Advice on truck engine

[saco]

I am in the market to get a new truck, need to upsize from my current 1/2 ton with 200k+ miles. I am doing a custom order and likely a dodge ram 2500. My question is if the 6.7L Cummins Turbo is overkill with 430 HP, 1,075 Lb-ft torque, 2,740 max payload, 19,900 max towing vs the 6.4L HEMI V8 - 405 HP, 429 Lb-Ft torque, 4,080 max payload, 17,440 max towing. The Cummins is about $12.5k extra, with the HEMI I can get all the accessories I want and have a not to bad of a loan payment while the Cummings I’d have to forgo some items and deal with an extra $250 monthly payment of close to $900.

I am looking at able to tow two horse with a gooseneck trailer and haul comfortably in 10+ hour trips. I also like in the Midwest so driving in inclines and declines. I’d be interested in hearing if the Cummins has a better resale value.

[endlessclimb]

You’ll be fine with either.

[CanteringCarrot]

Basically, this.

I kept trying to edit my above post to add something and it kept getting wonky. So I gave up.

[LCDR]

if you factor in the increased future maintenance the real difference in cost between diesel and gas for you will be pretty significant. The diesel is a fine engine, but routine maintenance and repairs simply cost more.

So unless you want to make a statement of some sort by driving a diesel truck, the gas engine will be a good, reliable choice given your roads and towing load. Now, if acquiring a 4-6 horse goose is in your future, or an equipment trailer to haul farm machinery, then spring for the diesel.

[beowulf]

@LCDR

if you factor in the increased future maintenance the real difference in cost between diesel and gas for you will be pretty significant. The diesel is a fine engine, but routine maintenance and repairs simply cost more.

So unless you want to make a statement of some sort by driving a diesel truck, the gas engine will be a good, reliable choice given your roads and towing load. Now, if acquiring a 4-6 horse goose is in your future, or an equipment trailer to haul farm machinery, then spring for the diesel.

Bottom line, I think this post is very helpful for you. Either or will work for your situation, but one will certainly cost more. Diesels tend to hold their resale value better in my area than gas, but it really depends on the wear/tear.

I have a diesel (2001 F350 7.3). When I bought it everyone said it was way more truck than I needed. In all likelihood, it is. I only haul 2 horses in a Kingston 2H.

I got it for a song ($6k) and I could sell it today for more than I paid. It needs a little servicing since it’s 24 years old, but when it is up and running friends borrow it for everything from moving to hauling boats. It hauls so much better than my former truck (GMC Sierra 2500), and it also brakes much better imo since it’s heavier. Obviously those are two entirely different classes of vehicles, but I feel so safe hauling with this truck and that’s worth the extra maintenance cost to me - there were times (especially in the VT foothills) where I was nervous my GMC might not make it up a dirt road.

Now, if I could just figure out why it seems to go through batteries like butter, that would be great. I installed a kill switch and even that didn’t seem to help.

[PonyApocalypse19]

@LCDR

if you factor in the increased future maintenance the real difference in cost between diesel and gas for you will be pretty significant. The diesel is a fine engine, but routine maintenance and repairs simply cost more.

And if you do get the diesel, find a reliable local mechanic that won’t upsell you like the dealership. My local guy is worth it and I 100% trust him to tell me what I need for my truck. He knows what I haul and how often and curtails the maintenance schedule to that demand. He’s very busy, but that just tells me he’s trusted and well priced for the work he does. He found things on my old truck that should have been noticed by the dealership during an oil change and he fixed them at a low cost to me before they turned into a major problem!

[CanteringCarrot]

It’s definitely a big help that my husband can do all of the maintenance on our diesel truck. Even then, it still comes out more expensive in comparison to a gas truck.

The gas trucks of today are also quite good when it comes to towing capacity and power.

[endlessclimb]

And frankly, unless you are maxing out the towing capacity all the time, in the mountains, with stop signs before the biggest hills at every turn…

1000+ ft-lb of torque is fun to say but entirely unnecessary.

I’m saying this and I own a 1200+ ft-lb torque Cummins diesel. It’s not necessary, and as @CanteringCarrot said it is more expensive to maintain.

The emissions on the new diesels shorten the life of the engine, as well.

[NancyM]

Older Dodge diesel. NOT new. Pre DEF. They run forever. 3/4 ton OR 1 ton. A bit of rust isn’t a big deal. Power to burn. Not too expensive to buy because everyone always wants the latest thing, bright and shiny. Easy and affordable to work on mechanically. A good backyard mechanic can do a lot with these trucks. No computers.

[LCDR]

For the poster whose diesel truck eats batteries - are you replacing them both at the same time as matched pairs, or just one dead battery at a time?

[B_and_B]

If you ever want to sell let me know… I am not kidding either! the current going rate here is double that for a pre-def diesel without lethal rust. (though is Massachusetts road salt as evil as CT is these days?)
But really, to echo every one else. The diesels are expensive, the modern ones are really expensive, and very few people actually need them for their pulling power. Even we probably don’t at the moment, and DH is hauling a CDL trailer.

[Leather]

@LCDR

if you factor in the increased future maintenance the real difference in cost between diesel and gas for you will be pretty significant. The diesel is a fine engine, but routine maintenance and repairs simply cost more.

So unless you want to make a statement of some sort by driving a diesel truck, the gas engine will be a good, reliable choice given your roads and towing load. Now, if acquiring a 4-6 horse goose is in your future, or an equipment trailer to haul farm machinery, then spring for the diesel.

Ditto this. And if the answer to getting a larger trailer or hauling more in the future is yes, go for a 3500.

Also would this truck also be a daily driver or just for hauling? Diesel trucks don’t tend to like short trips where they don’t get up to full operating temp so if this is also your main vehicle and you’d do a lot of quick hops around town it can make things unhappy.

@endlessclimb

1000+ ft-lb of torque is fun to say but entirely unnecessary.

Also agree - our diesel truck is just under 1k ft-lb torque and it’s fun as heck but my friend’s 3/4 ton gasser handles our 3 horse LQ trailer just fine. (We’re in the Midwest)

One thing that a diesel can get you is an exhaust brake - I don’t know Rams so not sure if that’s an option but it is nice when you are in a hilly area (well about as hilly as the Midwest can get).

While a gasser might not have as good of an MPG as a diesel, one benefit is that you get to stop more often for bathroom breaks. (I know somebody who purposely went with a gas truck partially for this reason!)

[beowulf]

Yes MA road salt is evil. Rust never sleeps. This truck will likely be retired because of the frame rust before anything else. In the last few years it’s really advanced. I have a welder friend that’s supposed to look at it in the next few weeks and see if we can’t do something creative. It’s beyond my abilities or interest in doing a frame swap but honestly with how expensive trucks are these days…

I didn’t know that the 7.3 was THE truck for diesel fans when I bought this thing. I get offers to buy it practically every time I fuel up at the local truck station. My neighbor would probably come for me if he heard I sold it on - he told me the day I got it he’s next in line. We buy our hay from him so I better say on his good side. Good luck in your truck search, the prices are so insane right now and I’m afraid they’re here to stay.