MPG

[blu_gumby]

Hi! Brand new to the forum. I'm trying to determine tow vehicle types and mpg.

My wife and I went to Fun Time RV in Cleburne TX yesterday and fell in love with the Montana and Silverback 5th Wheels. We plan to go full-time starting March 2011 and are starting from scratch. We have been camping for over 20 years and are ready to move up to the big leagues. We plan to travel across the USA for about a year. The salesman said we should consider only 3/4 ton Ford or Chevy with a diesel.

I have two questions.
-Is his statement correct?
-What kind of mpg do you get in your vehicle towing and not-towing?

I apologize if this has already been asked. I found lots of opinions about tow vehicle types but couldn't find anything on mpg using the search function.

[Clyde n Deb]

A rough answer would be about 10 mpg towing. 20+ empty. All depends on driving habits: speed, wind, etc. How big/heavy an RV you pick out would be a distinct variable as well. Many people on here will tell you a 3/4 isn't enough truck for any towing. You've got to match your truck and RV with common sense and look at the numbers too.

[H. John Kohl]

Your question is a great on and yes has been and still gets addressed. Most important "Welcome to the MOC". The safe answer is you need to do the research on the "numbers" for each vehicle. All three of the main trucks (Ford, Chevy, and Dodge) will do the job. Again as long as you do your research and get the correct configuration.

I suggest you take the Max weight of your trailer and calculate your pin weight at 25% of the trailer weight. This is the max but a safe way to calculate numbers.
Now look at your desired truck and make sure you fall within their numbers. Note: There are some of us that tow over the "max" truck numbers. I exceeded my Combined Gross Vehicle weights. It is my choice.

If you are going to tow the states and do a lot of mountain pulling the Diesel is probably better. 3/4 or 1 Ton Single rear wheel are pulling a lot of trailers. Some like myself went with the 1 Ton dually. I would suggest the 1 Ton single over a 3/4 Ton.

Are you going to buy a new truck or used.

You are going to get many replies, mainly do the research and have fun.

You can also click on the search button top right of forum and search truck or tow vehicles etc. Lots of posting.

I calculate 10 MPG average on my towing. If lots of hills then I adjust to 8 MPG for planning safety.

Again welcome to the MOC.

[exav8tr]

I am in the 8-10 MPG range while towing a HEAVY 3400. Without trailer I am getting between 14-17 MPG. Not great but acceptable, beats the 6-8 in most motorhomes. Not knowing the trailer you are looking at but the statement from your dealer is not accurate, they tend to tell people to go with the smaller truck as they are usually less expensive and this is only a sales gimmick. My suggestion, If you go with a 15,000 lb trailer, you need to get as big a truck as you can afford. Fulltimers seem to travel a little heavy anyway and you will appreciate the extra carrying capacity in the larger trucks. I personally like the stability of the Dually, however, parking lots and parking can sometimes be a pain in the Keester....

I'm sure others will be along to give their opinion, you just have to run the numbers, as they say, and make your choice based on solid information and not heresay........

Good Luck and Welcome to "The Best Darned Forum on the WWW!"

[TLightning]

MPG...10 to 11.5 towing, unless into a very strong head wind. 15 to 19 not towing.

What the previous posters are very tactfully telling you is that a 3/4 ton truck is not stout enough to handle the pin weight of a Montana. I know, I know..."the salesman said"...don't believe it, check the numbers yourself.

[PapaBeav]

If you are thinking of a 3/4 ton truck you will have to consider the weight of the truck. A standard cab long bed will weigh a lot less than a crew cab long bed. The heavier the truck the less pin weight you will have to work with. Are you going to add an extra fuel tank, because that will add weight to the truck. Everything you put in or on the truck adds weight (people, pets, 5th wheel hitch, etc) and this deducts from your GVWR. Everyone that tows a Montana of any size (we have the smallest) with a 3/4 ton truck is probably over their GVWR. If I was to do it over again I would at least get a 1 ton SRW. As for the big three (Chevy, Ford, Dodge) that is a personal choice, but I would go with a Diesel. You mentioned mpg, that will vary with conditions. Ideally on flat ground and no wind towing with my set up I get 13 mpg at 55mph, 12mpg at 60 mph. Throw in some wind or some hills and it will go down from there. Good luck with your research an take your time to do it right. But most of all welcome to the forum and feel free to ask another question at any time.

