3500 mpg

[Zoe Saldana]

Yeah, I did. 91 gallon on top of the factory 32 to be exact. Range is still a concern, at times. Like said in the above post and my post in #16. Some of us need numbers, maybe you not so much.

You need to do the math>
123 gallons divided by 15 mpg = 1845 miles.

Where is there no gas station in a 1800 mile radius???????????????????????

 

[18CrewDually]

You need to do the math>
123 gallons divided by 15 mpg = 1845 miles.

Where is there no gas station in a 1800 mile radius???????????????????????

Like I said, you don't get it and I'm not clogging the post with info of my practices that you don't truly care about.

 

[Treburkulosis]

It would have to get better MPG then my Hemi lol. I am lucky to see 15-16 empty at any given time. It likes gas.

 

[nlambert182]

You need to do the math>
123 gallons divided by 15 mpg = 1845 miles.

Where is there no gas station in a 1800 mile radius???????????????????????

My F250 was set up similarly and had an 1800 mile range. The guy spent a few years in Alaska and he would sometimes get caught out in an area with no fuel for a week or two and during that period of time he needed to travel within the area hauling loads that had no available fuel when he had to travel. The truck also had an on board diesel fired Webasto heater that ate into the supply. He said it wasn't uncommon to finally get to a pump running on fumes.

18Crew mentioned Canada, so I would assume that he might run into similar circumstances.

 

[Andrei20]

Mine is 2016 HO, deleted, crew cab, short box SRW, 3.42 gears.
Just cruising, not loaded, it does about 21-22 mpgs, pulling our 6000lb camper it does on average 12-13 mpgs. Speed on highway around 70 mph. Not driving it much in town, we have other vehicles for that.
Very satisfied with it.

 

[Andrei20]

To all those saying don't look or care about MPG, that I shouldn't care about MPG. I don't really agree, I'm not one to get into something without know the facts. After getting into something, new truck, 5th wheel or camera hobby i live with what was chosen.

BTW, I did buy the truck last night. A Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4x4 Limited. Only two things not on the truck I noticed is no Sun Roof or lights on top of the cab. Both items I don't really like anyway. Oh, so far the MPG on the truck is 16.0 MPG but that is 240 miles driving up and down a mountain road 2,000 ft to 5,700 ft on three trips of 80 miles each and some city driving of 50 miles.

Congratulations!

 

[TestPilot57]

Mine just powers down and the blinker automatically comes on when I pass a gas station.

Ah, the old "will pass anything but a gas station" quote in a more modern age, where blinkers can be triggered by the computer...

 

[TestPilot57]

I've often wondered - why do OTR rigs get such good MPG/ton. I can think of only two.

* Their engines/fuel delivery systems are way better than pickups.
* There is a huge improvement in efficiency due to reduced wind resistance.
(or a combination of the two)

But the fact that we are seeing reports of drastic drop in fuel mileage from empty to pulling a trailer makes me think it's mostly better drivetrain efficiency.

My brother drives an OTR 80k TT unit. Most of his loads are not at capacity - generally 60-70k. But he gets around 8 MPG with those loads. This is roughly double what a pickup gets if you calculate MPG/Ton.

Am I missing something?

 

[Dean2]

I've often wondered - why do OTR rigs get such good MPG/ton. I can think of only two.

* Their engines/fuel delivery systems are way better than pickups.
* There is a huge improvement in efficiency due to reduced wind resistance.
(or a combination of the two)

But the fact that we are seeing reports of drastic drop in fuel mileage from empty to pulling a trailer makes me think it's mostly better drivetrain efficiency.

My brother drives an OTR 80k TT unit. Most of his loads are not at capacity - generally 60-70k. But he gets around 8 MPG with those loads. This is roughly double what a pickup gets if you calculate MPG/Ton.

Am I missing something?

You definitely are missing something. Wind resistance is the single biggest factor affecting mileage at highway speeds. You can double the weight, and if the coefficient of drag stays the same the fuel burned will not increase much. If you halve the drag with the same weight, say go to a flat deck hauling flat iron from a cube trailer, fuel mileage will jump dramatically. Mileage per ton on a train is way better than an OTR tractor too.

 

[TestPilot57]

You definitely are missing something. Wind resistance is the single biggest factor affecting mileage at highway speeds.

Yeah, I said that:

* There is a huge improvement in efficiency due to reduced wind resistance.

BUT, a p/u towing a trailer adds weight with little additional drag, similar to an OTR TT unit. Granted, often not as good, because TTs are designed for always being driven as a unit. But I still say there is no good explanation for the great disparity.

 

[Docwagon1776]

I've often wondered - why do OTR rigs get such good MPG/ton. I can think of only two.

* Their engines/fuel delivery systems are way better than pickups.
* There is a huge improvement in efficiency due to reduced wind resistance.
(or a combination of the two)

But the fact that we are seeing reports of drastic drop in fuel mileage from empty to pulling a trailer makes me think it's mostly better drivetrain efficiency.

My brother drives an OTR 80k TT unit. Most of his loads are not at capacity - generally 60-70k. But he gets around 8 MPG with those loads. This is roughly double what a pickup gets if you calculate MPG/Ton.

Am I missing something?

Off the top of my head:

Tuned for the speed they are going to steadily run, no need for a high end power band at the expense of efficiency, so turbos, intercoolers, gearing, etc. can all be more tailored to efficient highway speed.

Relatively short (for available torque) low rolling resistance tires

As aerodynamically slippery as possible

Running 65mph as much as possible

Longer periods between stops

 

[John Jensen]

I've often wondered - why do OTR rigs get such good MPG/ton. I can think of only two.

* Their engines/fuel delivery systems are way better than pickups.
* There is a huge improvement in efficiency due to reduced wind resistance.
(or a combination of the two)

But the fact that we are seeing reports of drastic drop in fuel mileage from empty to pulling a trailer makes me think it's mostly better drivetrain efficiency.

My brother drives an OTR 80k TT unit. Most of his loads are not at capacity - generally 60-70k. But he gets around 8 MPG with those loads. This is roughly double what a pickup gets if you calculate MPG/Ton.

Am I missing something?

This discussion reminds me of the debates regarding the rate of fall of a feather vs a rock; not very important.

 

[TestPilot57]

This discussion reminds me of the debates regarding the rate of fall of a feather vs a rock; not very important.

Thank you. Very helpful. I must get out my feathers and rocks and see how they fare.

 

[rule18]

Been through all eight pages of this. It's amazing what a few members can do to what started as a reasonably asked question. @Calicajun congrats on the new truck, use it well.