What's better? 6.4L or the Cummins Diesel

[Sandevino]

I've had both and will never ever own a gas engine in a HD truck again, period. But all the gas guy's on here will feel differently so the argument continues


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I agreed with you until the EPA stepped all over Diesel.

 

[15 Handicap]

I've had both and will never ever own a gas engine in a HD truck again, period. But all the gas guy's on here will feel differently so the argument continues


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Why not?

 

[mtnrider]

Why not?

No exhaust brake, low on power (compared to the Diesel), **** poor mpg, **** poor range. Re-sale lower then the diesel when the miles go up, Cost of ownership is the same in the long run don't care what the "anti" diesel people say, that is first hand experience with more then a couple of each I have owned.

And this is where this thread becomes a **** show of gas vs diesel wars again. ;-) Keep in mind this is a "gas" forum. Go to a diesel forum if you want a difference of opinion on the question OP.


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[dhay13]

I think diesels have their place but for me it isn't worth it. My son on the other hand is thinking about trading his 6.4 for one only for the resale value. He has a 2018 and has 75,000 miles on it already. In another year the truck will have probably lost 60% of it's value. On the other hand we towed his 8100lb TT to Texas and he would have probably been illegal or very close to it if he had a Cummins. His truck weighed 9100lbs with the tongue weight. A Cummins would have been right at about 10,000. Another negative is I have heard some bad stuff about the emissions on the Cummins and letting your truck idle alot. My son spends about 8 hours a day in his truck and in severe hot or severe cold it runs all day.

I wouldn't say mileage is '**** poor'. I'm averaging 12.2 in mine and about 9 towing 8000-9000lbs. Not great but can't expect much more when towing. I have never owned a diesel but have driven a few. I hate the smell and the black smoke so that alone is enough for me to avoid them as long as possible. The sound is horrible too. Of course these are opinions so not everyone hates these characteristics but for me I wouldn't own one unless I had no other choice. If I towed a 14,000lb 5th wheel then I'd have a 3500 diesel

 

[mtnrider]

I have never owned a diesel but have driven a few. I hate the smell and the black smoke so that alone is enough for me to avoid them as long as possible. The sound is horrible too.

It must have been an older diesel (or deleted) because the new ones don't have any black smoke what so ever or smell. (the new emissions takes care of all of that). Also, they are very very quiet.


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[RLJ10X]

You may want to factor in the available transmission. Me personally, in a perfect world, I'd want a manual behind that Cummins. But you're not going to find a new one with a manual. Quite a few Cummins have toasted the slushbox that was bolted behind it.

If your sun rises and sets on the 8 speed, right now, you're going to have to pump gas.

The EPA screwed up diesels. Gassers have closed the gap considerably.

Tough call...

 

[mtnrider]

You may want to factor in the available transmission. Me personally, in a perfect world, I'd want a manual behind that Cummins. But you're not going to find a new one with a manual. Quite a few Cummins have toasted the slushbox that was bolted behind it.

If your sun rises and sets on the 8 speed, right now, you're going to have to pump gas.

The EPA screwed up diesels. Gassers have closed the gap considerably.

Tough call...

99% of those toasted transmissions are because people tune them and up the power. While it happens (in all trucks) blowing a transmission in a completely stock truck is pretty rare.

Manuals are a thing of the past, They just can't compete with todays autos and unless you want to pretend to be a big rig driver they are a pain (I grew up driving in the days of manuals). In fact the manuals that were produced are de-tuned from the auto trucks because they can't hold the same power.


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[mtnrider]

delete, duplicate

 

[jljbtm]

ok i currently drive the RAM 1500 its real nice and reliable as a DD and my work truck. Lately me and the misses have been considering a little travel and R&R and I like the Idea of an RV but my misses thinks we should start smaller (hence a Trailer (of some sort). My 10 year old 1500 is reliable but for how much longer? it does have a tow pkg. that i use to pull about #5000-#7000 I believe its rated for #10000 with 3.92? gears and its fine for that locally but for long trips should I trust it? Fast Forward to my question being should i get a 2500 that is more stable and have bigger brakes to pull something #7000-#10000?
I dont know if the 2500 comes with a 5.7L like my 1500. Thanks for everyones help! Jack

 

[Sandevino]

Do yourselves a favor and stop comparing apples and oranges.

The HD truck market is split into two groups - those that buy what they need and those that buy what they think they need. This is further exacerbated by the crowd that cares what others think and base their value and self worth on the opinions of others. This group is primarily made up of men but a few women find their way in from time to time. There are exceptions and if you think I’m talking about you I probably am. Sorry, not sorry...

The point here is you know what you need and you know what you want. Buy what you need or what you want and if the two meld into the same vehicle, great. Please don’t buy with your **** or your heart, use your mind and make a sound decision.

On to me... Hi, my name is Mike and I drive a gasser.

When I bought mine, I drove both gas and diesel, both identically equipped trucks down to the color. I have an 8500# trailer that weighs between 9000-9500# fully loaded depending on our destination. I pulled the trailer with both trucks for 30 miles from McKinney to Dallas and back for a 60 mile round trip and found negligible difference between the two. I went with the gasser as the payload was higher and fit my needs. I will not be upgrading my trailer but may downsize so I’m good.

