Are diesels that difficult?

[COGrandDes]

Agree.
And you cannot just throw a super/turbo charger on a gas motor if you want it to live long.

Totally agree---1000%.

[Conner58]

You will still have gas people saying they have more then enough power. I'm thinking they are just try to justify their decision to buy a gasser .
I was amazed at how are hard my 6.7 worked in the mountains. Here in Michigan it has a easy life .

[Riverbug]

Haha! It's fun to read this thread. As a new first time diesel owner (2 weeks) I can only say "welcome to the rabbit hole". Diesels are a different animal when you are used to gassers. You'll learn; it just takes lots of research and talking to people to understand what's what. And like everything there are opposing opinions on everything so you have to decide for yourself. Here's my advice:
1) When people say it isn't worth the added expense, ignore it. Learn what the expenses will entail so that your eyes are open going into the purchase, but opinions about whether it's financially sound is conjecture. Having a mustang convertible parked all winter to only drive in summer is a waste to many people and awesome to others.
2) Ignore any comments about a truck being overkill or too much for what you want to do with it. Essentially, that's really pointing back to #1 because seriously, who enjoys have barely enough or just enough truck vs more or way more than you need? So, if #1 isn't an issue for you, then ignore #2 .
3) It truly does feel complex and overwhelming the more you dig into it. Just keep digging and learning. I researched for a few months before ordering in March. Since ordering I continued to research and still researching and learning. But now that I have the truck, it seems much less complex. Put Def in the Def tank, put Diesel in the Diesel tank, and never ever mix them up or let either of them go empty. Stick to that rule and everything else will fall into place.

Enjoy the journey!

[Dadeo6472]

I test drove both the 1500 5.7 Hemi Ram and the 3.0 turbocharged Eco-Diesel with my trailer before I bought it. I wanted to make sure the additional $$$ and hassle of driving a diesel for the next 10 years was worth it.

All I can say is that the much smaller Eco-Diesel not only gets better MPG than the Hemi 5.7 gasser, it is so much more pleasant to drive, especially when fully stressed. Why? Take one look at the tachometer on a gas 1500 vs the Eco-Diesel 1500. The gaser red lines around 7,000 rpm. The little diesel redlines at around 5,000. This makes a huge difference on steep roads and in the acceleration lane. It makes a monster sized difference when when driving west across Kansas for hundreds of miles into a 20 -30 mph headwind. A gas engine is annoyingly LOUDER than a turbo diesel.

And while I am towing only 6,000 lbs, my friend told me his Cummins diesel in his 3500 Ram is much nicer / quieter on long towing trips than his previous 3500 Ram with its large 6.4 liter gas engine. The only reason he traded was for the diesel engine. He tows a 14,000 lb Montana.

[docque]

I'll try to answer what I think you are asking...maybe. Planning stops with a diesel truck towing a larger trailer can be tricky sometimes unless you are willing to use the truck stop lanes. Yes, many, many fueling locations will have diesel pumps, but the question becomes.....can you get the truck and trailer in there AND back out without any risk of damaging your truck/trailer or the fueling pumps. Some of them just are not made for a truck towing a larger trailer......there simply isn't enough room to maneuver the rig in and out. If you are asking about something else, please disregard the comment.

Personally, I run a cetane booster/additive in every single gallon of fuel that goes into my truck tanks, both the truck tank and the aux. tank. It's a matter of personal choice, and kind of like a bit of additional insurance. The Ultra Low Sulphur diesel fuel (15ppm) that has been required in road trucks since about 2007 or 2008, does not have the amount of lubricity that the previous generation of diesel fuel had, so the additives provide a bit more of that.

DEF is not an additive and is required to be used by all the diesel engine trucks that are newer than a certain date....probably around the 2007/2008 date, but I'm not for sure on the exact time. Suffice to say, it's been required in pretty much all trucks that have been made in the last 10 or 12 years though. The exceptions might be a truck that has been deleted by a previous owner and the DEF system removed.

Thanks for this. I think that is exactly what I was looking for. It is hard sometimes because you always get a statement like, "It is hard" or "Don't do this". and they never give the reasons why.

I was laughing because now that it is explained better, DEF is to diesel what Jet-Dry is to dishwasher. You keep it full and add as needed.

[goducks14]

Thanks for this. I think that is exactly what I was looking for. It is hard sometimes because you always get a statement like, "It is hard" or "Don't do this". and they never give the reasons why.

I was laughing because now that it is explained better, DEF is to diesel what Jet-Dry is to dishwasher. You keep it full and add as needed.

LOL good example.

