first long pull, impressions and mileage report

[6SPDMANUAL]

yes it is and i have never weighed it. the sticker inside says its 14680 dry. i doubt its any heavier than that, and if it is, then i would say i am very impressed as i have pulled that exact trailer you in the pic all the way to sturgis, from south florida, then to texas and back with a SRW truck. no problems. i had two harleys, and four adults, plus all our gear. my gvw is 18k, so gas water propane, two bikes and stuff, adds to about 3k or so from what i am gathering, so i don't think i was over weight. maybe i was????

[Phalynx]

Heh, We looked really really hard at the 41'. We really wanted the extra space. But, it was weight that took us to the 37. go figure...... Ours states on the sticker that is weighs 12000lbs. Cat scale says 19000 loaded. I don't know where I put 7000lbs of stuff but I guess I did. I have seen plenty of these size trailers on 3/4 ton trucks and they seem fine too. "seem". This is why I am "looking" at the F450. My truck pulls it fine, stops and handles well. Maybe the scale was wrong.. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img] It would sure make me feel better. Anyway, we love our camper as I am sure you do. The floorplan can't be beat.

[fordmantpw]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 6SPDMANUAL</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...but i really had to push the pedal much more than i expected for this truck in LOW 4x4?? it did it of course, just was unexpected, i expected it virtually walk that boat out of there. (yes i was in low) </div></div>

That's due to the different computer throttle calibration in 4x4 low. It eliminates jumpiness and gives you much better modulation of the throttle when in 4x4 low. My '05 F150 does the same thing. It's really nice once you get used to it though. Doesn't act like it's going to jerk the tongue off the trailer.

[DRDON]

We just returned from a trip to WVA and now I know why they call it the "Mountain State". The truck and 5th wheel did great, however, there were a few pulls where the turbo was just a "Howlin". I don't know if that is common --- although it was a little annoying -- but everything ran just fine. Mileage did suck -- but I blame that on the montains. I had never run across 9% or 10% grades before -- that is a real experience. It wasn't the grades so much but they fact they were 3, 4, or 5 miles long and then they would stick in a banked 90 degree turn. The truck is awesome and certainly does what it is suppose to --- 13,850 miles and going strong.

DRDON

[NatesDiesel]

Yeah, even going through WVa in a car can make someone half dizzy. Those mountains are definately pronounced. And so are the curves.

What kind of mileage did you get? You said "it sucked" but to what degree of "sucks" are we talking here? 6? 7?

Nate

[6SPDMANUAL]

MAYBE so, but i wished they would just make a truck that i could drive, instead of just steering it!! we as a society are killing ourselves to appeal to idiots these days. i will try both high and low next time, and if i notice what you are speaking, i will just use high and if it strains the truck too much and cuases it to wear out quicker, so be it, its under warranty.
i want to get in a truck and it does what i tell it to do, not some computerized assisted crap, but oh well.

[DRDON]

Nate,

No the mileage sucked by not that bad. I got 9.15 MPG, manually calculated. On normal, civilized roads, I am getting 10.5 MPG --which considering the load I am pulling is very acceptable.
One pretty neat thing that happened on this trip was a "black bear" ran across in front of the truck while we were out site seeing. I have seen plenty of deer, cows and horses but never a black bear.

Happy Motoring

DRDON

[lari2001]

<span style="color: #3366FF"> </span> Man, 80 mph is realy running those RPM's up there isn't it? If you are towing a 41' fiver which probably weighs in at 19000lbs plus, at over 70 mph, 6 mpg is about what I would expect. Those fivers usually have a fairly high bulkhead that doesn't help aerodynamics either. How did you like the turning radius? My boss has a loaded out F450 crew cab and the turning radius is unreal, it should make U turns with your fiver a cinch. I think Ford hit a home run when they designed the F450. Have a good one.

[newbie_101]

80mph pulling a 40ft 5'er through the mountains getting 9mpg? Sure beats 60mph through the flats getting 7.

[lari2001]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CoryG</div><div class="ubbcode-body">80mph pulling a 40ft 5'er through the mountains getting 9mpg? Sure beats 60mph through the flats getting 7. </div></div>

It sure would, but he said he was getting 6 not 9. With 4.30:1 gears, the RPM's would be damn near 3500 ( a guess) at 80 mph, you can't expect to get even 6 mpg doing that.

[newbie_101]

I was referring to DRDON.

[6SPDMANUAL]

yeah i guess the mileage is not that bad for what i am doing, but i would still like it to be better. i had a dodge with 6spd and 4.10 for a short while and it pulled a load like this and i got 7.5. i was just hoping for the same. it seems all the autos i have had are only getting the in the 6's. everyone in a while when the weather is perfect, and the wind just right i could get over 7, with my 06 4.10 rear auto, but mostly not.

[newbie_101]

I hear you. An increase in mileage would be great. I'm sure a greyhound bus gets better than 6.

[RockRidge]

You just can't compare the "old stuff" with these new vehicles. I'd bet if you were to put all of the emission control stuff these new vehicles have on a older truck, you would get about the same milage. My old '03 got better milage than the '08. But it didn't have as much emission control stuff as the '08 does either!

Would I like the milage to be better? You Bet! But I didn't get the truck for it's milage, I got it to TOW STUFF!

just my 2¢ worth...

Ed

[NatesDiesel]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RockRidge</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You just can't compare the "old stuff" with these new vehicles. I'd bet if you were to put all of the emission control stuff these new vehicles have on a older truck, you would get about the same milage. My old '03 got better milage than the '08. But it didn't have as much emission control stuff as the '08 does either!

Would I like the milage to be better? You Bet! But I didn't get the truck for it's milage, I got it to TOW STUFF!

just my 2¢ worth...

Ed </div></div>

The only problem about "not comparing the old stuff to the new stuff" is that if you put a DPF and Oxidation Cat. on a Greyhound bus, and feed the engine 40% of its exhaust gasses back to itself, as the new ones are, their milage wouldnt drop in HALF. 10% decline, perhaps. No more.

The small diesel engine is at a terrible disadvantage compared to the larger (over 8L) varieties. I know the new Refuse Application Front-Loader Mack trucks with 2007 compliant Volvo engines are only getting less than 1/2mpg differance than 2006's. And talk about squeeky clean exhaust. Its facinating what enough money and quality can build.

And, its not just about "wanting better milage," its about better milage being a national necessity. Any vehicle the size of a Pickup getting 6mpg is ludacris. Even while pulling. A much larger truck could do that work, with new emissions... and have power to spare.

One day soon the EPA will dictate CO2 output, and this senseless use of fuel will largely go away due to restrictions. And, no, this isnt making our "country less free" since if we have enough money, we can still have it with expensive licensing fees.

$3.00 diesel is still too cheap for folks to take fuel economy into consideration. On Bloomberg.com, a market analyist mentioned if we pull out of Iraq anytime soon, Mid-East instability will make $4.50 diesel a reality. This should help automakers put on their thinking caps about consumption. And consumers. I being one myself.

Nate