Fuel Economy halling a Camper!

[edsonfisherman]

I am planning on going camping with the family to BC at the end on July and want to get the most in fuel economy out of my truck halling a truck box camper.

My truck is a 2006 3500 crewcab longbox with 4:10 gears.
The camper is a 1998 9'6 Citation truck Box Camper.

What can I do to get the best fuel economy halling the camper?

[Dacotensis]

I am planning on going camping with the family to BC at the end on July and want to get the most in fuel economy out of my truck halling a truck box camper.

My truck is a 2006 3500 crewcab longbox with 4:10 gears.
The camper is a 1998 9'6 Citation truck Box Camper.

What can I do to get the best fuel economy halling the camper?

Load up with water when you get to your location.
Buy your groceries, drinks and everything else later.
Minimal clothes. Wash them.

I pull with a 3500 all the time.
96 with a 454.
Don't worry about fuel economy.
Just go and spend some money. Have a good time and don't stress it.

Check your tire pressure.
Travel at night.

[coolpete1]

i'm assuming its a 5.9l cummins, make sure the air filter and fuel filters are clean and the valves are adjusted correctly . other than that the mileage is what it is , don't fall for the aftermarket crap that suddenly improves mileage , they dont work .

[edsonfisherman]

i'm assuming its a 5.9l cummins, make sure the air filter and fuel filters are clean and the valves are adjusted correctly . other than that the mileage is what it is , don't fall for the aftermarket crap that suddenly improves mileage , they dont work .

Nope not a 5.9L cummins but a 6.0L single axle gas job.

[coolpete1]

ok , make sure the plugs are good , air filter is clean and throttle body and mass air flow sensors are clean.

[sewerrat]

Make sure there are enough gas stations en-route.

Those 6.0 L are thirsty all the time, weather you load the truck or not.

[omega50]

Might be fun to use this Trip Cost Calculator and see if you come close to the estimate
http://www.calgarygasprices.com/TripCalculator.aspx

[JB_AOL]

Plan on getting 8mpg. If you get better than that.. It was a good day.

[Dewey Cox]

My 77 dogde motor home (440) gets 4 miles per gallon. FOUR.
If you're feeling bummed about buying gas, just think, every time you fill up, i've done it twice already.
Try not to think too much about it, and enjoy your holiday.

[twofifty]

No matter what you do, halling a camper means you'll be going through a lot of oats.

[CanuckShooter]

I am planning on going camping with the family to BC at the end on July and want to get the most in fuel economy out of my truck halling a truck box camper.

My truck is a 2006 3500 crewcab longbox with 4:10 gears.
The camper is a 1998 9'6 Citation truck Box Camper.

What can I do to get the best fuel economy halling the camper?



The best thing you can do is not drive too fast...speed kills gas mileage when your hauling a camper. With that outfit your going to burn a lot of fuel per mile.

[tbiddy]

I have a 2009 GMC 2500HD pulling a 27ft 5th wheel. I've never figured out gas mileage but I know about every 2 hrs I am looking for a gas station. Pulling a trailer and good gas mileage is non existent.

[big zeke]

I have a 6.7 Cummins in my Ram, pulls a 9000# fifth wheel. The truck gets ~11l/100 kms empty, this becomes closer to 19 pulling the trailer. Just got back from a vacay and found the fuel economy changed a bit depending on where I got my fuel...buying fuel at non-name places like Centx gave about 22l/100 kms, Husky gave closer to 19 (measured on the truck computer and matched my my hand calcs). Has anyone else found this? If so whose fuel gave the best economy?

Biggest effect on fuel economy is speed (also don't drive with full tanks, it's useless weight); found my truck is best at ~100, stay in the right lane and pull off from time to time to let traffic pass. Make sure the tires are pressured up, helps fuel economy and they last longer.

[CptnBlues63]

...Pulling a trailer and good gas mileage is non existent.

Maybe the OP should have said, "best gas mileage possible"

I have to agree with CanuckShooter on this one. Mind your speed!

I have family in the Pacific Northwest of the US and every 2nd year or so, we pull our 24' trailer down there with my F150. It's a 5000+ km trip and I never go above the posted speed limit. Where possible (twinned highways and such) I slow down to 90 kmh as it makes a noticeable difference in mileage to drop my speed by that 10 kmh.

I do the posted speed limit in 2 lane highways to avoid p*ssing off all the other drivers. Having driven semi for a living I know how aggravating it is to get behind some dick doing 70/80 kmh in a 100 zone going through the mountains where you have no hope of passing. To me it's worth the extra $$$ in fuel to not do that to anybody else....lol

[JB_AOL]

Maybe the OP should have said, "best gas mileage possible"

I have to agree with CanuckShooter on this one. Mind your speed!

I have family in the Pacific Northwest of the US and every 2nd year or so, we pull our 24' trailer down there with my F150. It's a 5000+ km trip and I never go above the posted speed limit. Where possible (twinned highways and such) I slow down to 90 kmh as it makes a noticeable difference in mileage to drop my speed by that 10 kmh.

I do the posted speed limit in 2 lane highways to avoid p*ssing off all the other drivers. Having driven semi for a living I know how aggravating it is to get behind some dick doing 70/80 kmh in a 100 zone going through the mountains where you have no hope of passing. To me it's worth the extra $$$ in fuel to not do that to anybody else....lol

Agreed... PLEASE TRY TO DRIVE RESPECTFULLY OF OTHER DRIVERS.

