Do I need a diesel truck?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Barrie, Ontario
I live in Fort.McMurray and its gets much colder than NWT. I agree with others that a Cummins will not warm up right away and given your driving Long commute is out of the equation too . You don't tow much weight either. Logical answer is Gas and the new Hemi i say.
I was in a similar dilemma a year ago, I had a 1st Gen 12V Std Cab 2wd Dually 5 Speed before and had faced all horrors of falling electrics in -40 C. Time came to put a good chunk of money down and get myself a vehicle i'd keep for years to come.
Don't get me wrong, I will always be a petrol head, have owned various gas vehicles, crave power, go crazy after hearing a good gas engine rev it's power curve but when time came i looked high and low and settled on what i drive now.
I agree with having a newer vehicle then older but Cummins is an exception and i wouldn't worry about finding to fix a 5.9 or that it would be much costly. The beast needs to break down for that and i wouldn't worry about finding Diesel in Canada either
Oh! might be useful to know, I tow less than 5K lbs every 6 months or so, thats it.
Do I miss a Gasser for a DD ?
Sometimes
The 6 speed close ratio in traffic, everytime you start from Zero
Should i have bought a gasser as a DD ?
NO
Why did i buy a 1 ton Diesel ?
Cummins motor just casted this spell on me, didnt like nothing else after
bought a 1 ton coz its nice to have the full deal
My verdict worth 2 cents
The Efficiency, Power, Reliability, Long Range, Utility and the great name of Cummins is far too heavy to weigh against any petrol burning truck, would've been nice to have the SRT10 though
Simply put: REAL TRUCKS, DON'T NEED SPARK PLUGS !
I hope you enjoy your decision for a long time
Cheers to all
I was in a similar dilemma a year ago, I had a 1st Gen 12V Std Cab 2wd Dually 5 Speed before and had faced all horrors of falling electrics in -40 C. Time came to put a good chunk of money down and get myself a vehicle i'd keep for years to come.
Don't get me wrong, I will always be a petrol head, have owned various gas vehicles, crave power, go crazy after hearing a good gas engine rev it's power curve but when time came i looked high and low and settled on what i drive now.
I agree with having a newer vehicle then older but Cummins is an exception and i wouldn't worry about finding to fix a 5.9 or that it would be much costly. The beast needs to break down for that and i wouldn't worry about finding Diesel in Canada either
Oh! might be useful to know, I tow less than 5K lbs every 6 months or so, thats it.
Do I miss a Gasser for a DD ?
Sometimes
The 6 speed close ratio in traffic, everytime you start from Zero
Should i have bought a gasser as a DD ?
NO
Why did i buy a 1 ton Diesel ?
Cummins motor just casted this spell on me, didnt like nothing else after
bought a 1 ton coz its nice to have the full deal
My verdict worth 2 cents
The Efficiency, Power, Reliability, Long Range, Utility and the great name of Cummins is far too heavy to weigh against any petrol burning truck, would've been nice to have the SRT10 though
Simply put: REAL TRUCKS, DON'T NEED SPARK PLUGS !
I hope you enjoy your decision for a long time
Cheers to all
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, 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 trailer weighing about 5000lbs wet and i might buy a bigger trailer in the future. And i would probably have my quad in the truck bed as well.
I am trying to decide between a 3/4 or larger gas or diesel. I like the towing capabilities of the cummins, but will a 5.7 hemi 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 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 100,000kms on it, or a 2008 gas truck with less than 40,000kms on it.
Thanks for your opinions.
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, 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 trailer weighing about 5000lbs wet and i might buy a bigger trailer in the future. And i would probably have my quad in the truck bed as well.
I am trying to decide between a 3/4 or larger gas or diesel. I like the towing capabilities of the cummins, but will a 5.7 hemi 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 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 100,000kms on it, or a 2008 gas truck with less than 40,000kms on it.
Thanks for your opinions.
Last edited by LeaperV12; Nov 28, 2009 at 06:30 PM. Reason: Spelling
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 0
From: Houston
Given your low mileage and light towing weight, Gas is the easy choice. There are 1/2 & 3/4 ton that can tow up to 11 or 12k. I would go with what you can get the best deal on and what is easiest to fix where you are, which is a long ways from anywhere. Dodge, Chevy and Ford all make great trucks.
