Gears, Speed & MPG

[W5CI]

I don't think the OP stated what engine he has in his Lincoln, if so I missed it. but it is hard for me to believe that it has 4.10 gears. Just my thoughts. Normally only 3/4 and 1 ton diesels have 4.10's. and not many of those. My RAM 3500 Diesel DRW has 3.42's and it pulls my 5er fine

[mwdilday]

My 2017 F350 dually has 3.55 gears and it tows great.

[Cumminz]

Do you ever tow anywhere except along the beach on flat ground?

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by mwdilday

I expect the brakes on a semi are quite better than the brakes on a travel trailer. I would say that a semi could stop quicker than most travel trailers and a 5th wheel would be somewhere in the middle. I have driven many miles in semis and travel trailers. A semi can lock up the trailer brakes and most travel trailers cannot.

Whether or not you can lock up the brakes is rather a poor measure of success.
I think it's fairly well accepted by now that a sliding wheel doesn't stop as fast as one that isn't sliding.

carry on

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by Cumminz

Do you ever tow anywhere except along the beach on flat ground?

My 3500 has 342's and it tows great through the mountains.

[Ron045]

Really great info here. Thank you.

To answer some questions, I have the 3.5 Ecoboost twin turbo with a 6 speed transmission and 4.10 gears. It is an option in the Lincoln.

I do travel with tow haul mode. Maybe I incorrectly thought I was jumping between 5th and 6th gear. Could it really have been 4th and 5th? RPM's were over 2200 at 65 and less than 2000 at 60. I will pay closer attention to RPMs next tow.


Will be towing about 400 miles Sunday. Will report what I learn.

Ron

[MacGumbo]

I usually get around 13+ MPG with my 6.0 traveling at 65 MPH but unfortunately it is right at the shift point and when we come to any slight incline, it downshifts.

Traveling late one night with very little traffic from just South of Atlanta I drove at around 75 MPH for about two hours towards Valdosta, GA. It never once downshifted and I got almost 17 MPG.

Thinking it was a fluke I did it a few months later going from Binghamton, NY to Watertown, NY. No downshifting and got slightly over 17 MPG.

Go figure!

[dmdomokos]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I call BS on this "most trucks do 75" or "trucks blowing by at 85" maybe a few here and there but that's not the norm. I'm in Montana which is 80 mph on most interstates and very few trucks cruise more than 70. The largest fleet in the nation is Schneider, which until last year was governed to 60mph tops, now they are 63. I would say most trucks go 60-65 and at a 5-10 mph closing speed they will have forever to avoid running in to the back of you. Look at it this way, if they haven't hit one of the 14,000 Schneider trucks logging 100,000 miles each per year, they probably won't hit 1 camper driving 2000 miles a year, maybe less than half of that on an interstate.

I can only speak from experience in Utah and Idaho. FedEx trucks, Independant trucks all at 75 or more.

[Forellan]

The maximum towing capacity of your navigator is 8300lbs with the 4.10 rear end and ecoboost. The 23ikss is a heavy unit (for a hybrid) and could easily exceed 6000 lbs when loaded up for a trip. I have the same motor in my F-150; it will deliver tremendous torque and power but at a cost. You may be operating at the upper end of your power curve. As some else previously posted, I can see a 10-15% difference in mpg with as little as a 5 mph difference in speed. It will take a few trips to learn your set up. Find its sweet spot, stay within those limits, and enjoy the adventure!

[Moparman1230]

Originally Posted by dmdomokos

I can only speak from experience in Utah and Idaho. FedEx trucks, Independant trucks all at 75 or more.

I drove a tractor trailer for FedEx Express. I can tell you our trucks are governed to 63.

[Jonol]

m35a2, you look convince that your TT can stop faster then a big rig and that is fine with me, but be carefull ??
They have a lot more tires and bigger tires on the ground then my TT and my truck!

[benagi]

Originally Posted by dmdomokos

I can only speak from experience in Utah and Idaho. FedEx trucks, Independant trucks all at 75 or more.

X2

[mwdilday]

Originally Posted by m35a2

Whether or not you can lock up the brakes is rather a poor measure of success.
I think it's fairly well accepted by now that a sliding wheel doesn't stop as fast as one that isn't sliding.

carry on

I agree but Travel trailer brakes are not generating enough stopping power - that is why they don't slide the brakes. Many are relying heavily on the tow vehicle brakes to supplement their inadequacy.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by mwdilday

I agree but Travel trailer brakes are not generating enough stopping power - that is why they don't slide the brakes. Many are relying heavily on the tow vehicle brakes to supplement their inadequacy.

Their brakes are meant to ASSIST the tow Vehicle in stopping. The main purpose is to keep the towed trailer from trying to pass the tow vehicle by keep positive rearward pressure on the hitch. Assisting the stop is a secondary function.

[mwdilday]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Their brakes are meant to ASSIST the tow Vehicle in stopping. The main purpose is to keep the towed trailer from trying to pass the tow vehicle by keep positive rearward pressure on the hitch. Assisting the stop is a secondary function.

Oh my. Can't agree with that but don't want to continue this debate. Safe travels.

[spock123]

I installed disk brakes on my Cedar Creek I can stop before the big rigs can stop. TPMS and disc brakes should come on all trailers. I couldn't install my disc brakes, that was above my pay grade, so a not cheap mod

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by mwdilday

Oh my. Can't agree with that but don't want to continue this debate. Safe travels.

If you had ever pulled a heavy trailer without the brakes functioning and had the entire rig try to "swap ends" when you slowed down you would understand the truth of what I said.

I did not mean to imply that assisting the stop was not an important function, just that preventing the trailer from pushing the tow vehicle is the FIRST purpose.

[TKPINSC]

Originally Posted by dmdomokos

I don't know for sure, but my gut instinct tells me I can stop faster than a big rig. I also don't tail gate the big rig. Maybe I'm wrong?

depending ting on the loads closer than you might think. I have driven both.

What'll cause you to kiss his bumper is reaction time after you notice his tail lights.

[markb422]

Originally Posted by carlsbad

The engineering answer: non linear equation.

Also remember that every engine has its own power curve, every trailer has its own surface area and airflow resistance dynamic, and you get mpg all over the board.

carlsbad has it correct. Air resistance is exponential not linear.
With the MH I try to average 60 mph that way it is easy to figure my eta. A mile a minute. That can at times be 55 and other times 65.
With the frontal profile, a head wind is the biggest factor to mpg.
But the V10 usually has no problem staying in 6th gear on flat roads running 62 or 63.

[Cumminz]

This was our experience during our out west trip. I can agree that the towing of a large rv is like towing a parachute. With the hp/tq that I am running the air resistance is not that big a deal. The way my truck is geared ..373..and running 19.5s if I am running in 6th my engine seems to not like 1500-1700rpms. If I spool the speed to 70 it loves 1900-2100rpms and the mileage does not suffer. My truck is in the shop right for installation of 4.30 gears.