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what gas engine? 2020 F350: 6.2 Gas or 7.3 L Gas?


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#11 Vic Harder

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Posted 12 March 2019 - 08:52 PM

 

what gas engine? 2020 F350:  6.2 Gas or 7.3 L Gas?
 
Diesel doesn’t make sense for us, as it adds a ton to the cost, plus weights a *lot* more than the gas engine, so it effectively reduces our max payload. 
We also like to go far, far off the beaten path, and those places often don’t have diesel to sell. We dont want to worry about range ever.

I'm looking at diesel for the same reason... I "don't want to worry about range ever."  I LOVE my 8.1L gasser, and the fuel economy is NOT that much worse than a diesel.  BUT, you can't get bigger aftermarket gas tanks, whereas aftermarket diesel tanks are a common thing, up to 62gal in some cases!

 

I am in the process of planning a trip to Tuktoyaktuk and the range of the truck is a definite factor in choosing routes/stops.  Not to mention diesel is very common in the north country.

 

Is the diesel availability that different in remote areas of the US?


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#12 Foy

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 12:00 AM

Vic, 

 

It's been nearly 4 years since I drove my venerable 2002 F350 diesel west of the Mississippi, but you might say I managed to find some out of the way places to squire the old girl around between 2010 and 2015, in both summer and winter.  States traveled largely off-highway included NE, MT, WY, UT, CO, ID, and NV.  I can't recall a single instance of finding a fuel stop where diesel fuel was not available. At least back then, practically all ranch, farm, and commercial pickups and medium duty trucks were diesel powered.  Even though diesel fuel is widely delivered to remote ranches, farms, and mine sites, diesel was universally available wherever motor fuels were sold last time I Wandered the West.

My truck has a standard 38 gallon fuel tank and at typically low wandering speeds below the threshold at which aerodynamics come strongly into play she'll see 19-20 mpg.

 

Foy


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#13 Vic Harder

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 06:47 AM

Foy, Funny you call her an old girl...  my inclination for my "new" truck is to get either a 1999 F250/350 7.3L or 2006 2500HD LBZ.  What is this magical threshold in your case?


Edited by Vic Harder, 13 March 2019 - 07:25 AM.

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#14 Foy

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 09:57 AM

Selection was more of a process of elimination than anything else as I researched and shopped in March and April 2004.  A new truck was out of the question so I was focused on 2 to 5 year old trucks. Eliminated were all half-ton trucks since I'd thrashed several half-ton pickups and Suburbans by then. I very much wanted a diesel for heavy towing (the manner by which I'd thrashed the aforementioned half-ton trucks) and because diesel fuel was then priced well under regular unleaded gasoline prices.  I really liked the Cummins but came to believe the late 90s/early 2000s Dodge diesels were a great engine surrounded by a not so great truck. I liked the Chevys and especially the Duramax diesel made by venerable diesel manufacturer Isuzu but used ones were pretty scarce and priced well over Fords and Dodges.  I'm an old IH guy and liked the idea of having a Binder powerplant in a pickup. I surfed the Interwebs for F250 7.3s and found my way into a Virginia based independent dealership specializing in late model high mileage diesel pickups which they purchased from TX, OK, and NM dealerships where they'd been traded in. So on the "Handpicked Western Trucks" website there appeared an '02 F350 SRW CC longbed 4WD Lariat with "towing" and "camper" options, and 96,500 miles on the clock.  I finagled with the dealership and got a name and hometown of the first and only owner and I phoned him.  He was an oilfields service company rep who spent his days driving back and forth across TX and OK from his home base in College Station, TX. He'd put the 96,500 miles on the truck in just 22 months and it was his MO to trade before reaching the 100,000 mile end of the engine/powertrain warranty. He said he'd never hauled anything in the bed that a Tacoma couldn't carry, had never towed anything other than a light utility trailer with it, and he wasn't sure there had ever been anybody sitting in the back seats.  I figured that's the rig for my cheap Scots-Irish self and bought it the next day. Today, nearly 15 years later, she's got a shade over 280,000 miles, turns out stellar Blackstone oil analysis numbers, burns no oil whatsoever, and will still turn out 20 mpg if I can keep my foot off of the skinny pedal. I've driven nothing but trucks and Suburbans since my first IH Scout purchased in 1973 and the old diesel is head and shoulders the best overall of the many I've had.

