Towing - Diesel vs Gas

[Mick]

With the price of diesel approaching $4.00 gallon, I’m starting to question the cost benefit of towing with my diesel truck.

I wanted to see the economy/price difference for the season between Gad/Diesel so I put together a quick spreadsheet. It looks like at this point the cost difference is negligible but I want to make sure my numbers are correct.

The question is, for those towing an open trailer:
- What are you towing with?
- Gas or Diesel?
- What are you getting for MPG?

When I was towing with my F150 I was getting about 16mpg vs 18mpg with my GMC 2500

Here’s the spreadsheet (xls) if you want to mess with it, ..and an example of the numbers:

[enjoythemusic]

Thanks Mich for the cost analysis. Did basically the same thing when getting the 2008 F250. The added $7,000 for diesel engine made no sense when all was said and done.

Note: Yes, i realize resale value.... but frankly i keep things until they are used up. Would still be using the ranger if it coulda handled the 21 ft total enclosed windsail.
--------------------------------
GAS / OIL RELATED NOTE:

And get read folks, oil at $107/barrel today. USD Index is at 72.88, Iran bourse is not up and running plus new OPEC-like entity with Russia/Iran/etc in talks. This may be a HARD year due to gas, tire, oils, and other commodities.

So what i am saying is... STOCK UP ON FLUIDS, OILS AND TIRES NOW before the price goes +15% or more.

Signed,

Your financial advisor, Steven R.
<Who knows the difference between 'race math' and real math>

[91rs13]

I think the other factor in buying a diesel --is how long ( mileage and time) you expect to keep the vehicle.

If you are a 100000 mile or less person --who will trade/replace the truck by 100000 miles or so --and are buying a new vehicle, the Gas motor makes more sense.

If like many diesel owners you are doing very high mile trucks, the diesel will pay for itself when you factor in replacement vehicle costs, repairs, depreciation etc.

I am looking forward to the light duty diesels in 2009/2010. It will be interesting to see if the gap is closer in purchase price.

[enjoythemusic]

I think the other factor in buying a diesel --is how long ( mileage and time) you expect to keep the vehicle.
If you are a 100000 mile or less person --who will trade/replace the truck by 100000 miles or so --and are buying a new vehicle, the Gas motor makes more sense.

Maybe that was true in the past, though there are many guys with the Ford 5.4L and get 250k+ out of them.

I am looking forward to the light duty diesels in 2009/2010. It will be interesting to see if the gap is closer in purchase price.

Me too.. but for the reason that it'll help boost the price of platinum.

[SSNH]

when doing your research, make sure you look at summer diesel prices.

[StephanAlfa]

Hi Mick:
Last year I towed the Alfa on an aluminum trailer with my 6 cylinder Jeep Cherokee (5-speed).
Being a leadfoot I normally don't get good mileage to begin with (I mean sans trailer) which is about 16 mpg but I was happy to see that with the trailer I was getting about 14 mpg (ex: Mosport, Lime Rock) except in some areas that are hilly (ex: going to Mont Tremblant) where then the consumpion went down to about 11 mpg (granted I had the whole family with me too, not saying they are biig and heavy but there WAS added weight overall).

Hope this helps.

[mossaidis]

To Mick, would DIY or pump biodiesel make a difference with your calculations? Are there any chance to still get DYI biodiesel sources, like used frying oil at Wendy's? Or is not even worth the effort?

[chaos4NH]

Good analysis Mick. That was what I used to make a final decision when replacing the old (stolen) 1994 Turbo Deisel. I opted for a 2000 gasser with 108,000 miles for about $5000 less then a comparable diesel. The running gear being the same for the 3/4 ton Dodges, I have some money to play with to replace parts, also. Oh, another plus, I can hear the stereo when plowing and don't wake my neighbors at 500AM!!

[WillM]

To Mick, would DIY or pump biodiesel make a difference with your calculations? Are there any chance to still get DYI biodiesel sources, like used frying oil at Wendy? Or is not even worth the effort?

At this point, I do not think it is worth the effort, at least not from a consumer price point.

There are plenty of sources to make your own, if you want to invest the time. I believe you can make about 400 gallons each year without having to pay tax, but that probably varies by city & state. It is pretty neat that people can make quality fuel from used cooking oil, an old water heater, and a couple of chemicals.

Check out Collaborative Biodiesel Tutorial

For what it is worth, my Toyota V6 gets about 13-14 towing.

If I stay in the 65-70 range on the highway, I can get about 22 when not towing. Above 70-75, it drops to about 17.

I will be trying out cruise control at 65 next time I tow. My Chevy & Ford friends will finally have a chance on keeping up, so this is a potential win-win.

[jlwhorf]

My 97 f250 diesel gets about 14-15 mpg in tow with a 7K trailer and a 2K truck camper. I get about 20 every day with summer diesel and about 16 with winter fuel. It can vary 3-4 mpg depending on the quality of the diesel too. My old dodge motor home got about 6 mpg in tow with the same trailer and 8 mpg otherwise.

I was watching a show on converting fry oil to biodiesel and provided you can get fry oil for free, you get make it for about $.75 a gallon. But it is a time consuming process between collecting the oil and then going through the steps to convert it.

There is some serious price gouging going on with diesel/fuel oil, because it is easier to refine and they get more gallons per barrel than refining gasoline.

Jonathan

[mossaidis]

Good url on biodiesel. Thanks.

FYI, the honda ridgeline is rev happy and does a sad 11-12 mpg at 70 mph when towing, otherwise 18-19 mpg.

[DanDarcy]

I agree with Mick, its cheaper to run a gas truck, than the oil burner. I have several trucks at work, keep them until they are dead. The servicing is much more expensive on the diesal, they hold twice as much oil, fuel filters cost 10 times more, etc. plus even if they run 300-400,000 miles the bodies leave the truck long before that. I do feel there is a greater difference in mpgs between trucks of the same size. My 1995 Dodge 2500 Cummings w/5 speed manual towing a 26' boat get 16-17 mpgs, my 1996 Chevy 2500 w/auto towing the same boat gets 10-11 mpgs. I think the diesal makes sense if you tow real heavy loads and put on over 60,000 miles a year.

[91rs13]

I think the other factor in buying a diesel --is how long ( mileage and time) you expect to keep the vehicle.
If you are a 100000 mile or less person --who will trade/replace the truck by 100000 miles or so --and are buying a new vehicle, the Gas motor makes more sense.

Maybe that was true in the past, though there are many guys with the Ford 5.4L and get 250k+ out of them.

I was thinking in terms of resale when considering the cost. Good point though---we are seeing more high mileage gas motors as well.

BTW --15-16 towing with a 1500 GMC, open trailer.

[dinoracer]

Toyota Tundra (3 different ones) all 4.7 liter V8 4WD - get 15-16 towing about 5000 lbs open trailer, at 70-75 mph on the highways.

Getting 16-17 commuting at 75-80. I'm trying to set the cruise at 65 now-a-days, and taking the Miata whenever possible 80 miles roundtrip commute

[SSNH]

the doe provides historic fuel prices... you'll have to hunt around, i am on a slow web connection today - http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp

if you are only looking into a tow vehicle for the summer, than you should ignore the current fuel pricing... diesel is traditionally less expensive than gasoline in the summer months.


also, biodiesel is sold in many areas... i can get b20 and b100 on my commute - both less expensive than regular diesel.

http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiese ... lingsites/