Rich

[Art-n-Marge]

My, my, you have touched on one of my favorite subjects but here goes.

First, the easy part. I have a 3/4 ton diesel that has been worked on to be a 1 ton (another topic of discussion). I get 19-20 MPGs on the open highway and average 16 all around. When towing, I get 10-13 MPGs. I think I do this well because the diff is 3.73 and I am a very conservative driver. I try and keep highway speed when towing at 60-62MPH because the RPMs are below 2,000 and helps with the MPGs.

If you go with a 3/4 ton you'll be battling weight issues constantly. The salesman is being conservative - remember that a salesman sells an EMPTY trailer. Of course, a 3/4 ton will be okay - WRONG! Since you are in the MOC, you have a HUGE advantage that you don't have to check your numbers. We already have and the 3/4 is not cutting it any more. The trailers are getting heavier and the percentage of cargo is getting heavier than that. The 3/4 ton is not enough especially that you are planning a cross country trip. If you want to keep SRW, then go for the 1 ton. If you do not want to worry about weight (even with a 1 ton), then get a dually and you won't have to worry at all.

The weakpoint of the 3/4 ton truck is the pinweight of the trailer and its corresponding RAWR depending on the truck's style (don't forget the hitch you install also adds some weight). There will be much nickel and diming trying to get the weight shifted ever so carefully and you still might miss. Then good luck putting anything in the truck that impacts the GVW or RAW. Also like someone else mentioned, a diesel engine is much stronger than a gas engine (the pillar labels will show this). One might argue that diesel is more expensive in some places, but the gain in MPGs with diesel easily overrides that problem.

There are many who regard the success of a 3/4 towing their rigs, because the engine and trans can take it. But according to the experts, GVWR of a truck is based on much more than that. These same experts also say that 40-45% of rigs are overweight, but how much, what problems are caused by it are not stated, but we can guess (again, another topic). GVWR also includes, size of brakes, axles, differential rating, leaf spring packs, shock absorbers, wheels, tires and suspension strength. In my case, the leaf spring pack, wheels and tires solved my overweight problem. You are fortunate that you are asking BEFORE you leap, unlike me and others who believed a salesman and now we spend more time, money and effort fixing what we thought we were comfortable with.

You'll find the membership is a great believer in emphasizing that you really should do what you want after learning all you can. In my case, I like to say I'll do what is right, recommended and safe, which is not quite what I want, but gets me to change what I want.

We will wait for your announcement on your new TV and RV.

[Jdrobone]

I'll go with Art. I've only been at this for 6 months or so but I have driven SRW trucks under heavy load and find that my F-350 dually (1 ton) is much more stable, also in case of the dreaded blowout on the truck rear, at least you have another wheel to help you get to safety.
Jerry

[Sierra 117]

I wanted to buy a one ton SRW but DW insisted on a dually. So I pull our 3455SA with a one ton Dodge Dually CTD. The truck is very stable an pulls like a locomotive. It is also equipped with the exhaust brake as standard equipment. There may be better light trucks out there for hauling a Montana 5th wheel but I can't imagine how one could improve on this truck. For once I listened to my Wife an am very glad I did. I have pulled a 4 horse goose neck trailer with a half ton and after a few hours was ready for to quit. I can haul the Montana with the dually all day no problem. The Dually is not meant to be a daily driver, although we use it as such when snow birding with few problems. For towing a 5th wheel its perfect.

Barry

[dieselguy]

For older model comparison ... 2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 6 speed manual tranny ... 10 - 11mpg towing ... 18 - 20mpg empty. Somewhat older ... yes, but my taxes and insurance are considerably less.

