Im due for a new truck so ive been kicking the tires so to speak, reading thru the boards.
Currently have a 07 F150 CC 4x4 with the longer bed.
Thinking of a upgrade to a F250 CC 4x4 SB
I know that the F150 of today can probably tow more than my current truck…
However we have tossed around the idea of a T.T sometime down the road.
I need to occasionally tow a skid steer including the bucket or any attachments.
Would like the option of being able to plow with it.

When I bought the F150 I had a dodge 2500. But decided to scale back and try out a smaller truck, about 5 yrs ago I started hating that decision as I always felt like I was maxing out the F150 when I wanted to tow or I didn’t have a enough truck to do what I wanted. Or when I did tow with it I just felt totally wiped out at the end of the day towing with it.
I drove a F250 before I bought the F150 and wasn’t impressed, it had the same engine as the F150 and felt like a boat anchor driving it. I remind myself of that truck every time I question why I didn’t get the F250 in the first place. Because at that time I really wanted a Superduty.

So now Im debating Gas or Diesel for a F250.
Im somewhat leaning diesel, because I guess I don’t want to limit myself like I did the last time, future proof myself if you want to call it that.
However this will be my daily driver to, and I know that term means something different sometimes when people say they use it for a daily driver, and that term is kind of vague to me.
So when you read the boards and people say they are using it as a daily driver what’s that mean…
Daily Driver meaning…
1. Driving a bunch of miles a day maybe a long commute to work and home. Extended drives at one time. Combo Highway/City. Combination hauling/empty most the day.
Or
2. Driving it to work 5 miles away and parking it. then a few trips around town during the day, and then back home again at the end of the day. Maybe you forgot something at the store and you need to run up town. Maybe you hauled something with it today, maybe you didn’t. Most miles you put on it are around town during your day. Maybe you mixed in some highway miles..There’s days where id put a lot of miles on my f150 but they would be running here and there and not necessarily running down the highway.

So then you get to reading the forums that say.. You need to drive a diesel, No short trips. It’s bad on the truck.
So…I can somewhat understand that, however..
And I’ve never owned a diesel truck so maybe not as clear to me but…
Wouldn’t you think that ford would know that these trucks would be used for hauling and as a daily driver (as in example #2)? Not everyone is going to by a diesel truck for one purpose and then buy a gas miser and have more expense(fuel/insur) just for daily driving.
When the news hit of a diesel F150 I had the same thought come into my mind. A lot of people buy F150's for daily driving and still have the advantage of a truck, and now they have the advantage of diesel engine too. Guaranteed these people will be daily driving (as in example #2) the F150 diesel too and I’d have to believe Ford understands that.

So in my head Im debating getting a diesel but then I hear all this ‘don’t get one if you are going to ‘daily drive’ it’(whatever that means). But then they slap a diesel engine in a F150 which you know will hit more of the ‘daily drivers’ market then maybe a F250 would.

Im not trying to turn this into a gas/diesel flame war, Im just trying to figure out a decision on a engine choice and the daily driver/diesel/gas thing.

I haven't ruled out the Gas and think everyone says to get the 410 or 430 gears with it, either way Gas or Diesel id like to put larger tires on 35s possibly either a small lift or a level and to be honest the fuel mileage has me concerned with the gas. I know it will effect the diesel to, but not sure if it will be effect it as much.

Thanks for any help..

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A large percentage of the vehicles in the parking lot at work are trucks and probably at least a third of them are diesel powered. Fords, Chevys, Dodges. Pretty much every one of them live within 10 miles, several within one mile. Some are used on farms & ranches, but most chose the diesel because they pull camp trailers on weekends and wanted more pulling power to handle mountain grades better (and some have a diesel just because they think they're bad ***). But most of the time they are used as cars to get to work, run errands, etc. The only time they complain about them is when diesel fuel goes up in price.

My recommendation (for what it's worth) is buy what you want and don't worry about it.

 

Get the diesel. If you were unhappy with the F250 you test drove before buying the F150 because it didn't have enough power, then you will love the 6.7 PSD. The engine is amazing. The truck moves with seemingly turbine like thrust. I daily mine about half the time. It has been great.

