Which Truck - Power vs Gas Mileage

[Montana_4911]

Morning gang,

I am considering getting a new Ford F-350 diesel to pull new 16K 5th wheels.

Since this is all new to me, any comments on rear end ratios and 4X4 vs gas mileage.

Ford has the 4.10 ratio, and the Tow Boss with the 4.30 ratio, then there is 4 X 4.

Since 1 mile per gallon difference will equal $ 3,700 in fuel per year. I am interested if anyone have any combination of the above, and if so, how much MPG.

Thanks much for the help.

[kegger5769]

I have a FORD '05 F250 PSDiesal 6.0 turbo with 3.73 ratio rear end. Mine is a 2 wheel drive crew cab with 8 foot bed. I pull a '06 3400RL Monty with no problem. The F250 and F350 are basicly the same except the spring set up is heavier in the F350. I have just over 3000 miles on it and am getting about 11 mpg pulling and 17 not. I have a neighbor with the same basic set up and after the truck is breoken in (about 10K) he gets 12-13 pulling and 20 not.
As far as 4 x 4 I choose not to get it since I could not see any time I would use it and with 4 x 4 it lower your hauling #'s a little. So I figure don't need and don't need the extra weight.
Good luck and enjoy !!!

[firetrucker]

Based on 10 mpg, a $3700 difference in fuel cost for a 1 mpg difference in fuel mileage suggests you expect to drive over 120 000 miles a year. The real cost is still significant, but maybe not quite so much of a jaw dropper.

Bob

[ols1932]

You'll get a lot of opinions on this. It really all depends on what you want/have. As you can see by my signature, I have an older F-250 PSD, 4X4. I get 10-11 mpg towing and I don't know what I get unloaded because I haven't kept a log on it. I wouldn't be without my 4-wheel drive, however. Last November, we got stuck in an RV park in Pecos, TX after it had rained for several days. Two-wheel drive would not pull me out. I think the cost difference between 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive is not worth getting stuck some place and having to call a wrecker to pull you out.

[Montana Sky]

Well I cant speak on the Ford side but will mention my diesel numbers. I average 13-14 mpg towing my coach and empty on the highway I get 19-22 depending on under 70mph or over 70mph.

[Fordzilla]

Well, I felt I should throw in my .02 I am getting about 17mpg mt, and just over 10 pulling. I have a 4x4 set up as we are not full timing yet and we use the truck to drive to work in the winter. We have had to use 4x4 a couple of times to get the trailer up and moving when parked on wet grass. Yes, I wasn't stuck, but I would have tore up all the grass getting the trailer out of the hole it was in only using 2 wheel drive. And resale up her in Iowa on a 2 wheel drive p-up is not real great.

[mobrownies]

All other things being equal, the 4.1 will get about 5% better fuel mileage than the 4.3 and the 3.73 will get about 10% better than the 4.1. This is just based on the ratios. There may be other gearing changes in the transmission.

[BandJ]

We based our decision on where was the truck going to be used the most. Towing the RV or used as a second vehicle when at home.

quote:Originally posted by N5IBM

Morning gang,

I am considering getting a new Ford F-350 diesel to pull new 16K 5th wheels.

Since this is all new to me, any comments on rear end ratios and 4X4 vs gas mileage.

Ford has the 4.10 ratio, and the Tow Boss with the 4.30 ratio, then there is 4 X 4.

Since 1 mile per gallon difference will equal $ 3,700 in fuel per year. I am interested if anyone have any combination of the above, and if so, how much MPG.

Thanks much for the help.

[sreigle]

Ours is a 2005 F250 4x4 Crewcab Shortbed, 3.73 rear gears, with the 6.0 powerstroke. Towing mileage depends on many variables. Best we've done is 13.8 over 300 miles. Those are trip computer numbers, not the vagaries of refilling a single tank. I've found over a few thousand miles the trip computer mileage is within 1/10 of a mpg. Worst we've done on a 300 mile trip is 9.7. That was recently towing eastbound on I-40 in Arizona pushing headwinds off the port quarter reported at 25 to 35 with gusts to 40. We were running 65 mph at the time. We average between 11.5 and 12.0 overall. Our Montana is one of the heaviest at 14,360 lbs.

Solo we run highway mileage varying from 17 to 23 depending totally on terrain, wind, and speed. Average is right around 19.5 to 20.5. Note our mileage went up considerably at about 30k miles on the truck. It currently has over 37k on it and was a year old about 10 days ago.

You asked about power. All three of the big three diesels have plenty of power for towing any Montana. I'd recommend you take that as a given and base your purchase decision on your other needs and wants.

Good luck. It's nice to have lots of good choices.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I had an 04 F350 6.0 diesel. It was my third Ford PSD. My 95 and 2000 7.3s were great but I was one of the hopefully few that got a lemon 6.0. After being towed in 3 times , poor fuel economy and a host of other problems . My dealer let me order an 05 F350 4x4 V10 gas . I have had it 10 months and am really pleased with it. In 05 Ford went 3 valves per cylinder and bumped up the HP to 362 and torque to 455 Ft lb. They put the Torque shift Auto with the V10 and it is a great combination. You also get the same tow ratings as the 6.0. My V10 matches the performance of my 6.0 with my slide in camper on. Time will tell how it does with my new Montana but many of my fellow V10 owners pull big Fivers are happy with their performance.

Now with gas prices lower than diesel the V10 is worth looking at for some people. If you tow very heavy for 30000 milers or more a year , the diesel is probably a better choice but for many like myself the V10 is the right choice.

As far as 4x4, I wouldn't have a truck without it. Many automatics are cooked by people backing heavy trailers on soft ground. With 4x4 you put your truck in 4 low and you idle that load into place.