Went camping this last week and towing from Dallas to the Columbus TX are I averaged 11.2 MPG. Coming home we left just as s cold front was coming though with some pretty high winds hitting up pretty much head on and some good cold rain to accompany it along the way. Temps when we left were 67 degrees soon dropping to the low 50's, on down to 31 by the time we reached home.

Now the truck pulled fine with the given HP/TQ application. I did keep the speeds lower due to two lane roads, the weather and intermittent lose of trailer brakes (another story all in of itself). So speeds averaged around 65 over a 245 mile trip.

I was impressed with the way the dually handled the winds both head on and from an angle. You could feel the truck do some sway with gust or passing tractor trailers along the route, but I was glad I went with the DRW setup. Had I been in a single rear wheel setup I would have stopped for the day.

I was however surprised at the extreme low MPG, but also very happy to have the extra aux fuel tank in the bed. Which even at sucking down fuel at the rate of one gallon every 6.6 miles the gravity feed more than kept up with the usage of fuel.

 

I drove from Orlando, FL to Alexandria, LA yesterday and I thought my mileage was bad at 7.36 mpg for the 816 mile trip. And I have the 4.30 gears and kept the cruise locked on 70 MPH. The wind was tough. I was thinking something was wrong with the truck.

 

I had a similar experience with my 6.4(I know-apples to oranges!). I'd been the same route twice before with the same high profile 5er, but this time I had a constant 20-25 mph wind, with gusts of 30 mph in the nose of the truck. My truck then went from it's normal 9 mpg down to 6.5!

 

Be glad you were not in a gas rig, you may watched your mpg drop to 3 or 4

I had a similar experience coming across North Dakota and Eastern Montana into Billings. Previous trips, I'd never had any problems making it into Billings on a tank of fuel. So I usually didn't worry much about it. But one trip I got a stiff wind and it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn't going to make it into Billings and there is not much east of Billings to pull into. I pulled off into a One Stop Sign little farm town that did have a gas station. As I was waiting for the Boy Scout troop in front of me to get fueled and everybody back into their Suburban, My truck ran out of fuel and died.

The Scouts and their leaders were nice enough to help roll me ( and the 5th wheel) forward to where the hose would reach and I put 37.5 gallons in. I was bone dry and 10-15 minutes East of Billings.

I pay a little more attention now when I'm bucking a headwind.

 

Just make note to self.....WIND IS A MPG KILLER....especially with a high profile rig! Probably the best thing to do, if time permits, is to sit it out, or, if one doesnt want to wait...drop to 55 MPH or less!

 

You hit the nail on the head!!

 

The wind is tough on these trucks. I wish I had a weather report telling me if I will be driving into the wind where I'm hauling day to day.

I have 4.30 gears as well and found (with the same load and/or wind) dropping to 65 or 60 will gain you nearly 1 MPG or somtimes more, depending on what you're towing.

 

I use the weather map on the nav unit heavily, the close up radar map shows wind speed and direction and it's pretty darn accurate. I drive and tow a lot and always check the winds. The weight of my trailer rarely effects mpg by more than 1-2, as y'all see wind can effect 2-6 rather easily.

 

I pulled a 16,000 lbs GN LQ horse trailer from Salt Lake area to West Yellowstone and got 12.0 mpg. A week later pulled a similar sized/shape trailer empty at 6,000 lbs from Boise to Salt Lake City and got 12.5 mpg.

10,000 lbs difference in weight made .5 mpg difference in mileage.

I agree wind has more effect than weight.

 

And on the flip side of the coin:

I was working on my Jeep Wrangler doing some mods. Top was off, windshield removed and front half of roll cage removed.

Its Sat, fone rings and some stuff I had ordered has finally come in, they close at 4 pm, if I leave right now I can make it there. I jump in Jeep and head out stopping for fuel at my local fuel stop. I am driving from Ft Worth to within a mile of the Ok border. As I am driving up I see looming a long line of black clouds, its a fall cold front coming in. I don't notice the wind as with no windshield I got all the wind I can stand. I am driving on I 35 West-North. I arrive as temps are falling faster than getting dropped your HS cheerleader for the Capt of the football team. I grab my packages and head S for home with rain spitting at me and the wind howling at my back.

I look down as I am getting ready to exit for the barn...WTH fuel gauge is still on F???? Can't be, this is a 13 mpg rig on a good day...so I whip in and fill tank, count my gals and miles and I get 26.1 mpg with the wind at my back.

I kept that Jeep almost 6 years and nearly 100k miles, the best it ever saw again was about 14.3 with the wind at my back...

Take away, wind can be your friend or your enemy...

 

I had a 74 buick Apollo 4 dr with the 350. I got the same thing one time heading out to Arizona. Rolling hills outside of Show Low and a tail wind. I seem to recall from Utah to Tucson I used 1/2 tank is all.

 

Last summer we were averaging 9mpg (70mph) when towing out 31 ft camper (weight about 8500#). Without camper in town, we get 13.7 and on the highway without camper we get 15-17 (78 mph).


I thought I was descent, but I see others her in the double digits mpg when towing. Am I doing something wrong or just going too fast?
We are going on a long distance vacation this year (3,800 miles RT), so if there are tricks to save on diesel, I am all ears.

 

I get around 9-11 heavy towing at 65 mph.

 

best is about 62, right? 1600rpm..

if only I could go that slow!..

 

1600 rpms would be the best..but very difficult. I want to retire but not on the trip.