 

I did a lot of research on the diesel as a daily driver question. It was a legitimate concern since it could be a big, expensive mistake. What's out there is basically anecdotal information and you have to draw your own conclusions. There is nothing based upon scientific rules for hypothesis, testing, and theory on the issue. There is nothing in any Ford literature saying you're on the wrong track in considering the diesel with use more of a daily driver and less of a hard work truck. I'm not sure the arguments against a diesel Super Duty as a daily driver hold up. I mean, they put these things in cars, don't they? And other than displacement, a car diesel is not substantially different than what's in a truck. They function the same and have the same engine controls and emissions equipment so what precisely is being harmed in daily driving? Mine may be too rational a perspective on the issue, but if someone says it's not a good idea, then where's their proof? And short trips where the engine never warms up are just as hard on gas engines as on diesels.

In reality, for how I use a vehicle these days, a Chevy Bolt (electric car) would serve 95-percent of my needs, but I didn't go that route.

 

The gas engine can do everything the F250 can. I'd go 350 and DRW before going diesel.

The 6.7 is better than the previous diesels, but it's still a fairly complex and extremely expensive engine. If you need it, get it, otherwise save the money.

 

This is my second psd that I use almost solely for daily driving. A lot of city driving and every third day when I go to work it's 20 highway miles there and 20 back. Sole reason for buying the psd is I love the truck. I do all my own maintenance so price ain't much different than if I went gas and took it to a shop for maintenance. If you want the diesel get it. There nothing like the sound of that PSD when you fire it up!!! ( Some may say I'm crazy ) but what a dam good truck!!!

 

To me the question was this: For my uses, is it really worth 9 grand more for the diesel? In my part of the country diesel is ALWAYS more per gallon than gas. For the miles per gallon difference between the 2 motors, I can buy a hell of a lot of gas for $9k. So in my case the answer was no.
I might tow a skid steer on a tilt bed and a dump trailer with 4-5 tons of stone a couple of times per year. I tow a 7x18 enclosed (5500-6000 lbs.) for my business almost daily from April to October. I tow another 7x18 with 4 motorcycles from the NY/Canada border to Daytona once a year.
Even with tires that are 2 1/2 inches taller than stock (325/65R/18) the 6.2/3.73 gets the job done for me. The best mileage I've seen keeping at 65 mph on the interstate was almost 16. This new truck will make the Florida trip for the first time next week, so we'll see what the MPG is. The 2014 and 2016 versions of the same engine and axle combo got from 7.5 to 10 MPG on the Florida trip at anywhere from 65 to 80 mph.
One thing nobody has mentioned so far - the ride and cab quality/quietness is head & shoulders above previous Super Duty models. By all means go ahead and test drive one.
So my advice is to calculate your uses and decide for yourself if the extra initial expense and extra maintenance costs are worth it to you. You can get all of our anecdotes here, but the bottom line is you have to do what's right for your own situation.

 

Exactly! That's it in a nutshell.

 

 

IMO, this whole diesel daily driver discussion depends on one thing... how do you drive the truck? Are you one of those people who creeps off the line and only ever uses 10% throttle, and 0-30mph in 60 seconds? Or are you the guy who often floors it off the line, and most of your body weight is in your right foot? Over the years I've found, at least with the Rams, that people who don't DRIVE their diesel trucks in the city, tend to have the most issues with regen and full DPF messages. I'm a spirited driver, and I drive about 99% city (11 miles each way to work, speeds from 30-45mph), and have never had a single issue that other people report. I make the truck work, even when it doesn't have a load, and I believe that's what's important.

 

Invoice is closer to $8,000 for the diesel option, and resale value offsets 90% of the cost. The actual fuel cost difference is close to a wash, being able to pass a gas station while towing is really nice.
Still being able to fill up when a hurricane hits is priceless.

 

I am not sure if you have driven them both. But I would start there. Both amazing trucks and if price isn't coming into it too much then drive them both as that could have quite an effect on your decision one way or the other. You could think, you know for the extra 8 grand ... I don't see it or could go the other way but trust me you will know :-)

 

 

I have the Long Bed gasser...48 gallons gets me just fine through hurricane season!