Nearly bullet proofed 6.0

Dang I thought you were talking about towing heavy. If dude was doing it with a half ton, DO NOT by any means spend money on a diesel truck!

Just about any of the 3/4 ton gas trucks from the 03ish up era will suit you well. My truck has 534k miles on it, and has spent most of its life towing, and the last 13k of which 90% of the time had 7,000lbs behind it.

Also, you mentioned being concerned about a gasser towing day in and day out, almost ALL of the fleet trucks you see in construction and other fleet companies are gas trucks, most of which are loaded down in the form or a service bed, trailer, or both.

You can pick up a Chevrolet 3/4 or 1 ton truck with the 6.0 very cheap. Shoot I’d even try it with a half ton truck to start with before you invest too much into it. If you’re talking about less than 10,000lbs, a well maintained half ton with a good trans cooler should suite you fine, at least long enough to stack some cash and let you decide your next move.
 
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77GreenMachine said:
Dang I thought you were talking about towing heavy. If dude was doing it with a half ton, DO NOT by any means spend money on a diesel truck!

Just about any of the 3/4 ton gas trucks from the 03ish up era will suit you well. My truck has 534k miles on it, and has spent most of its life towing, and the last 13k of which 90% of the time had 7,000lbs behind it.

Also, you mentioned being concerned about a gasser towing day in and day out, almost ALL of the fleet trucks you see in construction and other fleet companies are gas trucks, most of which are loaded down in the form or a service bed, trailer, or both.

You can pick up a Chevrolet 3/4 or 1 ton truck with the 6.0 very cheap. Shoot I’d even try it with a half ton truck to start with before you invest too much into it. If you’re talking about less than 10,000lbs, a well maintained half ton with a good trans cooler should suite you fine, at least long enough to stack some cash and let you decide your next move.
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Yeah sorry, not sure about total weight I’ll be pulling daily, fig was using a Ram 1500 before it bit the dust, he then went Duramax. He said the Ram didn’t like the 20’ trailer with a load, not sure what year it was though, or maintenance history. He could have been one to neglect his truck. I would be content with a Ram 2500 Hemi or 6.4, or any other 3/4 gasser that can reliably haul a 20’ trailer loaded with bread. Guess just his story of his truck crapping out on him and a buddy of mine using a diesel to haul mission tortillas around had me thinking diesel was the best way to go
 
We run 350/3500 and 450/4500 serois trucks at work . Chevys and fords. All gas now.
The 6.2 fords have surprisingly held up better than the 6.0 chevys.
But we routinely are pulling 20k, drivers have class a cdls, etc.

Either killed their diesel counter parts in operating costs. I was debtaing with our former cfo over a bourbon, regarding the re sale argument. He said over 200k operating miles the gas saved enough that he could throw them away and still save money.
He also said buying and operating 5 gas trucks 200k miles was cheaper than 3 diesels.

These are bought new.
 
shelby27604 said:
all the "bread trucks" that were box trucks all came with 4bt or 6.5l detroit diesel motors....both of which would be considered anemic at best compared to available V8 gassers offer for the last decade. Confirm the loaded weight, and everyone here will tell you which truck to toss your money at, 2wd 3/4t gassers are cheap and plentiful, I say start there.
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It's been a few years since I was in the retail business, but the bread trucks some of my vendors were running when I left were Ford or GM cutaways kind of like what they use for small transportation buses. Don't know much more about them but I do remember one vendor was really happy his new one had A/C :lol:.

Duane
 
There are diesel haters and diesel lovers. I hear the usual "diesel injectors cost more than my truck" and "diesel oil change cost $100 more than gas oil change" comments that come up in every thread. An oil change in my truck is about $70-80 for synthetic and happens every 10k miles, whereas a gas oil change is at least $30-40 and typically every 5k miles. So I'd call it a wash. Yes, diesel repairs cost more if you have to do them. And gassers get worse fuel mileage, especially when loaded down (8-9mpg vs 12-14mpg would be my guesstimate without knowing the weight and specific truck). Again, overall cost is probably a wash if you're putting a lot of miles on them. To me, the torque difference and ease of towing outweighs all the other factors. I think there's a smart money point with a 3-5 year old diesel truck with about 200k miles for sub $20k. You know they are all highway miles because of the age to mileage ratio, so you get the benefit of the latest drivetrain and technology, and all the rubber and plastic parts are only a few years old, without the price premium of a new or low mileage truck. The wear is primarily on the drivetrain, which is made to go a half a million miles or more. Often, they can be sold for roughly the same price you paid (I've made money on 4 of the last 4 trucks I've owned ;) ), but even if that doesn't work out, the major depreciation hit is already taken, so the value doesn't drop much. The exception to this is a Cummins because you can buy them cheaper new than used (I'm half joking, but it's mostly true).

