I know this has been discussed a lot on this board but, trying to make a decision on a gas vs diesel 3/4 ton. Moderate to light towing. 16 foot trailer with Can Am is generally all that I pull and that is approximately 6-10 times per year. Other than an annual trip to CO, most driving is short to moderate distances.

My needs probably align with a gas but my initial wants are a diesel. Looking for advice from the board. Thank you in advance!

I purchased a 2024 F250 with the 7.3. I would love to have a diesel, but my needs do not justify having one. Maintenance is easier and costs less. The mileage could be better, but that's the tradeoff. I also don't tow a lot, wanted something that could handle it when I did with no issues. There are also tons of reviews/comparisons on youtube covering this subject matter.

Thanks guys - perfect info and validation!

Remind me - contact info

whitespikes06 said:

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Remind me - contact info

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Username at gmail

Put me in the gas is all you need. Diesel will be more fun.

I drive 3/4 ton Chevy gasser. I tow 14k routinely and have pulled more. It's better than any diesel from early 2000s. Plus with the lighter motor front suspension and brakes last forever.

180k on my 2020 still on OE brake pads front suspension still tight.

I've pulled a water trailer with a 1990 Nissan hardbody. Burnt up the clutch when I got it stuck in the sand in a bar ditch. Had to rock it back and forth to get enough momentum to get out of the sand. Fortunately I had unloaded most of the cotton seed out of the bed to make it easy on the truck.

Gotta be careful with those underpowered gassers.

Tumble Weed said:

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I've pulled a water trailer with a 1990 Nissan hardbody. Burnt up the clutch when I got it stuck in the sand in a bar ditch. Had to rock it back and forth to get enough momentum to get out of the sand. Fortunately I had unloaded most of the cotton seed out of the bed to make it easy on the truck.

Gotta be careful with those underpowered gassers.

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With 1st gear ratio and 400hp in no way are any modern Hd gas trucks "under powered "

TSW2012 said:

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Tumble Weed said:

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I've pulled a water trailer with a 1990 Nissan hardbody. Burnt up the clutch when I got it stuck in the sand in a bar ditch. Had to rock it back and forth to get enough momentum to get out of the sand. Fortunately I had unloaded most of the cotton seed out of the bed to make it easy on the truck.

Gotta be careful with those underpowered gassers.

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With 1st gear ratio and 400hp in no way are any modern Hd gas trucks "under powered "

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Sounds very much like my situation - was looking at diesels for a while, but the 7.3 is probably going to be just fine for everything I need.

Emailed - thanks

Agree - The gasser does satisfy all of the needs I have for a truck.

People think they need 1200 ft lbs so that they can pass easily at 85 mph while towing at max capacity.

This is how we get $100,000 pick ups.

Yesterday said:

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I disagree. We get $100k trucks because people are ok with financing it over 96 months at 6%.

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That too… you ain't wrong.

ChoppinDs40 said:

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But I need a 550hp 1200lb torque 6.7HO to pull 8k lbs 85mph down the interstate. Sarcasm.

To the OP, also know that an f250 with the diesel (and bells and whistles) has maybe as much payload as a bare bones half ton. Payload is really where all these vehicles tap out. And the gasser has significantly more payload due to the engine weight vs diesel.

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Nothing like fully loading a gasser to get that pucker factor back while pulling a trailer. Oh and 5 mpg when they make it near impossible to pull into a gas station with a +30' trailer.

Diesels make people way too confident in their trailer pulling abilities. That being said, my wife didn't mind driving the camper with my diesel truck but absolutely refuses to drive the Suburban 2500 with the camper after watching me stress a few times.

I have been looking at this question for a while now. My needs are different than your but I am leaning gas powered for the extra payload.

My plan for the turn of the year, or sometime around then, is to get rid of the van RV and build my own truck based RV. With a gas powered F250, 37 inch tires, and 4wd you can get around 2800 pounds of payload (real numbers, not marketing). With a diesel that drops to around 2300-2400 pounds. On either setup I will add the helper springs off the F350 to raise the payload a bit. Probably add sumo springs and a rear sway bar as well since RV builds raise the COG so much.


Everyone looks at towing numbers but all of these trucks have insane towing power. I think most F250s are rated at 19500 pounds. When are you really towing 19k pounds?

Payload is so much more important. You put 4 people in a truck, load it with gear, and that number gets small quick. Payload on a F250 is 500 pounds higher on a gasser than a diesel.

All good points. Just remember your RV truck will get 6mpg and you'll have to stop every 200 miles to refuel.

I co-drove a F250 gasser with the Godzilla towing two 4 door Jeeps (upper towing limit) from Houston to Sand Hollow, UT this past March. Out of a group of 6 or 7 tow rigs we were one of 4 rigs pulling 2 Jeeps, the other three were all diesels(two GMC/Chevy and one Ford).

The diesels would slowly pull away during long climbs to a point where we started to jump ahead when we could see long climbs in the distance. The diesels would normally catch up or pass us by the time we got to the crest. We were also the limiting rig for fuel stops as we had a top range of ~200 miles. Getting started from a dead stop a light was always a struggle as the diesels pulled away easily while we had the gas floored.

I'm in the market for a 3/4 ton and just now trying to understand the differences and maintenance needs for a diesel but that experience along is making lean to the oil burner. The truck rode fantastic and the maneuverability and comfort was fantastic, it was just lacking power and range with the load we were pulling.

With modern tow ratings, payload is almost always the limiting factor. So many people towing campers with 1/2 tons seem to have zero comprehension of payload ratings and axle ratings.

Just curious, for your setup, why not start with an F350 if you are going to add helper springs and such?