2014 dodge 6.4 gas or 2013 diesel?

[rickandsandy]

we are thinking about upgrading our 98 dodge to a new truck.has anyone tried one of these big gas motors? the price of a 14 with the 6.4 gas motor is roughly the same as a 13 with the diesel.we dont pull the trailer alot and the gas engine would be less hassle inthe winter.thoughts?

[Hooker]

Buy lots of ear plugs. You'll need them when the gasser starts up hill.

[Bigsky3625RE]

Made the mistake of buying a 3/4 ton gasser when we had out TT. A friend said to buy a one ton diesel. Told him I would never need that much truck or power..........WRONG!!

Traded that truck in for our current one.

A diesel will last you a long time. And you can upgrade to a bigger trailer or 5er.

[rickandsandy]

it has to pull the 3750 big sky we got last month.

[Bigsky3625RE]

quote:Originally posted by rickandsandy

it has to pull the 3750 big sky we got last month.

Do yourself a favor and go diesel. That is a big 5er. You won't be sorry. But you may be if you go with a gasser.

[H. John Kohl]

quote:Originally posted by rickandsandy

we are thinking about upgrading our 98 dodge to a new truck.has anyone tried one of these big gas motors? the price of a 14 with the 6.4 gas motor is roughly the same as a 13 with the diesel.we dont pull the trailer alot and the gas engine would be less hassle inthe winter.thoughts?

If you are going new and plan on keeping the truck then I would go for the Diesel. You have the pulling power over the gas and you will have it when you decide you want to do more traveling with the Big Sky. Besides pulling the Big Sky once a year or more still requires the pulling.

Good luck and safe travels.

[bigskyjimmy]

I WISH I could of kept my Ford V10 Gas, Awesome trouble free low matainence motor(any Gas) but everybody is right Diesel is the ONLY way to go for these bigger rigs I got tired of hearing my Gas motor screaming at the top of it's lungs going up hills so I put it out it's misery

[Art-n-Marge]

Not only does a gasser scream when you try and use it in heavy applications, these engines lose a lot on tow ratings anyway. Going with a diesel eliminates many of the engine concerns in heavy duty applications. But be careful of the truck that has the diesel that your truck is not undersized in ratings. Nothing like wasting a powerful diesel on a truck that is undersized. There's more about tow ratings and usage than a big-a** diesel, as I for one found out.

[jlb27537]

I would not even consider a gas with your trailer. You will want the 6.7 Ram and one downhill with the exhaust brake on the 6.7 you will come back here and ask for all our addresses so you can send each of us $100 for saving you....

IF you go with a SRW, make sure you get 3.73 gears, not the 3.42. Same for DRW 3.73. 4.10 is overkill for you. 3.42 is just too tall, you will be towing in 5th gear.

If you want big power go with the Aisin tranny option, but a 68RFE is fine for your weight.

Jim

[rickandsandy]

i should have specified 3500.would not pull with less.most of the diesels ive searched have the 3.73.the 6.4 litre gas has the 4.10.

[steelpony5555]

I think the new diesels handle the cold a whole lot better then they used too. You can check on the Dodge Cummins forum and ask, but I never seen a lot of posts about cold start problems. I would reckon this would be the year one would see posts the way it has gone this winter even further south then you.

[mlh]

I think it depends on how far and how fast you are going to pull your camper. If you are going to pull it a few miles A couple times a year get the gas truck. If you are going very far don't even look at a gas truck.
Lynwood

[richfaa]

Correct. How far are you going to tow and how long. We had a V10 gas F-350 great truck. One 7K trip out west and we went diesel. Roger on the ear plugs. The V-10 sure did scream and howl on the steep grades. It pulled them but not very fast.

[rickandsandy]

hard to say with our work how far or how often it will pull the trailer. as near as i can figure is about 15% of the milage on my 98 is from pulling our trailer.the rest is from daily driving with no load.

[Art-n-Marge]

Then you have to ask yourself, what is the priority? Do you want a truck to use mainly as a daily driver and then it struggles and creates possible white knuckle situations when towing not as much, then go with gas? Or is the 15% more of a concern for confidence during the less often but more critical towing and go with diesel?

I went with the latter, because knowing that I had that much more than capable truck, I allowed myself more heavy duty applications moving friends, family and towing trailers since I had a vehicle with that capability. As a daily driver, most of my mileage has interstate driving which gets better diesel economy than gas when not towing. While diesel is more expensive the savings in less diesel over gas allowed me that I made the right choice. Your choice may vary depending on your priority and driving habits.

[Captain Joe]

I use to own the 3750FL and trust me, you need a diesel, 1 ton, and preferably a dually for stability. It will last a lifetime and has better resale value.

[mhs4771]

Most of these newer Diesels will average 17 to 20 MPG running solo on the highway, what will that Gas motor get?? You might answer your own questions.
When I bought my 05 Chevy Diesel I had a friend who bought the almost identical Truck, but with the big block Gas. I could get 10 average with the Monty and 17 to 18 easy on the highway. He got 10 towing and 10 solo.
Diesels now for quite sometime haven't had the cold weather problems of old. Winter Blend of fuel helps cut down on possible gelling and if concerned there are products on the market to help.

[Ishler]

Here on the south shore of lake Ontario we get lots of cold weather, this winter alone lots of below zero nights and days in the teens. I don't even use the block heater anymore, the Cummins starts with no hassle. The only accommodation is the white Power Service to deal with possible moisture in the fuel.

[rickandsandy]

thanks for the opinions everyone.helped me narrow down what im looking for

[DQDick]

Our dealer, who is in a rural area where all trucks have to tow heavy loads, doesn't even carry a gasser on the lot. You have to special order it. On the other hand, my truck gets me 18-20 on the highway, but if you sit at stoplights much it trades the fuel pump for a beer stein. Makes it a harder decision for a commuter truck.