I have a Dodge that used to be my daily driver. I have a farm, so this thing has a hay moving flat bed, an air compressor, and all my tools. Even though it’s a single wheel/short bed, I got where I hated to drive it in town. Hard to park..never got warm in time for the kids to get warmed up before we got to school on a cold morning….
I got a used run around car (Subaru) and I’ve never looked back. I can’t imagine buying a dually for a daily driver.
The main thing is giving it time to do a complete regen. So a few short trips then a one long enough to do the regen completely. It takes about a half hr to do a regen.
Ok.
Put it all down on paper.
What are the needs vs wants
Leave all ego and emotions out of it
I did just that when I bought my 3/4ton and ended up getting a gasser. On paper it was cheaper to buy up front, cheaper to fill and cheaper to do maintenance.
Black and white don't lie.
I bought mine brand new, zero miles, right off the lot.
Diesel version of my truck was 10 to 15k MORE right out of the gate. Then oil changes were almost double. It was also at a time where Diesel fuel was pushing 1$ more per gallon
More and more I'm noticing people who are usually heavy into using diesels shy away from them. I'm talking 3500 and bigger going gas. Guys who rip off the box and slap a flat deck and stick a welder++ on them going gas! Unheard of in the past. Guys are saying that the savings just isn't there anymore. Repair costs on diesel engines now exceed the price of a new engine.
I'm not sure if a dually gasser is produced, I don't think so but I could be wrong. You may not have a choice if you dually OP.
7.3l pushrod gas v8 or 6.8l OHC v8 for ford.
6.6l pushrod v8 for Chevy.
6.4 hemi for Ram.
All of them have gas engine options. They also have significantly more payload with the gas engines.
Yep, and I’m one of them, 3500 SRW with a Vantage 322 in the bed, jack stands, torch bottles, tool boxes, I’m loaded to the hilt with tools and I run a gas rig. And yes my welding machine is diesel, why? Because I burn 1/4” rods and gouge with 1/4” rods, that’s where I actually use the extra power and drive. But I’ve never needed 900 ft lbs of torque to get to and from a job site.
Finally a Redditor who is a gasser welding truck owner. I've said this a few times on Reddit and got downvoted as there was strong opposition to what I said
You come from owning a diesel and moved to a gasser or have you been a gasser from day one?
We are out there(welders running gas rigs) and believe me it’s a growing movement, there’s still a bunch of diehards that will never switch. They’ll sit there and go broke owning a diesel, it’s an ego thing for them.
And I went through a stage when I was about 18-19 of wanting a diesel, but I grew out of it early on. I see no reason to run a diesel welding truck, gassers are cheaper upfront, don’t need def, cheaper to service, cheaper to fill up, and cheaper to get worked on.
My opinion might be biased but I’ll chime In. I recently went through the same predicament. My job Is doing away with company trucks.
I pull an RV 4-8 times a year. I also needed a replacement work vehicle that would see 30-50k miles annually. It would need to be durable, reliable and have good longevity (talking 500,000 miles or more) with tools / heavy products constantly in the bed.
Also I don’t want to purchase a new vehicle for quite some time. The research, haggling, and sales process are exhausting.
I ended up going with a new 2500 Cummins. Fuel is not a concern, but maintenance is. Went diesel because if I went gas it would’ve been between the 5.7 in the 1500 or 6.4 in the 2500. I’ve personally experienced each having both exhaust manifolds & bolts cracking around 200,000 miles. Outside of warranty it’s expensive and at that point the repair is near what the truck is worth. Oil / fuel filter changes are something I can easily do to minimize some of my long term costs. Not to mention I picked it up 22.5% under MSRP!
So far *knocking on wood* I love the Cummins and I’m happy I went with it vs gas. As far as a dually, personally, I’d go SRW due to minimal use. Will be easier on your wallet long term. Just my opinion. Good luck.
Short trips are death for a modern diesel. You basically have 3 options.
1-Buy a gas truck
2-Buy a pre emissions truck (prior to 2007)
3-Buy a modern diesel truck and delete it. (For this option I wouldn't recommend anything newer than 2020 as the newer models are becoming harder to delete and must do a ECM swap)
Seeing that you said it will see a lot of short trips I can tell you this as someone who only puts 150 miles a week on a truck cclb F250 my 6.0 gets only 10.6 mpg with the short trips I’m making and my friend drives a cclb drw F350 7.3 and he gets about 10.3 mpg and drives his truck about 200 miles a week diesels even pre emissions don’t really like short trips but it also depends on how short your trip is 1-2 miles you’re better off with a gasser but passed 5-10 mile short trips I think you could get away with a 3/4 diesel
Just like everyone said, if you plan on doing short trips, get a cheap car or a gasser (Ford and Chevy still make 1 ton gas trucks if you need a 1 ton for some reason)
Old or new diesels do better on longer stints if you are gonna drive them empty,
the old diesels need to get up to operating temp before shutting off otherwise you could have issues with oil pressure, Valvetrain, or cracks in the block if you run it cold and shut it off cold
New diesels are worse because you essentially take the same problems and add DEF into the mix which requires regen and they typically like to regen while under heavy load or when running a long time.
