I’d guess my net environmental impact is just now lower than US average because, despite my fuel consumption when moving my home, it’s tiny, energy independent, and it doesn’t move far or frequently. I don’t really know. I just don’t want to be judged unfairly, particularly when seeking help trying to do it even better.
I want to downsize my truck for cost and fuel efficiency. I’ve had this truck, my first, for a year, 3.5k miles. I’ve towed the trailer a short thousand miles without incident and including city, highway, and interstate.
Current setup:
'19 Chevy 2500 6.0L 4WD
Hitch towing ~2.5 tons GVWR (14’, enclosed, tandem, brakes)
Getting 8mpg @ 70-75mph
Next truck budget is $10-20k. I’ll keep it probably until the frame rots. I’m planning on replacing shocks & wearable steering components, am not averse to some work.
Should I target a 1/2 ton gas (leaning Ford 5.0L 4WD), a different 3/4 ton gas (which and why), or a 3/4 ton diesel (leaning Dodge Cummins)?
The paper numbers say I should get a 1/2 ton gas. But, my more experienced friend thinks I’ll be a lot happier spending more for a diesel because diesel engines can last a long time, it’ll at least double my fuel efficiency, and it’s a little extra overkill for an easier tow.
I’m open to all informed perspectives. What’s my best plan and why?
Diesel is clearly better if you are driving 20,000+miles per year. However you are not doing near that, so it won’t be worth the extra cost. Today diesel is so much more expensive than gas that the real advantage is only that diesel engines last longer, and in your case the body will fail first.
How much of your driving is towing vs unloaded? If you are only towing then a large engine is better - displacement = torque = more fuel efficient. However if you are mostly unloaded something like the Ford Ecoboost engine is much more fuel efficient unloaded and when towing you lean on the turbo to use more fuel (as much as the large displacement engine!) and so still have the power - but the engine won’t last as long overall and will break more often - thus not a good choice if you mostly tow.
I would lean to the 3/4 ton trucks. While a 1/2 ton truck has the specs to do the job, all of them are aimed at the luxury car market these days, and so they will make compromises that make them not as good for real work. 3/4 ton still is targeted at people doing real work and so they will have better compromises. (if you were asking 30 years ago a 1/2 ton would be fine)
Do you need something now? Electric trucks are just coming out and should start hitting the used market soon. They only do about 100 miles when towing, but are much more environmentally friendly if you can live with that limitation. I wouldn’t think about sticking with the truck you have now for 3 more years to see what happens here (and also 3 more years to get real world experience with how electric trucks really work for people in your application)
Diesels are really nice and generally get better mpg than gas when towing, but their maintenance is more expensive and they are significantly more expensive to purchase in the first place. They take more oil, more tires, and nowadays require DEF that partially negates the fuel cost savings. Plus a lot of modern diesels seem to have consistent emissions equipment problems.
They’re amazing if you’re moving very heavy loads all the time or travel over mountain passes frequently, but at only 5000lb payload I think a large diesel is overkill in any other situation.More tires?
Yes.
Diesel engines are heavy, usually being cast iron blocks to support the continuous high torque & high temperatures caused by towing and their very high compression ratios. This heavier weight on the steer tires wears tires and brakes faster. Gas trucks almost all have aluminum blocks now and are much lighter. This makes diesels usually require tires that are 1-2 letter load ratings higher than a gas truck, which is also additionally more expensive to buy.
Diesel engines also produce significantly more torque, and torque is what causes tire wear during acceleration if you beat on it or tow a lot (it’s a huge problem with EV’s right now).
OP here: I’ve an ME Auto degree. I never thought of increased tire wear. It makes perfect sense. Great explanation. Thank you.
Yup. My dad’s F550 haul truck goes through steer tires about every 15k miles. The alignment’s fine, it’s just SO MUCH weight on the front having a full size 7.3L plus the commercial chassis frame that they wear quickly from fighting the road crown with a trailer behind.
Depends on what you need.
I use my truck about the same as you. But get 13mpg towing, and 18 not.
1995 Ford 250 PSD.
It’s not comfortable, it’s not fast, it’s not fancy. But it’ll pull whatever I put behind it. Carry almost anything I will ever need to (definitely more than I want to physically unload), and it’s economical, and “future proof” in that I can modify in almost any way and still register without new diesel problems (high pressure pumps eating the entire system, def fluid and filter plugging, egr cooler plugging etc.)
Personally I’d say get an older diesel that is in ok shape that you can make what you need.
How hilly is your terrain, and how often do you pull the trailer?
Mostly flat and not pulling often = 1/2 ton, although you might occasionally be annoyed with getting going slowly with the trailer.
If hilly and/or pulling often going for the 3/4 for more consistency would be better.
It is like picking between economical hatchback. Being low powered isn’t generally a big deal if you aren’t loading the back with heavy stuff and driving around flat roads, but if you use the hatch to move a few hundred lbs a few times a week uphill then getting one with a more powerful engine makes sense even if the hatch size is the same.
The biggest advantage to diesel in my outdated experience was low speed torque for heavy loads, especially trailers.
Oh, and you will wear out a truck where you regularly pull the max load a lot faster than one where you regularly pull closer to half the load. Those max loads are not intended to be regular.
Wasn’t sure if your first year was representstive of future years.
My first year was about 1500lb payload. I went easy on it. But, there’s no such thing when pulling at the limits of the transmission & drive line. This is why I thought of a 1/2 ton, 2.5t sitting at around half the max capacity. But, because I’ll be towing full time for awhile, the accepted perspective seems to be to overkill even a bit more.
It could be the northern Rockies. It could be Iowa (flat). Most of the miles will be interstate and highway. I’ll be pulling the 2.5t trailer almost exclusively for 10-12k miles. Then, I’ll have many short haul loads in the 1-4t range for maybe 2k miles. Then, it’ll spend maybe a third of its remaining life with that same 2.5t, the other two thirds with less than 0.5t payload.
Based on what we’ve both said, it seems like you’d favor a 3/4.
I’m not worried so much about pull power acceleration as efficiency at 70-80mph.
Kinda dead, but there’s a community for vehicle suggestions.
