Moving Truck. Should I go Diesel or Gas?

[Sawdusted]

I'm sure one of you guys has experience, so I'd hope you'll chime in.

Moving from Cleveland Ohio to Dallas Tx (approx 1,200 Miles). Gonna get either 20-22' or 26 ft truck to move the entire family and our worldly possessions

. The 2 best options are to rent them from Uhaul (gas truck) or Penske (diesel truck). Which if the two would cost less per mile to move? Gas is cheaper than diesel but diesels as supposed to be more efficient in mpg?

Assuming the equipment cost is the same, would you go with a diesel truck or gas? Cost is a factor for my move.

According to the rental co, they claim to get "up to 10mpg". Heck that can range anywhere from 1mog to 10mpg! If you have any real time experience with either of the trucks, could you please post your actual mpgs so that I can do a rough calculation for the 1,200 mile move?

Thanks.

 

[eljefino]

Can't help much but a mid-to-large uhaul gas (454) driven 55 got me 8-10 MPG, IIRC. It was your typical brick aerodynamics with "granny's attic" over the cab.

Look at mileage charges for the rentals, they're huge.

Driving slow will probably pay you in the teens of dollars per hour in gas savings.

Incidentally, my uhaul truck was ready for the demolition derby with a huge amount of play in the steering box and a bowling ball inspired dent in the hood/fender.

 

[expat]

Having used Uhaul in the past (and a V10 Ford that was filthy, burnt oil and Sucked Gas) I would go Penske.

Regardless,
There is a reason Big rigs are all Diesel.

 

[simple_gifts]

I did a few moves with an NPR Isuzu and larger Ford diesel. Talk about unscientific, but they seemed more suited for the task @ hand. I did a lot of moving of appliances as a summer job years ago and a big gas engine never seemed impressive compared to a diesel. JMO.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

I have moved with two Ford V-10 Uhauls and a Budget with a Chevy turbo diesel. All trucks were in the 21-22 foot range, and each trip included a Saturn on a tow dolly. The Uhauls got between 7 and 9 mpg (including climbs through Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming). The diesel, with its biggest hills in PA, got 9.4. I didn't notice any power advantage with the diesel. Actually, the gassers probably went better when I really wanted them to. Maybe I just don't know how to drive a diesel.

I would go with the one that's most comfortable to drive and easiest to load. The Penske's deck is probably higher off the ground, and it will handle more like a "real" truck. Uhauls seem to wallow a little more but are lower to the ground.

Check the tires thoroughly for nails and bolts before you drive the truck off the lot. Also, remember that a lot of gas pumps will shut off at $75 whether the tank is full or not.

Have a good move.

 

[mrsilv04]

If you want a low deck for easier loading and unloading, then you're looking at a UHaul.

If you have a loading dock, or if the truck has a lift... then a truck with a higher deck and a diesel doesn't matter.

The last UHaul jumbo hauler that I had (it was a 26 footer IIRC), it had a valve in the cab, where you could dump the air in the rear suspension, and get it even closer to the ground for loading and unloading. That was a nice option to have.

I've had both gas and diesel, I'm not sure that it is a huge difference, the mileage is going to be single digits, either way. A good running Ford V10 will pull like an ox.

 

[97f150]

Years ago I rented a UHaul years ago, a 25' ragged out GMC with 454 to move 50 miles. Total miles drivin was around 150 at an average speed of 55 mph. Cost me $75 to put the fuel back where it was.

Sorry no average MPH, but next time I'd be inclined to go Penske if for no other reason then to have a truck that is halfway decent. I'm also inclined to believe, and I could be wrong, that a diesel would serve me better mileage wise. I certainly wouldn't subject myself to 1200 miles of wondering if ill reach my destination or not without being broke down on the are of the interstate.

 

[JHZR2]

diesel.

 

[Virtuoso]

I've used a couple of 26' U-Hauls with gassers but I never computed mileage.. and I'm not sure I would want to. Filling them up hurt.

Personally I'd go Diesel.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Pick the cleanest best looking truck with good tires. That's much more important than fuel costs. Look under the hood and poke around. I drove a truck from Houston to San Diego and the brakes failed in the mountains. When I took a close look I was shocked at the condition of the brake lines and would have never accepted the truck had I been smart enough to look. It was quite a trip down that mountain knocking down guard rail posts and signs and honking at cars that were in the way. When I got stopped at a truck runoff road a driver that I cut off wanted to start a fight until he met my 90 pound doberman and his 75 pound mate. He became very civilized and my dogs were disappointed that I told them to "stay". I explained what happened and he actually listened and then left.

