how much does towing affect mpg / range?

thewhiteranger

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Im sorry if this is already answered but can I ask what kind of mileage do people get while towing? Im still getting to know the truck -Ive only had it a few months but it seems like with the size of the tank (18 gallons is a little to small ford!!!) the range is about 350 miles normally, how much does it drop while towing? Im considering looking for a small travel trailer -3k lbs or so???? will I be stopping every 200 miles for fuel? - some highways that can get a little iffy.
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My truck loses 2 mpg pulling a 1600 lb. boat. I stay at 65mph.
 

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Five factors that make answering this possible.... What type of gas, hills or flat conditions, expected speed, weight and amount of extra surface area on what you tow. In highway ... Before towing with 87 octane i get 23mpg in the eastern mtns 93 octane yields 27mpg towing a 3000lb trailer roughly 7x10box yielded 13mpg on 87 octane on a short trial... I hear to expect better numbers with higher octane.
 

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Depends on so many factors. Size and frontal area of the trailer, speed, type of terrain, elevation, atmospheric affects like wind. That being said, our ~1800lb teardrop camper can lower the mileage anywhere from 5mpg to 15mpg depending on any combination of factors. Without the camper, we usually average 27mpg @60mph and 24mpg @75mph. On our weeklong trip last August, we got anywhere from 22mpg and 13mpg depending on speed and wind conditions. Our experience may not be your experience though.
 

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One can always bring along a 5 gallon jerrycan for peace of mind.
 


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I put in 18 gallons even the other day. Readout on dash says I had 20ish miles left. FORscan says 19 Gal tank.

Splitting hairs, sure... but a 24 or 25 Gallon tank would have been nice.
 

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I put in 18 gallons even the other day. Readout on dash says I had 20ish miles left. FORscan says 19 Gal tank.

Splitting hairs, sure... but a 24 or 25 Gallon tank would have been nice.
I too noticed this 19 gallon data field on FORscan. Towing a small utility trailer averaging 16 mpg going 75 mph. I actually ran it to "0 miles to empty" And the gas pump said I was able to squeeze 20.005 gallons in!
 

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Resurrecting this thread! In looking through replies, it seems there are a lot of variables in towing, but folks are generally getting 11-14mpg towing setups I believe are similar, which is our expectation.

We're 3 days with our new-to-us Ranger and started our truck journey by towing. Traveling from South Florida to basically British Columbia -- we have time to dial our towing (and expectations).

Can anyone share if they feel this 23' boat and trailer should be getting 9mpg on flats (10mph crosswind) and 7-8mpg on hills (same wind)? Our total weight is 4100#. Trailer is a 2019 Venter with tires rated to 75mpg. Average speed through flat midwest is 68mph and 1900 rpms and Kansas hills is 68mph and 2500rpms. We're using the tow haul mode and notice the downhill engine breaking, but we haven't observed higher rpms otherwise.

What are we doing wrong? Is there that much resistance from an open bed and canopy on the boat?

Trying to troubleshoot if we have an issue, or if this is because of the nature of our setup. We really were not expecting single digit miles per gallon.

Thanks much!

Sgt Pepp.jpeg
 

SergeantRanger

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We haven't seen the rpm's drop (we call it the "68mph sweet spot"). Do you think it makes a difference even if the rpm's aren't lower?

We're also getting blown away by semi's going quite a bit faster, so the speed has felt like a safety issue as well. Still, fuel economy is my first priority.

Thanks!!
 

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Resurrecting this thread! In looking through replies, it seems there are a lot of variables in towing, but folks are generally getting 11-14mpg towing setups I believe are similar, which is our expectation.

We're 3 days with our new-to-us Ranger and started our truck journey by towing. Traveling from South Florida to basically British Columbia -- we have time to dial our towing (and expectations).

