Class A to a Fifth wheel......What to expect on MPG???

[Kevin806]

Hi all. I am about to venture into very unfamiliar territory. We currently have a 38' gas class a motorhome that is about to belong to some proud new owners. Me and the wife have decided that we are going to go with a fifth wheel for our next rv. I will be purchasing a new truck as well and that is where my questions begin. Our class A only got about 5.5 mpg which is some of the reason that we decided to get rid of it. It is just to big and heavy for a gas engine. I am going to be purchasing a diesel pickup and was looking for some info from owners. I will be looking at 2008 to 2012's. The only requirement is it must be a 4x4 and not a dually. I am open to any of the big 3 and was really hoping to find out what kind of mileage you guys were getting. Not really sure on the type of fiver that we will get but it will on the larger side. Any and all info is welcome and appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Kevin

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Kevin806 wrote:
Hi all. I am about to venture into very unfamiliar territory. We currently have a 38' gas class a motorhome that is about to belong to some proud new owners. Me and the wife have decided that we are going to go with a fifth wheel for our next rv. I will be purchasing a new truck as well and that is where my questions begin. Our class A only got about 5.5 mpg which is some of the reason that we decided to get rid of it. It is just to big and heavy for a gas engine. I am going to be purchasing a diesel pickup and was looking for some info from owners. I will be looking at 2008 to 2012's. The only requirement is it must be a 4x4 and not a dually. I am open to any of the big 3 and was really hoping to find out what kind of mileage you guys were getting. Not really sure on the type of fiver that we will get but it will on the larger side. Any and all info is welcome and appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Kevin

'05 Dodge CTD 1T, QC, SRW 2x2. About 11-12 towing.
(No thanks on post '06 and DEF. PITA.)

Main issue for you =
Decide how you will handle 4x4 bed height -vs- 5th wheel pin.

BTW - go to any of the "Big 3" Diesel Forums.
*Brand Specific* info (lots!) - several forums for each.
Much better source than "generic" tow vehicle forums (as here).

No whizzing matches between brand "loyalists"..:W

Research *your* choice of whatever brand - engine & trans combos, etc.
Most have an RV or towing section.

Pay special attention to whatever "problems" owners are having, how solved. How much down time, visits to dealer, etc. "Help!" sections are great for this.

Good luck.


~

[C_Schomer]

I was getting 14.0 pulling a 31' 9600gvw med profile 5er and we just bought a 32' 15k gvw hi pro 5er and mpg went down to 11.5... GGRRR! It could be worse, tho. 18 - 20 empty depending on city or hiway. Just got 18.27 @ 75 mph (we didn't have any time to waste) on a long road trip empty. Why don't you want a dually? You'd change your mind if you towed on a windy mtn road with one. Mine is just as stable with the 15k 5er as it was with the 9600 5er. My srw felt like a boat even at max tire psi. I've had 2 srws and 2 duallies and I won't go back. Craig

[john_bet]

We get 3-5 better than a friend of ours with a 36' 8.1L powered motorhome.

[Blackcell]

Current truck & fiver in sig. I don't pay much attention to mpg but I get 11-13 towing depending on terrain and avg 15-16 unloaded in city and 16-18 highway. Best I got towing was 14 but that was on flat highway for 150+ miles with the wind helping. When towing I don't go over 65mph.

I make a habit of checking my DEF tank before departing and usually top it off and carry a few gallons with me. No issues with DEF. Truck is all stock except for tires as I prefer not to void my warranty. The Ford 6.7L has plenty of power & torque...like night and day compared to my previous 6.0L. I'm amazed how well it pulls up a long 6-8% grade in 100* temps.

Next year plan to put in a 50gal Transfer Flow tank to give me a total of 88 gal. and not have to worry about making it to the next fuel stop.

[joebedford]

9 towing.

[JohnBoyToo]

True Blackbeard...

'they' rarely do 🙂

please read it in context ....

and Incampingfamily - love the new truck --- but I should had a 12 250 fx4 that looked just like it !

[brokeboater]

JohnBoyToo wrote:
and NOT 'wasting' fuel to appease the tree huggers...

So being concerned about fuel economy makes one a "tree hugger"? Some folks never stop grinding the axe.

[wmgeorge]

INCampingFamily wrote:
I'll give you my experience....my old truck (which is still in my sig)was a 2003 Ford F350 6.0L diesel KingRanch short bed. Towing my 5'ver (a 2006 Silverback 33LBHTS, 35' long, ~12,500lbs) this summer I averaged about 12.5mpg round trip driving from IN to PA and back. That was driving with the cruise set at 62mph with 3.73 gears and 16" wheels.

