FUEL MILEAGE??????

[Mowman]

Do you guys worry about fuel mileage or do you just fill it up and shut up. What kind of truck are you running and what kind of mileage are you getting pulling your equipment? At the present time I'm using an S-10 2.2 Vortec 5 speed. Pulling my 5x10 and Walker I'm getting 22-25 MPG depending on the wind.
Mowman

[trimmer]

I have a 85 k-10 with a 350 and I get 8-10mpg. It is four wheel drive so that dosen't help much. Its cheaper than a new truck so I don't worry about it.

[Shack]

I have a 94 F350 that gets about 18
A 94 chevy dump that gets about 12
A NPR ramp truck that gets about 18 sometimes 20
and a 85 crew cab Chevy 3500, this one is a gasser, it has good days and bad depending on if you have a trailer on.

[geogunn]

Originally posted by Shack

I have a 94 F350 that gets about 18
A 94 chevy dump that gets about 12


shack--are these diesels? please tell me they are. if you tell me they are gas I am gonna totally freak cause I don't see it!:)

GEO

[Shack]

yes they are diesels,

[nlminc]

I have a 96 4x4 crew cab ps diesel, 97 4x4 ps diesel dump and a 2000 350 ps diesel reg cab. I get btwn 13 and 20 /gal. depends on if I'm pulling a trailer (enclosed 7x14 or 8x20) or just driving.

Chris

[KirbysLawn]

I have a 99 F250 diesel:

City Empty: 16.5 mpg
Highway Empty: 20-21
Towing loaded enclosed trailer: 12-13
Towing Spraying Trailer: 15
Wife Driving: 10

[powerreel]

Damn! either you guys are 'catching the big one that got away' or maybe I don't know how to drive! even my ford aerostar only gets, maybe 20,with the seats out, and no traffic! the 2001 jetta gets 27! are diesels really that awesome? i never would have imagined.
otherwise my f250 gets 8 or so, maybe 10 with new spark plugs going downhill,wind @ yer back etc.

[Eric ELM]

My 97 HD F250 351 4X4 gets 10 mpg pulling trailer and 2 Choppers.
15 to 16 empty on the highway

[1MajorTom]

Our 1985 4X4 Dodge 318 gets 13 empty,
around 10 to 11 loaded.


Jodi

[Esby]

My 94' Dodge Dakota V8 gets 14-16 pulling my loaded 5x12 trailer.
Other wise it gets 19mpg.

[SMB]

We have a '87 Suburban 350 2WD that we haul our 6x10 trailer with, probably 7-8 MPG (?) loaded We also have a '81 Chevy 10 shortbed with a 350 (with a 6 cyl. manual trans.-the tranny wasn't switched) I don't want to talk about the gas mileage on it. :) We hope to put it back on the road this spring, (new gas tank).

Jus' gotta love them gas prices!

[thelawnguy]

You will find lots of smoke being blown around when it comes to fuel mileage.

My 95 Dodge gets 9-10 doesnt matter empty loaded highway city whatever. 360-5.9L auto

[Turf Cutters]

I have a 1997 Ford F-250hd crew cab 4x4. It gets 8-10 mpg pulling the trailor and 14 mpg on the highway. My other truck is a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with the v-10. It gets 10 mpg in the city towing or not towing and 12 mpg on the highway.

[Randy Scott]

I fill up and shut up,who cares really. If you're gonna go through life worrying about little things like that you probably are gonna retire a grumpy old man/woman.The bigger and more equipment you have the less mileage that vehicle will most likely get that is needed to tow it. Like alot of the guys here say, just like any other business, pass the cost on to the customer, that's just business. If your S-10 gets good gas mileage and pulls your equipment, good deal!

[CCLC]

My K2500 and K3500 both get about 8-9 mpg. I did take the 2500 to Cincinnati one time and got 14 mpg on the expressway. I have a 1989 F150 with a I-6 that gets 11 mpg loaded or empty. I had a 1991 F250 with the 460 that got 7 mpg going up hill, down hill, loaded, empty, and with a 60mph tail wind. I hated going to the gas station with that beast.

[plow kid]

I would be luckey to get 150 miles per 22 gallon tank with my enclosed trailer, i just fill it up and don't give a hoot
a old 383 with 750 4 barell sucks alot






(especally with a heavy foot)

[RYAN]

My 1994 Chevy 1500 with the 4.3 V6 gets 15mpg without a trailer 10-12 with.

