Just checked my fuel mileage

[lancekeys]

Well, I just filled up my tank after picking up the trailer and one camping trip. I drove a total of 122 miles and got 6.5 miles per gallon. When I pulled the trailer home, I was really impressed with how well my truck pulled it and how I had all the power I needed. Well no wonder I was making a lot of power!

Looks like I am going to have to get out of the left lane and slow down a bit. I was really testing the truck to see what it would do, and how well it would pull, so I was driving quite hard. Truck kept up with traffic at 70-75mph no problem. I hope by slowing down I can get my numbers up to 9 or 10 mpg. Either way, I can't think of a cheaper solution other than not going. I could upgrade to a diesel or a newer truck, but my truck is paid for and I trust it. It would take a long time to re-coup the cost of a newer truck, just to save a little fuel.

Edit: Thought my signature would appear, but it did not. I am towing a 28' Forest River Wildcat fifth wheel with a 1999 dodge 2500 with the 360 V-8 and a 5 speed transmission (not sure about differential gearing).

[NC_Hauler]

Grit dog wrote:

midnightsadie wrote:
not throwing a stone but nobody should be towing at 70 plus mph , your puting every one in danger . and yes you,ll get much better mpg at 65 even better at 60.slow down cheat a oil guru out of some money.

Really?
Wieght police and now speed police!
To the OP, it will suck gas, period.
Had several Gen 2 Rams with the 360 V8. Good bullet proof motor, but they will work just as hard as any gasser. You won't see an appreciable mpg gain with any gas powered rig.

WELL>>>>in reality, there really ARE "speed police", ie, State Troopers, City Police, County Police, where as , "Weight Police", would be less intimidating and probably far less aggressive than "speed police"..just a hunch on my part.

I would say towing OVER 70 mph is probably less safe than towing under 70 mph..again, just a "hunch" on my part....I would think towing at 90, as one said they did, would make even you grimace, wouldn't it? Don't think I want to be around someone towing a 5er @ 90 mph and a tire blows on the 5er or the truck, but guess that's just "Me".....

[Grit_dog]

midnightsadie wrote:
not throwing a stone but nobody should be towing at 70 plus mph , your puting every one in danger . and yes you,ll get much better mpg at 65 even better at 60.slow down cheat a oil guru out of some money.

Really?
Wieght police and now speed police!
To the OP, it will suck gas, period.
Had several Gen 2 Rams with the 360 V8. Good bullet proof motor, but they will work just as hard as any gasser. You won't see an appreciable mpg gain with any gas powered rig.

[dodge_guy]

Had a 97 Dodge conv. van with the 5.9 (360) with 3.90 gears. that thing would pull hard all day long and ask for more! I got 7.2 mpg on a 3500 mile round trip out to Glacier NP and I was towing at 70+ mph most of the way! great engine too bad they stopped building them. and BTW you have the 46RE trans which is a 4 speed.

[Slownsy]

Com on now it is only tyers made in China that disintegrate nothing to do with speed, load or tyer pressures. On resent trip Florida to Texas and back I gave op counting al the flats beside the road.




,

[64thunderbolt]

That 360 will never get good mpg. Sorry but that's a fact. They like fuel empty. BTW you never mentioned what it gets without the trailer.

[Pauljdav]

Slowing a bit will help the MPG.
I am a huge fan of paid off is great. My truck is a 1 ton chevy dually 454 and I love it. Paid off and 8 MPG towing at 60.
Sure I could get a bit better MPG with a newer truck but at what cost?
Even if all I got was 6.5 towing it still would not pay to get a newer truck unless I was towing every day.

Paul

[sayoung]

lancekeys wrote:
Well, I just filled up my tank after picking up the trailer and one camping trip. I drove a total of 122 miles and got 6.5 miles per gallon. When I pulled the trailer home, I was really impressed with how well my truck pulled it and how I had all the power I needed. Well no wonder I was making a
.

Where did you go?I'mjust south of you and heading over to Lake opines friday

[45Ricochet]

NC Hauler wrote:

4x4ord wrote:

Goose2448 wrote:
I have found myself towing 20K trailers at 90+. Easy to do with no cruise. Yes I use that when towing on the straight and flat. My truck gets better milage at 79 vs 65. You have to find the sweet spot for your truck. Mine is right at 1900 rpms. That means when towing, I drop to 5th at 66 mph and its just about perfect. I also try to stay with the flow of traffic, say 5 under. Speed limit is 70 all around here so it works out.

