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RE: Fuel Economy
One thing to remember about MPG towing, is front area vs weight is a bigger factor in how good or bad you get. AN increase of 3 sq ft of frontal area, is an equal HP needed when you add 1000 lbs at 60 mph! 15K total lbs, at 90 sq ft of frontal area, needs 135 HP as does a 25K lb rig with 70 sq ft of frontal area at 60 mph. There are some other factors that are weight only, ie how much additional hp one needs climbing hills. That is based on weight. Tire type, tread design, road type can also effect mph as to how much additional hp is needed too.
Reality, it take x number of BTU's to move a given load. Unless you change something ina drastic way, it will take the same BTU's or gallons of gas/diesel to move the rig forward. Granted more gears in the trans can keep the rpm at a lower amount, producing the lower/correct HP to move something, vs over revving using more fuel...... that should help you gain an mpg or two depending on the other factors.
Marty
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blt2ski
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11/13/23 09:45pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford 7.3 engine users?
Snoqualmie is 3-4% max
Stevens is in the 4-6% range.
As noted before, local roads are in the 10-20% range around here. Freeway/Interstate roads are not a worry from a braking standpoint.
Scott is near me, Simonds is 11% on nw side, 9% se. 228th by gunclub is over 15%.
Marty
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blt2ski
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11/11/23 09:01am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford 7.3 engine users?
The addition of the Exhaust Brake was a major factor for me upgrading from my 2005 Duramax to a 2011 Duramax. In approx 30K miles the 2005 need new brake pads, while the 2011 was still on the EOM pads when traded with 115K on the clock.
Sounds like operator error to me if your replacing brakes every 30k miles.
My truck is only used for towing and I'm in the mountains a lot. I can see that kind of mileage if I didn't have an EB.
I'll go with the driver or equal error. My 05 DW dmax went 140K miles before needing new pads all around. I was running around upwards of 16K gvw, and 25K gcw at times, mostly doing local stuff.
Marty
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blt2ski
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11/10/23 09:01pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Tow Vehicle w/ Best Back Seat for Passengers - Ram Mega Cab?
As said. Go sit in them!
With that said. I've seen specs that show the maga cab having more room than a Ford/GM crew cab. As noted by one, his 6' 2" son fits fine with no issues in his Ford. My twin 6'4" sons fit in my 96 and 05 GM crew cabs. Granted my 2014 GM 1500 is an extended cab. A bit less room. They fit back there fine too. Seats have been comfy in all three, the few times I've been in the back. I'm 5'11".
Drive them all and decide what is best for you.
My 1500, is a 6.5' short box. I do admit the 145" WB is nice from a getting around stand point vs mu CC 8' bed trucks. I'm not NEEDING an 8' box as I have in the past. Then again, not every one has a 14' - 7 ton capacity dump flatbed in there back yard either.
Marty
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blt2ski
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11/07/23 03:07pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: I'm curious to know what you would do?
^^^ Marty, let me put the question to you another way: Imagine you are considering replacing your 2014 Chevy with a new to you diesel. After shopping around you narrow it down to two different trucks. On one side of the street you could buy a 2022 Ford F350 Platinum with 35000 miles on it for $70k and on the other side of the street there is the upgraded 2023 Ford F350 Platinum high output with only 10,000 miles on it for $80k.... which truck would look more appealing to you?
With what you just said, the 23.
With that said, I don't nor will I buy a fully loaded truck like that. So reality is, neither truck would be on my list! If it was more mid trim, cloth seats, etc, I'd buy that one for $10k less.
I saw a 14 when I bought mine, it was a base work truck model with half the miles, $3k more than the one I bought. I would have preferred that one over my LT! Sales rep would not go look to see if it had the G80 locker option. My guess is that it did! But I wasn't going to drive 80 miles into a 25f typical Puget sound snow storm to open a glove box.
Marty
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blt2ski
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11/06/23 09:54pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: I'm curious to know what you would do?
As someone that buys new, used to be something every three years, every ten years I traded that rig in......it took a multiple of things to decide when and where I might change out.
From what you have said, I do not see it worth trading. Other than a few more HP/Torque. Frankly I dont see the reason to trade in. Especially if power wise, the current rig works. If you went from a 6-10 sp trans too, along with some other asst odds and ends. Sure, it begins to be worth while.
I find it takes about 5 years before enough add ons are at a minimum to trade in.
Marty
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blt2ski
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11/06/23 05:10pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: I'm curious to know what you would do?
