Towing mpg?

[Southern Heritage]

I hope you have the 38 gallon fuel tank.

I only get 9mpg in my 18 Ram 1500. Same whether it’s a 12 or 16 ft enclosed. Makes for a lot of fuel stops.

We stopped 8 times getting up there. 30 is gallons each time.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

2003 3/4 ton Dodge cummins 16.5 mpg towing a 7,000 lb 25 ft travel trailer between Colo Springs and Buena vista. Can’t complain about that!

 

[TheHammer]

my 19 3.5 f150’with an 8k 16.5’ enclosed averaging 71mph for 1100miles gets anywhere from 10.4-11.3. I had it loaded up with all my gear and the new canvas topper it got 18.7 on the same route travelled 50days later. Driving from the house to the shop from spring to fall it gets a touch over 19.5 and on the freeway it’ll clear 20.3-20.4.

My dually 01 7.3 zf6 would get 17.5 and towing my gooseneck and 6000lb drag truck it would never get worse then 14.

My ford cummins swap builds have been all over the map…getting anywhere from 11-20.3while towing…. but everything I have is one off and stupid.

My duramaxs have been ok, getting anywhere from 9-18 while towing.


If I were looking at towing 5k and towing mpg alone. It would have to be a 3/4ton diesel, but it wouldn’t be a store bought truck, I would set it up specifically for towing efficiency. Using a cummins vp pump 4v engine.

 

[D_Dubya]

2017 F250 6.7 diesel, bone stock. pulling 30’ gooseneck flatbed 10k lbs of feed total weight 15k I get about 9mpg at 75mph on flat ground.

16” utility trailer with Polaris Ranger going hunting in Colorado @80mph about 11mpg.

30’ goose neck full of 4 wheelers and a Ranger @73-75mph or so almost exactly 10mpg on a 2100 mile round trip to the mountains.

Empty on the highway, flat ground: 75mph about 17mpg; 80mph 15mpg; 68 mph over 20mpg.

Most everyone lies about fuel mileage though and some people can’t do math…

 

[rodney482]

I had a 2020 Ram Eco D

Pulling 3500 boat

18 mpg

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Mines an older 6.0 power stroke. It’s been bulletproofed and mostly put back stock except for the valves. And air flow.


I get about 15 mpg empty. And probably 10 while towing when it starts getting heavy. Once the load gets upto 10,000 pounds or so, the mileage starts down.

 

[5MilesBack]

a diesel doesn’t make sense maintenance wise if it’s not a full time hauler
7.3 , 6.6 , 6.4 ( ford Chevy ram ) are good options in 3/4 -1T without the $400 oil and filter change

That's a lot of labor cost for an easy job. I spend right around $50-55 for oil and filter for my 2001 F-350 7.3L PSD which takes 15qts of oil. I normally use Mobil Delvac.

Towing 5-7k pounds it gets 14-15mpg throughout Colorado. Without towing it's 16-18mpg, but I don't drive slow.

 

[Choupique]

Towing Performance is a work equation. It takes x horsepower to drag something at a given speed. You won't see drastic differences from truck to truck of the same vintage pulling the same trailer the same speed in the same conditions. Diesels will generally do a little better across the board than gas trucks. The differences are often very overstated though.

My 3/4 ton gas truck pulling my boat on a trip we frequently make would average 11mpg, and my diesel usually averages around 15mpg.

 

[Justinjs]

Why's everyone talking about 3/4 ton diesel for towing 5k?

 

[Choupique]

Why's everyone talking about 3/4 ton diesel for towing 5k?

'Merica

5k lbs can be pretty heavy if it's a big box trailer in the mountains.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

Why's everyone talking about 3/4 ton diesel for towing 5k?

Because it’s great to drive the high mountain passes without even feeling the trailer back there! Many times I’ve been glad I was well below Gross.

 

[Justinjs]

Because it’s great to drive the high mountain passes without even feeling the trailer back there! Many times I’ve been glad I was well below Gross.

Is there even a 1/2 ton that would be over gvwr with a #5000 trailer? The most basic 1/2 ton is north of 5k capacity, J2807 tested.

Heck, new 1/2 tons have more torque than the Cummins 12 valve or 7.3 PS. I fail to see the benefits of 3/4 diesel for a 5k trailer.

 

[5MilesBack]

Why's everyone talking about 3/4 ton diesel for towing 5k?

Actually, if you go back and read it from the start "everyone" is talking about 1 ton, 3/4 ton, 1/2 ton, with both diesel and gas. Pretty wide assortment in this thread of what everyone has at home.

 

[Justinjs]

Actually, if you go back and read it from the start "everyone" is talking about 1 ton, 3/4 ton, 1/2 ton, with both diesel and gas. Pretty wide assortment in this thread of what everyone has at home.

Any other comments on my multiple responses of this thread or just being pedantic?

 

[5MilesBack]

Any other comments on my multiple responses of this thread or just being pedantic?

I'm about as anal as they come.......so there's that, but in this case just correcting your assessment of the thread. Or did you mistype something in that response?

The OP asked for real world mileage experience........and he's getting it, from a wide range of trucks.

 

[Justinjs]

I'm about as anal as they come.......so there's that, but in this case just correcting your assessment of the thread. Or did you mistype something in that response?

