MPG loss when towing????

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Jun 28, 2009 | 12:53 PM

#16

alstieg

Senior User

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 285

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I'm convinced gears and tires have lots to do with it. I pulled a skid steer & equipment on a flat bed and makes my truck work somewhat and I get 12-13mpg stock. My buddy with a stock obs 7.3 1 ton pulls it like its not there and barely drops the mileage any. I've got 3.73's with 285 tires, he's got 4.10's with 265's.

Jun 28, 2009 | 03:53 PM

#17

DieselCamper01

Fleet Owner

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 28,296

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From: BLT, MN

Those 4.10 gears will make a huge difference on ease of pulling from what I hear.

Jun 28, 2009 | 05:22 PM

#18

mudmaker

Posting Guru

Joined: Dec 2006

Posts: 2,498

Likes: 3

From: Windsor, Colorado

If you had a gasser you would be under 10 mpg with that same camper. And like the others said the lie o meter only works accurately if there is no chip or tuner installed.

Jun 28, 2009 | 06:14 PM

#19

indyF-350psd

you can't fix stupid!

Joined: Mar 2008

Posts: 1,906

Likes: 2

i dont know how many others on here switched to a diesel rig from a gasser because of towing like i did but i would used my F150 to tow my flatbed trailer with 3 quads on it and get 200 miles a tank! without the trailer on it that same truck got about 300 miles a tank. now on a 25-26 gallon tank thats crappy mileage. i get way more miles out of a gallon towing with my F350 diesel and the truck acts like its not even back there. you slap an intake exhaust and a tuner on your rig and youll experience what you were probably expecting out of it. a couple months ago i towed my FIL's 11k concession trailer back to indy from florida and my truck just laughed at it. i was rolling at 75 mph and averaged about 11.8-12.3 miles per gallon. there was only one place the truck even downshifted and that was in tennesee somewhere i climbed a mountain i never thought i was going to get to the top of. try some mods. youll love the result.....

Jun 28, 2009 | 06:57 PM

#20

cmpd1781

Post Fiend

Joined: Jan 2006

Posts: 20,589

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From: Charlotte, NC

I'd calculate it manually---don't rely on the computer.

Highway, I average 18 or 19. With a slide-in camper on the bed, and towing a bass boat or a trailer with a Kawasaki mule, 14 to 14.5........I've gotten as much as 21 empty......But mostly 18 or 19.

Jun 30, 2009 | 12:02 PM

#21

afonda

Thread Starter

Laughing Gas

Joined: Apr 2007

Posts: 1,028

Likes: 3

From: Broad Run, Va

Thanks for all the input.

I now understand that my dads digital MPG read out is prolly not accurate.

My truck has 3.73 gears and 285's. All else is stock. I guess getting 13mpg is average from what I am hearing.

I guess I will start looking into some mods. (intake and exhaust first.)

I know ... it sounds like a lot of guess work.

I used to have a Class C motorhome with the modular V10. It weighed about 9000 lbs and the fuel mileage was about 8mpg at best.