MPG on 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks

[Shizzy]

what kind of Mileage are you guys getting with your 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks? Im looking for opinions on guys who have one truck for DD and pulling their boat. My ford ranger gets 19-21MPG on the Highway and Im not sure its worth dealing with a small truck if I can have twice the truck at the same MPG

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

it really depends on what you are towing. i do not like towing with the small trucks. unless it is an aluminum jon boat.

 

[QC]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

We have a new GMC 1500, 5.3 which has the cylinder cut out deal. I did an unscientific, but fairly controlled, test and got 19.6 on a 60 mile run, with a few stops and a little traffic. I filled and refilled at the same exact pump within an hour so the fuel temps should've been close. Also let the thing kick off by itself both times etc. I ran 70 when I could, but I was very light on the pedal. I was trying to prove to the wife that she could do better than 15 . . . I was also curious if the factory highway claim of 20 was legit. I think it is. I have towed with it once only and I think I got better than the 11 I got with the Expedition, but I can't really remember now . . . I pull around 4500 lbs.

 

[arks]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Shizzy-
I have a 2 wheel drive, standard cab 2008 Ford F250 SuperDuty with an 8' bed, base engine (gas 5.4 V8) and automatic. I use it for work, so it also carries a heavy (500#) steel contractors cap with tools.
With almost 30,000 miles thru it, my average MPG is only 13.6 (per the onboard computer). I drive hard, and in the past 4 or 5 months I haven't travelled many expressways. When I'm careful I've seen 17-18 on the highway, but not much more.
Kinda sucks because the reason I got the 2 wheel drive truck was to get better mileage than my last one- a '01 F250 4x4 SuperCab. That truck religiously got 12.5 no matter how I drove it. Oh well.

Bottom line- you're never going to get mini-truck mileage out of any 3/4 ton pickup. I suggest you look at 1/2 ton trucks- with the right options they can tow some VERY impressive loads- and still return decent mileage when not.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

My 5.4 07 ford 4x4 f150 gets at least 20 mpg and has a 9000 lb tow rating and is still great to drive.
I was told to stay a way from the 4.6L as it gets the same mileage without the power.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

it really depends on what you are towing. i do not like towing with the small trucks. unless it is an aluminum jon boat.

currently pulling my 14' tinny.

the main reason for my questioning is my current truck, while "new" as far as im concerned (2003 Ford ranger) and nice looking, it is a standard cab 2WD with a stick. Small cab, no 4WD, no Cruise control or tilt. In all honesty for the pulling I do and how much I like my truck, im trying to decide between living with it, trading for a more optioned out version of what I have or stepping up to a larger truck.

BTW, I dislike small to medium SUV's. too much fluff and no bed to toss my dirty stuff in.

 

[mthieme]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Are you planning on upgrading the boat anytime within the life of the truck?
Anything should be able to pull what you have, heck - my wife's Cavalier can pull a 14' jon boat around.

'95 Ram 1500 3.9 V6 - 20 mpg, have to borrow a real truck once in a while!

 

[Jeff-in-PA]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Another difference between the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton are the brakes.

I upgraded from a 1/2 ton suburban to my 3/4 ton suburban and the braking difference while towing is noticable.

Mine is a '01 2500 LT Suburban 4wd with the 6.0L & tow package. I get about 15-16 mpg running to work and about 11 mpg towing the '24 pontoon up to Canada.

Jeff

 

[okboating]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

My little brother went from a 96ish mazda truck (ford ranger) to a 98 or 99 4.2 f150. He pulls a 16' ski boat, with the mazda it was always a struggle on hills, and there never was a reserve of power. With the f150 he can easily pull his boat, and would pull our boat on occasion (a 20' glastron). But the best thing about it, is that his f150 gets better mileage ALL the time. He usually gets around 21 to 22.
I had 99 mazda b whatever and it seemed to be about the same thing. I do not understand the gearing or what of these little trucks but they are guttless, I could stomach gutless if they would get 30mpg, but they are 21 to 25 mpg tops.
Btw, all of these trucks are/were manuals.

Dave

 

[lucky7]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

i'll chime in,
01 f150 supercrew
5.4
100k
4x4
17" wheels, tow package
14mpg avg

less when towing, maybe 10 12.

 

[kyle f]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

2000 F-250 Extended Cab 4X4 with 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel. Can Pull anything you would ever really want to. Currently unloaded on a lond trip I saw 18mpg. though, consider I am also on 36" All Terrain Tires, and the rake is leveld off. Thus this creates more drag. Plus I got Mods, but the chip actually helped milage.

With the 4000# Boat/Trailer combo loaded with gear I can see 16mpg, but not very often because usually I am pulling over these fine hills of East TN. Thus getting about 13.5-14 while towing. these are all hand calculated numbers

On Flatter land, i see no reason why thsi truck couldn't do a 1MPG better loaded, and 2-3unloaded.

Well, aslo you just need to hook 5000#s up to one of these and pull it around for about an hour then compare that to an experience with a 1/2ton. Yes, the torque and pulling power is nice, but the braking and steering of the load is what really makes the difference.