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by thelawnguy
You will find lots of smoke being blown around when it comes to fuel mileage.

Just a note, the figures I posted are figured at the pump (except for the wife one) and are accurate. No need to blow smoke here.

[1st impressions]

I have a 2001 Dodge 2500 4x4 with the 5.9 engine.
I get 7 mpg towing and 8 mpg empty. Never get close
to the 11 mpg that my 97 Ram got with the 5.2 engine.
Sometimes it is hard to imagine that the engineers can't
come up with something a little more efficient that is
not a diesel.

[excel25]

2001Ford 250SD 4x4 sc PSD 13 to 14 avg pulling 8x20 enclosed
18 to 21 with out trailer if speed is below 75.
NO SMOKE!!!!

[yorkpaddy]

my chevy 88 2wd 1500 5.0 305 v8 132k, seems to get just around 14 mpg, sometimes 16 or 17.

My fathers 00 Golf TDI (1.9 L diesel) gets about 45-50 mpg, closer to 40-45 when I drive it. on one long trip, he got 57 mpg, but complained of sluggish throttle response. I took a drive, and before I drove a block, I removed the top thick one of three floormats he had in it (he's a bit anal about dirt), throttle response was back.

I really can't say enough great things about VW's diesels, my uncle bought a jetta diesel in 88, the odometer broke 6 or so years ago at 160k, that thing is sluggish, but it still runs and gets about 45 mpg.

his "new" 98 jetta TDI has about 100k on it, gets around 50 mpg. The TDI's are turbo charged and intercooled, they have good pick up. when I'm on the highway, i can accelerate at 45 or so in 5th gear, 40 if i'm not in a hurry

[Richard Martin]

My 95 F-150 5.0 gets around 14-15 highway no-load. City is 13 no-load, 11 with a load.

Here's an addendum to this question. How many miles do you get out of the front brakes on your trucks?

I have not found out yet. I have put 25k on my brakes since I bought the truck and they're still going strong.

[mowerman90]

I traded my 98 S-10 w/4cyl 5 speed 18mpg towing 12' open trailer hauling Grasshopper in because I needed more get up and go. Got a V6 Ranger that hauls good but only gets 9-10 mpg. Biggest mistake of my life. Should have gotten sm v8 Chevy full size like my friend who gets 16mpg hauling 14' trailer.

[TJLC]

I use an 86 s-10 v6 to pull my 6x12 open trailer. Gas mileage really does not matter to me. It does feel a bit under powered though. I think my next truck will be full size with a bigger engine.

[John DiMartino]

My 89 and 91 GMC 2500's with 350,700r4,and both with 3.73's get 9-11 pulling 18 ft trailer with mower.they get a 11-13 average mileage,and if im easy on them on the highway i can get 15-16 average on the highway,but if i go above 70,the mileage drops big time.the 89 has 145K on it,the 91 has 93k.

[Cleve]

96' F250 4X4 PSD Auto 4.10 gets 13mpg pulling 6X16 fully loaded trailer and 15mpg empty avg.(18mpg with wife driving). Cleve....

[Mowin4cash]

Dodge Dakota 3.9, auto 10 mpg w/ trailer, 15 mpg without.

Chevy C-2500, 5.7, auto don't know yet, still on my first tank, but I'll say this, I've put 300 miles on it so far, and still have not burned 1/2 tank. I'm hoping for 15 mpg.

[GLM]

I drive a 1987 Toyota 1-Ton dually with a 10'x6' stake body and it gets 18mpg around town and 20 on the highway its only a four speed or I think that the highway milage would go up. Milage is important to me, I would rather spend that money somewhere else rather than the gas tank so it works out well. In search of a truck I had it narrowed down to a deisel or a Toyota and found the Toyota first. Keep on mowing GLM.

[lawrence stone]

Originally posted by Mowin4cash
Dodge Dakota 3.9, auto 10 mpg w/ trailer, 15 mpg without.

Chevy C-2500, 5.7, auto don't know yet, still on my first tank, but I'll say this, I've put 300 miles on it so far, and still have not burned 1/2 tank. I'm hoping for 15 mpg.

With the 34 gal fuel tank after the 1/2 mark it will drop like a rock. Also when the gauge in the truck is on E you are out of fuel (I know first hand).

[SJR Lawncare]

I have a 97 F-250 HD 351, I am lucky to get 10 mpg pulling my trailer.

