On the verge 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton

[magnet]

I have an F150 5.4L as well and it pulls nice. My travel trailer is about 7000lbs loaded and pull and stops with no issues. I bought the Ford mainly due to the price and inside capacity (I have two boys). That said, if the decision is about a chev 6.0L and a duromax...the diesel is $7200 more.

If you say you will get 5 MPG better while towing with a diesel than the gas. At $0.80 per liter you would have to drive 197,000 km just to break even. I guess the real question is...how long will you own the truck? and is there more reason that just fuel consumption?

For the math I used 15MPG for the Gasser, and 20 MPG for the diesel.

Math:
15MPG = 5.33 km/L
At $0.80/L it costs 14.9cents per KM

20MPG = 7.11 km/L
At $0.80 it costs 11.25 cents per KM

14.9c per KM - 11.25c per KM = a difference of 3.65c/km

$7200/$0.0365 = 197,260KM

but does anyone actually get 20mpg towing with a new diesel? or gas. i went to Nelson bc just after i got my truck. pulling a 4 place sled trailer at 120kph average and i got around 16l per 100k or about 14 mpg as per the gauge in the dash. diesles now adays i would suspect the same. so would take even longer to pay for itself. unless you really need the towing torque and payload go with the gas.

 

[ttpowersports]

couple things...

if your pulling lots. the 3/4 is better

if your not concerned about $$$ the 3/4 is the way to go

if you want to have more than enough then 3/4 is better..

you do sometimes sacrifice the ride, but never new anyone who bought a 3/4 t and said its too big wish i would have bought a smaller one!!!

i ran a 3/4 for 7 yrs. i just went to f350 1ton in 06 and never wish i bought anything smaller.... and its been good.....only thing i miss is the 7.3 over the 6 litre....

as far as the mileage if your towing and ur getting anything over 16 mpg your doing good...remember is a truck not a smart car.....lol


thats my 2 cents

T

 

[mudboy]

Started off with a half ton then a 3/4t now a dodge 1t.. The thing is the toys just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. You would hate to upgrade the truck this year and then next year decide to upgrade the trailer and realize the truck is 2 small. I do not think I would ever go back to a gasser eithe. Driving hte diesel is just way to much fun. It is nice not having to slow down for hills when towing a trailer. The chatter about fuel milage I would not even listen to. Every vehicle is differnt. My dodge will get differnt milage compared to a buddies with the excact same set up. Guess one was built on a monday and the other a friday. It is a truck and it is going to suck fuel. the orice you pay to haul your toys around
My2c
good luck and let us know what you decide

 

[Modman]

No one cares about how long your tranny lasts?

11,500 on a 1/2 ton is a joke, I laugh at the ratings each time they come out, has anyone ever really towed that much with a 1/2 ton? Seriously....I mean that's like putting almost 2.5 cars on a 5000 lb trailer and then pulling it with your 1/2 ton. LOL Not a chance.

You might get it moving, you might get it stopped, but you won't be doing either of those things very fast....

I'd rather have a tough tranny and axles since this is usually what you will blow up first if you are trying to pull heavy loads. Frame strength is key also but its not the only thing that comes into play.

 

[bayman]

have a 6.0 L crewcab 3/4 with a chip,cold air intake and flowmater, goes good but wishing i had bought the dirtymax from day 2.

 

[mxz sledhead]

I went from 1/2 ton to a 3/4 super duty best thing i ever did way stonger
running gear a little rougher ride pull and carry like a bull with little effort

 

[flabbajabba]

I did the 1/2 ton to a Dura 3/4 HD I will never have a gas truck again. You don't buy a V-8 for gas mileage. Thats like saying a turbo sled gets poor mileage.(Who cares when it goes like stink) My truck with two on the deck and tidy tank full + box full of gear rides like a 1/2 ton:d Hooked to a trailer loaded she gets 15l/100 km all day that good enough for me.

GET SMOKE

 

[chev4life88]

Well guys first off I sat down and did the figures on weight and it a no brainer on the 3/4 ton so it's beginning to look a lot like turbo time. Now I just gotta decide on a lift!!!

 

[randster]

Yah, ok, she smells like a diesel, she sounds like a diesel, but she" PULLS" like a diesel.
"SMELLY" ???

 

[GasCan]

I have a lifted Black 09 Turbo Duramax if you're seriously looking for one. Had a gas 1/2 ton 4x4 prior to this and now that I've had a diesel there's NO WAY i'd ever go back. Great horsepower & torque and pulls like a freight train. Truck has DPF delete, Magnaflow exhaust, S&B airbox, Rancho 4" lift, 34" wheels and looks sic! PPE tuner will make up to 850ft lbs of torque. Currently set to setting 2 and never abused.