Quick story, I used to work for a company that had a 05 3500 DRW 6.0 gas and a 06 3500 DRW 4x4 LBZ. They towed the same trailers with the same weight on them. The gasser saw between 3-5 mpgs loaded while the LBZ saw 12ish. It also didnt struggle to get going or feel like there was too much weight behind it. We scalled 35K Daily. Plus a Diesel is more fun to play with, so you may spend a little more out of pocket, but the smile it will put on your face is priceless.

I can believe someone getting up to 90 mph while towing if they're not paying attention but I would need to see it before I am going to believe that any truck will get better mileage at 79 mph than 65 mph .

Agree, I find it hard to believe someone would get better mpg running at almost 80 mph versus 65....can't buy into that one, makes no sense.

I'll just add that I had that engine and towed a very light fiver and it wouldn't pull no where near those speeds :R Unless going down a 6% grade. I couldn't pull down more than 9 MPG anywhere driving slowly.
I even have a photo to prove it for those who doubt me :W

[NC_Hauler]

4x4ord wrote:

Goose2448 wrote:
I have found myself towing 20K trailers at 90+. Easy to do with no cruise. Yes I use that when towing on the straight and flat. My truck gets better milage at 79 vs 65. You have to find the sweet spot for your truck. Mine is right at 1900 rpms. That means when towing, I drop to 5th at 66 mph and its just about perfect. I also try to stay with the flow of traffic, say 5 under. Speed limit is 70 all around here so it works out.

Quick story, I used to work for a company that had a 05 3500 DRW 6.0 gas and a 06 3500 DRW 4x4 LBZ. They towed the same trailers with the same weight on them. The gasser saw between 3-5 mpgs loaded while the LBZ saw 12ish. It also didnt struggle to get going or feel like there was too much weight behind it. We scalled 35K Daily. Plus a Diesel is more fun to play with, so you may spend a little more out of pocket, but the smile it will put on your face is priceless.

I can believe someone getting up to 90 mph while towing if they're not paying attention but I would need to see it before I am going to believe that any truck will get better mileage at 79 mph than 65 mph .

Agree, I find it hard to believe someone would get better mpg running at almost 80 mph versus 65....can't buy into that one, makes no sense.

[4x4ord]

Goose2448 wrote:
I have found myself towing 20K trailers at 90+. Easy to do with no cruise. Yes I use that when towing on the straight and flat. My truck gets better milage at 79 vs 65. You have to find the sweet spot for your truck. Mine is right at 1900 rpms. That means when towing, I drop to 5th at 66 mph and its just about perfect. I also try to stay with the flow of traffic, say 5 under. Speed limit is 70 all around here so it works out.

Quick story, I used to work for a company that had a 05 3500 DRW 6.0 gas and a 06 3500 DRW 4x4 LBZ. They towed the same trailers with the same weight on them. The gasser saw between 3-5 mpgs loaded while the LBZ saw 12ish. It also didnt struggle to get going or feel like there was too much weight behind it. We scalled 35K Daily. Plus a Diesel is more fun to play with, so you may spend a little more out of pocket, but the smile it will put on your face is priceless.

I can believe someone getting up to 90 mph while towing if they're not paying attention but I would need to see it before I am going to believe that any truck will get better mileage at 79 mph than 65 mph .

[NC_Hauler]

Goose2448 wrote:
I have found myself towing 20K trailers at 90+. Easy to do with no cruise. Yes I use that when towing on the straight and flat. My truck gets better milage at 79 vs 65. You have to find the sweet spot for your truck. Mine is right at 1900 rpms. That means when towing, I drop to 5th at 66 mph and its just about perfect. I also try to stay with the flow of traffic, say 5 under. Speed limit is 70 all around here so it works out.

Quick story, I used to work for a company that had a 05 3500 DRW 6.0 gas and a 06 3500 DRW 4x4 LBZ. They towed the same trailers with the same weight on them. The gasser saw between 3-5 mpgs loaded while the LBZ saw 12ish. It also didnt struggle to get going or feel like there was too much weight behind it. We scalled 35K Daily. Plus a Diesel is more fun to play with, so you may spend a little more out of pocket, but the smile it will put on your face is priceless.

So are you condoning towing at 90 plus miles per hr and telling us that with 05 Ford and 06 Chevy dually's, loading them to 35,000 # is ok, because you've done it?

You talk about running 90 and loading to 35,000#, then you talk about running 66 mph, trying to stay with the flow of traffic, staying 5 under, speed limit 70, but you also state you try to run with traffic:h From what I've observed, if posted speed limit is 70, most will run 70-75 mph, maybe higher for normal "flow of traffic.

