Engine recommendations for cold climate

[Tudor Tanase]

And one more thing: anyone here had to deal with summer (or just bad) diesel in winter: blocked filters, heating fuel lines, adding kero and/or gas to diesel (about 10% is the norm, but with kero you can go up to 50% in old truck engines, apparently), idling for an hour because you can't get enough fuel flowing to get anything else but idle? Been there done that... Still drive a diesel but if it were constantly below freezing I'd think about it again...

 

[nickw]

I have had a 6.7 ford diesel and currently running a 6.4 hemi. I go between MT and CA.
It does truly come down to personal preference.
IMO diesels always handle better on the road than gasser's especially on those long windy icy hwy stretches. I like the heavier more planted feeling.
In the Winter months diesel requires some extra thought ( plugging it in and winter mix). If your towing you cant bet a diesel .
I think for general use, towing medium loads, and off-road is where the gasser shines. They also generally cost less to maintain.
I don't know anything about Chevy.
I can say, a ranch boss I work with just got a brand new GMC AT4 3500 and it is unbelievable nice. The truck is mainly a tow rig for his / daughters horses though.
I am not sure what level of truck you are after. It gets pretty nit picky between the brands. I love that Ford offers the fx4 package ( you get a rear locking diff) as an add on package to all truck levels. I also love that you can add a power wagon package to a ram tradesman.
I like the ram seats , entertainment system, cup holders more than ford. I also have a lever activated 4x4 system in the ram ( which is I just think is cool , not sure how it holds up to constant active / inactivation yet).
In the ford , I liked the seating position better ( easier to see over the hood on an incline). I actually prefer the overall look of the ford truck. I think the interior plastics seem to be a bit higher quality.
The ford 10 speed trans is very smooth.
Hard to beat a hemi though.
Like I said it gets nit picky . I think between Ford and Ram its really what feels best to you.
Lastly, Wildfire , Forest Service , BLM , and USDA predominantly use Ford and Ram gassers.

Re; weight of diesel over gas being an advantage, you could also argue that gives the gas an advantage since it gives you the capacity to start adding bumper + winch + battery, at which point, a gas rig probably has as much weight over the front as the diesel does stock.

I WISH I had the lever xfer case, my push button has treated me well but I don't *think* it will be as reliable long term but time will tell....