I have a 2012 F-150 Supercrew with the 5.0 and I'm tossing around about switching to an F-250 or F-350 Supercrew Diesel. We haul a 30 foot Jayco Camper and we often haul our Tahoe boat on the weekends to different lakes. I've never owned a diesel so give me the good and the bad.

 

The good.......... POWER!
The bad.......being new to diesel, one inadvertantly dumps DEF in the fuel tank.......or fill with gasoline.
The good.......AWESOME POWER!
The bad.........all the gasser guys are going to tell you the diesel will blow up 10 times per year.
The good........AWESOME, BLOW YOUR MIND POWER.!!!!!

So, as you see.......the good out weighs the bad

Buy one and enjoy the ride!

 

Do you really need a diesel or just want a diesel? You can get an F250/F350 with a 6.2 that will do all you need with less hassle and maintenance.

 

That’s the question I am asking. Do I need a diesel? I know that this 5.0 can pull both but it has to be hard on it.

 

If you’re pulling fine with the 5.0, you don’t NEED a diesel. A 250 with either the 6.2 or the 7.3 would do just fine. That said, if you want to know what towing with a diesel is all about, you can rent a diesel 250 from Enterprise Trucks. That said, once you tow with a diesel, it’s very hard to go back. It really is true, nothing pulls like a diesel but you have to do your research and know what’s required for diesel maintenance and upkeep.

 

You can't be stupid and own a diesel. You have to think when you fill the truck. Only remove one cap at a time to fuel or add DEF. Pay attention. If that's to much than don't get the diesel. By the way a diesel will out preform a gasser when towing. Better fuel economy by about 5 MPG's
Oil changes are expensive 13 quarts @ $8 to $10 a quart
Fuel filters are about a hundo but you get 2.
Coolant is special and you need to have it checked for PH.
I would never trade my diesel for a gas truck. I do however work my truck. They don't like stop and go driving bad for emission systems. Be careful if you buy a used truck. Some have been deleted and most if not all don't come with a tuner. Easy to see. If the exhaust is a straight pipe than it's a delete and don't buy it. Many guys have bought trucks like this and nothing but problems. Buy a stock truck and modify it yourself that way you know what you have.

 

Towing 10k+ lbs with a diesel is great. Even on rolling hills, lock out 6th (for the 6R140), set the cruse control and drive. We all joke as if there isn't weight behind you which isn't true, because you can feel it with the movement of the vehicle, but the point is the engine is strong and you don't have to think about the next hill much unless you are about to hit a long grade.

The item to focus on is your daily driving. Are you starting and shutting down a lot? Are you in a lot of stop and go traffic? These 6.7L engines are great but the emissions systems, when these trucks aren't worked hard a lot and sometimes even when they are, are an expensive pain to keep functional.

The 6.2L is a proven engine at this point but there is also the new 7.3L gas. Based on what you've explained, you don't need a diesel as both gas options will work fine with a correctly sized towing vehicle. However, if you want a diesel, go buy one, you'll like the truck a lot.

 

I haven't had a gasser since I had a 92 Ford (not counting ecoboosts because they tow like a diesel anyway). I don't miss all of the high revving and downshifting that a gasser does.

Diesel advantages: more power, and at low rpms, engine braking, better fuel economy, the ability to buy fuel at truck stops which when pulling long trailers is important.

Gas advantages, cheaper up front, cheaper maintenance, gas is usually cheaper than diesel

I would rather have a XL or XLT diesel than a fully loaded Lariat, KR or Platinum gasser. In other words if it come down to being able to afford the diesel option or a higher trim level I would take the diesel

 

kper brings up a great point about daily driving. When I first bought my truck, I had no idea of the requirement to keep the emissions happy and functioning. I don't recall what I knew but it wasn't as much as I do now. I bought the extended warranty, 7 year or 125k miles, for the emissions. But the warranty for emissions only goes to 80k miles.

My daily driving routine and area I live and drive in keeps my DPF functioning well. Most of my active regens get out close to 500 miles like they should as that's how the truck is programmed to do them. I also get some passive regens, when the exhaust gas temps are hot enough in the diesel particulate filter, where the soot burns off some without an active regen. That is due to the truck climbing up in altitude on the expressway at speed on the home. It builds up some on the way in to work though due to a downhill drive in.

I have a digital monitor which isn't a requirement but a guy like me likes to watch what's going on. I have a Banks iDash 1.8 that allows me to monitor 8 PIDS at one time. PIDS ( parameter IDs) like EGT (exhaust gas temps, ECT engine coolant temp, regen status off/active, soot load percentage (in the PDF), OLM oil life monitor, fuel pressure from the frame mounted DFCM (diesel fuel conditioning module aka primary pump at the HPFP (high pressure fuel pump), fuel filter and water separator) and OLM (Oil life monitor. But I chose those as they are many others I can monitor. It's also a code reader.

The 6.7 takes 13 quarts of oil. Some guys change at 5k, some at 6k to 6.5k miles and some like myself like the truck tell me when to change oil. The manual says to change fuel filters every 3rd oil change or by 22.5k miles. A lot here change them every other oil change. Since I monitor the fuel pressure, I now change every third oil change. I buy Motorcraft fuel filters on Amazon. Dieselfiltersonline.com also has good pricing as well.

About the power, it's great. Coming from a older gas powered truck, I love it. I don't have a camper yet but I can only imagine the how well my truck would tow. My diesel purchase was a choice as I didn't one. I wanted one. I also have plans for a snow plow for personal use.

As to DEF use, since I don't tow currently, I use about 2.5 gallons every 3k miles. Def fluid is cheap. I buy it at Wal-Mart in 2.5 gallon containers for under 8 bucks. 7 dollars and change without NYS sales tax. I don't drink anymore so I don't worry about putting DEF in the fuel tank. I have a lockable fuel cap on so it's habit now when I fuel up to open my center console to grab the key for the fuel cap. I fill up at home with DEF but some purchase DEF at truck fuel stations so people have to be mindful of that. If you live in a cold weather region, you have to be careful of not overflowing the DEF tank to prevent the DEF tank neck from breaking if the DEF fluid freezes. I also use a Ford factory DEF nozzle to prevent DEF from overflowing and making a mess.

I also use an additive every tankful of fuel for peace of mind but that's a personal choice. It's like asking what oil to run. Many different opinions here.

I threw a lot at you but wanted to present my POV. Welcome to the club here.

 

Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it and I do know an F-250 gasser would do what I want but like someone said I don’t like the high revs on hills and constant gear changes. I travel about 40 miles to and from work and mostly flat with very little stop and go so I think I would be fine there. Keep the info coming, I love to learn

 

buy what you like as long as it fits your needs. if you like the diesel go for one, cant beat the power. Although i don't get the issue with letting the gas engine rev. they are designed to and thats where they make power. it doesnt cause me any stress while towing, my truck will maybe drop a gear on some hills. just use the manual gear lock out and it will help.

 

Not sure if its legal where you are, but I double haul my 27’ 5th wheel and 22’ Tahoe tritoon. Id say diesel for sure if you consider double towing some day

 

Its not legal in West Virginia but I would if I could

 

Is that 22' Tahoe tritoon a boat I would assume?

 

darn, never mind then