[NC_Hauler]

lancekeys wrote:
What an interesting run of replies! The speed limit was 75 on I-30 where I was running. The trucks however stay around 65, so I will hang with them next time. My long term plan is to drop a 12 or 24 valve cummins in when the 360 bites the dust. Hopefully this will be a long time from now.

Having had a tire blow on I 40 heading into Asheville from TN, I was only running 60 mph in a 60 speed zone and it took a little control to slow and get to the side of the road and it DID do some damage to my 5er, and I was towing with a dually....I can't even imagine what it would be like running 70 plus mph and having a tire blow on a 5er, and when it comes to having to slow very quickly or come to a stop if you had to while running 70 plus mph with a heavy 5er hooked to the truck, I would think the faster you're traveling and have a flat, have to slow quickly or make an emergency maneuver to avoid an accident, safety will be decreased the faster one is towing...

[NC_Hauler]

thomasmnile wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

While some folks have voiced an opinion about 70 being too fast, I would tend to disagree with that statement. Towing at 60 or even 65 on most interstates makes YOU A DANGEROUS TARGET.

Especially true on roads with 70 MPH limits posted, folks are often driving 75-80 MPH and may not notice in time a vehicle which is 10 MPH or more below the limit. Those would be the trailers with blown tires I catch up to driving 60 mph after they blew by me at 75 or 80. Unless the speed limit is 75-80 THEY are breaking the law!

Driving anything too far below the speed limit can get you fined since you become a safety hazard to other motorists trying to get around you or even not noticing you are going slower than the rest of the pack. Really? Where's that? Minimum speed on most Interstates I'm aware of is 45 mph. Florida passed a law this year that can get you fined if you're driving less than the speed limit in the left or center lane on an Interstate. That was enacted to move slower traffic to the right lane.

If you are scared to drive at 65-70 then perhaps you should choose a slower and more scenic route. Scared? The tires on my trailer are speed rated to 65 mph. Somebody smarter than me determined that so I think I'll abide by the manufacturer's recommendation. Like Dirty Harry once said, "A man's got to know his limitations". And from what I've seen on the road, there's a lot o' folks that don't. Some of them even pontificate on forums like this espousing hauling the mail with a multi-ton RV/truck combo that they may or may not be capable of handling in an emergency.....

Good post.... one op stated running 90 mph while towing!! I don't know of anywhere in the Continental US that the speed limit is 90, I don't want to be in or around that truck if a tire on the 5er blows, At that speed don't even know about making a sudden stop or emergency maneuver.

I was running around 62 mph on I 40, (speed limit 70) in TN several years back and was literally blown off the road by a Dually towing a 5er as big as mine (39'9"-16,950 GVW), and he left everyone, I'll figure he was running 75 mph or so...about 8 miles down the road, he setting on the side of the road with a blown tire on his 5er...may or may not happen, but it can cause some damage to the 5er, not counting time you'll set on the side of the road once it happens.

[tinner12002]

I sure don't think I'd want to have a flat towing at 80-90mph. I keep my speed at 65mph when towing...I'm retired and would prefer to arrive alive. There's no place I have to be to drive those speeds, even when not towing!

[thomasmnile]

Gdetrailer wrote:

While some folks have voiced an opinion about 70 being too fast, I would tend to disagree with that statement. Towing at 60 or even 65 on most interstates makes YOU A DANGEROUS TARGET.

Especially true on roads with 70 MPH limits posted, folks are often driving 75-80 MPH and may not notice in time a vehicle which is 10 MPH or more below the limit. Those would be the trailers with blown tires I catch up to driving 60 mph after they blew by me at 75 or 80. Unless the speed limit is 75-80 THEY are breaking the law!

Driving anything too far below the speed limit can get you fined since you become a safety hazard to other motorists trying to get around you or even not noticing you are going slower than the rest of the pack. Really? Where's that? Minimum speed on most Interstates I'm aware of is 45 mph. Florida passed a law this year that can get you fined if you're driving less than the speed limit in the left or center lane on an Interstate. That was enacted to move slower traffic to the right lane.

If you are scared to drive at 65-70 then perhaps you should choose a slower and more scenic route. Scared? The tires on my trailer are speed rated to 65 mph. Somebody smarter than me determined that so I think I'll abide by the manufacturer's recommendation. Like Dirty Harry once said, "A man's got to know his limitations". And from what I've seen on the road, there's a lot o' folks that don't. Some of them even pontificate on forums like this espousing hauling the mail with a multi-ton RV/truck combo that they may or may not be capable of handling in an emergency.....