About front brakes, I just put new ones on at 35,000 miles, about 15,000 miles of trailer pullin'/ 20,000 without trailer.

SJR

[Greenkeepers]

99 Ram 2500 360, 5 speed, 410 gears, 36 gallon tank = about 9 mpg loaded
98 Ram 1500 360, auto, 25 gallon tank = about 13 loaded

[nlminc]

I'm still pullin my stuff around with my mountaion bike, so no comment.

Chris

[Eric ELM]

http://elms.bizland.com/scrub.jpg

[Eric ELM]

I couldn't resist putting that picture up after Chris's comment. For all of you new members, this picture isn't Chris. It was shot by Paul around the SW side of Chicago last summer, of a guy that they happened to see.

[nlminc]

Eric, My lawyer will be calling you for that 15 minutes worth of deprivation of character! I'm now ashamed to show my face in public and to voice my opinions at LS because of this behavior!

Chris

[Albemarle Lawn]

10-11 mpg city, 9 MPG highway.

Rear axle ratio: 5.73:1

Top Speed 65-70 MPH


Weight w/ mowers= 11,500 lbs.

Engine 3.9L Diesel direct-injection turbo intercooled.

[leaflawnandlimb]

I have three 1999 chevy silverados, one 2500 2 wheel drive w/6.0 and two 1500 four wheel drives w/ 5.3, all extended cabs. They all seem to get 10-12 mph w/ trailers, 12-15 w/o.

[Scotty]

My 1995 1 ton Chevy 4x4 with 350 and 4.10 rear end averages 10 miles per gallon pulling 8' x 20' enclosed trailer with two DC and one walk behind.

My 1997 1 ton Chevy flatbed 4x4 with 454 and 4.10 rear end averages 7 miles per gallon pulling same trailer and equipment.

[little green guy]

My 94' chevy 3500 4x4 with a 350 get about 8-9, sometimes a little better on the highway I guess. I think I should have my own gas pump at the gas station cause all i ever do is fill that thing up. :(

[MJB]

I don't feel so bad now. I just bought a 94 F250 4x4 with a 460 auto air and all the extras. Pulling a loaded 16 ft trailer I got 11mpg Not as bad as I thought it would be.... 7-8 whew:-)

[AltaLawnCare]

00 Dodge w/ 5.9 Cummins, 410 rear 4x4:
I measured it at the pump during the first 3 months I owned it, Combination of HIghway and in town driving..
Best was 18.5 ; worst was 16.7.
I hadnt measured it pulling the trailer, but it seems to be the same - the 16' w/ two mowers isn't a drop in the bucket to the loads this thing was designed to pull. :cool:

[dhicks]

My 2001 Chevy 2500 get a constant 13-15 MPG on the highway and and I don't want to know pulling my rig. Perhaps the milage will increase once the engine gets broken in. I guess that for me: fill-up and shut-up.

[Jim White]

New 2001 GMC 2500HD Crew Cab with a 6.6L Duramax Deisel and Alison T1000 tranny will make you all cry. 19.5 hwy unloaded, and 18.1 city. With trailer and equip. (est. @ 4500#) I'm getting 17.3 NO SMOKE of course it also cost me 5K more up front, but well worth it in the pulling dept. I don't even know the trailers back there any more. I traded a '95 GMC 1500 with a 350 for this truck which did ok at about 17-19 Hwy unloaded 15 city, and about 13-14 with trailer, until a hill came along. Now I could pass people on a hill if I had too. With the current price of Diesel, the better mpg, and the better resale value, anyone that can do the math will relize a Diesel is the way to go. You guys running mini trucks with 16'+ trailers must drive down hill to every stop and then back home.

[SCAPEASAURUSREX]

I want a diesel......

I have a 95 F250 Super Duty and it gets about 8 pulling the 8 x 18 enclosed trailer and is about 15 by itself... It's got the 351 W in it.. I also have an 85 F150 with a 351 W , but the fuel gauges have not worked since I owned it , so I dont have a clue... But probalby the same as the 250 hopfully a little better ???

[ERIC ROBERGE]

A little trick that can help you see how hard you are working the engine, which is directly proportional to fuel usage, is to install a vacuum guage. At idle the guage should read about 18 inches of vacuum (low power demand) and at wide open throttle close to 0 inches of vacuum (high power demand).
Just run a vacuum line from the intake manifold to a vacuum guage inside the cab and keep an eye on it while you drive. Try to keep the vacuum above 10 inches when you are casually driving.
I got 13 mpg from a 4wd 79 ramcharger with a 360 engine. On road that is.