 

[JB25VIP]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

06 gmc 1/2 ton crew cab 5.3 with tow package

14 mpg in town

16 highway

when pulling my boat 4500 pounds with tow haul on, 9-10 mpg

 

[reelfishin]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

'94 Ranger 2.3L stick - 21-24 no trailer, 18-20 with a trailer.
'97 Dodge B3500, 5.2L - 13 empty, 9 or less towing.
My buddy has an '02 Chevy with the small V8, (4.8L?), 1/2ton 4x2 and it gets over 18 towing and over 20 unloaded if you drive for mileage.
I drove a 2008, 5.4L F250 4x4 super cab for a day with no trailer and the best I could get out that was about 15 per gallon. I drove a demo F150 last summer and didn't get much better on a 4x2 with a 4.6L. Those results have made me pretty much decide to just keep what I have for now. I'm not writing a check for that much money to get even worse mileage than what I am getting now and increase my insurance premiums on top of that. My only concern is that neither the Ranger or the Dodge are worth a hill of beans on a slick ramp, but I don't do enough towing to justify a 4x4 anything.
I do wish sometimes that the Ranger was a 3.0L but a buddy has one and it gets only about 15 mpg on a good day, even worse towing. His is a 2000 I believe.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Women almost NEVER get the same fuel mileage as men. And it is not because they are worse drivers or it's a man thing. It is basic anatomy. Most women wear high heels which shorten their calf muscles. Whether or not they are driving in the heels, they still lack some of the fine control of gas and brake pedals. Thus, they TEND to accelerate harder and brake harder in a given traffic situation, decreasing the fuel economy of the auto. Get your wife in cruise control on the highway and she will get the same mileage as you do.

 

[casper75]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

I tow my boats and my work trailer with my 99 f250 SD 7.4L deisel. It has a 6" lift and with 36" tires and I get a 24mpg

 

[ondarvr]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

I drive a tremendous number of miles every year, a normal year is 50,000 and mostly on the highway, I also pull several different utility and boat trailers. That's 7 work vehicles (truck and SUV's) and 5 personal trucks in the last 12 years. I've had V6's, V8's, in line 6's, 2wd, 4WD, AWD, 5 speeds, auto's, fully loaded and bare bones, none got better than 20.5 or worse than 18.5, well I did have 2WD Nissan P/U that got 24MPH.

The fully loaded V8 4X4's were at the lower end and the stripped 5 speed 2wd's were nearer the top, but really the spread was small. Now I just get the loaded 4X4 and eat the 2 mph, there just wasn't enough of a difference in mileage to worry about. As soon as you put a trailer behind any of them the mileage dropped to terrible, but the V8?s at least had enough power and some were very good at towing.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Are you planning on upgrading the boat anytime within the life of the truck?
Anything should be able to pull what you have, heck - my wife's Cavalier can pull a 14' jon boat around.

'95 Ram 1500 3.9 V6 - 20 mpg, have to borrow a real truck once in a while!

thats the thing. Im not really sure. More then likley not. I love my little tinny and the little lady and I have decided we are going to buy a house before I invest in a larger boat.

I guess this is more of a question of how much of a hit in mileage on the daily drive will I take by stepping up to a larger truck. BTW, I have always been a truck guy. as much as I like getting 25+ MPG in a little econo box, im never happy. I love my little Ranger but ALWAYS look at guys driving full size trucks with envy. On the plus side My 2wd ranger does have the suspension and brakes of the 4WD model so In theory mine is built with a few of the better parts.

Like I said, I like the truck I have currently, its the newest truck I have ever owned, its the right color, low miles, it has the 3.0L v6 which I am rather fond of and 4:10 gears so it does have some pep when needed. Im sure fully loaded my boat and trailer still come in under 1000lbs, so tow ability isnt a factor. my main issue is with the cab size, transmission (5 speed on the ramp isnt always fun), lack of 4WD and lack of options.

here is a pic of the truck and boat.

 

[kyle f]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks

I tow my boats and my work trailer with my 99 f250 SD 7.4L deisel. It has a 6" lift and with 36" tires and I get a 24mpg

What else do you have on your truck? What gears are you running?

I hear these claims from people with Diesels all the time, but nobody I know well enough to actually ride in their truck gets this kind of milage.

 

[JorgeE]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks

Hey Shizzy, here's some 1st had experience, and some 2nd hand form friends (trustworthy ones I think)

We own two trucks:
96 Extended Cab, S-10, 4-cyl, 5 Speed. It has 4.10 rear end (normal for 4 cyl S-10 I believe). It gets 25-27 MPG on highway, 24 MPG rural driving. Not sure with trailer, never towed far enough to know. 2000 Lb towing capacity. I've heard that with a bed cover, may get around 30 MPG. We don't drive interstate enough to worry about cover.

98 Suburban 4x4 1/2 ton. 5.7L V8, 4 Spd overdrive, 3.73 rear end. Gets 14-15.5 MPG on highway. Towing our old 16' Thunderbird (arounf 3000 Lg w/ Trailer) got around 13 MPG. Towing our 22' Celebrity (around 5500 Lbs total, much taller than Tunderbird) gets around 10 MPG running 70-75 MPH.

On a 2200 mile trip towing a tailer with a Ram 4x4 1/2 ton, with a 4.8L V8 (around 3.7 rear end)... best it did was 7 MPG!; my Sub pulling same trailer got around 11 MPG. Not impressed by the Ram performance.

I've also heard from friends great MPG (as high as 24 MPG) from Powestrokes on F250 trucks. Need to look for right model years, as early ones were not as good, nor are latest ones. Not sure best years.

You're in good shape now. S-10 might do a litte better, but maybe not enough to make a trade worth it.

Jorge

 

[Varago]

Re: MPG on 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks

I run an 04 dodge hemi 4x4, 3.91 and 20" wheels. The first year I had the truck drove it about 800miles to Cal and back to Vancouver Wa. Towing about 4000lbs(boat, trailer and tons of gear) total I got 13.4mpg. On the other hand I get about 20mpg on the freeway if I stay at 65 or under, 12.5mpg in the summer driving 5 miles to work with 11 stops and 11.5 in the winter.

Dave Lee