Roger H wrote:Good questions, Kent.
In a new chassis, the diesel option has, in the past, been about $5k additional. While they don't require "tuneups" per se (like the gas engines do), they take 18 quarts of oil at an oil change, so there's really no maintenance cost difference. Diesel is currently more expensive, but has more BTUs per gallon, so less fuel per mile is consumed. Again, the cost for fuel turns out to be a wash. Diesel is more difficult to find than gasoline at the pumps. Diesels can be finicky in really cold weather even with the new diesel blends. (I have a diesel Kubota tractor that I love) They're heavy (at least the 7.3l diesel was) and cause the chassis to steer very differently, and they tend to understeer because of the weight compared to the V10 chassis. The later Ford diesels weren't nearly as stout as the 7.3l was, and the five speed trans behind the 6.0l diesel is problematic.
The mystique of a diesel, however, continues to keep diesel sales strong, and prices for used diesels high.
As long-lived as the V10 seems to be, and for as many issues as have cropped up with the 6.0l diesel, the 7.3l diesel has a reputation of being nearly indestructable and, with maintenance, has an essentially unlimited lifespan. The newer diesel engines don't yet enjoy that reputation.
For that reason alone, I would have enjoyed finding the 7.3l diesel coach that Sam found. Reality quickly set in, and I realized that first, it would take me a very long time to find the coach I wanted with the 7.3l in the condition I was looking for at a price I wanted to pay, AND I had found exactly the coach I wanted (sans diesel) at an excellent price at the factory, so I ended up with the V10.
If you demand a diesel, there's nothing else that will do. If you're merely looking for a rig with adequate power and good longevity the V10 is an excellent power plant and a good choice. This is my second V10 powered vehicle.
Roger
Roger, this is an interesting post and followed my logic as well. I would take a 7.3 as I had one in my old pickup and it was a great engine. The new 6.0 has had problems and the new engine is too new. Infact Ford had so many problems with the 6.0 they refused to pay for some of the ones shipped so international stopped shipping them any new engines till they paid for the other ones. It did not last long about 3 days or so...
Now, for the 5k extra you can put in 2 V10s and trannies or there abouts and you get a gas generator. Until Bornfree steps up and uses a bigger chassie like a 4500 GMC or the F 450 or the INternational CTX and gets a bit more CCC to put in a diesel generator, I will stay with gas. The propane gernator is less efficient and it is harder to find propane than it is to find diesel. I have a diesel Foretravel and love the power but the BF fits oh so nice into many places and no worries about height or length.
I would love to get a small unit with a solid diesel and disel generator too. That and a step up on CCC woudl get me to trade my 07 in a heartbeat.