A buddy and I are thinking about towing his jeep to Big Bend Nat. Park to hit all the trails. Problem is its about 7 hours from here and I don't know how great the mpg will be towing him with my truck. What do ya'll think 12-14 mpg maybe? I have a 4.6 V8. If its worse than 12mpg we can just use my truck to cruise around.

 

What kind of terrain will you be seeing with that drive?

 

Desert with some hills, mostly flat though.

 

I could see getting 12-14mpg on my 4.6 while towing something like a Jeep...provided that the trailer was alum. or of a similar weight...and I wasn't making the truck "work" (gear shifting, high revvs, etc...)

 

I just recently towed a S-10 Blazer sport, 2 door about 300 miles. I towed on a car hauler trailer. I could not dolly it because it had issues. I went through some tough pulls for about 30 miles. By tough I mean steep grades. The rest of the trip was pretty normal for western states. Hills, down grades, some long flats.

I was surprised to see I still got 13.3 average. I drove about 63 average mph. I suppose, had I drove 75 average, my mpg would have went down. But pulling that much weight, I just don't think the F-150 should do any faster speed. It was a good trip. I had to put the Blazer to the very extreme front of the trailer to prevent sway.

 

I am planning on using a dolly.... but like i said I just need to decide if it is even worth taking a jeep.

 

In this case... I'd go for it...

 

I don't know how much a jeep weights, but I'd say around 4,500 or so.
My dad's 04 5.4 w/3.73 gears gets about 11 mpg when he pulls his 6,000lb camper.

So he's got the bigger engine with the better gears and gets 11, so since you'd be pulling somthing about 1,500-2K lbs less, I'd think you'd get about the same or maybe one mpg better.

 

your estimate of 12-14 does not sound unreasonable. if it's just a dolly and a not too heavily modified jeep, i could see you getting close to 14 if there are not too many hills to contend with and you do a reasonable speed such as 60 +/- 5 mph on cruise control. should you encounter hills or some stop and go traffic i think you'll be closer to 12.

 

I get around 11 MPG pulling my 4,500 travel trailer at 60 MPH. When towing, a larger engine usually gives you better towing mileage than a smaller one.

 

I got 8 last weekend pulling a 7,000 lb trailer 75mph into a 40mph headwind, with some of it on a slight incline. It was working, but wind was causing problems too. Usually when pulling my other cars I get around 10-11. I have the 5.4L 3V engine and 3.55 gears.

 

I get about 11 mpg when I tow my 1996 Mustang Cobra (3000lbs) on a flat 18' ft steel open trailer (1900lbs) plus two friends and a bed full of tires, tools, and spare parts.
This is with an 05 SCrew FX4 (5.4L 4x4 3.73) and VA/NC semi-hilly terrain. I typically cruise about 5-7 mph over.

 

I get 13 miles/gallon Canadian... based on 5300km.... It translate to 10.8 Miles/gallon US based on a 3663 mile trip from/to Winnipeg/Montreal and around Montreal.

We tow a 5100# dry (about 5800 loaded) 5th wheel which is almost 12 feet high.

Hope this helps...

Benoit

 

I wish I would get 14 empty, let alone pulling a trailer!

I live in Central PA, where hills and curves never seem to end!