 

Foy


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#15 Optimistic Paranoid

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 01:03 PM

I'm looking at diesel for the same reason... I "don't want to worry about range ever."  I LOVE my 8.1L gasser, and the fuel economy is NOT that much worse than a diesel.  BUT, you can't get bigger aftermarket gas tanks, whereas aftermarket diesel tanks are a common thing, up to 62gal in some cases!

 

I am in the process of planning a trip to Tuktoyaktuk and the range of the truck is a definite factor in choosing routes/stops.  Not to mention diesel is very common in the north country.

 

Is the diesel availability that different in remote areas of the US?

 That's interesting.  I would have thought that gas engines would be more popular in the far north, since they would be easier to start in super-cold weather than a diesel would.

 

If you haven't already seen it, Truck Camper Magazine just published a report on a trip to Tuktoyaktuk:

 

https://www.truckcam...to-tuktoyaktuk/


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#16 smlobx

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 09:25 AM

That's interesting. I would have thought that gas engines would be more popular in the far north, since they would be easier to start in super-cold weather than a diesel would.

If you haven't already seen it, Truck Camper Magazine just published a report on a trip to Tuktoyaktuk:

https://www.truckcam...to-tuktoyaktuk/

Regarding the range of diesel trucks I have found that it is significantly better than their gas counterparts, particularly when loaded. In our construction company we are averaging 4-5 mpg better in the diesel trucks when their loaded which equates to about 150 additional miles per tank which is great when remote traveling.

Also diesel availability Up North is generally good as most of the vehicles (i.e.) tractor trailers and oil field trucks are diesel so availability should not be an issue. Last time I talked to someone who worked in the oil field up there they said that they left their vehicles running constantly or plugged them in depending on the situation when the temperatures got really cold.
If you look at the pictures of the truck in the article from TCM you can see the dual exhaust found on the Super Duty diesels. Of course they are more expensive to operate but that is a trade off some of us are willing to make given the benefits.

Edited by smlobx, 14 March 2019 - 09:31 AM.

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#17 klahanie

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 05:22 PM

Speaking of range, I've read Ford is aiming for the same mpg for the 7.3 as the current 6.2. The 10 speed should help all engines.

 

 we are averaging 4-5 mpg better in the diesel trucks when their loaded

 

This was my concern when buying. Back then the gas option was the smaller 5.4, and perhaps the thirsty 6.8 for the 350 C&Cs, I can't recall. I wanted to try diesel anyway and wanted the extended range that the aftermarket second fuel tank has given us - which has been great comfort for long distance and remote travel, but rarely needed. Highway we can get 600+ miles out of the main tank. (that's Strathmore to YVR for you Vic).

 

Thing is with remote/rural fuel stations, sometimes they're not open, you don't like the price or there's some other issue. In the city you can just go elsewhere.

 

Seems to me the power and fuel economy is not too bad with modern gas engines. I'm hopeful the 7.3 will be a winner. Coupled with the 48g CCLB fuel tank and 1 jerry can I think range could be acceptable.


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#18 Vic Harder

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 11:10 PM

600 miles on just the main tank?  Nice!

 

I'm not looking at newer trucks, where I agree, the fuel economy of the new gas engines is impressive.  Tanks are still awfully small.. and to your point, the F150 short bed has a 23gal tank... really?  That's tiny!

 

P.S. We have a Mazda 3 with the SkyActiv engine... amazing range on that little car!


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#19 Ace!

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 11:30 PM

Interesting to hear people so concerned about range.  I also ride a motorcycle, a dual sport, so it's off road and on.  It has a range just shy of 200 miles.  I haven't had an issue with finding fuel within 150 miles or so, and it also gives me a break to stretch my legs.  I can't imagine ever needing a range of 600 miles, wow.


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#20 Machinebuilder

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Posted 15 March 2019 - 12:07 AM

My 2011 F150, extended cab 8’bed has a 36g tank.
With the 5.0 I average 16-16.5mpg unloaded local driving, that would be a 575 mi range.
With my Grandby I get about 14-15mpg so that’s still over 500mi range.

I have to stop much more often than that, I refer to it as a 3P tank.

I’m interested in the 7.3 gas, I am not interested in a diesel. If I can see 14mpg loaded in a F350 I’m really interested, it not until 2022

The good thing is that it’s going in to work trucks, fleets use their trucks hard and fast so an issues will show up quickly.
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2021 F350 SCLB

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