Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks
Re: MPG on 1/2 ton ans 3/4 ton trucks
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.
You have plenty of truck for the boat your pulling, why give up something that works for something that will no doubt cost you more money no matter how you go about it?
My Ranger is a 2.3L stick long bed, far less power than your 3.0L and it does fine up to about 1500lbs at the ramp and I've towed much heavier a few times as well.
I too wanted something bigger in order to be able to tow a bigger boat, I drove a new F150, and a new Dodge 1500 last summer, both for a full day, both were demo's with some miles on them. The Ford couldn't break 12mpg running around all day with the air on on two lane roads without a trailer. The Dodge had the "variable displacement" option, which I guess means it drops cylinders when their not needed. It sure did little for mileage, I got only 11 out of that truck for the two days I drove it. It didn't handle or feel as good as the Ford did either.
I have two full size Fords, both have the same motor, trans and rear ratio that the F150 has, both would outrun that F150 I drove on bad day, yet they get consistantly over 21 per gallon? What did Ford do wrong? The truck and car weigh nearly the same, the difference is no more than the weight of a passenger and the extra full tank of fuel in the truck.
I drove a new Chevy 1500, 4.8L V8, a loaded extracab 4x2, for two days, it got consistantly over 20 mpg. This was not a new truck but a buddies well used and abused 2002, I also used it to tow a 24' boat from NY to DE. and got over 18 mpg on the turnpike with that on the back.
It handles like a wet fish though compared to the Ford, but like I said, it's well used.
For now, I pretty much decided to keep my Ranger, I'd buy larger if a 'deal' came along, but it would have to be quite a deal. I also doubt I'd buy new right now, I'm just not that impressed with what's out there in half ton trucks.
I also drove a new Toyota full size Tundra, it wasn't even in the same class as the Ford or Chevy. It was tight to fit in, lacked sustained power, and visibility all around the truck was bad. They also don't offer the same cab, bed and motor options in 4x2 as in 4x4.
A buddy has a Nissan Titan, he's got about 80K on it and got it in '04. He said it's been an ok truck but has had a trans fail, and it gets about 10 mpg towing his 18' jet boat. He's been trying to sell it but no takers. I see those trucks all over pretty cheap lately too.
