Hey all, new to this forum, hopefully i can get some opinions on this.

I'm looking for some opinions on whether or not I should buy a diesel truck. I live in a small town in the northwest territories, canada. to give you an idea of how far away i am, it would take me 20hours to drive to the Alberta/Montana border. it gets cold here in the winter. Winter lasts about 6mths and probably averages at -20 Celcius or about -4 Farenheit, but it can get to -35 Celcius for about a month every year. During the year, i will only put about 2000kms on the truck driving around town. I do one long trip out every year, and will drive through mountains each year, putting about 6000kms on the truck. so total every year on the truck would have no more than 8000kms on it, or 5000 miles. I tow a 26ft Jayco travel trailer weighing no more than 6000lbs wet but i might buy a bigger trailer in about 5yrs. And i would probably have my quad in the truck bed as well.

I am trying to decide on which F-250 to buy. I'm deciding between a 5.4, 6.8, or 6.0 PSD. I like the towing capabilities of the PSD, but will a gas be better for me considering the cold winters, and the fact that this is a small town and a diesel would be very costly to fix if anything went wrong on it. Or would my long trip down thru the mountains every year be easier with the diesel and make it worth getting one because of the fuel mileage and better towing capabilities. i can probably afford to buy a 2005/2006 diesel truck with about 120,000kms on it, or a 2006/2007 gas truck with less than 70,000kms on it.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

Welcome I think a gas truck would serve your purpose well. Especially in your cold climate. An your not putting a lot off miles on the truck. Cost wise a gas truck would be cheaper over all to run then a diesel in your situation. Good Luck BTW I would go with the V 10. plenty off power for towing.

 

Cold weather can be a real bugger with diesel ... It likes to be above freezing ... The v10 would be a good choice ... See about getting a tow package in the transmission if you go automatic ... I would not go dual rear wheels either ... duals reduce ground pressure and ground pressure equals traction ...

 

I agree with the above. For your situation a gas motor is the better choice. The 5.4 will serve your purpose but if there is an upgrade of the TT in your future go ahead and get a V10. Make it an 05 model and above that way you get the torqueshift tranny and then extra valves per cylinder than the older model V10.

 

Gas would be my recommendation also. The trailer you have is light weight. If that changes, you can always switch to a more powerful truck when you need it. I routinely tow with 3/4 ton trucks and they do fine as does their gas engines. Why add the expensive and potential difficulties in cold weather for a drivetrain you really don't need with your present setup?

Steve

 

The 5.4 will do just fine for you with your weights, but if you can get a better deal on the V10 go for it.

 

Gas is probably better. Diesel would need to be plugged in all the time at those temps.

 

> I'm deciding between a 5.4, 6.8, or 6.0 PSD

imho, You should never buy a used 6.0, there is a reason why Ford and International are suing each other.

There are a lot of negatives for the cold and diesel, but, one positive is it is a lot easier to stock pile a fuel supply, like diesel, for a remote location. It will not go bad just sitting there as long as you add additives and use a water separator at the pump. So, an older 4x4 6.9/7.3L might be a good choice.

Considering you probably have to deal with deep snow, maybe even for plowing, I would go with a V-10. For the little amount you drive it, you will never recoup the premium you pay for a diesel truck and there is not that much of a mileage difference between a 5.4 or 6.8 for as little as you drive it.

Though, I have dealt with starting trucks on a regular basis at zero degrees F. Battery strength and good cables are usually the things that make it or break it with the newer diesels.

 

I am a diehard diesel fan, but in you situation, I would recommend the gas truck.

I believe either the 5.4 or the 6.8 would be ok.