How far is it between stops? How much does the loaded trailer weigh? These factors have a major influence on what I consider to be the right decision. Modern diesels are not as well suited to short stints of less than 5-10 miles. If the load is light enough, you can also get in to a Ram 1500 diesel for around $20k, which is probably going to have the lowest total cost of ownership because of fuel mileage in the upper teens with a few thousand pounds behind it.
 
jeepinmatt said:
There are diesel haters and diesel lovers. I hear the usual "diesel injectors cost more than my truck" and "diesel oil change cost $100 more than gas oil change" comments that come up in every thread. An oil change in my truck is about $70-80 for synthetic and happens every 10k miles, whereas a gas oil change is at least $30-40 and typically every 5k miles. So I'd call it a wash. Yes, diesel repairs cost more if you have to do them. And gassers get worse fuel mileage, especially when loaded down (8-9mpg vs 12-14mpg would be my guesstimate without knowing the weight and specific truck). Again, overall cost is probably a wash if you're putting a lot of miles on them. To me, the torque difference and ease of towing outweighs all the other factors. I think there's a smart money point with a 3-5 year old diesel truck with about 200k miles for sub $20k. You know they are all highway miles because of the age to mileage ratio, so you get the benefit of the latest drivetrain and technology, and all the rubber and plastic parts are only a few years old, without the price premium of a new or low mileage truck. The wear is primarily on the drivetrain, which is made to go a half a million miles or more. Often, they can be sold for roughly the same price you paid (I've made money on 4 of the last 4 trucks I've owned ;) ), but even if that doesn't work out, the major depreciation hit is already taken, so the value doesn't drop much. The exception to this is a Cummins because you can buy them cheaper new than used (I'm half joking, but it's mostly true).

How far is it between stops? How much does the loaded trailer weigh? These factors have a major influence on what I consider to be the right decision. Modern diesels are not as well suited to short stints of less than 5-10 miles. If the load is light enough, you can also get in to a Ram 1500 diesel for around $20k, which is probably going to have the lowest total cost of ownership because of fuel mileage in the upper teens with a few thousand pounds behind it.
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Yeah I’ve read several debates about cost of ownership between the two as well and I try to weight the pros and cons of owning both as you have said....to answer previous questions to better point me in a good direction:

I will have 3 stores at first for sure, trailer loaded will be around 5k, There are two other stores may bump it another 1500lb, so I’d say pulling 7k or less at least in the beginning consistently. There is potential down the road to acquire more stores and add to the load. He said with the 7 he’s doing now he’s probably around 10k

As for distance, I live in concord, the warehouse is off Wedt Blvd by the airport in Charlotte, roughly 40 miles from me. I’ll be pulling the trailer there 5 days a week, then the 3 stores that are definitely on route are an HT on prosperity ch rd off 485, the publix across the street from there and a food lion off WT Harris....the other two potential stores are an HT off Davis Lake and a BiLo off Mt holly huntersville rd
 
93redzj said:
Yeah I’ve read several debates about cost of ownership between the two as well and I try to weight the pros and cons of owning both as you have said....to answer previous questions to better point me in a good direction:

I will have 3 stores at first for sure, trailer loaded will be around 5k, There are two other stores may bump it another 1500lb, so I’d say pulling 7k or less at least in the beginning consistently. There is potential down the road to acquire more stores and add to the load. He said with the 7 he’s doing now he’s probably around 10k

As for distance, I live in concord, the warehouse is off Wedt Blvd by the airport in Charlotte, roughly 40 miles from me. I’ll be pulling the trailer there 5 days a week, then the 3 stores that are definitely on route are an HT on prosperity ch rd off 485, the publix across the street from there and a food lion off WT Harris....the other two potential stores are an HT off Davis Lake and a BiLo off Mt holly huntersville rd
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Sounds like enough distance that it's not stop and go. And I'm guessing you'll be running either really early morning (pre traffic) or midday with little traffic. That's some pretty light trailer weight, so I'd be looking at a cheap ram 1500 ecodiesel to start off, and see where it goes from there. I'm also a diesel fan, so my opinion is slanted. Queue the gas fanbois to talk about the new gas trucks getting 20mpg and free oil changes :D
 
There are hack jobs that bulletproof that don't go through all the right procedures. Some just throw a set of studs on it and gaskets, if they didn't check the heads and make sure they were still flat, etc then I would run from that one.

