Towing - first trip thoughts...

I towed something relatively substantial finally this weekend - a bit over 5200 lbs by my estimation. Weight includes trailer and cargo. The truck did a great job.

1. I noticed the trailer was there, especially at first. But it was smooth after I got used to it being there.
2. Didn't even notice the transmission shifting for the most part. Even when passing.
3. Sagged a bit, but not enough to change the driving characteristics.
4. Towed around 400 miles for anyone that cares.
5. Mileage about 8mpg. Went 65-75mph.

Hope this helps someone wondering about how these tow.

HOLY SMOKE! 8MPG seems very poor. My 6.2L 6Speed F150 Limited pulled a 5K pound car hauler at 80-85mph @ 10mpg. I can't imagine what your mileage will be at those speeds.

I guess I better get myself prepared for my first tow coming up next month.

I have towed with my 2012 Raptor and my wife's TT3.5 FX4. Exact same trip, 2000 miles, 14 ft cargo trailer, approx 3000 lbs. Mostly freeway speed but not over 70. Through several mountain passes up to 7000 ft.

Raptor 12.5, FX 11.8 (FX has 12K tow package).

I had air bags on the Raptor and I think the extra wt plus bags made it feel solider.

8MPG isn't out of the question. I regularly tow my boat which weighs a little over 4k pounds and get 9-9.5 running 70-75mph

I noticed the gen 2 with 7K total if I keep speed at 65-70mph I can get 10-11ish mpg. But, if I keep up with my buddies (diesels) at 70-75mph mileage goes down to 8-9ish.

warrior said:

I noticed the gen 2 with 7K total if I keep speed at 65-70mph I can get 10-11ish mpg. But, if I keep up with my buddies (diesels) at 70-75mph mileage goes down to 8-9ish.

Click to expand...

My truck pulls this 24' trailer effortlessly and it's equipped with cabinets, workbench, compressor, 100gal of water, pressure washer. Now toss in the dirtbikes, a Zuma pit bike and all the other misc crap and it has to weigh right around 5000-5500lbs. This is one of those Sundays where I was just too damn lazy to use the WD hitch. My driveway is making everything look much worse than it actually is rear end sag wise and with the trailer not being level because when I pull across the st into the bar's parking lot the trailer is perfectly level or a little nose up and there's much less rear end sag on my truck. I'm getting right around 10.8-11.2mpg at 68-75mph but all depends on who I brought that day because I'd have an extra bike and person.

To the OP:
Where you using Tow mode?
What gear and rpm where running?
Sometimes manually dropping a gear will let the eng run easier and might get a little better mileage...

I just got back from hauling a 7’x20’, (estimated weight 4000 lbs) 1500 miles through the mountains. The engine torque and transmission really impressed me.

Averaging maybe 65mph, I got 11.5 miles/usgal (20 litres/100km)

I was very happy with the mileage, the truck held 10th gear up many grades, and when it needed to downshift, did so seamlessly.

I played around with manually shifting but didn’t notice any difference on mpg so let the truck choose it’s own gears.

I used tow mode for all of the trip. I played with it a bit, but didn’t notice any difference
on upshifts at all, however it was immediately noticeable on down grades. It downshifts sooner and holds higher rpms to give quite effective engine braking!

The 4A setting did great on variable conditions, ice, snowpack, and dry pavement. I really appreciated not having to toggle in and out of 4H as on my old truck.

I took the time to set up the trailer blind spot before the trip, (takes 5min and a tape measure). It was great in traffic and really made city and double lane traffic a breeze.

Love this truck.

My experience, 4 guys 8.5x20 foot insulated trailer, generator, AC unit, work bench, 30 gal air compressor 5 bikes, riding gear, beer, food, tools, spare moto wheels, cots etc. 1500 mile trip ~ 8.5-9mpg

Plenty of power, but next time I'll take the Superduty, the balancing act was not worth it to keep the pin weight down. If the bikes were not loaded just right I could feel every truck/car I went past. This was with a good weight dist hitch.

Altitude, weather, and terrain very likely could be causing the disparity in MPGs. OP should post where he towed, which route, etc. to have an accurate comparison.
I didn't get my Rappy to tow, other than maybe my flat bed with my RZR or maybe the Scout from time to time. That's why I have the Super Duty.