Which Engine Will Out Tow The Other: 1983 Carburated Chevy 454 Gas Or 2006 6.0 Powerstroke Turbo? (best, truck)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,736,702 times
Reputation: 3203
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackandgold51
I got a guy who is trying since last year of 2017 to sell his 2006 Ford 4door F350 Longbed 6.0 Turbo Diesel Powerstroke Dually he rags on how my 1983 Silverado 4 door Dually 3/4 ton with a stock 454 Carburated V8 and turbo 400 transmission , gear ratio 4:10 gets bad mileage compared to his truck.
Which with the way I drive, in stop in go traffic here in New Orleans with the speed limit of 35 to 40 mph, I can go on 10 bucks of fuel in my Chevy truck over 27 miles in city stop and go traffic, as long as I'm not hard on the throttle and dont drive fast like everyone else does. Which I drive safely. In a 40 mph speed zone I drive under 35 mph.
Unleaded fuel price the lowest in New Orleans, Louisiana as of now is 2.37 a gallon
By the way his truck had problems with the turbo which he spent over 1100 bucks on a new turbo which he put in it last year, needs a new freeze plug now and maybe injector.
Despite this, I give good compliments on his truck, I try to tell him that he should keep it, although since last year of 2017 he went and got a 2011 Ford F250 gas 6.0 Quad Cab
Is his truck really better compared to mines due to his being a Diesel?
Interesting question. I looked up the manufacturers recommendations for that model year. Not taking into account age or fuel cost, the 454 and the diesel aren't that far off. Chevy rated the 1983 Silverado K3500 with the 454 with the 4:10 rear axle ratio at 13,500 lb TRAILER weight, with a GCWR of 18,300lbs. The 2006 Ford F350 crew cab, 4WD, long wheelbase (172.4") with the 6.0 L diesel has a GCWR of 13,000 lbs, but can tow up to 15,000 lbs with the right rear end ratio (not noted in the trailering guide). Basically what that tells me is that the Chevy has a heck of a lot stronger chassis but the 2 are roughly equivalent with towing.
Having lived with both on the farm, they are roughly equivalent but the Chevy didn't break. We tended to way over load the bed and the trailer, way above these limits, and they also towed just fine. Now, we weren't driving at highway speeds so braking or stability was never and issue.
The gas engine is going to drink a lot more fuel, though. And, on the farm, diesel isn't taxed so that was a big savings as well.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,022,681 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonepa
Interesting question. ...
Having lived with both on the farm, they are roughly equivalent but the Chevy didn't break. We tended to way over load the bed and the trailer, way above these limits, and they also towed just fine. Now, we weren't driving at highway speeds so braking or stability was never and issue.
The gas engine is going to drink a lot more fuel, though. And, on the farm,diesel isn't taxed so that was a big savings as well.
Out tow?...
depends... terrain / elevation / trailer...
The 454 are quite tough and good service life
6.0 PSD is one of the weakest of the stable of PS. and troublesome (i.e. tough to sell), but there are many out there doing OK. There are much better choices.
If you are happy with your 454. keep it
If you drive a lot of miles and at higher elevation.. the diesel will win. (I have enjoyed FREE fuel since 1976 in my diesels (many options). tougher to do with gas.
BUT.. don't EVER get caught with 'farm diesel' while driving on the road. We get 'dipped' by state DOT guy often. Red Dye will add $1000 to your ticket. AND a lot of court dates to recover previous sins.
A Bale Wagon (on a public road) is an easy culprit for a Red Dye ticket.
If they find it in your truck or car, you are toast.
Interesting question. I looked up the manufacturers recommendations for that model year. Not taking into account age or fuel cost, the 454 and the diesel aren't that far off. Chevy rated the 1983 Silverado K3500 with the 454 with the 4:10 rear axle ratio at 13,500 lb TRAILER weight, with a GCWR of 18,300lbs. The 2006 Ford F350 crew cab, 4WD, long wheelbase (172.4") with the 6.0 L diesel has a GCWR of 13,000 lbs, but can tow up to 15,000 lbs with the right rear end ratio (not noted in the trailering guide). Basically what that tells me is that the Chevy has a heck of a lot stronger chassis but the 2 are roughly equivalent with towing.
Having lived with both on the farm, they are roughly equivalent but the Chevy didn't break. We tended to way over load the bed and the trailer, way above these limits, and they also towed just fine. Now, we weren't driving at highway speeds so braking or stability was never and issue.