If it isn't studded also, it is not bulletproofed. EGR delete and a new oil cooler, is cheap and easy. Actually bulletproofing the truck is around 5k (give or take a grand or two depending on who does the deal).

I love my 6.0, I bought it though because I was towing a lot more than I do these days. Still love the truck though.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Sounds like enough distance that it's not stop and go. And I'm guessing you'll be running either really early morning (pre traffic) or midday with little traffic. That's some pretty light trailer weight, so I'd be looking at a cheap ram 1500 ecodiesel to start off, and see where it goes from there. I'm also a diesel fan, so my opinion is slanted. Queue the gas fanbois to talk about the new gas trucks getting 20mpg and free oil changes :D
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Yes sir be on the road around 3am, have to be at warehouse, loaded up and out by 6am. I am seeing mixed things when looking into the towing capacity on those eco diesels, I’m seeing max 7600lbs and then I’m seeing just over 9k max. If it’s 9k then I’d feel safe running it. Also hadn’t even thought of those, thanks for throwing that out there as well
 
DSM Turbos said:
There are hack jobs that bulletproof that don't go through all the right procedures. Some just throw a set of studs on it and gaskets, if they didn't check the heads and make sure they were still flat, etc then I would run from that one.

If it isn't studded also, it is not bulletproofed. EGR delete and a new oil cooler, is cheap and easy. Actually bulletproofing the truck is around 5k (give or take a grand or two depending on who does the deal).

I love my 6.0, I bought it though because I was towing a lot more than I do these days. Still love the truck though.
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Yeah I knew it hadn’t been fully bullet proofed as the studs hadn’t been done, my local diesel shop quoted around $4500 for a full bullet proof, however he did say that if other things such as oil cooler and Egr already being done, could cut down on the cost if they didn’t have to do those things. I’m sure I could just have them do the full job and replace everything to just be safe....however I have now strayed away from this option and leaning towards newer truck
 
I'm a diesel guy becasue I keep them a long time. I can absorb the depreciation over xx years, no biggie. That being said...
I suggest a gasser 3/4 ton so you can have a beefier frame, more robust brakes and a full float rear axle. A gas 6.0, 6.2, V10 or Hemi will all do what you're asking of it.
My $$$ would go towards a fleet Ford 3/4 with a 6.2.
 
if the trailer has electric brakes, a 1500 will be fine to start, if you out grow it, step up to something bigger on your own schedule and budget.

Ecodiesel has some issues with cam gear iirc.....I would stay away from those, the fix from dodge was an oil viscosity change.

I would look at a 5.7l dodge or a 6.0l chevy. If you can find a ram with 3.92 and the 8 speed you are good to go! Only issue with the hemi I had was it required mid-grade or better, I tried regular once when towing and the computer dialed the timing way back to combat ping and I lost a bunch of power....I fill up with premium at Costco and it is only slightly more expensive than regular everywhere else.
 
Basic trim level gasser f250 is probably going to be cheaper off the lot than most anything. They come more ready to tow than a half ton.


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93redzj said:
Yeah I knew it hadn’t been fully bullet proofed as the studs hadn’t been done, my local diesel shop quoted around $4500 for a full bullet proof, however he did say that if other things such as oil cooler and Egr already being done, could cut down on the cost if they didn’t have to do those things. I’m sure I could just have them do the full job and replace everything to just be safe....however I have now strayed away from this option and leaning towards newer truck
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It cuts ~500 off the price or so at most shops with the EGR and oil cooler. Most of the money is the labor to do the studs, parts really aren't that much (nor is the labor for the cooler / egr since you already have it all torn down).
 
Well I found a 2014 Chevy 2500 with the 6.0 in it, dealer was asking $13,900 so I went to check it out, prepared to offer a little less since I’m hoping to do a cash purchase. They didn’t want to play ball, and after they tacked on their fees and taxes and all the price was $16500 out the door....so I walked from that one
 
Private seller is the way to go. Dealers clean everything up and hide everything they can, and know nothing of the history. Private seller JimBob might tell you something useful, and you'll at least get the opportunity to judge who has owned the vehicle and what kind of life it has lived.
 