I have friends that say their diesel would pull much better, be more efficient, etc... Unless they want to start paying my bills, their opinion is just that.

However, if we want to have a diesel ******* match, I’ll being my 1996 Pete and we can compare *****.

carry on....

 

[Sandevino]

ok i currently drive the RAM 1500 its real nice and reliable as a DD and my work truck. Lately me and the misses have been considering a little travel and R&R and I like the Idea of an RV but my misses thinks we should start smaller (hence a Trailer (of some sort). My 10 year old 1500 is reliable but for how much longer? it does have a tow pkg. that i use to pull about #5000-#7000 I believe its rated for #10000 with 3.92? gears and its fine for that locally but for long trips should I trust it? Fast Forward to my question being should i get a 2500 that is more stable and have bigger brakes to pull something #7000-#10000?
I dont know if the 2500 comes with a 5.7L like my 1500. Thanks for everyones help! Jack

The issue isn’t whether or not you can move (pull) the trailer. The problem comes in when you start trying to stop the trailer. The 1500 has passenger vehicle brakes with a single piston at all four corners. The 2500/3500/4500/5500 has dual piston heavy duty brakes designed to stop heavy loads.

 

[dhay13]

ok i currently drive the RAM 1500 its real nice and reliable as a DD and my work truck. Lately me and the misses have been considering a little travel and R&R and I like the Idea of an RV but my misses thinks we should start smaller (hence a Trailer (of some sort). My 10 year old 1500 is reliable but for how much longer? it does have a tow pkg. that i use to pull about #5000-#7000 I believe its rated for #10000 with 3.92? gears and its fine for that locally but for long trips should I trust it? Fast Forward to my question being should i get a 2500 that is more stable and have bigger brakes to pull something #7000-#10000?
I dont know if the 2500 comes with a 5.7L like my 1500. Thanks for everyones help! Jack

With a 1500 your problem will be with payload, not tow capacities. 8000lb trailer will have about 1000-1200lbs of tongue weight. Depending on year and options a 1500 only has about 1100-1500lbs of payload capacity. That includes tonneau covers, bigger/heavier tires and wheels, running boards, firewood, etc in the bed, wife, etc. You will run out of payload fast

As for the 2500 you can get them with a 5.7 up to I think 2018. The 6.4 is much better than the 5.7 though. A 2500 with a 6.4 will easily tow a 10,000lb camper and you will have plenty of payload to spare. My truck has 2973lbs of payload. You can find your payload on the yellow sticker inside your drivers door jamb.

Also, another issue with larger travel trailers is you have a giant sail behind you. A 2500 will feel much more comfortable towing a large sail.

 

[jljbtm]

I totally agree the 2500 would be better! What I dont know is which engine would be right to do the job safely.

 

[Sandevino]

I totally agree the 2500 would be better! What I dont know is which engine would be right to do the job safely.

You can’t go wrong with either engine as both have their benefits and detriments.

You might see if a friend or neighbor has one you can borrow and test out.

 

[Toddz]

Both engines will get what you want done safely. I tow between 7600 and 10,000 depending on the toys in the toy hauler. We do a lot of cross country and plan on more in a few years. I love my 2500 with the 6.4. It works perfect for our needs.
Now....Do you and the wife plan on upgrading to a much larger trailer (i.e. over 11,000 lbs) in the future and doing a lot of traveling? If so, the a one ton diesel would probably be your best bet.

 

[dhay13]

Both engines will get what you want done safely. I tow between 7600 and 10,000 depending on the toys in the toy hauler. We do a lot of cross country and plan on more in a few years. I love my 2500 with the 6.4. It works perfect for our needs.
Now....Do you and the wife plan on upgrading to a much larger trailer (i.e. over 11,000 lbs) in the future and doing a lot of traveling? If so, the a one ton diesel would probably be your best bet.

I was going to add this but see @Toddz beat me to it. There have been a few members here that have posted they bought a 2500 Cummins because they were only towing a 9000lb TT but then a year later they upgraded to a 12,000lb 5th wheel or something and now found they are over payload. If you even THINK you might upgrade to a larger trailer in the next few years then get the 3500 Cummins now. If you are 100% sure you will not upgrade then you have more options

 

[392DevilDog]

392 Hemi 4x4 crew cab longbed Tradesman trim. Buy lots of them. Many many many of them.

Buy green ones, blue ones, yellow ones, orange ones.

Vinyl seats, cab lights, tow mirrors skip the chrome.

Buy lots of them

 

[jejb]

If you are going to use the truck as a DD, I'd stay away from the Cummins unless your drive has a good stretch of highway driving in it. The DEF diesels need to work to keep the systems clean and reliable. I have a 2500 CTD and really like it pulling through our Ozark Mts. The power is amazing and the truck is hardly working at all. So much different experience than the gas 3/4ton I had before it, screaming on every big climb. But I pretty much only use it to tow. We have other vehicles to run to town with.

Having said all that, you don't read about folks switching from a Cummins to a 6.4 very often. Seems to mostly a one way street there.

 

[DodgeDude99]

I used to pump gas, never again.

 

[392DevilDog]

Having said all that, you don't read about folks switching from a Cummins to a 6.4 very often. Seems to mostly a one way street there.

I think you will find with the release of the 6.4l HEMI in 2014...this is more the case more often.

A few right here in this thread.