7MPG towing 5K WTH!!!! Startin to HATE MY TRUCK!!
 

aight guys with gas prices gettin as crazy as they are im thinking im going to be giving up my hobby or past time. My expedition is only getting 7MPG while towing 5K and its pissing me off(5k is trailer, equipment, and passengers) this is a 7x16 enclosed trailer being towed at 60MPH can anyone help

JOhn

Well you could buy a F350 with a PowerStoke!!! Our Expy is more of a mom taxi and our tow rig is a F350 PowerStroke,diesel is $2.45 a gl and when towing our boat or cars or what ever I get about 13mpg. but a F350 0r F250 diesel is going to run $30K or better new.

when i go to buy a diesel it wont be a powerstroke !! ive yet to read of one great gas mileage report from any powerstroke owner, Now the duramax diesel thats the kinda fuel mileage im talking about !! :-X22

herecy, go to the chevy page! You don't need much motor to drive 5k of trailer. Might I suggest an explorer? One of it's motor choices should be able to tug that trailer. perhaps even a ranger with a bigger v6.

I have a buddy in my HotBoat club that has a Duramax 4x4 and towing his 28 footer he said he gets 10mph.. I have a 97 F350 and have pulled all kinds of things and 13 was the worst I have seen. If you want a hard working,mule that will pull anything and still have good Mpg I would Suggest a Frieghtliner M2 or FL70 with a truck bed on it.

I am a Ford Man!!! I own three and very happy with them. The only Chevy I own is a 1948 ratrod which is for sale so I can buy a Ford ratrod...and a 454 in my boat .

I guess the point is if you have to worry about MPG and towing you are really going to have to do alot of homework!!! and a big pocket book!!!

i figured my 5.4 would be able to do it and still carry decent fuel mileage(hell i would trade almost anything to get just 10MPG while towing) I dont care for small trucks at all. I had an s-10 and a ranger, and blazer i just never cared for thier size.

i would be happy just to get 10MPG that would make my day !! How much does that 28 footer weigh? i mean come on lets be real here all im talking about pulling is 5K thats not much for any full size truck. Every report and post i have ever seen about a powerstroke claims 18MPG at best and everyone i have seen for a duramax is is 18 on a bad day unloaded. 21MPG seems to be the average for duramax diesels.

I have no complaints about my expedtion as a truck in whole i hate the fuel mileage that my full size truck gets towing. its insane. the truck generally gets around 16.5 daily driving mixed city/highway i knew when i bought the truck that it wouldnt be GREAT on gas but i didnt expect 5K to GUT the fuel mileage all to hell.

The 5.4 is a pretty pathetic motor for a full size truck IMO my expy struggles to pull the 5k uphill it loses speed like its going out of style. The truck has been reguraly maintained and well taken care of, but nothing seems to be helping.

jhforman---my 99 expedition gets 13 mpg unloaded. It's my wifes so I don't tow with it unless I have to. My 97 f250 7.3 powerstroke gets 14 mpg towing my 7500 lb horse trailer. But I drive like a granny. I just figure if you want to play you have to pay.

Its not only weight but the frontal area of the trailer. A Car on an open trailer can go 5K lbs and cut through the air better than the 8ft by 7ft flat front trailer, V noses help some, lower height helps more. Look at Semi's with roof dams to defelect air over the top of trailer. Pop up campers that lower down to stay out of the wind. A flat front trailer can be like towing a parachute behind you. As far as an Explorer or smaller truck towing 5K lbs any distance forget it. My 92 Explorer got 16 mpg and I would not tow more than 3k with it. My 2001 Expedition has much more room and can do much more and get 13 mpg.

Speed & frontal area kill economy as much, if not more than, weight. As scholzee said, towing a tall/wide trailer is like dragging a parachute... especially when driving into a headwind!

So, slow down and enjoy the drive. Keep the tires properly inflated and the cheeto-eaters to a minimum. :D

Hmmm. I just used mine to tow a roughly 6,000 lb car and trailer combo. According to the trip computer I averaged 10.4 mpg over an 80 mile trip. About 50/50 city/highway with a few good sized hills. I took it pretty easy and wasn't a speed demon, and I was real nice and easy off the stop lights.

I was pretty concerned about the pinging though. The thing would ping and knock like the rods were about to fly out on even slight inclines. I guess it's super or at least mid-grade for me next time I tow.

Car on a trailer is realitively aerodynamic vs a flat front 7x16 trailer. Those enclosed trailers can really create some wind resistance. Deflectors can help some but the gap between the truck and trailer really lets the air in and creates drag. I am sure you had some windy days and driving into the wind you notice the need to push on the gas a little harder of more often.

I just came back from Disney (I live in CT) and avg. 9.4 MPG. I was pulling a 25ft. travel trailer approx 6500lbs. Speed avg was 65-70 MPH. I thought that was reasonable.

Forgot to say 2003 EB 5.4 towing pkg