[timandsusan]

When we bought our 3475 and truck in 2006, I ordered the Monty first. Then I ignored the salesman talk--"3/4 ton will do the job" and did the numbers. We went with 1 ton SRW, Crew Cab and have not regretted it. Great for pulling and stopping. Pick a brand you like and check out the numbers to make it work for you since the salesman will not be driving!

[camper4]

I have a 3/4 ton. Wish I had a 1 ton. Always pushing truck load limits or exceeding them. Towing limits are okay.
Diesel if you are going to be doing a lot of hauling. I have a Chevy but any of the big three are good. It boils down to personal wants.
I get 11.5- 12.5 mpg towing , 20 - 22 empty highway, and 15 - 17 mix of in town and highway. I never go over 60 mph though. A lot depends on traveling conditions. On flats with a tail wind I can get 15 towing. On flats with a head wind I can get 10 mpg. Hills add another complicating factor. My numbers are for a reasonable mix of most conditions.
Enjoy your new life style!

[blu_gumby]

Dang! I'm going to be so smart after this, none of my hats will fit.
So...what is considered a 3/4 ton? Is it the 250/2500 series or the 350/3500 series?

[PapaBeav]

quote:Originally posted by blu_gumby

Dang! I'm going to be so smart after this, none of my hats will fit.
So...what is considered a 3/4 ton? Is it the 250/2500 series or the 350/3500 series?

250/2500 is a 3/4 ton, 350/3500 is a 1 ton.

[BB_TX]

You don't say which models you are looking at. But they go from around 33' up to about 40'. And the weights go up accordingly. You need to look closely at the total weight and the pin weight of each one you are considering. Then make sure the truck you get is rated for that.
For my money, I would go with go with the 1 ton (350/3500) to start with. They only costs a very little more than the 3/4 ton and will give you more weight capability. Also the pin weight will determine if you "need" an SRW or DRW. "Want" is a different matter.
My F350 SRW 6.0 diesel gets between 10-11 towing, about 14-15 general around town driving, and about 20 on the highway (if I keep my foot out of it).

[Lawman]

quote:Originally posted by blu_gumby

Dang! I'm going to be so smart after this, none of my hats will fit.
So...what is considered a 3/4 ton? Is it the 250/2500 series or the 350/3500 series?

Just bite the bullet and get a 3500 series dually...any brand will work fine. The 2500 diesel cannot handle the PW, and the single rear wheel (SRW) 3500 is marginal.

[Rondo]

As John said this is a varying subject. You'll get many and varying answers! It also depends upon what you will be towing in the way of the Monte. I have a 2004 2980RL and tow it with a Chevy 3/4 ton HD with a Duramax diesel and Allison transmission. I've had no problems with it but others will say I shouldn't be pulling with it! See the varying responses!! Some say there is not enough stopping power with my 2500 but again haven't had any problem there either. The 2011 Chevys are quite improved but all all! It's all up to you and what you feel good in and with!

[richfaa]

Welcome to the forum.. What did the salesman tell you about the Easter Bunny... Learn how to do the numbers on the camper and truck as others have suggested.The numbers will not lie... If we knew the exact model we could help a bit more....
We yank around a heavy Montana 3400 with a 08 F-350, dually, Diesel. Figure 10mpg towing... 15/18 solo depending on conditions.

[clutch]

Welcome to the MOC forum. As you can see none of us are truck salesmen. Our trailer is one of the smaller ones in the Montana line up and I started towing with a 3/4 ton. Now we have a 1 ton srw. I looked at dualies but really liked the better ride of the srw truck. Do the math and then decide what fits your needs.

[gypsies2]

Just traded my F250 PSD for a F350 PSD DW as I have a new Montana 2955 on the factory floor. The capacity of the 250 did not cut it for me. I would have been overloaded. As mentioned above, "don't trust what the salesman says" and don't trust the advertising material on any of the trucks as to their capacities. Look for the yellow sticker on the drivers side door pillar. It will give you the true carrying capacity of that truck. The difference between the truck brochure and reality can be as high as 1000 lbs. Looked at one before buying the 350. the salesman said it could carry 4500 lbs and showed me the numbers in the brochure. Went out to the truck, and guess what, the sticker said 3600lbs. Some difference!!