Alan, I noticed at Hiawassee that your F250 was putting out more diesel smoke than it should have. I had the feeling that you would probably sell that truck before it was over. I'll tell you, I have a friend with a 3500 with Duramax and it is very quiet and doesn't put out that cloud. I've also seen some of the 6 litre Ford F250's and same thing but just a little louder. I hope you like your V10 Excursion.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
I think my diesel was a bit tired. But I also wanted a truck that I could work on myself, and did not find the diesel to be user friendly. The Excursion so far has been fun to drive, handles well also, and I don' think we will mind the softer ride and creature comforts on a long trip.
Because the F250 was a 4x4 it had a turning radius that made it tough to maneuver. The Exc gets my AS out of my driveway with no issue at all.
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Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
First in favor of the Ford: My V10 Excursion blew the passenger side next to rearmost plug. I repaired it myself using the Timesert kit after Ford refused to fix it under warranty. I then sold it in a rage. However, the guy that did buy used from the Dodge dealer I traded it in on has driven it completely trouble free for the past two years now. The Timesert fix is a great one. In retrospect, I probably should have kept it. It was a VERY nice vehicle and it towed very well. I really liked it. I routinely got 16mpg with it empty. And in all honesty, except for hauling stuff (which I do do a lot of), it was more useful day to day for the family than the 4-door pickemup truck.
Secondly in favor of the diesels: My diesel Ram has this subtle rhythmic hum that puts my kids (and wife ) to sleep faster than any nursery rhyme song ever could have. There ought to be some points awarded somehow for the way diesels rock kids to sleep. If you're like me, after 500 miles you get tired of hearing the DVD player blaring out the Disney movies and it's very nice to hear the kiddies snoring instead
Above 70mph the gas mileage drops to 8mpg...7 if I'm bucking a head wind. But at 65mph I usually get 9mpg. Considering that the truck gets 10-11 mpg without a load, driving around town, that doesn't seem to be a considerable drop while towing.
( @ 13 mpg average) Fuel for thought....
I drive a Dodge 3/4 ton Cummins for a tow vehicle. I get 18.5 around town, 17 towing at 65mph (34' airstream) on flat highways and only drop down to 13 if I spend all day in the hammer lane climbing mountains and loaded.
Best I can get from the 8.1 gasser in town is 11 with a light foot on the pedal
and keeping it to 55-60mph on the freeways. It's a gas hog for sure. The only consolation is the towing power. If it were my only transportation vehicle I'd definately have something that gets better gas mileage.
Thanks for all the valuable input regarding my initial post. It appears that the consensus is that for overall performance and driving comfort, the diesel is the way too go, but I ran the numbers and at best, it is an even tradeoff from a cost point of view. I'm approaching retirement, and I will probably log 75,000 on the new TV, at most. So, I don't think the diesel option will pay for itself, but I haven't totally ruled out the diesel. I know i can save up front with the big gasser. I'm thinking of the F-350, as opposed to the F-250 (both single rear wheel). I know this is overkill, and I'm told that the ride is about the same empty, but the 1-ton will tow better. Added TV weight is only 140 lbs. so it doesn't appear there is a big difference in the mileage between the F250 and F350, but with the F350 18 inch wheels, I'm thinking this will improve the mileage a little. The F350 is $1,100 more than the F250. Sock it to me...would it be a bad move if I go for the F350 as apposed to the F250?
Just camped with someone who had the F350 and loved it. Claimed he got about 16 mph driving and 14 towing with it. Nice roomy truck. Wish Toyota made one that large!
__________________ Roscinante
Jerry and Avis
2006 Safari Bambi 19'
2005 Toyota Tacoma PU
Thanks for all the valuable input regarding my initial post. It appears that the consensus is that for overall performance and driving comfort, the diesel is the way too go, but I ran the numbers and at best, it is an even tradeoff from a cost point of view. I'm approaching retirement, and I will probably log 75,000 on the new TV, at most. So, I don't think the diesel option will pay for itself, but I haven't totally ruled out the diesel. I know i can save up front with the big gasser. I'm thinking of the F-350, as opposed to the F-250 (both single rear wheel). I know this is overkill, and I'm told that the ride is about the same empty, but the 1-ton will tow better. Added TV weight is only 140 lbs. so it doesn't appear there is a big difference in the mileage between the F250 and F350, but with the F350 18 inch wheels, I'm thinking this will improve the mileage a little. The F350 is $1,100 more than the F250. Sock it to me...would it be a bad move if I go for the F350 as apposed to the F250?
