6.4 Hemi vs 6.7 Cummins - Do I need the diesel?

[AL1991]

If this has already been discussed, i apologize. I currently have a 2016 Ram 1500 that has served me well, but I’m looking to move up to a Ram 2500. I have a horse trailer and three half-draft horses, including a colt that will eventually be full grown.

I don’t tow a ton, mostly short trips into the mountains for trail rides and occasional hay hauling, probably a few times a month. The truck will also be my daily driver, with about 45 miles of commuting each day.

I’ve found some newer 2500s with the 6.4 Hemi that are considerably cheaper than comparable 6.7 Cummins trucks.

For my situation, do I actually need the Cummins, or would the 6.4 Hemi make more sense? Is the diesel worth the extra purchase price, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs if I’m not towing heavily or frequently?

Looking for opinions from people who have owned or driven both.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

If this has already been discussed, i apologize. I currently have a 2016 Ram 1500 that has served me well, but I’m looking to move up to a Ram 2500. I have a horse trailer and three half-draft horses, including a colt that will eventually be full grown.

I don’t tow a ton, mostly short trips into the mountains for trail rides and occasional hay hauling, probably a few times a month. The truck will also be my daily driver, with about 45 miles of commuting each day.

I’ve found some newer 2500s with the 6.4 Hemi that are considerably cheaper than comparable 6.7 Cummins trucks.

For my situation, do I actually need the Cummins, or would the 6.4 Hemi make more sense? Is the diesel worth the extra purchase price, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs if I’m not towing heavily or frequently?

Looking for opinions from people who have owned or driven both.

Welcome..

My $0.02 - if you're not working a diesel and only doing short trips a 2500 with the 6.4 will likely serve you well!

A properly equipped 6.4 2500 has a tow rating of about 17,000LB - will that suffice for your needs?

I would however spring for a new one with the 8-speed transmission vs the older ones with the 6-speed.

Gas stations may be your friend with the 6.4, but with a diesel that's not being worked hard and regularly, plus short trips on the highway daily with it, you could potentially have more issues than you want to deal with long-term.

 

[olyelr]

I would guess any equivalent used hemi truck will be $10k or more cheaper than one with a cummins. Not only is the cummins a $10k option when new, but the cummins trucks hold their value better and will have much higher resale.

It wouldnt be surprising to find a cummins truck with 100k more miles than an equivalent hemi truck costing the same or more.

 

[stevenP]

Sounds like the gas version would make the most sense from your thread. The diesels are great only if you really work them hard to keep the emissions system burnt clean. There are a lot of threads on here where guys are experiencing DPF failures and constant regens cycles due to daily drives where the engine isnt pushed very hard.

 

[Dean2]

On top of all the reasons above - Gas is 4.50 a gallon, Diesel I have seen as low as $6 and as high as $8 a gallon. If you are pulling so heavy you need the Cummins, fine, otherwise, gas job for sure. If you are pulling that heavy, get the 3500. A 2500 Cummins is neither fish nor fowl in my books.