Forum Discussion

holstein13's avatar
holstein13
Explorer
Oct 01, 2015

My toad gets 133 MPG while towing

I've always wondered how much additional energy or fuel it takes to tow vs not towing a vehicle behind my coach. Today, I had the opportunity to see what difference in MPG my toad makes. I drove a couple of hours towards South Florida from Georgia and noted that I was getting 7.1 MPG with my Ford F-150 towed behind me. Just past St. Augustine, I unhooked the toad and my wife continued her trip to SoFla and I went on to Lake Wales with the kids without the truck. I noted that I was getting 7.5 MPG.

Both segments were flat highway in generally the same direction. After a few quick calculations, I determined that the toad gets about 133 MPG while being towed.

Now, to those of you who get upset whenever anyone writes any post about fuel economy or cost, please ignore this post. I understand that many of you don't look at your fuel economy, don't know the price of fuel and positively can't stand the idea that anyone else even looks at those things while driving a 45 foot Motorhome. I totally get that, but I'm intellectually curious and I just find the information interesting.
  • JoeH's avatar
    JoeH
    Explorer III
    I used to tow a Tracker ( a bit over 2000 lbs) and saw no difference in mileage. I then had a Ranger ( about 4000 lbs.) same deal, no difference, just got a F-150 which I think is going to be about 5300 lbs once I get the motorcycle lift in, ladder rack and other stuff.... will be interesting to see what difference that makes. Hopefully will put in the base plate tomorrow and the taillight wires. Then probably go with an M & G brake setup.
  • Fiesta wrote:
    1st liar doesn't....
    My toad gets infinite MPG. No gas usage but a lots of miles.
    Your toad doesn't get infinite MPG, I can assure you that. It takes energy to move your toad whether it's powered by it's own engine or your coach. The question is how much additional energy does your coach require to tow your toad?