I recently purchased my first travel trailer, a Starcraft AR-ONE MAXX 25BHS (dry weight ~5300lbs, GVWR: 7500lbs.) Today I towed it about 200 miles to my parents' place where my wife and I plan to keep it the majority of the time to use as a guest house. This is my first time towing with a WD hitch and electric trailer brakes. After this inaugural tow, I have some observations/questions:

Mileage: Holy smokes, 8 MPG? I was expecting 10+. I'm used to towing my '73 Bronco on a U-Haul trailer (comparable weight) and getting 10.5-11 MPG. Most of the driving was on interstates, running 65-70MPH. There was also a bit of a headwind as I was driving toward the TX coast. I had Tow/Haul mode engaged and had locked-out 6th gear. Probably could have locked 5th out too, because it rarely stayed there very long. I'm sure the 3.55 gears don't help, but I suspect the aerodynamics of the TT and the headwind were the main factors in my low mileage. How fast do you tow your TT? Is this the kind of towing mileage others are seeing with the 5.0?

Tires: I still have the original P275/65R18 Goodyears, and they seemed a bit...wallowy. I'm fairly confident I had the WD hitch setup properly, based on front wheel well measurements. The technician at the RV dealership who installed the hitch had it setup with a bit too much weight on the front axle. After 20 miles I pulled over and added another link to the WD bar chains. That helped the wallowing some. Would stepping-up to a load range C or E tire make a major difference in handling or is it negligible? What about increasing tire pressure on the existing P tires when towing?

Overall the experience wasn't too bad, despite some white-knuckle action when being passed by 18-wheelers. I would like to dial things in a bit better before my next trip, and would appreciate insight from experienced TT folks.

Thanks!

 

I don't have a TT but I do have an enclosed car hauler. The Good Year SRA's that came on my truck were a little soft for towing that kind of weight. When they wore out I upgraded to a stiffer P series tire. I used the Michelin MS2 in the past and this time I went with Good Year Wrangler Adventurer with Kevlar, both are good tires for towing. I also pump up the pressure to 44 when towing on the highway.

 

Aerodynamics are a big problem with travel trailers. 8 miles per gallon is about right if road speed and head winds are taken into account. Other factors are inflation pressures all the way around and gross combined weight.

 

My trailer is pretty small at 20' and weighs in about 5k loaded. I've only taken it out once with my F-150 but i really enjoyed the tow. I tow around 5 mph over the limit (same as i typically drive) so 60-70mph, i locked out 6th and even 5th in some real mountainous areas that had constant up/down grades. I saw about 9 mpg with my 6.2/3.73 combo. My truck felt very stable but i have factory 22" wheels so there is not much sidewall there to get soft on me. I also don't use a WD hitch either. It felt great in the twisty mountain roads, even in the tight switch backs at 40-50mph

 

I pull a 28 ft coachman with my 2011 f-150 Ecoboost with a 3.73 rear end. I usually tow between 60 and 65 mph and mileage is 7.5-9 mpg. So you are about right on your mpg. On a travel trailer on the interstate wind resistance affects your mpg more than weight. You are basically trying to pull a parachute down the highway. On your sway airing your tires up the maximum psi will help. I upgraded my tires to load range e bfg tko and they made a huge difference. Also the more weight that you can get on the front axle the less it will sway. Here is the process that I use hooking my TT up. Latch the coupler on the ball, then jack up the trailer while hooked the truck as far as you can jack it. The hook your bars as tight as you can get them. Then let the jack all the way down. Your truck should now be sitting level.

 

I have a 2011 3.7 SC and a 22' Jay Feather. I towed it from Eastern Ky to Western Ky and back. Towing at 60 to 62 mph, because tires are rated at 65mph max, and averaged between 11.5 and 12.5 mpg. We had some head wind at times along the way. I calculated my mileage by hand, but the Lie-ometer was pretty close. (a little high) I calculated every fill up. My .02

 

You can bump up tires, level trailer and even add a sway control to the frame-hitch of the trailer. Its like an adjustable brake but remember to remove before parking as it can bind and cause problems turning tightly.


Tires, load range definite help. Milage- cant answer but can say a v10 pulling 8k will get 6-8 mpg.


Pulling a parachute is a good one.

 

Couple of thoughts here. First of all your gears aren't hurting your fuel economy, your right foot is. The faster you go the worse your fuel economy is. I've always towed between 60-63 MPH for fuel economy. The slower you go the better your fuel economy would be.

This load isn't like your Bronco because the wind resistance is much greater. You could hollow out the TT and be towing an empty shell down the road and still get that same 8 MPG. Weight matters much more for city stop-and-go driving; on the highway it's nearly all about aerodynamics.

I've never noticed much of a difference with tires. I've had as much as 12,000 lbs of enclosed trailer behind my '13 F150 and have never had a stability problem. In fact, it felt much more stable than the same weight behind my old Excursion with brand-new LR E tires. Not the best comparison, but it is what it is. We had 16,000 lbs behind my truck at the OH meet and everyone that drove it thought it was plenty stable with the factory P-metric tires.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-hd-video.html

Want less white-knuckle action? Slow down. 60 MPH is a good speed for stability and fuel economy.

 

Sounds like I just need to get used to a more leisurely pace when towing. Will play with tire pressures and try to keep it under 65mph the next time I pull the TT.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

This past summer, I pulled a 24' TT from and back to Brea Calif, up the coast of Cali and Oregon and got 10.8 mpg at average of 60 mph. I'm driving a '13 E/B with a 3.31 rear.

 

I've towed a good bit. I usually keep speed at about 55-60. Just much more relaxing and safe. I don't worry about moving it, it's stopping I worry about!

Oh, hammer, man, pulling across caintuck with ye 3.7, eh? Hmmm, that engine is on my list for next truck!

 

Just bought and traveled with a 19' bumper pull camper... Weighs in at around 3400 pounds.... I got the 5.0 with 3.73.... and overall it did very well.. and I had no sway control other then the built in stuff on the truck. I averaged around 10-12 mpg. There are defiantly sweet spots to the RPM and speed range when towing, as should be expected.... Took the trailer huntin and thought the truck did good.

 

Here's a little diddy I didn't mention. I was using the nav feature to keep me on US-101 thru San Fran. Some kind'a way we got off 101 and Betsy (my nav voice) rerouted us back to Lombard St (not the crooked part) via some street that gave us 3 blocks of a 9% ascend - WHILE PULLING A TRAILER! Then at the crest, we got a 9% descend for 2 blocks. OOOOOOOO, that was scary! We reached the bottom and found a level spot and checked the inside of the trailer and all was well. I must admit, that Desi/Lucy movie "the Long Long Trailer" flashed in my mind! After I regained my composure, we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge crossing.

 

Unfortunately it doesn't matter what motor, what gearing, etc. you have... you just can't beat physics. You're towing a brick down the road - you aren't going to see great fuel mileage.

 

Tvsjr is on the mark about the physics aspect. Mileage will improve if you slow it down a bit.
I've been towing trailers of all sizes for a long time. Your motor and gearing will do the job. I see too many people thinking in terms of how much can I tow, instead of what kind of load can I safely control and stop in an emergency.
One thing you might want to add if your truck didn't come with the max tow package is a trans cooler. It will save the transmission from overheating. Check your tires. Load range D will work. E is overkill and will make the ride more harsh when you're not towing.
While your hooked up, the attitude of your trailer should be slightly hitch down and the truck should sit flat. You might have to play with the amount of drop on the hitch and the number of links you pick up on the torsion bars to achieve this.
Enjoy the trailer.