Something I thought of on this. The 23 being as you are getting this when the 24's are already out. You get an extra 20k miles before it will be high mileage! You're at zero miles, as are 24's.
You drive alot of miles per year iirc, that could another benefit vs the used rig with half the miles.
Also based on last post......keep the one you have until a 24 or 25 model has options you want.
As for me, I've got another 3-5 yrs before I'll be ready to trade in the 14.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/31/23 08:28pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: New and Old Skins
I would call the AT2 an aggressive highway or mild AT tire.
Certainly, not aggressive like the duratracs on my truck!
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/31/23 10:38am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: I'm curious to know what you would do?
If I was you, I would buy the 23, and order the new 24 or 25 truck while there, so I dont have to worry about not getting a new truck next year!
ME! I usually drive them until there dead around 10 yrs and 200K miles. I dont have the funds to trade in on a yearly basis.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/30/23 09:34pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: New and Old Skins
For my style of driving, I like the new ones. Unless the new ones have a harder rubber compound, looking at 10% less miles IMHO.
I do like the look.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/26/23 01:52pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Prestone all-vehicle coolant
This sounds like a don't mix dino and synthetic oil. I've done both with no issues. If you need one or the other, only one issue available....they mix together to get you home, sometimes beyond.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/24/23 11:45am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford 7.3 engine users?
I still believe for most interstate driving, a gas rig appropriately loaded, with current technology, will be fine into the low 20k realm.
The only thing a diesel will have generally speaking, is power at 10k feet vs the gas bring 30% down to to elevation. As I don't know if any diesels with out a turbo. With the advent of the eco boost style engines, elevation power loss will not be an issue.
Marty
Marty
I'm not sure if anymore I would declare "above X lbs, you need diesel"
but instead the decision would be based on miles per year. In the past, my thought was how much value is in a engine that will last 2-3 times the useful life of truck? but if drove enough miles/year the fuel savings would pay. But we have got to the point gas engines are lasting long enough that the rest of truck is likely to be reason to get rid of it. Meeting emissions standards with gas has improved efficiency and the parts needed to do it have proven pretty trouble free. The same can't be said about diesel, and cost to repair can exceed value of pickup.
Scooby
Being as Ive seen a number of F750 rigs run by Wa ST mostly DOT rigs. I do believe that gas vs diesel should come down to the how many miles you drive etc. Iis gone from 15-20k miles a year, 80-100k miles to pay for the increased cost of a diesel, to 150-200+k miles, and 30k+ miles a year. This is assuming a 3-5 year ROI on the diesel.
These bigger gas motors have a place in the under 30k gvwr/gcw rigs running down the road.
I pointed out the exhaust brakes in the Isuzu's I've driven since early 80's, as something that's been around awhile too. With some jurisdictions outlawing "Jake brakes", IE the use of velves to get compression braking, exhaust valves do a similar effect. With out the noise issue.
I've have heard about them on gas rigs, I'm going to assume one can still get use out of it. Whether it's as good as used on a diesel. That I don't know.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/23/23 06:09pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford 7.3 engine users?
Isuzu LCF models has exhaust brakes std in early 80's. Those rigs needed them for steeper than 10% grades. Less than 6% freeway grades were not a big deal. Granted most of those driven were at gvwr, not gcw. As they went the most powerful creatures.
My 05 dmax, the grade braking of the Allison worked fine when I was in the greater than 15-20k gvwr realm. Freeway weren't a big deal. Greater than local 10% grades, needed the trans grade braking plus an occasional use of truck and trailer brakes.
I will say, exhaust brakes are good to have on diesels. The rigs I have driven with exhaust brakes, behaved as they should. As the engines as designed do not have the best potential compression braking vs gas rig. I believe Scooby pointed out the why.
I still believe for most interstate driving, a gas rig appropriately loaded, with current technology, will be fine into the low 20k realm.
The only thing a diesel will have generally speaking, is power at 10k feet vs the gas bring 30% down to to elevation. As I don't know if any diesels with out a turbo. With the advent of the eco boost style engines, elevation power loss will not be an issue.
Marty
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/21/23 09:42am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford 7.3 engine users?
Who's worried about a typical steepest it can be 6% interstate grade?!?!? Not me. Be it a gaz or deezal!
There are some 15% grades in the NE corner of Yellowstone....that can be interesting.