Pick what you need for tow limits & options, than go shopping. Is Craigs list an option there? They may have better deals than the dealers, but, with the recession, check all sources.
Whatever you get, have it checked out by a mechanic that can be trusted. Diesels are OK in the cold if you keep them running & warm. Keeping the fuel from freezing is also an issue that must always be dealt with. I am not sure how cold #1 is good for.
My choice for gas trucks, Ford #1, Chevy 2, Dodge 3. I say that because of the overall reliabiity, build quality and the transmission, if you go auto.
Diesel, of course, 1 choice, CTD 5.9.
Pick what you need for tow limits & options, than go shopping. Is Craigs list an option there? They may have better deals than the dealers, but, with the recession, check all sources.
Whatever you get, have it checked out by a mechanic that can be trusted. Diesels are OK in the cold if you keep them running & warm. Keeping the fuel from freezing is also an issue that must always be dealt with. I am not sure how cold #1 is good for.
My choice for gas trucks, Ford #1, Chevy 2, Dodge 3. I say that because of the overall reliabiity, build quality and the transmission, if you go auto.
Diesel, of course, 1 choice, CTD 5.9.
No really... I'm being serious here
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 274
Likes: 17
From: Ness City, KS
Gotng gas seems to be your best option, just remember the rule"Theres no replacment for cubic inch displacment." Id stay away from 1/2 tons and go with 3/4 ton just for the bigger everything(brakes, bearings, frame,springs,ect) they just last longer.
Banned
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 356
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Um, maybe i'm totally out to lunch here-but you are only 3/4 of the way up the alberta province and what he is sayin that he is 20hr north of the NWT border with alberta........i'm kinda thinking that he wins in the "i'm colder" debate.
http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/...11+1102+71932W -FT Mcmurray
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locati...3022028000.php Norman Wells
http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/...11+1102+71932W -FT Mcmurray
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locati...3022028000.php Norman Wells
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Barrie, Ontario
Lol, i see you did your homework. you are right though based on his geography.
I said that based on the posters initial temp and my personal experience
. i think he said -20C avg and it was -20 here this morning. saw -40C last year.
i'd still get a Cummins though
I said that based on the posters initial temp and my personal experience
. i think he said -20C avg and it was -20 here this morning. saw -40C last year.i'd still get a Cummins though
Um, maybe i'm totally out to lunch here-but you are only 3/4 of the way up the alberta province and what he is sayin that he is 20hr north of the NWT border with alberta........i'm kinda thinking that he wins in the "i'm colder" debate.
http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/...11+1102+71932W -FT Mcmurray
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locati...3022028000.php Norman Wells
http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/...11+1102+71932W -FT Mcmurray
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locati...3022028000.php Norman Wells
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Fraser Valley
With such limited driving, it makes no economic sense to go with the diesel - especially with the light loads. Winter would be brutal on that diesel - that's a huge hunk of cast iron that needs to warm up.
Whatever you do get, go with a good synthetic oil as you want lubrication flowing as soon as possible. -20, -40... who's counting... it's cold in any language.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 428
Likes: 0
From: south of Kansas City 40 miles
With no more mileage then you're putting on a truck I'd say go with a gasser. You're not driving enough to get the condensation out of the system.
I have a neighbor who traded in a '72 truck in '76 with 12,000 miles on it. The used car salesman argued with him on what year it was it was so clean. I told him he out to quit buying vehicles and call a taxi!!
You're almost in the same boat.
I've got 4 trucks. 2 gas and 2 diesel. I try not to drive a diesel unless I'm going at least 25 miles. Just a rule of thumb to justify warming it up.
I have a neighbor who traded in a '72 truck in '76 with 12,000 miles on it. The used car salesman argued with him on what year it was it was so clean. I told him he out to quit buying vehicles and call a taxi!!
You're almost in the same boat.
I've got 4 trucks. 2 gas and 2 diesel. I try not to drive a diesel unless I'm going at least 25 miles. Just a rule of thumb to justify warming it up.
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