Can anyone share if they feel this 23' boat and trailer should be getting 9mpg on flats (10mph crosswind) and 7-8mpg on hills (same wind)? Our total weight is 4100#. Trailer is a 2019 Venter with tires rated to 75mpg. Average speed through flat midwest is 68mph and 1900 rpms and Kansas hills is 68mph and 2500rpms. We're using the tow haul mode and notice the downhill engine breaking, but we haven't observed higher rpms otherwise.

What are we doing wrong? Is there that much resistance from an open bed and canopy on the boat?

Trying to troubleshoot if we have an issue, or if this is because of the nature of our setup. We really were not expecting single digit miles per gallon.

Thanks much!

Sgt Pepp.jpeg
9 MPG does sound pretty low to me. Just pulled a new camping trailer for 300 miles through some Colorado hills and heavy winds. It weighed close to 5500#'s and I have topper on the truck. Averaged 11.5 MPG on the way "up" and 13.5 coming back "down".

But to your other question...yes, you will be stopping for fuel every 200 miles or so. This seems to be a problem for everyone but me! Thats pretty close to three hours on the road and if I don't have to pee by then you know the Princess does, or maybe Dog 1, or Dog 2! We need to stop for something every few hours or so! The 5 gallon jerry can helps to relieve any worries about gas.
 

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But to your other question...yes, you will be stopping for fuel every 200 miles or so. This seems to be a problem for everyone but me! Thats pretty close to three hours on the road and if I don't have to pee by then you know the Princess does, or maybe Dog 1, or Dog 2! We need to stop for something every few hours or so! The 5 gallon jerry can helps to relieve any worries about gas.
This!^ We usually have to stop every few hours to stretch our legs or go to the bathroom (especially if we're drinking enough liquid) or get a snack or let the dogs out or whatever. So might as well do all that at the gas station and get it all over with at once, then hit the road again.
 

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Can anyone share if they feel this 23' boat and trailer should be getting 9mpg on flats (10mph crosswind) and 7-8mpg on hills (same wind)? Our total weight is 4100#. Trailer is a 2019 Venter with tires rated to 75mpg. Average speed through flat midwest is 68mph and 1900 rpms and Kansas hills is 68mph and 2500rpms. We're using the tow haul mode and notice the downhill engine breaking, but we haven't observed higher rpms otherwise.
Are you running premium gas, and staying around 60mph? If not, try that. My suspicion is you are going too fast and using regular gas. Can you confirm?

I tow a 5,000 lbs GVWR trailer that is probably about 4,500 lbs the way we loaded it on a recent trip. At 60mph, with premium gas, in tow/haul mode, I get 12-13 mpg (occasionally almost 14 mpg) with zero wind. In high winds, my mileage drops to around 10 mpg, occasionally 9 mpg. That is seriously uncomfortable wind for towing, and the Ranger is 2 gears lower than it would normally tow in.
 

SergeantRanger

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Are you running premium gas, and staying around 60mph? If not, try that. My suspicion is you are going too fast and using regular gas. Can you confirm?

I tow a 5,000 lbs GVWR trailer that is probably about 4,500 lbs the way we loaded it on a recent trip. At 60mph, with premium gas, in tow/haul mode, I get 12-13 mpg (occasionally almost 14 mpg) with zero wind. In high winds, my mileage drops to around 10 mpg, occasionally 9 mpg. That is seriously uncomfortable wind for towing, and the Ranger is 2 gears lower than it would normally tow in.
I think we may be going a little fast -- we were mostly watching the rpms, not the mph as our guide.

And we are not running premium gas; that is a good recommendation!

Thanks so much!
 

EJH

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I think we may be going a little fast -- we were mostly watching the rpms, not the mph as our guide.

And we are not running premium gas; that is a good recommendation!

Thanks so much!
The manual states to run premium when towing. It will make a couple mpg difference and be nicer to the engine :)

FWIW, I always run premium. The few times I've tried regular (not towing), my mpg drops by around the same percentage difference as the price between regular and premium, if not more.
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