Towing gas milage

RLR69 · Jul 22, 2019

I had a 2004 5.9 CTD for years and it was all about speed. We were hauling a box trailer (about 10,000 lbs) and my dad was driving and he was running about 80-85 mph out here in in TX. I told him "you are going to kill my mileage", he was like "it wont make that big of a difference". We stopped and filled up.... mileage? About 8.5 mpg.
I started driving, set cruise at 63 mph and got just over 17 mpg.
My point is that speed and headwinds are what kill mpg's in trucks with a trailer. Find the sweet spot for your truck and make a choice... speed or mpg.

ggrimm01 · Jul 22, 2019

Whoever states 16mpg is pulling is not being honest. I have a 2011 dually 3.73 and avg 9-12 mpg. No matter what I pull. The best I got ever was 18.5 on the highway doing 60 mph. The 6.7's are made to work. I also have 2018 2500 6.4 L has and very impressed. I pull anywhere from 7000lbs to 16,000 lbs with it. Good
T

slim chance · Jul 22, 2019

Dougdna said:
I work with two other Dodge owners and they both said they get around 17 miles to the gallon while towing a trailer heavier than mine.

Am I doing something wrong? I used tow/haul mode going to the camp and got 10.8 gallons. I towed without tow/haul mode coming home and only got 10.2 miles to the gallon.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Wife is ready to kill me for buying a truck this expensive and it not performing that well. Ha

yea .... letting them lie to you and believing them .... NOBODY get that kind of mileage, 17 mpg, when towing heavy and 8,000 #s is heavy enough that you should get around 10 mpg diesel or gas

mtofell · Jul 22, 2019

RLR69 said:
We were hauling a box trailer (about 10,000 lbs)

set cruise at 63 mph and got just over 17 mpg.

Any chance you work with the OP?

Fbnmark · Jul 22, 2019

I’m running a 2012 3500 crew cab with 3.73 gears I get around 12 mpg towing my 16K lbs fifth wheel. Running around town empty combined city/hwy I got 18mpg on my last tank. I rarely go more than 65 mph because of the drop in mpg’s.

BossHogg · Jul 23, 2019

Marine Les said:
I take it that's calculated and if so you are getting stellar mpg. My brother has the last of the no-def Cummins and gets 16 not towing and 10-11 towing 3500#, needless to say he is not happy.

I'm not going to get into this hand calculated versus EVIC MPG, it's been proven to be a worthless argument. In short, I did a one year study comparing EVIC to hand calculation, the delta was less than 0.80 MPG which is easily explained by fuel return and slight fill-up variations.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, what I tow, where I tow, and my driving style all factor in, these factors influence MPGs, it is typically impossible to do a one on one comparison with anyone else particularly a pre-DEF Cummins. The 2013 plus engine increased MPGs, the emissions were removed from the engine and downstream in the exhaust.

Suggest to your brother he needs to get a later model Cummins.

Stuart · Jul 23, 2019

I have been towing a 9,400lb fifth wheel with a 2014 2500 6.7 and I averaged 11mpg calculated. That truck on a flat highway going 70mph got 18mpg.

Marine Les · Jul 23, 2019

BossHogg said:
I'm not going to get into this hand calculated versus EVIC MPG, it's been proven to be a worthless argument. In short, I did a one year study comparing EVIC to hand calculation, the delta was less than 0.80 MPG which is easily explained by fuel return and slight fill-up variations.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, what I tow, where I tow, and my driving style all factor in, these factors influence MPGs, it is typically impossible to do a one on one comparison with anyone else particularly a pre-DEF Cummins. The 2013 plus engine increased MPGs, the emissions were removed from the engine and downstream in the exhaust.
He knows it but has a hard time swallowing it. The worst of it is he traded a 2005 5.9 w/6spd manual that had 35k on it and that truck had more power by his account and got really good mpg. I tried to buy it from him but they gave him $33k trade in and he thought he was getting a good deal buying a no-def model.

Hcamper · Jul 29, 2019

how does one find out what gear ratio he has?

