Need help /input. We have a F150 5.4 and just bought a 23FB micro lite. Took our firs

[DonnaO]

If so, what kind of mpg do you achieve?

[DonnaO]

Sorry. Messed up the post. We took our first trip and averaged 7 mpg one direction and 10.5 on the return. Does anyone have a diesel pulling 5000 lbs. if so what mpg do you average?

[dave961]

My previous truck & camper was an F250 SD diesel, pulling a toy hauler. Probably 7,000# when fully loaded with the bike, I was getting 8 MPG. The elevation change and wind direction plays a big part in gas mileage when hauling.

[Debrob22]

My F150 with ecoboost averages 8-9 mpg while towing a rockwood windjammer

[cbconway]

We get between 11 and 12 mpg at mostly hwy speeds (60-65 mph). Rig grosses just under 5k.

[MagnoliaTom]

We get around 10.5-12 mpg pulling our 8500 lb camper with our diesel excursion. We get a little better mileage when we use our diesel f250. It has the same engine and tranny but gets better mpg. Probably because the truck is a little lighter than the excursion

[bikendan]

nearly everyone pulling a TT, with a gas engined tow vehicle, gets the same mpg range, 8-11mpg.
no matter length or weight of TT.

depending on conditions, you could get slightly higher or lower.

[jawga]

couldnt it be because oth the front of the TT and nothing to do with weight or length. pulling a TT is like opening up a parachute behind u. the reason why 5th wheels get better mpg is because the air naturally flows over the top of the truck and over the 5th wheel. the difference in width and height of the trailer being pulled vs the frontal area of the tow vehicle will be the biggest factor in towing with all other things ie grade, wind, etc etc being the same

[mlong]

My '12 Silverado 1500 pulling my TT @ 7500 lbs gets anywhere from 6-12 mpg.

[Herk7769]

Lots of threads on the board about MPG. All I can say is "Caveat Lector" (reader beware). MPG it right up there with sex and money as regards to the most fibbed about topics.

Having said that, identical tow vehicles can have radically different MPG results. MPG is dependent on:

1) Actual load on the tow vehicle - heavier - less mileage
2) wind speed - headwind; less mileage - Tailwind; more
3) frontal area of camper - more - less MPG due to higher drag coefficient
4) towing speed - faster; less MPG due to higher drag (even a 1 MPH difference can have a significant impact on MPG since drag effect is exponential)
5) throttle technique
6) Tire size and tread design
7) side area of camper - longer and taller - more wind pressure that slows the combination and the greater effect of crosswinds. (Max Q in space talk)

There are more, but these are the "biggies".

The upshot is SLOW DOWN and steady throttle. the difference between 55 MPH and 65 MPH can be as much as 2 or 3 MPG. The difference between 55 MPH and 75 MPH can be 5 or 6 off optimum.

When you are talking about 12 or 13 MPG towing best case, cutting that in half is a big shot in the wallet.

[oxcamper]

our F250 SuperDuty only has the 5.0 L -- what a DOG! Can't pull up hill unless the engine is reving at 4K + and the semi's are passing me. 9 mpg and I still have to open the driver's door and push with my foot!

First and last Ford truck I'll ever own.

[Indymule]

We have an F150 5.0 pulling a microlite 23lb. Averages 10mpg towing.

[Lynkage]

I average 10 mpg pulling just about any trailer at any weight on relatively average roads.

I drop to about 8 mpg towing the full rig (5er and atv trailer) when going westbound I-70 from Denver but when coming back down I get 30+ (it's all down hill!!). The full rig also weighs 27,500lbs but when towing my enclosed trailer over the same road I still average 10 mpg no matter what it weighs.

I do however have great power and do not have to get out and push!! LOL

[youroo]

When we returned from (6000+) mile trip this is what it said? Youroo!!

[another_newfie]

Originally Posted by bikendan

nearly everyone pulling a TT, with a gas engined tow vehicle, gets the same mpg range, 8-11mpg.
no matter length or weight of TT.

depending on conditions, you could get slightly higher or lower.

This.

On my 08 f-150XLT hauling a TT I averaged 10MPG.

In my 12 F-150HD XLT hauling a 5'r I average about 9.5MPG.

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by oxcamper

First and last Ford truck I'll ever own.

Don't blame ford on it`s lack of power. Did you know what engine it had before you bought it??? How does it do unloaded?? most people will live without towing power if it is their daily driver..

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by oxcamper

our F250 SuperDuty only has the 5.0 L -- what a DOG! Can't pull up hill unless the engine is reving at 4K + and the semi's are passing me. 9 mpg and I still have to open the driver's door and push with my foot!

First and last Ford truck I'll ever own.

No offense, but you should have done your homework before buying that truck/engine combo. And I think you mean you have the 5.4L. IMHO, a small naturally aspirated V8 engine in a heavy duty truck is ONLY good if you need the payload. For example, you will use it as a work or utility truck with a heavy bed and will NOT pull anything. At least nothing more than a few thousand pounds. You'll find that just about ANY of the NA V8 engines will have to really rev to pull a camper up inclines. Some of the newer bigger displacement (i.e. 6.2L) V8 engines will do much better, but still put out peak torque in the 4K rpm range. Get rid of it and get yourself an Ecoboost and you'll be crowing about how great it does. You don't have a "Ford" problem, you have an "I got the wrong engine for what I wanted to do" problem.

Edit: Just keep in mind that the Ecoboost will pull like a small diesel, but it won't get the mileage of a diesel while towing. Many folks are uneducated about the BTU content difference in gas and diesel and start crying about an EB getting the same mileage as a V8 gas instead of the mileage of a diesel.

[bitNine]

I haven't towed much yet, but I did take one 150 mile round trip from Denver, CO to Silverthorne, CO and back. Known as the Ike Gauntlet. I got exactly 10mpg round trip. Trailer was empty, so about 7k pounds. I was not taking a leisurely stroll up the mountain. My entire purpose of the trip was to give the truck engine a good break-in, and see what it was capable of uphill.

[bobby75]

Originally Posted by oxcamper

our F250 SuperDuty only has the 5.0 L -- what a DOG! Can't pull up hill unless the engine is reving at 4K + and the semi's are passing me. 9 mpg and I still have to open the driver's door and push with my foot!

First and last Ford truck I'll ever own.

I researched trucks (Ram, Chevy and Ford) for several weeks before buying a F250 SRW Super Duty CC power stroke diesel. During a 5000 mile trip I averaged slightly better than 13 mpg thru Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Yes, I know it is mostly flat (except KY). 5th wheel was Flagstaff 8528 fully loaded @ 78 to 79 hundred pounds. Plan at least 1 trip out west next several years and want the towing power. ONLY 5.0l are the operative words above

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by bitNine

I haven't towed much yet, but I did take one 150 mile round trip from Denver, CO to Silverthorne, CO and back. Known as the Ike Gauntlet. I got exactly 10mpg round trip. Trailer was empty, so about 7k pounds. I was not taking a leisurely stroll up the mountain. My entire purpose of the trip was to give the truck engine a good break-in, and see what it was capable of uphill.

There are some great videos by TFL who use the Ike for testing every truck for towing ability that comes out the factory...great test strip