Added another truck to my fleet

[JR]

First fill up on the new Ford. 18.2 mpg, mixed driving rural roads, some highway, some 4x4 slow speed operation. Dash display was showing 18.6.

Sounds very similar to my 14 when I burn through a tank with nothing on the hook
Pretty good for a NEW engine!

 

[jgillott]

Sounds very similar to my 14 when I burn through a tank with nothing on the hook
Pretty good for a NEW engine!

Yea, I'm fairly pleased so far. Truck has 677 miles on it so far, so I'm sure that it will loosen up a little as time goes on. But even if it doesn't get any better than this, I will be fine with it.

 

[jgillott]

First tow in the books. It handles the camper quite well and seems very comfortable and stable on the road. It took a little bit to get the hitch dialed in where it needed to be, but is good now.

I also set up the Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature with the Jayco. Not something that I would use on a regular basis, but neat to play with.

 

[JR]

What is the weight on your camper J? Still liking the Ecoboost?

 

[jgillott]

Just shy of 5500#. 800# tongue weight.

Yes, really liking this thing so far. 1100 miles on it to date.

 

[crispyboy]

Sounds like you may be keeping this one longer than expected. I hear quite a number of folks speak highly of these trucks. Some of these new half tons make me wander if I really need a such heavy duty truck.

 

[barkerdl]

If it starts to feel a bit weak, you can always let it nurse on one of the old Rams...

Dennis

 

[jgillott]

Sounds like you may be keeping this one longer than expected. I hear quite a number of folks speak highly of these trucks. Some of these new half tons make me wander if I really need a such heavy duty truck.

Head and shoulders above what our perception of a 1/2 ton once was. With the exception of pulling my equipment trailer and loader, which I still think would be too much for this truck, and plowing snow, it pretty much can do everything I ask of it.

I'm still planning on staying on the 2-3 year replacement schedule on this one. It is very complex and I just don't know what time, road salt, and heavy use is going to do to it long term and how you would even begin to troubleshoot some of these systems if issues did arise.

 

[Regcabguy]

The Ford's have cavernous cabs and the Ecoboost is a rocket ship.
I'd seriously consider one if I chuck the diesel.

 

[jgillott]

Just filled up on the way home from church. Ready for this one.....18.38 mpg hand calculated. Dash display was showing 19.0.

Anyway, that tank consisted of 447 mixed driving miles, 70 of which were pulling the travel trailer and there was approximately an hour of idle time while I was setting up the Pro Trailer Backup Assist. I'm not going to complain about this at all.

 

[Wayne M.]

I'm still planning on staying on the 2-3 year replacement schedule on this one. It is very complex and I just don't know what time, road salt, and heavy use is going to do to it long term and how you would even begin to troubleshoot some of these systems if issues did arise.

Unfortunately I believe this will be the norm from now on. Regardless of what truck you get.

Troubleshooting is easy if you have a sub to fords parts n service site, and the ford IDS diagnostic system. The question is, how often will you need it?

 

[jgillott]

Unfortunately I believe this will be the norm from now on. Regardless of what truck you get.

Troubleshooting is easy if you have a sub to fords parts n service site, and the ford IDS diagnostic system. The question is, how often will you need it?

I think the answer is that the cost of the subscription to the Ford systems would't be cost effective for an independent or an individual.

 

[Wayne M.]

I think the answer is that the cost of the subscription to the Ford systems would't be cost effective for an independent or an individual.

Exactly. It's been taken out of the individual's hands.

 

[jgillott]

I took this picture when I came home from work today. I'm thinking that I may just have a few too many since it's getting to the point that I can't fit them in the driveway anymore.....lol

Anyway , for those of you worried about me moving away from Dodge on this new one.....I think I have a few spare.

 

[jgillott]

I promise that I am going to stop doing this soon. But I want to share one more MPG post. This one is with no towing, no 4x4 operation, just mixed driving to and from work. I did run "Eco Mode" for most of this tank. Auto start/stop left on. Approx 10 min per day of idle time using the remote start to run the AC.

505.3 miles and 23.717 gal of fuel consumed. That works out to be 21.3 mpg. Dash display had it at 22.0.

 

[Wayne M.]

Yup and this is why it's hard to pull for a 1/2 ton diesel. But real trucks don't have auto start. That's just plain rediculous.
You wouldn't believe my Hemi Durango normally pulls down 23-25 mpg with 4 and luggage doing 75 with the cruise and AC on, right?

 

[jgillott]

Yup and this is why it's hard to pull for a 1/2 ton diesel. But real trucks don't have auto start. That's just plain rediculous.
You wouldn't believe my Hemi Durango normally pulls down 23-25 mpg with 4 and luggage doing 75 with the cruise and AC on, right?

Agreed completely. It's hard to justify that much increased cost for a diesel when this performance/mpg is able to be had by a little gas V6. It is capable of far out powering the capability of the chassis.

I also agree with you on the auto start/stop. Unnecessary and annoying. I intentionally left it on with this last tank of fuel to see if it made a difference. To be honest with you, after a while you forget about it. But, I normally bypass it every time I start the truck. If I were keeping this truck long term, I would worry about the wear on the starting and charging systems over time. Since this thing will be gone while still under warranty, I really don't care.

Does your Durango have the cylinder deactivation?

 

[Wayne M.]

Does your Durango have the cylinder deactivation?

Yes it does. The eco button shuts it off, which I do around town. You can hear the modes through the RT exhaust, and I don't like the fuss of it switching. But on the hiway it's great.

 

[Dl5treez]

Have the Eco-Boom issues been resolved finally? The local Ford dealer who services our work trucks has lots full of them in for engine repairs. I was advised by techs and service writers to avoid them. No?

 

[jgillott]

Have the Eco-Boom issues been resolved finally? The local Ford dealer who services our work trucks has lots full of them in for engine repairs. I was advised by techs and service writers to avoid them. No?

Redesigned for the 2017 model year from what I understand. Referred to now as the Gen 2 Ecoboost. Not sure exactly what was part of the redesign.

As I've stated many times, this is a short term vehicle. It will be under warranty as long as I will have it and then it will be gone. If it does go boom...I hope it is a big bang with fireworks and sparklers. I'll roast marshmallows and have a drink while I wait for the wrecker to come for it.

I just hope that it doesn't blow tomorrow. I have my trailer hooked to it and I'll be using it to tow about 200 miles first thing in the morning.