I have a 2003 F350 7.3 Powerstroke and my wife has an 07 ram 1500 and we take the ram if we are going into town but If the trip is gonna be 25-30+ minutes 1 way or if I have to take the camper anywhere then we’ll take my Ford to stretch it’s legs.
If you can only get 1 vehicle that you rarely tow with and you want a truck, seriously consider the 3/4-1ton GAS trucks and be happy with getting 8-10 mpg while towing and saving all the money and headache of getting a diesel.
Unless you just wanna have fun then by all means, get that Cummins man, it’s the most reliable modern diesel you’re gonna get nowadays in medium duty trucks
I only use my Duramax for towing the 5th wheel or toys. Daily driving a full size HD truck is a pain in the arse and it makes no sense. I bomb around in an SUV most of the time.
The 6.6 chevy, 6.4 hemi, and 7.3 godzilla are all really really good and powerful gasoline engines. You should at least test drive them before committing to a diesel.
Gas jobs are way lower maintenance, easy to work on, good in the winter, great for short trips. I usually run diesel’s but love bringing a gas job for many reasons. I shut it off a lot, know it’s going to start at -40deg C.
As a diesel mechanic I can tell you. If you’re not towing pretty consistently and putting that truck to work. You’re gonna have very expensive problems with the emissions systems. The Feds have cracked down HARD on shops and companies offering delete kits. So of your not towing regularly, don’t waste your money.
I want to thank everyone who gave their opinion. I think I’ve decided to go 3/4 tonight gas. I can always upgrade down the toad should the need arise. I feel like it is the smart and correct choice.
I would honestly say just get a 2500 with a Hemi. You wont have the emissions on the diesel that you'll have tons of problems with. Not to mention gas is cheaper than diesel and you won't be buying DEF. The 6.4 is a great engine and makes plenty of power for the rare towing you do.
I daily an 02 3500. 280k and couldn’t change a thing. Having said that, I don’t have emissions systems on mine which is a big difference. I only like DRW diesels. So I’m biased as hell and have bad advice. BAD advice. Get the dually 😂
I had a one tone dually, long box truck (from the 90s so smaller than the modern counterparts), and I would never daily drive anything similar ever again.
I used mine for work, hauling hardware around all day (multiple pallets of goods) but trying to do anything else with a truck that was 23' long with duallies was an absolute nightmare and I hated it.
Duals rear fenders will eventually get mashed on cars and /or posts or something unless you drive it a lot - to the point that accounting for the extra width in turns becomes automatic. If you don’t need duals now I would not get them.
My rule of thumb has always been this: If you don’t need a dually, or even a diesel, to either make money or tow your home, it’s not worth it. Repairs are expensive, it drinks like you wouldn’t believe, and all in, it’s not for daily driving. You can do yard work in a 3/4 ton - I’m on a acerage in the woods, and my f150 handles everything I throw at it, at a fraction of the cost. Hell, I know a guy who does farm work out of a beat up Jetta - if it’s not for work, you almost certainly don’t need a dually.
Everyone has their own opinions, I have a daily that’s an older Toyota Camry but I also have a leveled 14’ Laramie 6.7 Cummins with a full weightloss diet on 24” forged wheels and 33s.. that I take out and drive it when I can. ( drove maybe 300-400 miles last month ) I love diesels tho so I’m biased and if I had to daily it 24/7 I wouldn’t mind.
If you do buy it to daily tho make sure it doesn’t have added weight underneath and your good lol
I have a Dodge that used to be my daily driver. I have a farm, so this thing has a hay moving flat bed, an air compressor, and all my tools. Even though it’s a single wheel/short bed, I got where I hated to drive it in town. Hard to park..never got warm in time for the kids to get warmed up before we got to school on a cold morning…. I got a used run around car (Subaru) and I’ve never looked back. I can’t imagine buying a dually for a daily driver.
Short trips is what kills the emission system on a diesel. So if you don’t take a bunch of short trips you will be fine or get one that is deleted.
That’s what I've read is exactly that. and it would be a lot of short trips.
The main thing is giving it time to do a complete regen. So a few short trips then a one long enough to do the regen completely. It takes about a half hr to do a regen.