Love the truck but just ordered a 2010 Duramax dually to tow my new truck mount camper and my toy hauler behind. PM me for details if you're interested. Might save you a bunch and it's mint with 11,000Klm. Pictures show the aluminum rims that I switched out for Black XD Series. It's a wicked truck if you one one with all the power and accessories already done. It was 85K to build this rig new and it also has overloads and 1 ton rear spring pack.

 

[green-horn]

sssssswwwwweeeeettttt ride gascan!!!

 

[GasCan]

Thanks...

It's an awesome truck but I now need a 4x4 dually. Might put this one back to stock and move all the performance parts over to the new truck? All depends what the offers are like when I list it for sale. Can tell you one thing...it's frickin powerful. Here's another shot of it with the 34.5" Toyo's and the new XD wheels on it. Changes the look to something more sinister! lol

 

[Slamnek]

Man i would buy that truck right now if i could. Damn it!!!

 

[all-4-stroke]

well heres my opinion on the subject, ive owned my 2000 F-250 super duty 7.3L for about 4 years now. i bought it second hand form the original owner with 160,000k on it, it now has 220,000k on it. heres my repair list so far- shocks, steering box, outer tie rods & general maitenence. thats four years with basically worry free operation. and yes i use it as a daily drive as well as a haulin machine, its almost payed for itself with the towing ability and reliability. sure i could have bought an F-150 and it would have done alright, but im not about alright, but as a gas burner my repair list would be much longer and the power under load would have been substantialy less and like others have posted, milage like the silent b in dumb its there but you dont focus on it. if your gona be towin to play it has its inherit costs and fuel is always one so maybe look at what could save you some money like reliability and performance in the area you most need it. you will all of a sudden stop worrying about fuel economy when repair bills start flyin in. so look at your towing requirements now, for the future and the past. now think about the truck that would keep you confident in all those scenarios. for me its is and will probably always be a ford super duty, but you gotta figure out was vehicle fits your puzzle called life

 

[mb1]

Well guys first off I sat down and did the figures on weight and it a no brainer on the 3/4 ton so it's beginning to look a lot like turbo time. Now I just gotta decide on a lift!!!

Good call.

The reason the old diesels stunk was because the fuel had 50x more sulfur in it. Not because of the motors.

If GasCan's rig is something you'd see yourself building you'll save a bundle by taking it off his hands. I bought a lifted, tuned, build Dmax from a guy 2 years ago ( mind you it was from the states) and I couldn't be happier.

 

[kenvb]

If you find a 1/2 meets all your needs then go for it, but aren't they the 5.3? The 6.0 is a better block for sure.

I have 435,000 on my 99 Chevy 1500 with a 5.3 .. 3.43 gears posi, gets 20 mpg pulling 2 sled trailer and 30 empty with wife driving it 100.
and can change spark plugs without worry of breaking em off or stripping the threads like the 5.4 FORDS.
dont get me wrong,the new Dorfs are fine if you change the plugs at 80,000 recommended by Dorf.
I put over a Million on my 86 Dorf Tow Truck F-250 4x4 with a 300 six on propane ,with a Electric wrecker in back .second motor at 800,000 .Never a better truck ever built.

 

[Showtime]

Thanks...

It's an awesome truck but I now need a 4x4 dually. Might put this one back to stock and move all the performance parts over to the new truck? All depends what the offers are like when I list it for sale. Can tell you one thing...it's frickin powerful. Here's another shot of it with the 34.5" Toyo's and the new XD wheels on it. Changes the look to something more sinister! lol

If you strip it i may be interested in the rims only, i don't have a lift but thinking about 1.5" torsion keys so the rubber would be way to big for my use. Sweet looking ride!!!

 

[silver fox]

Just so you know...GM is now offering the 6.2 litre HO gas engine in their 1/2 tons...over 400 hp and approx 410 ft torque (same engine as Denali)..also comes with 6-speed auto trans, larger ring gear in diff's etc...kinda like a heavy half..if you want any info/pricing PM me...

 

[silver fox]

Sorry, 403hp..417ft lbs torque

 

[johndeereman346]

Why would you buy a half ton with a 6.2l, I get the same or better out of my 6.0l for milage and I have all the benefits of a HD truck, also I'm cranking out at 398 hp with my mods. The only benefit of the half ton is ride otherwise in my opinion if you tow 3/4 gas is the way to go at minimum. Just sayn