My Wife and I currantly have a 30ft motorhome and a featherlite goosneck trailer for the horses and stock. She usually drives a minivan around during the week. We have been discussing trading in her van, the motorhome and the trailer for a bigger truck and a horse trailer with LQ. The Questions that I have. She has less than 20k on her van and she has had it for 3 years so she doesn't use it much. With our wonderful gas/diesel prices which would you buy, Gas/Diesel???

I know it deppends on how much you will be pulling. We will only be pulling the trailer twice a month and mainly only about 100-200 miles each trip. Right now our motorhome gets 8 mpg. It is a Gas motor. We are looking at 1 ton trucks right now. No dullies at the moment but if found one for the right $$ it would work. We plan on keeping the truck for many years mainly because we will only put about 10-13 thousand miles a year on the truck. So the ??? is GAS or Diesel??

8mpg gas
16mpg+ diesel

Diesel does not cost twice as much as gas.  Go diesel.

When you compare the cost of the diesel option over the gas motor, it would be unrealistic to assume that you would eventually get your money back in fuel savings. If you were a high mileage trucker, it would be a different matter.

Having said that, I own a diesel that is only used for hauling and work; it is not a daily driver. I enjoy the power and ease at which it will pull my trailers down the road. I do get better mileage than with a gas motor, but this option costs many thousands of dollars, and I have no expectations of recovering that expenditure. We bought it for the power, pure and simple.

A pick up with the largest gas option would be a better daily driver, less expensive to purchase, and would be a competent towing vehicle. On the open road, diesel fuel is not difficult to find. However, in some of the smaller towns we frequent, it is not always available.

I would keep your minivan, you've already paid off the largest part of its depreciation, and buy a gas powered truck. Around here, many one ton trucks are sitting on the dealers' lots, month after month. The dealers are paying monthly premiums for them and would love to move them out; any potential purchaser should be treated like gold. It is definitely a buyer's market, and shouldn't be difficult to purchase an in stock truck at a dealer's invoice or lower.

BOL  Gard

I did as Gard succinctly said... I bought the largest gas engine available.  It's a great tow vehicle.  One has to drive it differently than a diesel tow vehicle though.  A gas engine develops its torque with RPM.  Letting it rev and the transmission shift gets the trailer up the mountain roads.

The only issue is GM's decision to not offer the 8.1 lit with the Allison Transmission anymore.

We had an 8100 w/Allison tranny,3/4 T only it was a GMC,and it used oil from the very beginning.

Not to mention PLENTY of gas.

I had the same issue with mine.  It used a Qt of oil every 500 miles.  But it got better with mileage.  At 30,000 miles, not a qt between oil changes  (about 5000 miles)

I love my diesel.  We started pulling trailers with a chevy 3500 with a 454.  While the motor was wonderful, we got a hopeful 8mpg going downhill with the wind. That was with a small trailer & truck camper.   My diesel (chevy 6.6L) does much better on gas mileage, where as with the 454 we couldn't pass a gas station without filling. I have a very large heavy steel LQ trailer, and I couldn't imagine pulling with anything less than my current truck.  I just like diesel better despite the current prices....I actually think it smells kinda good.  Better than gas anyway.

Amanda

You buy the diesel to tow...

and a nice little Honda Civic Hybrid for the daily commute...

Yep, thats what we did.  With diesel at $4.25 and only 15-18 mpg even empty.....the truck sits, the cars commute.

I knew you were smart...even if you used to tow that big bumper pull with that unnamed vehiclee...