The gas engine is going to drink a lot more fuel, though. And, on the farm, diesel isn't taxed so that was a big savings as well.
There is no way it has that rating. Where are you getting these numbers.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,736,702 times
Reputation: 3203
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
Out tow?...
depends... terrain / elevation / trailer...
The 454 are quite tough and good service life
6.0 PSD is one of the weakest of the stable of PS. and troublesome (i.e. tough to sell), but there are many out there doing OK. There are much better choices.
If you are happy with your 454. keep it
If you drive a lot of miles and at higher elevation.. the diesel will win. (I have enjoyed FREE fuel since 1976 in my diesels (many options). tougher to do with gas.
BUT.. don't EVER get caught with 'farm diesel' while driving on the road. We get 'dipped' by state DOT guy often. Red Dye will add $1000 to your ticket. AND a lot of court dates to recover previous sins.
A Bale Wagon (on a public road) is an easy culprit for a Red Dye ticket.
If they find it in your truck or car, you are toast.
While I don't farm anymore (haven't since the early 80's) most of my family still does. Experience says the GM 454 from the late 70's through the 80's is a bulletproof engine that, with proper maintenance, will last just about forever. This is also true of the 8.1L engine they put in medium duty trucks and some of the early 2000's Chevy light trucks. The light duty Ford diesels from the early 2000's were pretty terrible reliability wise. We never had any Dodge trucks, gas or diesel. There were/are zero Dodge dealers anywhere near where my family farms.
In the midwest, if the vehicle is being used for farm activities such as hauling a load of wood, livestock, rock, seed, chemicals, a grain or hay wagon, etc on a gravel road no one cares and it isn't illegal. No different than a tractor. If you are pulling your boat, toy hauler, or horse trailer down the interstate with untaxed diesel that would be illegal and you may get pulled over, although I've never met anyone who has. Just too many diesel trucks on the roads these days.
In that case as well, real farmers don't typically have time for all that stuff and, if they did, wouldn't drive a beat up farm truck to do it.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,563 posts, read 81,131,933 times
Reputation: 57767
The 454 is a great engine, I'd love to have one in a classic Nova, Chevelle, or Camaro, better yet bored out to 468. For towing, though, I'd stick to an engine with fuel injection, and for a heavy trailer, diesel for better fuel economy, torque and longevity.
I got a guy who is trying since last year of 2017 to sell his 2006 Ford 4door F350 Longbed 6.0 Turbo Diesel Powerstroke Dually he rags on how my 1983 Silverado 4 door Dually 3/4 ton with a stock 454 Carburated V8 and turbo 400 transmission , gear ratio 4:10 gets bad mileage compared to his truck.
Which with the way I drive, in stop in go traffic here in New Orleans with the speed limit of 35 to 40 mph, I can go on 10 bucks of fuel in my Chevy truck over 27 miles in city stop and go traffic, as long as I'm not hard on the throttle and dont drive fast like everyone else does. Which I drive safely. In a 40 mph speed zone I drive under 35 mph.
Unleaded fuel price the lowest in New Orleans, Louisiana as of now is 2.37 a gallon
By the way his truck had problems with the turbo which he spent over 1100 bucks on a new turbo which he put in it last year, needs a new freeze plug now and maybe injector.
Despite this, I give good compliments on his truck, I try to tell him that he should keep it, although since last year of 2017 he went and got a 2011 Ford F250 gas 6.0 Quad Cab
Is his truck really better compared to mines due to his being a Diesel?
better is a relative term. if you are just talking about hauling capacity, IE towing or even load capacity, his will out do yours every time.
if you are talking about fuel economy, again his will out do yours every time under all conditions. when i was in college, the old joke was that if you wanted better fuel economy for your 454 chevy dually with 4.10 gears, you lifted the radiator off the truck backed the chevy out and pulled a ford in under it and replaced the radiator cap. one of my college instructors had basically your truck and the best fuel economy he got, along with every one i know that ever had one, was about 6mpg. at that point you use the gas gauge like an accelerometer.
dont get me wrong though, i like your chevy truck, just dont expect anything resembling fuel economy from it. and by the way, if you can go 27 miles on 4.2 gallons of gasoline, you are getting just over 6mpg, which means you got a good one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