The OP asked for real world mileage experience........and he's getting it, from a wide range of trucks.

Pedantic it is then.

OP asked about a diesel 1/2 ton, yet your only comments are about a two decade old truck and bickering.

Feel free to comment on the other posts I've made and add something of value. Just don't get too hung up on one single, generalized, word.

 

[TheHammer]

Is there even a 1/2 ton that would be over gvwr with a #5000 trailer? The most basic 1/2 ton is north of 5k capacity, J2807 tested.

Heck, new 1/2 tons have more torque than the Cummins 12 valve or 7.3 PS. I fail to see the benefits of 3/4 diesel for a 5k trailer.

At what rpm? Not where you are driving down the road. My 728lbft at the tire out of my 1/2ton is well above the threshold of where it’s going down the road at, 3790rpm, at 3790rpm it’s clearing 550hp and climbing at 27-28psi boost, making it as inefficient as possible, deeming it useless and irrelevant. Vs the 2 engines you mentioned they are making that advertised number at the same rpm they are going down the road at. Apples to oranges. Usable tq curves on most diesel pickups are damn near all of it, a gas engine would need to achieve far more rpm to get anywhere near the same tq, thus making it far less efficient doing the same job. Also the weight of the truck, a 5k enclosed trailer will buck around a 1/2ton far more then a 3/4.

 

[Justinjs]

At what rpm? Not where you are driving down the road. My 728lbft at the tire out of my 1/2ton is well above the threshold of where it’s going down the road at, 3790rpm, at 3790rpm it’s clearing 550hp and climbing at 27-28psi boost, making it as inefficient as possible, deeming it useless and irrelevant. Vs the 2 engines you mentioned they are making that advertised number at the same rpm they are going down the road at. Apples to oranges. Usable tq curves on most diesel pickups are damn near all of it, a gas engine would need to achieve far more rpm to get anywhere near the same tq, thus making it far less efficient doing the same job. Also the weight of the truck, a 5k enclosed trailer will buck around a 1/2ton far more then a 3/4.

You aren't making 728 torque just driving empty @ any rpm down the road, you're talking about full throttle.

Consider a 3.5 Ecoboost, 500@ 2500, it's about as diesel as it gets for gas, sans hybrid.

The implication that a 1/2 ton can't handle a 5k trailer on any highway and a diesel 3/4 ton is needed is really just 1980s talk.

 

[Choupique]

Is there even a 1/2 ton that would be over gvwr with a #5000 trailer? The most basic 1/2 ton is north of 5k capacity, J2807 tested.

Heck, new 1/2 tons have more torque than the Cummins 12 valve or 7.3 PS. I fail to see the benefits of 3/4 diesel for a 5k trailer.

If you remove "value" from the equation, there's no tow weight where a diesel 1 ton isn't the best option for dragging weight down the highway. You get an integrated exhaust brake with the diesel and that is a great safety feature in the mountains even unloaded on steep grades.

Some of those half ton truck tow ratings are insane. I think you can get them rated over 12k lbs now and while I know it's tested against a standard these days, that's optimistic. Depending on the aerodynamics of the load, even relatively light trailers in high crosswinds can get spooky if you don't have a heavy enough truck.

Pulling a 6k lb 18' box trailer between Dalhart and Raton for example. Done it a few times. It gets windy enough to have to slow down with a 3/4 ton truck.

So sure, you COULD drag 12k across the country with a half ton in the right conditions. Your butthole is going to chew less foam out of the seat in any towing conditions than it will with a 3/4 or 1 ton.

I personally think most people are far better served getting a gas engine 3/4 ton than a half ton. There's significant overlap in pricing between the two, and you can get a FAR more capable truck for the same price by going down 1 trim level or skipping a few features.

 

[Justinjs]

If you remove "value" from the equation, there's no tow weight where a diesel 1 ton isn't the best option for dragging weight down the highway. You get an integrated exhaust brake with the diesel and that is a great safety feature in the mountains even unloaded on steep grades.

Some of those half ton truck tow ratings are insane. I think you can get them rated over 12k lbs now and while I know it's tested against a standard these days, that's optimistic. Depending on the aerodynamics of the load, even relatively light trailers in high crosswinds can get spooky if you don't have a heavy enough truck.

Pulling a 6k lb 18' box trailer between Dalhart and Raton for example. Done it a few times. It gets windy enough to have to slow down with a 3/4 ton truck.

So sure, you COULD drag 12k across the country with a half ton in the right conditions. Your butthole is going to chew less foam out of the seat in any towing conditions than it will with a 3/4 or 1 ton.

I personally think most people are far better served getting a gas engine 3/4 ton than a half ton. There's significant overlap in pricing between the two, and you can get a FAR more capable truck for the same price by going down 1 trim level or skipping a few features.

Totally agree. The HD line is going to be more planted and pricing is very similar.

I've priced out a comparable 1/2 vs 3/4 gasser and they're within a few hundred, incentives aside.

It's only #5k though, any modern truck can pull that. If that's all the weight op's friend is pulling, it's a hard sell to get a gas 3/4 @ mid teens for mpg vs a low/mid 20s gas 1/2 or upper 20s 1/2 ton diesel. It would take hundreds of thousands of miles to break even on cost gas vs diesel.