Without getting into a brand loyalty discussion, what should I expect out of a 3/4 ton diesel for power and mileage? I am leaning towards a DuraMax simply because the truck is low enough to get into my garage. I pull all the time and the Suburban is a little soft for towing heavy rigs. Any help would be appreciated.
You can expect 17 to 21 depending on your driving habits, pulling will give you 13 to 16 depending on wind and load. Check out this forum and it will answer all your questions.
http://dieselplace.com
I also forgot to ask about ease of starting in cold weather…let’s say I’m out on Mille Lacs on a Tuesday with no one around and it’s -25 degrees at Midnight. Am I going to get it started or am I in for a long night staring at a bobber that hasn’t gone down in 8 hours?
I agree with 2jranch. I run Super dutys and get just what he said. All three brands are great now. Pick the one you think is best and get it. Sounds like you have a legit reason for the Chevy. I know my super dutys sit alot higher.
Lots of power with each brand too. Not even comparable to a gas engine. Complete different leagues. Diesels are great. I will never go back to gas.
If you are pulling alot, it is hard to go wrong with a diesal. However, for the additional $3000 to $5000 for the motor, you sure can but alot of gas at $0.20 or even $0.10 a gallon difference in price vs. a gas motor.
I wouldn’t buy for fuel economy, I would buy for pulling power. Diesals do call for a higher amount of maintenance than a gas motor and also it generally cost more to fix diesals.
As for cold-starting, “todays” diesals are much better and easier to start in the cold than “yesterdays” motor. Don’t let that be a deterent in a buying decision.
Lastly;
as others have said, all three motors are great motors today. Can’t go wrong with any of the three for a choice!
It’s no contest when it comes to raw pulling power, a diesel is the only way to go!! They can be more expense to fix but it’s money well spent. I’ve got one and will never go back to a gas motor.
Gary, I only dispute one thing. The higher amount of maintence that diesels you say call for. I still own some one gas engine truck. Speaking from experience, the gasoline engine trucks I have had and ran and worked cost me way more to maintain than my diesels. Where I get my oil changed its about $20 more for a diesel. Thats the only small downfall I have found yet. BUT, I can run the diesel longer if I choose to on its oil. So that little bit offsets.
Even the 1999’s and on diesels (as far back as I know for sure), start great in cold weather.
for cold weather starting you can get a remote starter they have some that will start your truck every hour or more depending on how you program it. my boss has one on his 
With the price of diesel hovering around the same price as gas, you gotta wonder what gives? As in previous posts, you should be pulling all the time, don’t buy it for milage. On another note, you should be driving at least 40,000 miles a year to make buying a diesel worthwhile. I wound up with a 8.1 gasser in my truck and get 16 mpg. I only put on about 12,000 miles a year because I have a company supplied vehicle to drive everyday. With 450 ftlb of torque it gets a 10,000 lb trailer moving just fine. I see you are looking at the GM stuff. That Allison transmission is the ticket. I only have the five speed, but they now have it in a six speed. Keep in mind that the 2500 HD rides much rougher than a 3/4 ton Suburban. Unfortuneately, you cannot get the diesel in the 8600 GVWR trucks from GM.
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