 

[sciphi]

I rented a 20' Uhaul to move 60 miles. The truck itself was a newer Ford truck in pretty good shape. I kept it at 55 mph, signaled well in advance of any maneuvers, and got mileage somewhere in the low teens. Filling it up to return it was a lot cheaper than I thought it would be.

Also, get the insurance!!! None of my insurance policies or credit cards covered moving vehicles. 5 miles away from the rental place the Uhaul I rented took a rock to the windshield from a dump truck's load, and got a big crack in it. The guy at return either didn't notice it or saw the full coverage insurance and didn't mention it. The $25-30 I paid for the good insurance was recouped many times over with not replacing a windshield on my dime.

 

[Danno]

If the US U Hauls are like the Canadian U Hauls, stay far away. Go for the Penske diesel. Same load and box, it will give you about 30% better fuel economy.

 

[diver1972]

Originally Posted By: Sawdusted
Which if the two would cost less per mile to move? Gas is cheaper than diesel but diesels as supposed to be more efficient in mpg?

Diesel has a lower fuel cost over your specified distance.


Originally Posted By: Sawdusted
Assuming the equipment cost is the same, would you go with a diesel truck or gas? Cost is a factor for my move.

Diesel, although I never have done so. I've done a number of sub-hundred mile (one-way) moves over the past decade and always went with gas (U-Haul). It seems that, with relatively short runs, I could never get past the break-even point to make diesel cost-effective.

Also, it's instructive to know that, several years ago, U-Haul added these real-time MPG gauges (a basic green to red gauge to show you the relative fuel economy at any given point) to some (newer trucks?) of their fleet. I surmise this was primarily a response to rising fuel prices and secondarily to stave off competition from diesel-based competitor fleets (e.g. Penske).

 

[supton]

A few years ago I helped the parents move from Maine to Kentucky. Budget 24', diesel. The one pulling a a car dolly might have been 8 mpg, mine was 9. Governed to 70 but you'd be insane to go faster. That said, it was pedal to the metal all the way, as those things could smell a hill from a mile away.

These were automatics, easy to drive but no cruise. When the parents did a shorter move it was a single UHaul with a gas 366 and stick, which was more fun; but in retrospect I would have hated on a cross country trip.

Diesel is best, but it'll be expensive no matter what.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Get the largest van size with a diesel engine you can get! Look how far you will need to drop it off/check it in on the other side. Good Luck!

 

[Texan4Life]

In my experience Penske trucks are usually newer/nicer.

I'd go for what ever fits your needs the best and comfortable.

 

[Chris142]

You can get gas anywhere but you may have to search for diesel. I always plan my trips where I know Diesel is.

 

[KD0AXS]

I drive one of these trucks for a living. Get the Penske Diesel. If you were just going across town the gasser would be fine, but for a 1200 mile move you're going to want the Diesel. Get the 26 foot box, nothing smaller unless you don't have very much stuff. That box will fill up faster than you think. From what I've seen, the Penske truck will probably be an International very similar to the one I drive, and will probably have a liftgate, maybe both a liftgate and a ramp. The liftgate will make loading large and heavy items much easier. You'll also be able to secure your cargo much better in the Penske truck because it should have E-track. U-Haul trucks don't have E-track. You can expect about 8 MPG with one of these.

This is the one I drive, I've put over 300K miles on this one:

 

[Fleetmon]

I went with diesel for our move from Baltimore to Houston....averaged around 9 MPG for a 26' truck towing an auto-transport with a Tempo on board. It took around 180 gallons of fuel for the trip and the only issue was late at night in Mississippi I could only find bio-diesel for $4.35 gallon....yikes! Needless to say, I only purchased 20 gallons to get me to a regular diesel stop. This was in 2008.

Don't forget about glass insurance....we found two stones on the way down and the insurance paid for the glass.

 

[mechanicx]

I don't know if a diesel would save you much or not. I think when you rent a U-haul for one-way, they rent you a lot nicer and newer truck than local.

My family moved from Dallas back to Ohio using a U-haul with an automatic. It was over 20 years ago and I recall it being gas, but I do remember the goofy neighbor guy saying, "diesels are all right". But he may have been rambling about it'd been better if it was a diesel. But I think U-haul use to have diesels. But gas was dirt cheap back then in comparison and the speed limit on the interstate was still 55.

Are you planning to take the western route through Indiana or south through Kentucky?