We don't tow often, maybe once a month at the most. Selling our Ford dually crew cab long bed, because it's so large and cumbersome to drive daily( forget parking garages, drive-thrus, and parking remotely close to a store  .)   Considering the Chevy 2500 HD, husband wants the Duramax with the Allison transmission, but I'm leaning toward the smaller V8 gas engine. ( In our area diesel costs more per gallon, and we'll only be pulling a trailer occassionally) Anyone recommend one over the other?

 BTW, the Duramax with allison trans. is about $8,000 more than the 6 liter gas engine. Our trailer is a 4H all aluminum Featherlite and we usually only have 3 horses( max) in at one time.

This might start up the whole gas vs. diesel debate again. However, I owned a F-250 once with the V-10, which is the closest equivalent to your gas engine in the Chevrolet.  When I went to trade it in on a diesel, I could hardly get a good trade in value for it.  It had the power, but I took a hit when it came time to get rid of it.  One of the parents of my FFA show kids just bought a new Chevrolet 2500 HD with the gas engine in it and he pulls a 24 foot Featherlite stock trailer hauling 6 head of show cattle with it. These cattle will easily match the weight of any horse.  He says that it pulls good.  Personally, I like the diesel engine.  I would lean more towards it for the long run.  Plus, it should come with more warranty as well.  Not sure how Chevrolet does warranty on their gas engines.  I know the 6.0 in the Ford comes with 100k mile warranty. 

I've got a 2004 2500HD ext cab with a duramax/allison in 4X4.  It is the best truck I have ever owned.  I've got 95K on it already and think it is just about broke in.  Do yourself a favor and get the duramax.  They are a great truck.  Remember for the money you are getting the duramax which is fine but your favorite part will be the allison.  The allison is by far and away the best tranny in the light duty truck. 

You will spend a bit more for the duramax but you will get quite a bit of it back in resale.  With my trailer (15K lbs) I get 9.5mpg when it is flat and not blowing like crazy.  It is a bit much for the truck but it does a pretty good job for me. 

Everytime I go up a hill I always tell my wife that we would be going as slow as those people we are passing if I would have bought the gas instead of the duramax.   

Later,

Chad

I would get the diesel, you'll get most or all of the additional cost you spend on the diesel back when you sell the truck.  In between, you'll have the added power, durability and fuel mileage of a diesel.  

My sister-in-law has a 2500 with the 6.0 gas engine in it.  We pulled our gooseneck trailer with 3 horses and everything but the kitchen sink in it, to Oklahoma City, with our 7.3 liter Diesel Ford dually.   She followed us with her truck and a 2 horse bumper pull trailer.  Our trailer weighed in at about 9500lbs, her trailer at about 6000lbs, even with her much lighter load, her gas engine really strained to keep up with us on hills and she had to stop for fuel almost twice as often as we did.  The duramax will outpull our 7.3 liter engine, so for you with your trailer the difference between the two engines is probably pretty significant.

And lastly, my sister-in-law and I both use our trucks for daily driving.  We figured out that even when diesel is .60 cents more per gallon, it's still cheaper to drive our diesel trucks than hers because ours diesels get much better mpg. 

From  a women's standpoint, buy a diesel or just keep what you have and buy a little car to toot around town. I've pulled with a 2500 gasser and now have the Duramax, and would never go back. I use my Dmax for all of my driving, around town, traveling and towing my 3horse gooseneck with a 6' short walled living quarters. I get 18mpg around town, 20-22mpg on the highway, without a trailer and 15-16mpg towing. And as others have said, the Allison transmission is superb.

Your husband is right in leaning towards a  diesel. I once had a guy come up to me while I was putting fuel in my truck with my trailer attached and he just shook his head and said" I should have bought one of those(Duramax)" and walked away. I watched him and he went over and got into his Chevy 2500HD gasser.

Thanks everyone .  I do have a chevy car to run errands in, but she's on her last leg, were going to trade in both the car and the dually for the Chevy truck.  I love the Ford dually, runs and pulls great, it's just the length and the width of the truck makes it difficult to manuever around town and I couldn't justify keeping it only to pull horses once a month. I think we will go with the Duramax or look at the Ford's SWB diesel. Thanks for all the advice!  : )

We bought a diesel truck ( ford 250) primarily because we wanted the pulling power of a diesel and the longer life of the engine. We bought it used rather than new, let someone else drive the depreciation off. I wouldn't buy new again unless there was a incredible deal.

I don't drive the truck for everyday stuff. We have a small car for that. Its easier to tootle around in, easier to get my stuff in and out plus, if we have a kid or two with us, there just isn't any room in the truck. With the 4:10 rear axle and over sized tires, I can get about 14 mpg pulling and its chipped.

Kyhorsechic,
I sent you a P.M.

                 Ardly

The gas engine is cheaper in the start and it will get r done but it eats gas and is not as good when it comes to pulling,My good friend has a chevy 2500 gas job and if we move hay he has to stop and fill up twice as often as I do.I bought a Ford simply because I couldn't get Chevy to give Me a good deal.Not to mention got the basic same package with all the goodies for $10000 less than Chevy.I don't have any chips but the dog puked in the back and the grand kids spilled some pop !!

That ought to be good for a couple of more miles per gallon.

I'm with you Farmbabe I really like the sound of a diesel and very rarely have trouble finding diesel. I would really have a hard time going back to a gas engine for towing.

Hi, new here. If what someone was telling me is right, I'd wait. I don't think it's a done deal yet and could take a couple of years for the change, but there is talk Chrysler, now owned by Mercedes, wants to end their deal with Cummins and go with a Mercedes diesel. Which has GM talking to Cummins about replacing the Duramax.

So have any of our truck experts here heard anything about the possibility of this actually happening?

Edited to add, if you aren't going to be driving it long distances when you do drive it, you might be better off with the gas engine. Diesels do best when they go distances on a regular basis.