad, or a sensor goes nuts- be prepared for it to ride on a tow truck to the dealership to sort it out. It’s not a matter of IF, it’s a WHEN. The EPA has such strict emissions rules, the systems are inherently complex and thus prone to problems.

Look at major equipment dealership service fleets- like Herc Rentals- all the service trucks have gone to gas. The cost/benefit of the fuel savings doesn’t make sense anymore when all the major truck manufacturers make a gas that can handle service duty.

In addition- this is the one that really got me- a few years ago, if you walked up to a Ford dealership- there wasn’t a single 3/4 ton gas truck. Now, half of them are. There’s a reason for that.

Get ready for more expensive oil changes and pray it doesn’t break down out of warranty. Insurance doesn’t pay when you fill up at the pump and there is water in the fuel either. You can forget about whipping that thing in a small parking spot too. Make sure to get the California lean, it’s in style now.
Prayers sent,,,

I found a used 2008 Duramax a few years back that had all I was looking for. It's a LMM and doesn't require DEF. It goes through a 'regen' once a tank full to burn off the particulate in the converter, but that's about all it does EPA wise. I pull a tractor around and a good size ski boat and pontoon boat and I had just had to replace the tranny in my old truck when I bought this one. The Allison transmission was what hooked me.

I just bought my 5th f250. I had over 300k miles on each before I got a new one.

Everything maintenance and repair is a lot more expensive with the diesel.

You can get a 6 liter gas engine that will probably do everything you need

Have a ram 2500 and i freaking love that truck.

Have 3 kids and i ride comfortable around in it. Plenty of room.

If you are worried about fuel mpg with diesels, 2 options.


1: don’t get one
2: delete it but do know, that it voids your warranty. However, deleted you will get an added 10 mpg and your truck won’t drink DEF as quickly

Stick with gas.

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Big thing is what are you pulling and where are you pulling it?

My f150 with a v8 can pull small excavators around with no problem but doesn’t deal with hills well. I had an 06 2500 with the 6.0 gas burner that was a monster snd could tank around 14000 pounds up and down hills with no problem. A diesel is an upgrade but not as big a gap anymore snd the fuel cost offset is hard to overcome unless you absolutely have to have a diesel motor.