Wow a $2600 jump in fees. That’s nuts.

Echo what Matt said, private party is the way to go.

My 2500 6.0 truck runs 75 with a load and hangs right with the diesel trucks for the most part. I would guess the new 6.0s probably have me beat by 60+HP too, plus better trans with more gears.

Can’t speak personally for the Ford gassers but assume they do great as well. Knowing your load is light enough to be half ton worthy, I’m sure you can find a backup truck in a pinch if needed
 
I loved my 6.4 hemi truck, got rid of it because of it being all black (mistake) and the payment. If I had bought one that was easier to keep clean i probably would still have it. But I enjoy an older truck that has already had thenew knocked off so my 07 3500 mega cab fits very nice.
 
Stuntman Autoworks said:
I loved my 6.4 hemi truck, got rid of it because of it being all black (mistake) and the payment. If I had bought one that was easier to keep clean i probably would still have it. But I enjoy an older truck that has already had thenew knocked off so my 07 3500 mega cab fits very nice.
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I typically don’t mind an older truck myself, that being said, earlier in this thread it was mentioned seeking a newer truck if towing heavy everyday, now that it’s known the load will be rather light, what year gassers could I be looking for? And I guess mentioning my budget may help zero in on a truck, I would like to stay in the 12k range, there’s a little wiggle room up for the right truck. But I have tried to set budgets for myself going into this new venture.

This budget is with me buying outright, earlier when speaking of newer 6.7 diesels, the potential plan was trading my DD towards truck and using money as down payment to chew up negative equity on the trade....buying outright is my preferred method as I don’t really want to trade my car but if it had to happen then so be it
 
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93redzj said:
I typically don’t mind an older truck myself, that being said, earlier in this thread it was mentioned seeking a newer truck if towing heavy everyday, now that it’s known the load will be rather light, what year gassers could I be looking for? And I guess mentioning my budget may help zero in on a truck, I would like to stay in the 12k range, there’s a little wiggle room up for the right truck. But I have tried to set budgets for myself going into this new venture.

This budget is with me buying outright, earlier when speaking of newer 6.7 diesels, the potential plan was trading my DD towards truck and using money as down payment to chew up negative equity on the trade....buying outright is my preferred method as I don’t really want to trade my car but if it had to happen then so be it
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I was thinking it was so heavy you really HAD to have a diesel. But given that kind of load, I would assume you could quickly get you hands on a loaner half ton. Shoot you can go get the Home Depot truck for $20/day lol.

You can also rent from Enterprise for about $400 for a week. I’d buy what seems to be the most reliable truck you could afford outright, and always have enough set aside to rent, or a truck to borrow and money for repairs.

Just saw this on FB from a guy I know.
73810B36-B05A-4F17-9F67-34C2D796EDE6.png
 
77GreenMachine said:
I was thinking it was so heavy you really HAD to have a diesel. But given that kind of load, I would assume you could quickly get you hands on a loaner half ton. Shoot you can go get the Home Depot truck for $20/day lol.

You can also rent from Enterprise for about $400 for a week. I’d buy what seems to be the most reliable truck you could afford outright, and always have enough set aside to rent, or a truck to borrow and money for repairs.

Just saw this on FB from a guy I know.
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Yeah I wasn’t sure on weight of load being hauled around, that probably would have been useful in the beginning as well as my desired budget, there’s been plenty of input and advice all around though and I appreciate it all. It’s helped me expand my search beyond thinking I had to have a diesel myself.
 
93redzj said:
I typically don’t mind an older truck myself, that being said, earlier in this thread it was mentioned seeking a newer truck if towing heavy everyday, now that it’s known the load will be rather light, what year gassers could I be looking for? And I guess mentioning my budget may help zero in on a truck, I would like to stay in the 12k range, there’s a little wiggle room up for the right truck. But I have tried to set budgets for myself going into this new venture.

This budget is with me buying outright, earlier when speaking of newer 6.7 diesels, the potential plan was trading my DD towards truck and using money as down payment to chew up negative equity on the trade....buying outright is my preferred method as I don’t really want to trade my car but if it had to happen then so be it
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Have you done the math on buying new vs draining everything for something used? This is for a new career after all. Do you expect to pay off 12k for the required truck with the added income? I feel like you need to consult someone and talk about starting a business.

If this isn’t your business then why should you have to dig into your pocket to do your job?


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