3400rl Maiden voyage success - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

Montana_462 · 07-20-2004, 01:20 AM

Gary & Carole,
I just returned from a two week trip into North Carolina via WV and the 2500HD pulled the 3655FL like a dream. I used the tow/haul mode and when I started up the mts I would lock out the overdrive, I got 14.5 mpg throughout most of the trip. I only have about 8k on the truck and am still experiencing with the tow/haul and overdrive lockout. What amazed me is that I get the same mileage going over to WV without the trailer!!

cargary · 07-20-2004, 07:26 AM

I will try to reply to the comments in the order that they came to me.

Montana Sky -
I have found that following Semi's increases my fuel economy if you can stay within a certain distance of them where it appears that you are being helped along by the vacumn created by their rig. A comment on following the Semi's down hill, I have kind of watched the truck drivers and what they do when desending a hill and if they go down at 30 mph, then I figure there is a good reason to do the same and follow suit. I figure they know the roads much better than I will probably ever know them and use their experience to guide me alot of the times.
I plan on going out next week if we can and do it again for about 3 or 4 days. I will take my son and his wife and 2 children and the problem is to find a place with full hookup cause I think relying on kids to use water and bathroom facilities sparingly, may be asking a little to much of them.
On another subject, I have read with some interest the topic on tires and have made an appointment with a local tire business to check the balance of our 5er tires to advoid any surprises on a trip.
I will let everyone know of our trip if everything go's as planned.
Thanks again for the info.
Gary & Carole

GordonR -
We're glad this topic is of interest to you and hopefully my inexperience and askinng questions will be beneficial to all of us. Good luck on finding someplace close to the big bridge. We have looked - everywhere, but done some looking nearby and they have all been booked up for a year. I wanted to do the same thing and haven't found anything as yet. If I do, I will pass it along for those of you that may want to do the same. I was nice of you to come into this discussion. Thanks for doing so and the comments.
Gary & Carole

ridgerunner58 -
I'd say you're extremely fortunate to have that kind of economy with your Mod. 3655. Your rig is, according to spec's, 100 lbs heavier than ours is and all I can get is under 10 mpg. I am going to change the way I haul, though in the future. For the most part, when in Michigan, I will only use the tow haul mode when climbing up the more steeper hills and for the rest of the time, tow without being in this mode and let the tranny shift into 5th gear - unless, as it was pointed out to me earlier, the tranny starts to search for a lower gear to be in. I will then, put it in the tow haul mode. Again, you getting 14.5 mpg in West Virginia is something to feel good about, cause there are some pretty steep hills in that state.
Thanks for the reply and comments.
Gary & Carole

Montana Sky · 07-20-2004, 10:55 AM

Gary & Carole,
I hope your next trip out is a great time. I was just talking to a guy the other day about balancing the tires on the montana. He clamis he does it on all of his rv's he has owned over the years, and would not go anywhere without them balanced. I have not done so on my coach yet, but will have to look into getting this done. If you happen to think about it and wouldnt mind, let me know what they are charging for yours and how long it takes them to get it done. Have a safe trip. Dave/

Montana Sky · 07-20-2004, 11:01 AM

Ridgerunner58,
Welcome home, glad you had a fun and safe trip to NC. Just curious, you say you average 14.5 with the trailer which is great in my opinion. Right in that same range as well with mine. The thing that threw me is the 14.5 empty going down the road. I average 19.6 doing 75mph with the cruise set out here in Washington. When doing 65mph I can reach into the 22mpg range. In town I am usually 17-18mpg. Just wondering what variables there would be to allow for such a difference in mileage. Welcome to the discussion, glad you joined us.

Montana_834 · 07-20-2004, 11:18 AM

I also have a 3400RL, but pull it with a 2001 F-250 SD, PSD, short bed. I have no problem pulling this rig, handles like a dream. I get around 12.5 miles per gallon, with combination of flat and hills. I also use overdrive as much as possible. One thing that I have added is an exhaust brake (PACBRAKE), would'nt be without one, saves on brakes.
We purchased our fifth wheel in January, and have been on the road since, covering about 5000 miles. Only trouble we've had, is having to replace the hot water tank. Hope ya'll enjoy your's as much as we have. Have a great day.

Montana_462 · 07-20-2004, 12:33 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Montana Sky

Ridgerunner58,
Welcome home, glad you had a fun and safe trip to NC. Just curious, you say you average 14.5 with the trailer which is great in my opinion. Right in that same range as well with mine. The thing that threw me is the 14.5 empty going down the road. I average 19.6 doing 75mph with the cruise set out here in Washington. When doing 65mph I can reach into the 22mpg range. In town I am usually 17-18mpg. Just wondering what variables there would be to allow for such a difference in mileage. Welcome to the discussion, glad you joined us.

The only thing I can think of is that I have a bit of a heavy foot when heading over to WV without the rig. I normally travel around 73mph in VA and around 78 or so in WV. There are some pretty good grades that I travel over also. I'll slow down a bit next time and see if that helps, although I've never seen 17mpg, even around here. I only have around 8K on the truck and I understand that will make a difference. Have been reading the more miles you have on the motor, the better the performance.

Montana Sky · 07-20-2004, 08:47 PM

Ridgerunner58,
I am really curious as to why our mileage is so different from one another. I have just rolled 9,000 miles on this truck and I as well have a pretty heavy foot. I had a 2003 Chevy Duramax with 26,000 miles on it before it was totaled in an accident. That truck was pretty consistent with my 2004. Keep me updated as your miles increase, I am curious to see if it gets better.

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