Towing numbers, EGT's and TALL tales.......

[Sarge]

I am out on the road in No. Cal / Nv area. I pulled up highway 395 to Mammoth mountian, and several good grades. This is the first major trip with the EZ installed on the 04. 5. The truck is pulling hard, but I do have to keep an eye on the EGT's. On some of the serious grades, I was in 5th throttle down, pulling at 50-55 MPH. I kept the EGT's at about 1400 degrees with my right foot. I could have pushed them to 1500 and beyond without gauges. The first lesson there about adding power without gauges. DONT.



As for mileage, it was quite respectable with 12K behind me, and the Ram weighing in at #8600 by herself. The first fill caculated out to about 8. 5 MPG, not bad considering that I don't baby the Cummins. HOWEVER, when I pulled into the campground in Mammoth, two ladies were working the check in desk. One complemented me on how cool the Ram was , and the other asked me how I like the Dodge. I told her I loved it and wouldn't own anything else. Here comes the TALL TALE... ... .



She asks me what kind of MPG I get, and I tell her. Then she says... "Yeah, me and the husband just got a new truck, new to us anyway (meaning used) and we looked at the Dodges. But we went with the Duramax becuse of mileage". Really I say, hows that? "We have a dually 1 ton long bed with the diesel. We get over 20 mpg empty, and 17 mpg towing our 32' double slide fifth wheel". :-laf :-laf



Really? I say, with my best poker face on. That's great. In a brief flash I run through my mind all the technical things I can say to her, or just plain start laughing out loud. Then in a millasecond it occurs to me that more than likely, hubby is feeding her a load of manure, likely to keep her off his back for spending so much dough on the truck. I politely thank them, and walk out to the Dodge with the wife. Once outside the wife says "is she nuts?" We get a good chuckle out of the exchange, and go set up. Well, if that is what she or he needs to think to get to sleep at night, then so be it. It's amazing the storys you hear out here on the road... ... ... ...

 

[rbattelle]

It's been my experience that normally people don't bother to actually calculate their fuel mileage. They prefer to just "feel" what they "think" it is... take a wag at it, so to speak. So when you ask them what their fuel mileage, they spit out some number they've been able to justify in their mind as being somewhat "right".



Or, they look at the overhead readout, which can be off several MPG as many around here have discovered.



-Ryan

 

[Sarge]

It never ceases to amaze me how some guys will try to snow you with big numbers. One guy came over to my place to show me a folding bed cover when I was looking to buy one. He pulled up in F350 that was raised about 3 feet over stock height, with 36 mudders on it. He insisted he was getting 26 MPG with a powerstroke. The funny part was the guy was maybe 5 foot tall in shoes. He could barley reach the handle to get in the truck! How do you say "compensating"... ... ... ...

 

[JHardwick]

I got into one of these discussions once at my engine builders. He does sprint, late model and stock car motors for the roundy rounders, does drag motors for the guys who don't like to turn and truck motors for the guys who like to pull.



One thing all of us have in common is we tow the toys with a diesel powered rig.



Anyway, I pulled in one day in my Cummins and there were 2 powerstrokes already there. Well, we all got to shooting the **** and mileage came up ... ... ... ... . I could see my engine builders ears perk, but didn't know why at first. When I said I could hit 20MPG (this was with my '99 2WD dually and auto) on a good day, but mostly averaged around 17MPG. Well, my engine builder busted out laughing and said ... ... ... ..... FINALLY!!!! Somebody who doesn't lie about his diesel mileage ... ... ... ... ... by the looks on the powerstrokers faces, I'd guess they had already thrown around the 25-30MPG story to someone before :-laf



Which 15MPG is good, considering at one time diesel was cheaper than gas and my bro-in-laws '98 Dodge dually with V10 was lucky to hit 10MPG (more like 7-8) towing his Fountain to the lake :-laf

 

[RustyJC]

Which 15MPG is good, considering at one time diesel was cheaper than gas and my bro-in-laws '98 Dodge dually with V10 was lucky to hit 10MPG (more like 7-8) towing his Fountain to the lake :-laf

We pulled our previous 36' 13. 5K GVWR 5th wheel with both a 1996 3500 V-10/47RE/3. 54 dually and our current 2002 3500 HO/NV5600/4. 10 dually. Over the same run towing the same 5th wheel from the northwest side of Houston through Austin and the Texas Hill Country to Fredericksburg, the V-10 got 6. 5 MPG while the Cummins got 10. 5 MPG.



Rusty

 

[NIsaacs]

Or... ... . it only took 1/2 tank of fuel according to my guage, so I must be getting 25+ MPG... ..... This was with a big ol' load too, wood piled cab high!!





"NICK"

 

[rbattelle]

Here's an interesting idea. Generally speaking, the Cummins gets better mileage than the competitors V8 diesels (at least through 2003). If PStroke and DMax guys are going to make up numbers, maybe we should just let them say their mileage first, then add 5 MPG to whatever they say. It would go like this:



Cummins dude: "What kind of mileage do you get?"

