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Member
Posts: 32
Location: Berlin Wi | The year end rebates and discounts the Dealers are offering has me looking at an extended cab pickup for my next tow vechicle. I will tow a Ranger 621 and would appreciate any comments regarding make,model and rigging you would advise. Info regarding MPG and road stability would also be of value Thanks |
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Member
Posts: 149
Location: Appleton, WI | Any of the big 3 will tow your ranger just fine but if MPG is your concern give a 3/4 ton with a disel engine a good look at. |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Ditto on the diesel. My 6000 Turbo Chevy DuroMax has gotten 16 and change since day one, more if I keep the speed down. Tows and pulls my Monster 5 ton Grady White with ease, my 18' Smokercraft Sled like theres nothing there.. And the fuel cost were always 10 to 15 cents cheaper in the summer until oil costs exploded. Then I paid 50 to 80 cent more per gallon over regular unleaded. Its now back down to 30 to 40 cents over unleaded, but still more. So not sure how the trade off of miles versus cost figures out. But still wondering how a fuel with 5 fewer steps to refine and make from oil, cost less at the pump during the summer months all those years but now so much more. I'm guessing the supply and demand from the trucking industry keeps it that high. But the fleet of trucks using the product cannot have changed that much in those few short years.
Edited by walleye express 9/6/2008 7:29 AM
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Member
Posts: 215
| Guy I know put a propane booster in his diesel for a cost of about 1800 bucks. He said he has not lost any power and that the thing is supposed to save him about 2000 bucks a year. At least thats what it is projected to do. |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Where could one find and read about the particulars of that booster? |
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Member
Posts: 538
| Depending on how many toys you want on a truck, I always buy loaded Yukons and Tahoes. You might be able to get a good deal on a hybrid tahoe or yukon.
I may be wrong, by I had heard that all the stock units are loaded with options, by I have not shopped them myself to check it out.
I like having all my gear inside, protected and warm.
I find the gas units are great tow vehicles and they serve me well. I have not been able to get over the additional cost of diesel motors and diesel fuel in my payback calculations. I am only towing 10% of my vehicle mileage. (at best)
I trade every 80k or so as well so that plays into my calcs as well.
Good luck and hapy shopping,
Jim O
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Member
Posts: 215
| The product is called a "red Rooster" and is made by a guy(Jerry Price 920-207-1293) in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin. Easy to instal yourself. Saves 20-30% in fuel especially under a load and increases power by 20%. Website is collectiveknowledgellc.net or .com. Cost is 1600 bucks. Guy who has it says its awesome and he installed it himself. Hope this helps. |
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| I think what you need for a tow vehicle depends on how far you plan on towing your boat. If you are making long runs, the diesel is probably the way to go. I would check into the propane booster to see if it will void your warranty. I would be surprised if it doesn't. Just a little food for thought, I bought a new '08 F150 last month for $22,500.(plus tax) Four wheel drive, XLT, supercab, tow package etc.. It handles my Lund Pro-V 1900 very well. |
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| Toyato or gmc/chev. i dont think you need diesel to pull a 21 ft ranger. Diesel is more expensive fuel right now! Stay away from (Fix Or repair daily)! |
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Location: Rhinelander | Toyota Tundra. I'm getting 14 pulling my boat. The truck rides great, stops on a dime, and has more power than you'll need. Interior is very nice, well appointed and comfortable. Best ride I've had to date. |
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Member
Posts: 149
Location: Appleton, WI | do the math guys, take your MPG and divide by the cost per gallon. I think you will find a diesel rig will have the lowest cost per mile.