Kermudge · Jul 29, 2019

Simple Go here plug in your vin and get the info.

https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing

CantRepeat · Jul 29, 2019

Kermudge said:
Simple Go here plug in your vin and get the info.

https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing

The VIN number needs to be caps to work.

yoda · Jul 29, 2019

To the OP. My camper is about the same weight as yours, I had and 03 Cummins 5.9 with the 6 speed manual trans 3.73 gears. I could get 22 mpg empty if I babied it, as soon as I hooked up my camper 12.

With a range from 8 to the best I ever got was 14.5 and I towed probably over 20k miles
I've had many conversations with diesel guys claiming all kinds of crazy mileage. I think they are full of it.

Slowing down a little as was suggested will probably help.

As to justifying your truck to your wife, sit down and figure out how many miles you actually tow, then the money in fuel difference between 11 and 17 mpg, its probably not as much as you would think unless you tow allot. The towing experience with a Diesel is more enjoyable.

Also changing gear ratios may not help (may even make it worse) and even if it did would probably never pay for itself in fuel savings.

Also if your truck is new it may improve after you get some miles on it

Summit1 · Jul 30, 2019

There is an old Italian saying, "Cosi fan tutte", which translates to "so do they all" (or "they all do it")… so goes with towing and vehicles towing most any sort of trailers. One could "over-engineer" an existing truck by swapping out axle gearing and such, but the possible gains may never pay off in monetary savings in the long run. For example, I have a 2017 Ram 2500 w/CTD and tow a camper that weighs ~8,000# (loaded), as does a friend who has a GMC 2500 Denali w/Duramax which weighs about the same (loaded) as my Ram. The only other difference (I believe) is his final drive ratio is very slightly higher (numerically) than mine. We do camping trips together, traveling at similar speeds, and achieve almost identical fuel economy.

Most 3/4-ton and one-ton Diesel trucks will do a measured and calculated >20 MPG unladen on relatively level terrain at steady speeds. Throw some hills and intersections into the mix, and fuel economy will drop slightly. Then comes the change when hauling, at which time the fuel economy typically drops to ~1/2-2/3 of the unladen MPG. Increase speed to much more than 60 MPH, and that number drops somewhat. Spend much time at 70 MPH and it is like flushing a toilet.

Doc337 · Sep 23, 2019

Dougdna said:
Just purchased a 2018 Ram Bighorn with the Cummins 6.7L I6 Turbo Diesel and 68RFE transmission and 3.42 axle ratio and am looking for some help and advice. I just pulled my camp trailer at 6900 pounds dry and only got 10.8 miles per gallon. I work with two other Dodge owners and they both said they get around 17 miles to the gallon while towing a trailer heavier than mine.

Am I doing something wrong? I used tow/haul mode going to the camp and got 10.8 gallons. I towed without tow/haul mode coming home and only got 10.2 miles to the gallon.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Wife is ready to kill me for buying a truck this expensive and it not performing that well. Ha

If they are getting 17mpg towing and can prove it . . . . buy their truck!
One note as your truck mileage goes up so will the towing mpg the 3:42 will give you the best mpg but not the best pulling.

I just returned home from towing my 5er 17,000 miles.
Started with 12k on truck pulling a 5er that weighed 16,800K loaded.
Was getting 5 mpg at the start ended at 8-9 mpg as I get more miles on the truck mileage will go up some.
My 14 MegaCab 3500 SRW 62K miles 3:42 gears would get 11 mpg towing my old 11K 5er.
My 04 Ram with 193K on it with 3:73 gears would get 12 -14 towing my old 11K lb trailer

Towing gas milage

RLR69

Junior Member

ggrimm01

Junior Member

slim chance

Senior Member

mtofell

Senior Member

Fbnmark

Junior Member

BossHogg

Senior Member

Stuart

Junior Member

Marine Les

Senior Member

Hcamper

Member

Kermudge

U.S. Navy Retired 68-95

CantRepeat

Senior Member

yoda

Senior Member

Summit1

Senior Member

Doc337

Junior Member

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