Also a vacuum guage can be used to diagnose timing problems, valve train problems, catalyst failure before the leave you on the side of the road.

[ERIC ROBERGE]

This trick will only work on gasoline engines.

[LJ lawn]

i have a 94 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins diesel,5spd,minor mods(full 4 inch exhaust k&n filter). 3.55 rear,tall 285 tires,dump insert.i pull a 16' open double axle trailer with one walker diesel,one diesel Grasshopper,32" Exmark,blowers,weedwackers, etc.gotta be 2500 lbs + i'm towing and i usually get around 15mpg local with the a/c on.normally in the 20mpg area just highway cruisn' with no trailer.

[gogetter]

1999 Dodge Dakota Sport 5.2L V8 auto. W/trailer about 10 MPG.

[landscaper3]

Our 1997 F350 4x4 pickup (diesel) 18mpg city & 23 highway put over 40,000 miles on since we got it!
1995 Ford F350 4x4 Dual wheel dump truck ( diesel)(14mpg city and dont know on highway.
1989 F350 4x4 dump truck dual wheel, 12mpg MAX older 7.3 liter
1989 GMC 1500, 305 2wd pickup 13mpg city, highway unknown!!!
1989 Dodge D250 4x4, 360 ci pickup, 9mpg city and would even think of putting it on the highway. All our 4x4 have 8foot to 10foot plows and loose alot during plowing season but the diesels get ALOT better milage also we loose around 2mpg on the diesels pulling skid steers and lawn maintenance equipment and more on the gas jobs :blob2:

[smalltime]

Larry Love, aka, leaflawnandlimb,

What is the mileage on the 3 1999 silverados? I have a 2000 silverado ext 4x4 with the 5.3 and have just started getting 17 mpg without a trailer. It now has about 18k miles on it. I do pull a 16 foot utility on occasion with a car on it or a couple ton of stone, or a ton of wood. At those times I usually get 14 to 15 mpg.

I have a roll-n-lock on the bed, which may help. Which, by the way, if anybody has considered purchasing, I am a bonafide fan of. The company that makes them does an outstanding job with customer service. I would buy another one without question. I have no relationship to roll-n-lock, just think it is just about the highest quality, most convenient and secure bed cover you can get.

I know that is off the subject, but it probably does double duty as a secure bed cover and an improver of gas, er, fuel mileage.

Steve

[HOMER]

My 2000 Dodge Cummins got 18-20 on a road trip.........tailgate up, air on, 75-90 mph every chance I got.

Pulling the 24' enclosed trailer? I'm sure it gets a little less than that.

Truck trailer combined weight is 14,700 lbs.

It has the 3.55 gear which keeps it a little on the sluggish side unless your over 1800 rpm's. Anything over that and it pulls good.

As far as brakes..............I'm on my 3rd set of pads at nearly 40,000 miles. 2nd set was el-cheapo, didn't last long at all. Last set was Performance friction................we'll see!

[hustlers]

I run nissans and toyotas get 15-22 mpg fully
loaded with walker and walk behind.
I make money running these babies

[m&m]

if all you are pulling is a lawn trailer and nothing extremely heavy, and you are planning on getting a big truck, dont get anything over a 3:73 rear end. anything that is a lower pulling gear is gonna kill you especially if you have four wheel drive.

[SCAPEASAURUSREX]

Homer,

I ran Performance Frictions on my F250 and had to replace them in 20K miles, not worth the $90 bucks I paid for them.. Did not notice any stronger stopping power, just noticed that my rotors became warped from them !! I just run regular HD pads and shoes that I get at the local parts stores, I think they are Bendix or Beck Arnley ??

[ScottH]

We run a 97 Dodge Diesel w dual rear end. gets 18+ with out trailer and about 12-13 with the 39' gooseneck. many times though it's run at near the legal weight for the combination- 21000 lbs

PS. it's not usually driven with fuel economy in mind ! HA HA

[topsites]

Our 1985 4X4 Dodge 318 gets 13 empty,
around 10 to 11 loaded.
Jodi

Yeah, my 1986 D-250 Ram used to get 8-12 like that when I bought it but I got tired of that crap and did some research and work.
I now get 10-12 with loaded trailer, 12-14 with empty trailer, 17-20 without trailer.
Some tricks:
I use high-performance cap-and-rotor, Taylor 8mm wires and platinum plugs.
Since the truck is carbureted, I use one those open-air filters. Synthetic or synthetic blend oil is great also, but the truck leaks a little so it's too expensive: change oil every 3k. Dual exhaust is nice, but costs 400-600 to install if you don't have it so I didn't do it.
All tire pressures checked weekly.
Removed the tailgate - This really helped ! I installed a 2x6 wooden board in its place temporarily but recently bought one those air-gates. Only thing is you gotta watch out for small stuff being inside boxes so it don't roll out.