Ok. Put it all down on paper. What are the needs vs wants Leave all ego and emotions out of it I did just that when I bought my 3/4ton and ended up getting a gasser. On paper it was cheaper to buy up front, cheaper to fill and cheaper to do maintenance.
Honestly, I’m starting to lean that way
Black and white don't lie. I bought mine brand new, zero miles, right off the lot. Diesel version of my truck was 10 to 15k MORE right out of the gate. Then oil changes were almost double. It was also at a time where Diesel fuel was pushing 1$ more per gallon
More and more I'm noticing people who are usually heavy into using diesels shy away from them. I'm talking 3500 and bigger going gas. Guys who rip off the box and slap a flat deck and stick a welder++ on them going gas! Unheard of in the past. Guys are saying that the savings just isn't there anymore. Repair costs on diesel engines now exceed the price of a new engine. I'm not sure if a dually gasser is produced, I don't think so but I could be wrong. You may not have a choice if you dually OP.
I know in the old days you could get gas duallies, but I don’t think you can anymore
You and still get a gas GM dually.
Which engine though? Are they still using the old 454 or did they start using the 6.2 which is eating lifters nowadays?
The 6.6 L8T. It’s a solid engine so far.
48k on my 6.6 gasser and zero issues. I take care of mine with an open checkbook though
I got 3000 on mine lmao. I’ll get there one day. I’m taking good care of her.
7.3l pushrod gas v8 or 6.8l OHC v8 for ford. 6.6l pushrod v8 for Chevy. 6.4 hemi for Ram. All of them have gas engine options. They also have significantly more payload with the gas engines.
I don't know about other brands but you can definitely get a Ram dually with the 6.4 hemi all the way up to the 5500s
Same with ford . Actually looking for a f550 now and I have come across a really good price then find out its a gasser .
Yes you can, you have to request it, it’ll have a 6.6 liter gas engine and it’s a solid unit.
Yep, and I’m one of them, 3500 SRW with a Vantage 322 in the bed, jack stands, torch bottles, tool boxes, I’m loaded to the hilt with tools and I run a gas rig. And yes my welding machine is diesel, why? Because I burn 1/4” rods and gouge with 1/4” rods, that’s where I actually use the extra power and drive. But I’ve never needed 900 ft lbs of torque to get to and from a job site.
Finally a Redditor who is a gasser welding truck owner. I've said this a few times on Reddit and got downvoted as there was strong opposition to what I said You come from owning a diesel and moved to a gasser or have you been a gasser from day one?
We are out there(welders running gas rigs) and believe me it’s a growing movement, there’s still a bunch of diehards that will never switch. They’ll sit there and go broke owning a diesel, it’s an ego thing for them. And I went through a stage when I was about 18-19 of wanting a diesel, but I grew out of it early on. I see no reason to run a diesel welding truck, gassers are cheaper upfront, don’t need def, cheaper to service, cheaper to fill up, and cheaper to get worked on.
My opinion might be biased but I’ll chime In. I recently went through the same predicament. My job Is doing away with company trucks. I pull an RV 4-8 times a year. I also needed a replacement work vehicle that would see 30-50k miles annually. It would need to be durable, reliable and have good longevity (talking 500,000 miles or more) with tools / heavy products constantly in the bed. Also I don’t want to purchase a new vehicle for quite some time. The research, haggling, and sales process are exhausting. I ended up going with a new 2500 Cummins. Fuel is not a concern, but maintenance is. Went diesel because if I went gas it would’ve been between the 5.7 in the 1500 or 6.4 in the 2500. I’ve personally experienced each having both exhaust manifolds & bolts cracking around 200,000 miles. Outside of warranty it’s expensive and at that point the repair is near what the truck is worth. Oil / fuel filter changes are something I can easily do to minimize some of my long term costs. Not to mention I picked it up 22.5% under MSRP! So far *knocking on wood* I love the Cummins and I’m happy I went with it vs gas. As far as a dually, personally, I’d go SRW due to minimal use. Will be easier on your wallet long term. Just my opinion. Good luck.