Sworral I gotta say IF you can get 14 MPG towing anything thats out of the ordenary. I'm sorry for doubting you but other toyota owners that I work with are saying 14-15 daily driving and drop out to 8-10 towing anything. One even claimed he fell off to 12 MPG with just 2 fourwheelers on a 8 x 8 trailor. Mabey by your home range the roads are olny 55 MPH which would make a HUGE differance over the 65 MPH highways I have to travel daily? I test drove a new tundra and WOW that truck was the best riding and most powerful truck I ever drove, like you said stopped on a dime, and very well enginered interior, that 6 speed transmission shifted wonderfully, but fuel economy is not any better than the big 3 and the cost is several thousand higher then any other 1/2 ton truck out there. just my two cents. |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | I think when you devide gallons used by miles traveled, it comes up to average miles. I won't say I went very far, but towed the old girl 48 miles one way (at 50 MPH) using the auto tow setting last Sunday, when the truck was half full, filled her up and my calculator said 16.039. Might have been because I inflated my tires to that perfect Obama pressure setting the week before.   |
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| This is my experience with my duramax pulling my 620. On the freeway @ 70 mph I get around 14. If I keep her and under 60 I will get 16.7 all day long. I have 94000 miles on mine and love my allison transmission. The fuel price sucks but for a tow vehicle I love it, and I am lucky enough to use my truck for fishing and hunting exclusively. My old man runs his to Idaho every year and gets around 20 mpg while towing a small trailer but has a manual transmission. To each his own. My personal belief is if you do a lot of towing and plan to keep a truck beyond 100,000 miles the diesel will outlive the gaser. The resale value of a high milage diesel is also historically higher. Just my two cents for the day |
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| I just made a 600 mile round trip pulling a Warrior 2090BT full with 50 gallons on gas, gear for three guys, and a couple of coolers. I was pulling it with a 2006 Dodge with a diesel. When I filled, I computed my mileage the right way and I got 21 mpg. You will NEVER come close to this with any gas truck. I pull a 8.5 X 20' enclosed trailer full of tools. I average 13-15 mpg. pulling this trailer. My last truck was a gas truck and could only average 6-7 mpg. pulling this same trailer. The math is simple, twice the mpg. for less than a dollar more per gallon. Cold hard facts are cold hard facts. Doctalk doesn't know what he is talking about. Gas trucks can not ever compare to diesels for towing or highway driving. The main downfall is the engine noise and exhaust smell. Good luck with your search. |
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Member
Posts: 39
| I agree with the toolboy, Dodge has come along way with there fuel mileage, my dad has one and I have two. The cummings I think is still the way to go for pulling wise and mileage. I was out vacationing a month ago in wyoming and montana and you'd be suprised how many ranchers are using dodge pickups with diesels. Just a thought and what I would suggest. But if you have good luck with a brand so be it. |
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Location: Rhinelander | My last tank of fuel in the Tundra netted me 13.7 pulling my X190 at all speeds. Half the tank was expressway, the other double nickel roads. Remember, the X190 isn't anywhere near as much a target for wind resistance and is lighter than the 20' big water rigs. |
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Member
Posts: 344
Location: Manitowoc WI | you can and will get 20mpg pulling with a diesel. If not a diesel, id recommend at least 3/4 ton it will have beefier suspenion and over sized brakes. Making it a safer pull. that will not over strain your daily driver. the price of trucks are great right now! |
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Member
Posts: 149
Location: Appleton, WI | Sworrall I am impressed!! That is very respectful towing mileage. I just got home from the bay, filled up and got a wopping 8.72 MPG thats Hwy 41 straight up to michigan, 182miles and 20.87 gallons of gas. I tryed to keep her about 67mph in the 65 zones and 58 in the 55 zones and i'm towing a 1800 lund with walkthru windshield. heck I usually get 13.5 just the truck driving around. Morral of this story is dont buy a ford. lol (or a lund either!!) |
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Member
Posts: 1656
| Big O, we get crap fuel and bad grape kool aid in the Valley. 
It's laughable that a site dedicated to GMC/Chevy with over 2000 users don't post the numbers that some of these guys claim to get. One that doesn't know the correct spelling of his engine or the correct size and sets a 50 mile trip as a benchmark for fuel milage. hahaha One thats "sponsored" by Toyota, would you expect any less? hahaha Personally I perfer facts, aka I call Buls@#$....too much grape kool aid for me.
And I'll be glad to line 'em up and run the distance any day of the week to find out the real facts.
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Member
Posts: 344
Location: Manitowoc WI | No disrespect, but ill jump on the band wagon with that. Unless, towing at below average speeds (50-55 on freeway)
most trucks fall on there face as far as gas mileage after 55. you will go from 13 to 8 between 55mph and 70mph.
my truck will go from 25mpg to 15mpg from 55mph to 70. oh, and restarting your average after your on the freeway helps too... takes alot more gas to get to speed
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Member
Posts: 538
| 2007 Yukon with 5.3 gets about 12 towing my very loaded 620 and a little over 17 running up the hiway without boat. Both cases running about 72mph.
If I was patient enough to run slower, it would save me a bunch.
Take care,
Jim O |
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Location: Rhinelander | Jayman,
You need to push your chair back a little and relax a little before you get a 'does not play well with others' sticker..:)
I believe Ted told me he's getting around 10 average pulling his Lund, and that boat is WAY larger than the rig I have; I'll check that and confirm what he said ( OK, I checked the video, he said 10 mto 12).
I reset the computer when I filled up bringing my boat home from the factory because I wanted to know how bad towing it would ding the pocketbook, and when I got home, she read 13.7 average, sorry man, that's what the computer read.
Now I admit, I DO keep my foot out of the engine, for fuel economy reasons as I drive 50,000 a year, and much of that pulling a boat. I have yet to get my first ticket of any kind, so I must not speed alot, I guess.
My Ford F150 never came close to the economy I'm getting out of the Tundra, but that was a smaller V8. I put 255,000 on that truck, so it did treat me well.
I pulled TJ's rig to Canada for the PWT Can AM, and remember clearly averaging mid to high 12's on that trip mixed every kind of driving one can do including 65 MPH, 55 MPH, and the hilly drive on 502. Much of the trip, the computer was reading about 13. it was the 502 driving that sucked up some of the fuel, I think.
Take it or leave it, it's what I'm experiencing.
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