PStroke dude: "Oh, I get 28 MPG empty and around 25 MPG towing my 5er"

Cummins dude: "Not bad. I get 33 MPG empty and 30 MPG towing. "



:-laf



-Ryan

 

[Sarge]

We pulled our previous 36' 13. 5K GVWR 5th wheel with both a 1996 3500 V-10/47RE/3. 54 dually and our current 2002 3500 HO/NV5600/4. 10 dually. Over the same run towing the same 5th wheel from the northwest side of Houston through Austin and the Texas Hill Country to Fredericksburg, the V-10 got 6. 5 MPG while the Cummins got 10. 5 MPG.



Rusty

Wow Rusty, some for real towing numbers! I usually deduct about 50% off of what the usual mileage reports are... ..... :-laf

 

[Blu-meanie]

I recently towed a 27 foot TT around Utah, Arizona, and California and averaged 11. 03 MPG for 2900 miles. Included in this was 220 miles without the trailer.

My lowest towing was 9. 48 between Kingman, Arizona and St. George, Utah.

My highest towing was 11. 62 from Sacramento, California to Mahovie, California.

The truck had just over 2200 miles on it when we started the trip, maybe it will get better.

The total weight was around 16,880 lbs (weighed on a previous trip).

I only heard one Ford guy say he got 15 towing but he didn't mention what he towed.

 

[JCleary]

I only heard one Ford guy say he got 15 towing but he didn't mention what he towed.

A $299 trailer from Harbor Freight?

 

[Blu-meanie]

Oh, yea... ... ... . I forgot two important things about the milage



I towed at 60 MPH in California and 70 - 75 MPH in Utah and Arizona. That probably accounts for some of the difference between hi and low milage.

 

[Sarge]

Now see, these are all very respectable numbers for towing these larger trailers, especially at those speeds. Why exagerate the facts so much, to impress who??

 

[Diesel Nut]

I was so stunned with my milage going to May madness I had to calculate twice!! Towing 13k lbs with my mods and 35 inch duals and the cruise set at 65 I averaged 12. 22 mpg. And yes, the speedo/odo is calibrated! Can you believe that? 12+ towing with that heavy of a truck and trailer and not putting around! I love my little inline 6!

 

[Bug Out]

Fuel MPG on first pull

I just recently towed my 5th to Reno from Rio Vista on a shakedown run.



Weighed in in Boomtown @ 23,450# with out my 260lbs inside.



Flat road, I-5 no AC on, got about 10. 5. AC on, lost 1. 5 MPG=9. 0-8. 5MPG



Going thru the mountains (I-80)it dropped to anywhere from 7. 0 to 8. 0 MPG I was pushing it and not dropping the speed below 50MPH in 5th on 6% grades etc.



I consider those miles good, as if it were a gasser it would have been much less in my opinion.



Must be nice to have a D-Max and P-Stroke that get 25+ towing my 38Ft 5th at 23,700# GCVW... ... ... ... ... ... .

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I love my little inline 6!

Me too... I've actually had to settle an argument and go out and show somebody that my truck was not a v8 or v10... Some people just don't get it!



I don't tow near as heavy as most of you guys it seems, but I got about 14. 5 mpg towing my jeep on my trip last weekend, that included about 500 miles or so... some interstate, some mountains and even a little 4 - low to get into and out of the campsite. I was pretty happy w/ that. Especially when you figure how much more comfortable I was and how much better mileage I got getting there than most of the other guys in their lifted trucks/jeeps/cruisers etc.

 

[Elite1]

Sarg, About 4 years ago a buddy invited me to go fishing with him up in the Mammoth Lakes area, He had a 28' travel trailer and was pulling it with an 88' F-350 4 door dually with the 460. At the time I had a 96' 3/4 ton CTD. I offered to pull it with my truck. I said I'm sure it will save us some $ in fuel cost if I pull it. He said, he wasn't even sure if my truck could handle the TT, it was an older heavier model. He said his 460 pulled like a dream up the hills..... We got 5. 5 mpg on the way up!!! & he had to run super to keep from pinging. I just had to grin a bear it... btw: he drives a diesel now, but a Ford.

 

[JHardwick]

We pulled our previous 36' 13. 5K GVWR 5th wheel with both a 1996 3500 V-10/47RE/3. 54 dually and our current 2002 3500 HO/NV5600/4. 10 dually. Over the same run towing the same 5th wheel from the northwest side of Houston through Austin and the Texas Hill Country to Fredericksburg, the V-10 got 6. 5 MPG while the Cummins got 10. 5 MPG.



Rusty

I can believe that, I've never really checked towing mileage. I'm usually hooking this trailer for a 1/2 tank, that trailer for a 1/4 tank etc etc, but I'm sure 10-15 is what I should expect on a straight 2 or 3 tank pull. The next time I take the horses camping far enough for a real comparison to my 17mpg with average driving, I'll see what I come up with.

 

[MMeier]

Pulling 18-20. 5k # from OKC to Vegas, I get anywhere from 8. 8 to 11. 5 MPG. And that is with pen and paper. On the trip east with just the truck sitting around 8500# or so, I usually get 17-18. 5MPG@ 77-80 MPH.