Towing and fuel mileage

littleblue...hell of a nice Boston Whaler there!
Cjeers, Jeff

 

Not a chance in hell towing that trailer would I have been in the teens. And it would have been extremely difficult on those hills to drop speed. Given the steepness, weight, and gearing for the truck, my options were either to rev it out in 2nd or 3rd gear and I didn't want to be the guy doing 40mph on the fwy. That was more unsafe than me doing 75-80. Any slower and it wouldn't hold speed.

Max mpg's on the return trips down those hills were 8.5-10 and that was speed dependent.

 

Fun fact!

There's 2 reasons why most states regulate towing speed to 55 miles per hour.

1. It is the ideal speed to fuel economy ratio.

2. Safety.

If you want better fuel economy drive 55mph whenever possible. (And if you want a slight really wont notice but it's still kinda worth it) you can also stay behind semis you'll get a little less drag on the trailer.

 

tiz the truth. wind resistance is a bitch.

Managed to pull 19-20mpg from socal to norcal (1000mi of driving) at 55-60mph bed loaded with camp gear and a smaller trailer with a jetski and dirtbike on it. Same setup doing 65-70 im down to 15.... 12ish going from chico to tahoe up the 80 haha.

 

Getting right at 10 pulling 2 tons at 60mph

 

The boat is sailing through the air

 

70 mph is too fast. Most trailer tires are only rated for 65. Even unloaded there is about 2mpg difference if I keep it under 70. The worse the aerodynamics the more speed hurts fuel mileage and pulling that camper is like driving with a parachute behind you. I wouldn't be surprised at all for you to pick up 2 mpg by driving 60-65.

I've pulled that much weight and more, but on a utility trailer or pop-up camper that didn't catch much wind and have gotten 15 mpg. But the wind will kill you.

 

Managed 14mpg going from San Francisco to Denver, pulling a uhaul that weighed in at ~4000lbs. Truck is supercharged, so was able to stay in 6th (have a MT) 90% of the time.

 

Getting about 9-10 mpg running 55-60. 4710 lbs dry.

I'm also running a lift and 285's

 

You got me curious on the tires and I looked up the specs on my TT's tires. I knew they were a little higher speed rating than the normal trailer tire but mine are actually rated at 87mph for a max speed rating. They are the Goodyear Endurance radials. From what I understand they are supposed to be a great trailer tire. But yes, a lot of trailer tires do not have a very high speed rating at all. My little Jayco actually pulls great behind my truck at every speed that I have had it at. I just run a single anti sway bar, friction style, and she is rock solid. Big rigs passing dont seem to bother it but certain minivans will make it move around a little.

Its not all that much weight back there but it is a lot of wind drag.

 

Question... I am going to be picking up a trailer this spring and I have one selected. Issue is it maxes out the towing capacity of the Taco at dry weight....

I cant seem to find a different trailer that meets my needs that weighs less than this and compete with the price at the same time.

I intend to use this trailer as a dwelling and not a camping only item. It won't be moved very often, Im just divorced single and alone in a house that I dont need. Im more of a minimalist and I like the idea of the freedom camper living provides as well.

So do you think towing this beast will kill my truck? Or will it be okay to tow dry once in a blue moon.

 

Wow the tongue weight alone is 200lbs over what the truck can handle. You need a lot more truck or a lot less camper. Seems like a lot more than a minimalist needs.

 

I understand where you are coming from. But if I were in your spot and really wanted that trailer, I would probably get a friend with a bigger truck to pull it where you need it to go. If you are never going to pull it places, then getting somebody else to tow it for you would be a decent option.

If you are going to move it around often, then you need a smaller camper or a bigger truck.

 

The best MPGs I've ever seen, in two years, has been when I was hauling my camper at 60-75 MPH in the mountains; ~22 MPG (when I average 18-19 HWY).

Granted, mine's a measly 1,400 lbs compared to y'alls setups.

 

Well minimalist in the sense that I am downsizing from a 3500sq ft house on an acre and a half lot, and 2 vehicles down to one(just sold the car last night as a matter of fact) to a 28bhs trailer. I would like to not go much smaller than this trailer if I can help it, But I do see your point as well.
If I were to upgrade the rear suspension by aals and heavy shocks or an airbag system would you think it would cut it?

Im not opposed to renting a halfton to transport the trailer if I absolutely cannot avoid it.

Thanks for your input!

 

The dealer will probably not even let you tow it off their lot with your truck. I'd guess that once you are loaded with your possessions, propane, and water you are going to be in the neighborhood of 1,000lbs overweight.

Your truck can probably do it if properly equipped but you're going to be a hazard for others on the road.

 

My Taco is a '14, 4.0 Access cab, stock. I pulled a 5x8 landscape trailer with 3 full size fridges and 2 electric stoves, plus one stove in the bed 165 miles one way. Came back empty. I usually get 18 mpg combined, and this time it was 11 mpg, so I guess I was doing about normal also.

 

I tow a 4800 lb travel trailer with my Tacoma Ted sport and got 10 miles a gallon. Took back to dealer yesterday to have fixed. Some hills and highway.,mostly in 5 gear pulled fine.