Hey B&J, I believe the only thing to be gained by going 1 ton vs 3/4 ton is payload. This is probably not a concern with a TT, only 5th wheels. Tow ratings may actually be higher for a 3/4 ton.
I agree, the diesel vs gas is really a personal choice, I think diesel fuel prices may be more stable in the future than gas, just my opinion.
But if I were faced with a fixed income (retirement!) I don't think there is much to justify the extra $ of the 1 ton. You may want to re-examine that parameter when pulling a TT. Congrats on the golden watch-best of luck in your travels!
Bill
Bill
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Life is Good-Camping all around New England
Good people drink good beer-Hunter S Thompson
As has been stated before , a lot depends on how long you will keep it and how much it will be used . Another cosideration is at trade-in time you will probably get at least half of the extra cost of the diesel engine back . You will probably get nothing for the Banks and it may even be a minus because it's there , figuring if it needed the Banks it was probably worked hard . As usual there is no easy answer . At least you are doing your homework , good for you and good luck .
Been running a 79 4wd Jeep J10 360 with minor mod (3/4 cam..not my choice). Plenty of power, but 10 mpg going down hill empty or pulling. Pulling a 73 31 Sovereign International which I reckon is a bit lighter than the later rigs but after reading all the post I know she is not enough truck for the trailer. Pulled my cabin cruiser from CA to TX with a diesel box truck and life was sweet. 23770lbs gross, no turbo but boy did that feel good. Maybe it's time for a freightliner
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Catmando
"There’s not much in life we can’t over-analyze”
Would you rather ride a Harley or Ducati? Diesel or Gas... depends on what you like. The folks here have given all of the reasons for making a decision one way or another. I like our Hemi with a NV4500 trans. Seems like no one is using manuals anymore. With a 3.73 rear end, I could get a lot better milage than I do. Too much fun putting your foot in it! Commng from the more agricultural origins, we always double our TV's capabilities compared to the trailer. Hence a RAM 2500 for our little Argosy 24. My preference is to have a TV that is a lot more capcble than necessry. That's what makes me sleep well at night.
I can only say that you find Allison transmissions in a lot more than GM trucks. There is a reason for this I would think.
The Allison transmission you find in Many, Many medium and heavy duty trucks has NOTHING to do with the Allison in the GM pickups. There are two completely different animals. The Allisons in the biggers trucks does not have a torque comverter. The Allisons in the GM pickups is a design by GM and Allsion buit to GM specs. NOT Allison specks...its a very very strong transmission. But Allsion is a markerting ploy to gain the public confidence. I repeat its a good transmission...but its NOT a real Allsion.
I bought my 1-ton, thinking that I wanted a 5th-wheel --- then we fell in love with the Airstream and never looked back! I love the truck too, including the way it looks - and now that I've made a few suspension modifications, I can't say that a 2500 or 3/4 ton would suit me better! I installed an alternate (GM manufactured) set of rear springs that lowered the truck about 4 inches in the rear - and softened the ride considerably by virtue of reduced capacity. At this point it's probably about the equivalent of a 2500 with duals. The stability is still there - and it tows like a dream! For the record, this is about the heaviest version of the diesel/allison combo available but, like others have reported, it gets an easy 19 mpg by itself - and about 13 to 14 towing. If you drop the speed to 55 mph, 20 mpg, solo, is realistic - but you'll get run over on the interstate!
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) to sleep faster than any nursery rhyme song ever could have. There ought to be some points awarded somehow for the way diesels rock kids to sleep. If you're like me, after 500 miles you get tired of hearing the DVD player blaring out the Disney movies and it's very nice to hear the kiddies snoring instead 
'07 27 FB - H.A.
Barry&Andrea
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