Unloaded I would get around 20-21mpg, driving that same speed on the hwy. 14-15 avg in mixed driving.


I have just recently purchased a new truck. Now I have a 2013 F350 CC LWB 6.7L diesel, 3.55 gearing 20" wheels. I just towed with it this weekend....same trailer. Granted the truck only has 1100 miles on it....so not broken in at all.....I averaged 10.6 towing at 65mph, cruise set.

On the hwy I am currently getting about 18mpg. mixed driving is 12-13mpg. Once again the truck isn't anywhere near broken in yet.

old truck and trailer


new truck

That new Ford truck is beautiful! Been a Chevy truck owner for maybe 25 years plus, this new Ford may make me switch.

[thomasmnile]

Kevin806 wrote:
Ok....so lots of great info and I have learned a lot from you guys. But one last question. What are you guys getting while not pulling your rigs? Anyone running custom tunes or smog delete kits?

'05 Ram 3500 SRW, 5.9 diesel. No modifications or deletes. When we had our 5th wheel (about 12000 lbs. loaded for travel), 9.5-11.5 mpg. With our TT (about 6500 lbs. loaded for travel), about 12.6 mpg. "No Tow" city mileage, about 13 mpg., highway mileage 17-19, depending on how much "down force" I put on the go pedal.

[el_Rojo]

Speed and wind are the biggest factors in fuel mileage. You can't change the wind but you can slow down. I have a 2010 F350 DRW with a 6.4. Engine has lots of power to pull mountain passes. We took a trip to CO this summer and avg 8 mpg, I was driving 70 mph. I understand the new 6.7 has good power also but has a lot better fuel mileage. If you want mileage get a newer truck and drive 62 mph.

[JohnBoyToo]

Here, Here biljo99 !!!

If mpg were important I'd be sitting at home and NOT 'wasting' fuel to appease the tree huggers...

but it's not and hardly a consideration to me pulling a HOUSE 🙂

There are SO many variables in mpg that even the 'gooberment' testing is averaged since even their controlled test gets different mpg under different conditions !

weight, speed, wind direction, frontal area, coefficient of drag, terrain, driving style, engine maintenance, engine age, engine design... even time of day !!!
but other than that 🙂


And on edit.... MOST(all but last two) previous tow vehicles and cars have had tuning and mods... but haven't with the 2012 f-250 like pictured nor 2013 f350 platinum as the 400 hp and 800 lbft have been enough 🙂

To the original poster:
it's all a matter of lifestyle, not cost savings over the S&B home...

some consider the 5er as better in that it's a separate drive train that does not have to go to expensive rv dealers and has 'better' space utilization...

others consider the MH as better in that it's one pkg - it's up to you what you like.... maybe rent one for a weekend to see ?

[biljo99]

It's not particularly important how mpg is to me. It's how good the truck does pulling up and down the mountains. I bought it for power and ease of towing. It does a great job and the mpg is around 9-10. I have 128,000 trouble free miles.
I've towed a few travel trailers that I didn't get over 8 mpg. Lot depends on the wind deflection on the rv you're pulling.

[INCampingFamily]

I'll give you my experience....my old truck (which is still in my sig)was a 2003 Ford F350 6.0L diesel KingRanch short bed. Towing my 5'ver (a 2006 Silverback 33LBHTS, 35' long, ~12,500lbs) this summer I averaged about 12.5mpg round trip driving from IN to PA and back. That was driving with the cruise set at 62mph with 3.73 gears and 16" wheels.

Unloaded I would get around 20-21mpg, driving that same speed on the hwy. 14-15 avg in mixed driving.


I have just recently purchased a new truck. Now I have a 2013 F350 CC LWB 6.7L diesel, 3.55 gearing 20" wheels. I just towed with it this weekend....same trailer. Granted the truck only has 1100 miles on it....so not broken in at all.....I averaged 10.6 towing at 65mph, cruise set.

On the hwy I am currently getting about 18mpg. mixed driving is 12-13mpg. Once again the truck isn't anywhere near broken in yet.

old truck and trailer


new truck

[jus2shy]

Well, I just personally purchased a 2013 Ram 3500. I live in the Pacific North West, so plenty of hills and mountains and some flat areas. I plan to purchase my RV in about 2 years, just laying the groundwork with this truck. My last tank pulled 18.96 mpg for mostly freeway between Tacoma and Portland on I-5 round trip. I only had 1200 miles on the Odo at the time, so the engine is still working itself in. First tank was 17mpg and the second tank was only 15.6mpg, but the upholstery shop idled it for 5 or 6 hours (saw it on the hour meter) so I know that played into the sorry mileage there. I'm expecting to see 18mpg or better as a daily average for work commute and possibly low 20's for the longer distance road trips.