Closed windows help, as does a clean truck (wash that dirt off). Dunno if this helps, but I wax it too cauz it's good exercise anyway.

Load light - Leave anything I can behind. Fuel up the mower, no 5-gallon can comes with, but a syphon hose is in the toolbox. If I don't need it, home it stays (extra bonus: less stuff to get stolen).

Equipment-wise: If it's not being used, turn it off (same goes for truck). I don't give a rat if you're only walking away for 2 seconds: If you put it down, turn it off (extra bonus: the 8-year old walking past it while you're not watching is less likely to be tempted to pick it up and vrooom-vrooom your chainsaw which you left running).

Driving style is a big factor. Light throttle, let the truck work its magic her way instead of the other way around. When I can get going from a stop and achieve the speed limit with the SAME accelerator pressure I used to get going and never exceed the speed limit while maintaining that same point on the pedal, I've achieved my goal. I don't care if it takes 3-4 minutes and if the truck ends up doing 5 over that's ok, too.
With trailer, the slower I go, the better fuel it gets, period. For this and other reasons I use backroads or roads with less traffic and fewer intersections. Doing the speed limit and even 5 below seems helpful, when I can do it. Avoiding busy interstates where heavy traffic can force me to do 70+mph when 30 and 40mph is better ...

Keep a 6-8+ second following distance and learn to drive using only the gas pedal (plan waaaay ahead). When I need to stop, I like to coast as far ahead as I can think and the truck to be doing 25mph or less before I apply the brakes. A lot of times I can slow-coast through intersections if I plan far enough ahead, the light turns green at the correct interval. You can do this in a car as well, and if more people did it, we'd see 10-20% less fuel consumption. Unfortunately, it likely won't happen ...
But if it helps even one person, I'll feel better.
Peace

[topsites]

I fill up and shut up,who cares really. If you're gonna go through life worrying about little things like that you probably are gonna retire a grumpy old man/woman.The bigger and more equipment you have the less mileage that vehicle will most likely get that is needed to tow it. Like alot of the guys here say, just like any other business, pass the cost on to the customer, that's just business. If your S-10 gets good gas mileage and pulls your equipment, good deal!

The higher your cost, the higher your price.
The lower my cost, the lower my price.
The profit remains the same.
Customers are not stupid.
...

Do you know what the world's leaders will do when the world runs out of fuel?
They will talk ...
And talk ...
And talk ...
And talk ...
...

I know ... you don't care.
Peace

[topsites]

My 95 F-150 5.0 gets around 14-15 highway no-load. City is 13 no-load, 11 with a load.

Here's an addendum to this question. How many miles do you get out of the front brakes on your trucks?

I have not found out yet. I have put 25k on my brakes since I bought the truck and they're still going strong.

I've gotten 40k out of mine on my 250 but I drive very lightly, probably lighter than most.
How well the truck stops is not an indicator of how worn your brakes are, front disc-brake calipers are self-adjusting and will work 100% even after you've completely worn your pads to the metal. If this happens, you will need to replace the rotors in addition to the pads and may face caliper replacement as well, in addition to that being very dangerous.
This is the second time I've pulled both front wheels off and removed the caliper to physically look at the pads. Now they have about 5k left on them, but I've seen folk go through brand-new ones in 10k, it all depends how you drive. You need to look at the pads or have someone check them, otherwise your first sign might be a grinding noise which means metal-to-metal contact, especially if the squeal-indicator has broken off for some reason.
As far as the back brakes, on my truck the parking brake does not automatically adjust so as long the parking brake holds the truck, the pads are fine, thou this takes experience and 'feel.'
Peace

[Grassmechanic]

wow, digging up another old post

[LK05]

[QUOTE=topsites]Yeah, my 1986 D-250 Ram used to get 8-12 like that when I bought it but I got tired of that crap and did some research and work.
I now get 10-12 with loaded trailer, 12-14 with empty trailer, 17-20 without trailer.
where did you do your research?