Towing mileage question

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May 1, 2018 | 08:24 PM

rsanford

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Towing mileage question

I have a small 6.5 foot truck camper with a 4 foot cab over section. It is a pretty basic Capri Rodeo model – about 1,200 pounds unloaded. I need to get a tandem utility trailer anyway for my tractor and small 1966 Triumph TR4A instead of borrowing neighbor’s. I did have the truck camper on a Ford F250 which I don’t have anymore. I now have a 2017 Ford F150 2.7 EB. I put my camper on my neighbor’s 16 foot tandem for a trial run. We placed it so that the tongue weight was appropriate and it pulled great. The only downside was it affected the gas mileage more than I hoped. I get around 22 highway normally but this knocked it down to 12 (mostly highway in the low 60's). I am thinking about getting only a 14 foot trailer and hope that the little bit lower weight and the fact that the camper will sit a little closer to the truck (which has a topper) and hopefully be more in the truck’s draft might help out with the mileage. Is this the mileage I can pretty much expect? I was hoping for around 15. Would a weight distribution hitch be recommended (even though I didn't experience any sway) and/or help with the mileage. Great forum and information here. Thanks. Raleigh.

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May 1, 2018 | 11:32 PM

jimmy-six

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Joined: Mar 2004

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From: Fountain Valley

I accept 11. My last 4 Fords all got the same with a 20' box behind them. One was even a diesel but all of the got the same towing 11.

May 2, 2018 | 05:01 AM

JKBrad

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From: San Antonio, TX

That cabover camper sitting on a utility trailer has to catch a lot of air. Maybe build an aero shield for the front of the trailer to push air around the camper.

May 2, 2018 | 07:01 PM

GlueGuy

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Joined: May 2015

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From: Mts. S. of San Francisco

JKBrad is right. The wind resistance is the major factor. Much more than weight. I've pulled our utility trailer with low-height loads, and even though the total was around 3K-4K lbs, it did not make a big dent in the mileage. I attribute this to the fact that the trailer and load were mostly in the slipstream behind the truck.

The truck should not need a WDH unless your tongue weight is greater than or equal to around 500 lbs.

May 3, 2018 | 06:43 PM

rsanford

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Thanks. My total trailer and loaded camper weight will be no more than 3,000 so should not need WDH. I will play around with moving camper closer to back of truck and wedge shaped topper and I could easily fabricate an aero device as well.

May 3, 2018 | 08:17 PM

seventyseven250

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Joined: Jun 2005

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From: Calgary Canada

Slowing down 10 mph will do more than anything else.

May 4, 2018 | 12:03 AM

EB-Larry

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Pulling my 6,000lb Lance trailer 200 miles into 10 mph headwind I got 10.5. Going the other way a couple of days later with a slight tailwind I got 11.5. I ran at about 62 both ways. The truck is a 2018 F-150 3.5 Eco, 4x4, Lariat with 502A and max trailer package.

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May 12, 2018 | 05:54 PM

tuckr2

Mountain Pass

Joined: Apr 2011

Posts: 177

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From: Pacific Northwest

You are experiencing the same thing all of us do. Weight is not nearly as much a factor as the size and shape of the sail. Without my 7k travel trailer and at speeds under 70 My 3.5 will see mpg’s in the low 20’s. Hook up the trailer, doing 65 or less and I’m happy to see 10.5, frequently lower in hilly areas. I’ve heard way to many folks towing less than 4K getting almost identical mileage.
The turbos want to spool up and the wind resistance sucks the power out. Be happy, when your not towing and accept that we still get way better fuel mileage than trucks of years gone by.