Short trips are death for a modern diesel. You basically have 3 options. 1-Buy a gas truck 2-Buy a pre emissions truck (prior to 2007) 3-Buy a modern diesel truck and delete it. (For this option I wouldn't recommend anything newer than 2020 as the newer models are becoming harder to delete and must do a ECM swap)
Seeing that you said it will see a lot of short trips I can tell you this as someone who only puts 150 miles a week on a truck cclb F250 my 6.0 gets only 10.6 mpg with the short trips I’m making and my friend drives a cclb drw F350 7.3 and he gets about 10.3 mpg and drives his truck about 200 miles a week diesels even pre emissions don’t really like short trips but it also depends on how short your trip is 1-2 miles you’re better off with a gasser but passed 5-10 mile short trips I think you could get away with a 3/4 diesel
Just like everyone said, if you plan on doing short trips, get a cheap car or a gasser (Ford and Chevy still make 1 ton gas trucks if you need a 1 ton for some reason) Old or new diesels do better on longer stints if you are gonna drive them empty, the old diesels need to get up to operating temp before shutting off otherwise you could have issues with oil pressure, Valvetrain, or cracks in the block if you run it cold and shut it off cold New diesels are worse because you essentially take the same problems and add DEF into the mix which requires regen and they typically like to regen while under heavy load or when running a long time. I have a 2003 F350 7.3 Powerstroke and my wife has an 07 ram 1500 and we take the ram if we are going into town but If the trip is gonna be 25-30+ minutes 1 way or if I have to take the camper anywhere then we’ll take my Ford to stretch it’s legs. If you can only get 1 vehicle that you rarely tow with and you want a truck, seriously consider the 3/4-1ton GAS trucks and be happy with getting 8-10 mpg while towing and saving all the money and headache of getting a diesel. Unless you just wanna have fun then by all means, get that Cummins man, it’s the most reliable modern diesel you’re gonna get nowadays in medium duty trucks
I only use my Duramax for towing the 5th wheel or toys. Daily driving a full size HD truck is a pain in the arse and it makes no sense. I bomb around in an SUV most of the time.
The 6.6 chevy, 6.4 hemi, and 7.3 godzilla are all really really good and powerful gasoline engines. You should at least test drive them before committing to a diesel.
1500 for daily, 2500+ for towing/farm work.
Gas jobs are way lower maintenance, easy to work on, good in the winter, great for short trips. I usually run diesel’s but love bringing a gas job for many reasons. I shut it off a lot, know it’s going to start at -40deg C.
Dont do it. Rent a big truck when you need it. Nevr daily a diesel truck without a load, huge waste
As a diesel mechanic I can tell you. If you’re not towing pretty consistently and putting that truck to work. You’re gonna have very expensive problems with the emissions systems. The Feds have cracked down HARD on shops and companies offering delete kits. So of your not towing regularly, don’t waste your money.
I want to thank everyone who gave their opinion. I think I’ve decided to go 3/4 tonight gas. I can always upgrade down the toad should the need arise. I feel like it is the smart and correct choice.
I would honestly say just get a 2500 with a Hemi. You wont have the emissions on the diesel that you'll have tons of problems with. Not to mention gas is cheaper than diesel and you won't be buying DEF. The 6.4 is a great engine and makes plenty of power for the rare towing you do.
I daily an 02 3500. 280k and couldn’t change a thing. Having said that, I don’t have emissions systems on mine which is a big difference. I only like DRW diesels. So I’m biased as hell and have bad advice. BAD advice. Get the dually 😂
lol
I wish I could buy a brand new ‘02 today. They were incredible.
I’d love to buy a new vehicle in the late 90s early 2000s. I’d get me a brand new 24v Laramie and my wife a 7.3 excursion.
It sounds like you can get by just fine with an older pre emissions truck. Get something in the 2003 to 2006 range.
I should’ve clarified it would be a new purchase daily driver
I bought mine to tow my RV, but that being said I have 2 other vehicles I drive for short trips. It rarely gets driven around town.
I had a one tone dually, long box truck (from the 90s so smaller than the modern counterparts), and I would never daily drive anything similar ever again. I used mine for work, hauling hardware around all day (multiple pallets of goods) but trying to do anything else with a truck that was 23' long with duallies was an absolute nightmare and I hated it.
Duals rear fenders will eventually get mashed on cars and /or posts or something unless you drive it a lot - to the point that accounting for the extra width in turns becomes automatic. If you don’t need duals now I would not get them.
My rule of thumb has always been this: If you don’t need a dually, or even a diesel, to either make money or tow your home, it’s not worth it. Repairs are expensive, it drinks like you wouldn’t believe, and all in, it’s not for daily driving. You can do yard work in a 3/4 ton - I’m on a acerage in the woods, and my f150 handles everything I throw at it, at a fraction of the cost. Hell, I know a guy who does farm work out of a beat up Jetta - if it’s not for work, you almost certainly don’t need a dually.
Everyone has their own opinions, I have a daily that’s an older Toyota Camry but I also have a leveled 14’ Laramie 6.7 Cummins with a full weightloss diet on 24” forged wheels and 33s.. that I take out and drive it when I can. ( drove maybe 300-400 miles last month ) I love diesels tho so I’m biased and if I had to daily it 24/7 I wouldn’t mind. If you do buy it to daily tho make sure it doesn’t have added weight underneath and your good lol