Otherwise, I haven't had but one rig that would not hold me on a downhill. That was my 88 SW K3500 where the POS th400 lost the ability to shift to 2nd gear. So you went 60-70 mph down typical 4-6% interstate grades, or 25-30 no brakes in 1st. It would hold 15k lbs in 2nd before loosing that gear. My 89 R3500 did that too.
For what it's worth, my 14 4.3 V6 is every bit as good or better pulling my equipment trailer at 6500 as those to supposed mountain climbing 454's were.
As Grit points out, as long as your on a typical freeway grade, the new rigs be them gaz or deezal, will be fine.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/20/23 08:01pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Will pipes freeze overnight?
Hmmmm,
Some of us used our rigs year around as ski huts, snow mobile huts.....temps from 0F to mid 40s in the cascades depending upon the early December to early April time frame.
I kept the trailer at my house, cold temps, ie below 32F 24-7 had the LP going. I also set it to about 45-50 during the week when we had typical Seattle days in the 28-50F relm.
THE biggest issue I had, was a manual drain valve, the water would freeze up into the to main part of the trailer. Then the water was shut off from the water tank to rear bathroom, front kitchen was fine. Our water heater was also in the back, so no hot water. Took out the drain lines, no issues after that.
Reality, until you try it out, you will never know what will or will not freeze up. As long as you keep some heat on during the below 32F 24-7. You should not have issues overall.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/19/23 10:12pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Turning With A Long Bumper Pull Trailer
Just to point out one thing, tow ratings on any truck tested to SAEJ2807 standard (which is pretty much all trucks) are not based upon towing a flatbed trailer. The max trailer weight rating of vehicles is partly determined by testing towing trailers with Frontal areas that are a minimum of 40 sft for 5000 lbs trailers up to 75 sft for very large triaxle trailers. You don’t meet the standard for pulling a 5000 lbs trailer with 40 sft frontal area, you don’t get to rate your truck for that max trailer tow weight rating.
Clicky
Ford tells you what the max frontal area limitations for their vehicles are See pg 17
Back in 92, I saw a poster in an RV dealership. It had max tow ratings for Ford.
F250/350 rigs had a max of 10K lbs at the time, same with GM/Dodge. That assumed you had no more than 80sqft of frontal area. 80.1-100 was lowered to 7500, 100.1-120 was lowered yet again to 5000, over 120 was not recommended to be towed by an F series truck.
The Ranger/Aerostar was maxed at 6000 iirc to 60sqft, lowered to 4500 from 60-70, lowered again to 3000 from 70-80, A trailer over 80 sq ft was not recommended being towed by Ford.
ALL the manufactures should be showing the effects, lowering of ratings etc if you go over the base weights, frontal area drag components etc. MANY of US are in actuality, over the ratings!
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/14/23 09:56am |
Towing
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RE: New to me tow vehicle
Grit,
Motor is .02, truck cost is the rest?!?!? Maybe other way around.....
On way back to Seattle doing one of your drives to Tigard and back...
Maryh
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blt2ski
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10/09/23 06:46pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Chevy custom versus LT
Same basic truck. The LT has a hight interior base trim, along with a higher price tag.
Differences like dual AC area controls with LT ,vs single throughout for custom
Better cloth and cusionu g for the seats, LT, better base radio
Carpets vs vinyl floor.
This kind of stuff.
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/08/23 05:55pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Truck was totaled, looking at GM 6.6 Gasser
Mike,
While neighbor and I have 1500's, I see some of the new 14 on stuff added, like the step on the bumper, yet I see the 21 or 22 next door, and some of the stuff on it. I hope you enjoy it!
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/01/23 05:01pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Truck was totaled, looking at GM 6.6 Gasser
Vintage,
MTN towing in my mind is subjective. For me it is over 6000' elevation. The 3-5K foot passes here in the NW US, a turbo or forced induction motor, while nice, not needed generally speaking. Over 6000', with an HP loss of 18-20% and higher above this elevation, this is where a turbo diesel, one of the turbo gas units, ie an Eco boost as an example help.
Newer gas rigs are better at keeping their HP/torque at elevation than a carb rig, or even TBI rigs, which are nothing more than an electric controlled carb.
Forced induction motors are nice options I admit. The trailer size etc Mike is pulling, he'll be fine with ANY of a gas rigs generally speaking. Along with a $6-10K hit for a diesel, it'll take awhile to pay off the difference in fuel mileage, yeah one gets a higher price on resale.....
Marty
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blt2ski
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10/01/23 02:01pm |
Tow Vehicles
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