But your dishwasher will run fine without Jet Dry. You diesel will go into limp mode if you run too low or if there is some other issue concerning the DEF system. Fortunately if you hit the low DEF light you have a fair amount of miles left before you go into limp mode.
As a pre DEF to mandatory DEF diesel truck owner I can say DEF is a pretty good deal. On my previous non DEF truck I could barely break 18 mpg on the freeway at 70 mph. And when it went into regen it dropped to 15 mpg or less.
With my current 2019 Ram 3500 CTD I can squeeze 20-21 mpg at 73-75 mpg on long flat drives. And with more power.

[jleonard]

My only pre DEF truck was a 91 Dodge D250 and I could squeeze 25 mpg on an expressway trip. Daily driving it would do 23-24 even if I flogged it. I built it up from stock quite a bit and it would still do 23-24. It sounded like a "Mack truck" and the turbo whine would turn heads. And no aftercooler, straight from the turbo outlet into the manifold. I only towed a few times but nothing heavy.
My current I can get 23-24 mpg on the highway not towing. Towing is 12.5 ish but I'm only doing 58-60 mph and turning about 1300 rpm. With the noise cancelling system we can barely hear the engine.
DEF use varies a lot. I generally put in a 2 1/2 gallon jug when I'm at the half mark on the gage and it tops it off. When I'm daily driving, I can go 3000 miles on half a tank daily driving, and probably half that towing.

[Fivecodys]

I went from a 'Gasser' pulling a 5th wheel to my current set up so I'll give my take on all this.

My Gasser netted about 8-9 MPG towing and 17 mpg unloaded.
Yes, gas is cheaper. NO need for DEF. Was about $10,000 cheaper than the diesel truck I have now.
Pulled just fine but worked very hard in the mountains. I used this set up for 12 years. (150,000 miles on the odometer when sold)

When it was time for a new truck, I talked with a lot of other RVers, and I decided on a Diesel.
A year after replacing the truck we replaced the trailer as well.

Yes, Diesel trucks are more expensive but there are advantages as well.
The first thing I noticed was how this truck pulls in the mountains. No comparison to a gasser. The diesel leans into the hill and just goes. No high rpm's, no gear hunting...it just goes.
Plus you get the advantage of the exhaust breaking. One of my favorite features.
I now get 11-13 MPG towing and 18-20 mpg freeway unloaded.

I have never had a problem finding diesel. We usually use the truck lanes when towing and I highly recommend that. Way less stress.
DEF is no big deal. You add it when you need it. It seems to get mentioned a lot but it has been a 'non-Issue' for us.

RVing is an expensive venture. You spend 60 to100 grand on a truck and then another 60-150 grand on a trailer (not to mentions all the accessories). So, Diesel is a buck more a gallon. Big deal.

I had to experience both methods to came to the conclusion that the a diesel truck was the right way to go for us.
Absolutely no regrets!

This is my opinion and it along with $5.00 will get you a cup of coffee!

[Dennis1]

We are looking at 14k+ lbs for a fifth wheel, that is why. I know I could get away with a gasser but just getting info.

I completely agree, we have a gasser now and we went westward last year and with our f150 max tow we need a larger truck and since we’ll have to trade we’re going diesel ant getting if gods will a f250. Not because of towing ability the f150 did fine. The upgrade is because of cargo capacity. We’re over the limit on our current rig and our next trip we’re headed out and we’ll have another couple traveling with us even more need for additional cargo capacity.

[xrated]

I completely agree, we have a gasser now and we went westward last year and with our f150 max tow we need a larger truck and since we’ll have to trade we’re going diesel ant getting if gods will a f250. Not because of towing ability the f150 did fine. The upgrade is because of cargo capacity. We’re over the limit on our current rig and our next trip we’re headed out and we’ll have another couple traveling with us even more need for additional cargo capacity.

Don't get your hopes up for a big difference in cargo capacity with a 3/4T diesel truck. Many/most of them with a diesel engine will have cargo capacities in the low to maybe mid 2000 range. The diesel engine equipped 3/4T trucks lose a lot of their payload capacity that would normally be there if the same truck was a gas engine. The diesel equipped truck loses a good 600 to 800 lbs of payload capacity because of the weight of the motor/transmission.

Case in point. My 2011 F250 CrewCab, 4x4, diesel XLT (not even close to top of the line trim package) only had 2148 lbs of payload capacity. Nope, that's not a typo....2148 lbs of payload. Take the same truck with a gas motor in it and now you are at around 3000 lbs of payload

I'm certainly not down playing going with a diesel powered truck if it's needed, I have a F350 Dually diesel, but I also have the need for it with a 20,000 lb GVWR triple axle trailer. The truck has a listed payload number of 5270 lbs and between the loaded trailer's pin weight, the toolbox in the bed of the truck, and the 60 gallon aux. tank in the bed, I am getting very close to the GVWR of the truck....which is 14,000 lbs