IE. If you are going to drive 90kmhr in a 100 zone, pull over periodically to let people pass. In fact, this is a good habit anyways even if you are driving the speed limit. It will create less stress on your part, as a motorist is less likely to try a dangerous pass if there isn't a lineup of cars behind you.

[recce43]

drive a bit slower lighten your load . Fill your water when you get there .

[ren008]

If money is that tight and you have a small vehicle that would get way better mileage look at what a cabin rental or hotel would cost you if you're open to that sort of thing.

By the time you pay for truck fuel, camping, extras, etc., getting a cabin or room may be comparable, a lot more practical, and way more room vs a truck box camper anyways.

Or throw a tent in the back of a car and go real camping for cheap, cheap, cheap!!

[Fordman]

2011 F350 6.2 liter gas crew cab with an 8 ft box. Loaded an 8 ft camper on it. Set the cruise at 110 and was getting 10.8 to 11.2 mpg according to computer. Empty it's around 18.7 to 19.8 at 114kph.

[5Lgreenback]

I have a 6.7 Cummins in my Ram, pulls a 9000# fifth wheel. The truck gets ~11l/100 kms empty, this becomes closer to 19 pulling the trailer. Just got back from a vacay and found the fuel economy changed a bit depending on where I got my fuel...buying fuel at non-name places like Centx gave about 22l/100 kms, Husky gave closer to 19 (measured on the truck computer and matched my my hand calcs). Has anyone else found this? If so whose fuel gave the best economy?

Biggest effect on fuel economy is speed (also don't drive with full tanks, it's useless weight); found my truck is best at ~100, stay in the right lane and pull off from time to time to let traffic pass. Make sure the tires are pressured up, helps fuel economy and they last longer.

I've noticed a couple times filling up at Fas Gas that I got terrible milage for some inexplicable reason other than poor quality fuel. Most times its been fine, must depend on who supplied there fuel that week.

[edsonfisherman]

Thanx for all the advice everyone, I think my biggest problem is speed. I will do 100 km/h most of the way to save some money on fuel. I understand my fuel economy woun't be great but decient is were I would like it. Going from Edson to the Edmonton area halling the camper doing 110 km/h I was using a half tank of fuel. I also noticed when I got back my tires were low (60lbs) and inflated them to (80lbs) truck ride seemed smoother.

[JB_AOL]

Thanx for all the advice everyone, I think my biggest problem is speed. I will do 100 km/h most of the way to save some money on fuel. I understand my fuel economy woun't be great but decient is were I would like it. Going from Edson to the Edmonton area halling the camper doing 110 km/h I was using a half tank of fuel. I also noticed when I got back my tires were low (60lbs) and inflated them to (80lbs) truck ride seemed smoother.

Nothing wrong with that mpg. you got almost 200 kms to half a tank, which I suspect was more along the lines of 2/3 - 3/4 of a tank once you actually filled up (the oem gauges aren't really accurate).

I can get maybe 280kms if I actually push my luck with fillups. But I don't go more than 2 hours without filling up.

Slow down is best, but you won't gain very much. Maybe an extra 20-30 kms.

Or just wait til the wind is blowing in the direction you want to go.

All the advice in the world is worth nothing when towing, as a simple headwind, can drop your mpg by 25% or more.

[recce43]

when i fill up my truck towing my 5th wheel i just look the other way from the pump so i don't cry

[Okotokian]

And drive like your grandmother, not like a teenage boy. ;)

[Taco]

when i fill up my truck towing my 5th whel i just look the other way from the pump so i don't cry

Still costs about the same per fill up, you just hafta do it twice a day.

Anyone remember the old big blocks? The GM 454s and Ford 460s with 4:10 gears?

5 to 6 mpg (47 to 56 l/100km) loaded or empty... more if you fightin' a headwind.

[recce43]

Still costs about the same per fill up, you just hafta do it twice a day.

Anyone remember the old big blocks? The GM 454s and Ford 460s with 4:10 gears?

5 to 6 mpg (47 to 56 l/100km) loaded or empty... more if you fightin' a headwind.

lol i had a 460 there was a reason they put two fuel tanks on the truck

[Taco]

lol i had a 460 there was a reason they put two fuel tanks on the truck

2 18 gallon side tanks and a 150 gallon auxiliary fuel tank in our '78 Chebby horse jerkin' truck, had four-five-six gears in it when we first bought it, soon switched'em out.

[schmedlap]

The best thing you can do is not drive too fast...speed kills gas mileage when you are hauling a camper. With that outfit your going to burn a lot of fuel per mile.
Now my only recent experience is hauling the camper and small boat and trailer with a '75 F250 "camper special" (sold it this spring), and that beast (460 4 bbl) only went down from about 11-12 mpg "empty" to 9-10 mpg "hauling", so long as I kept the speed to 100 kmh (60mph). But if I was "pushing" at all, and doing 110-120, you could literally almost see the fuel guage moving. I was never "in a hurry", so it was worth it to just be conservative on the speed.

[Smokey]

Drive a car and get a 100 dollar a night hotel. Me and the wife plan to do that this summer, will save us money, stress and hastle. We plan to daycamp and do some fishing, albeit we will be taking a truck and a medium sized boat.

I understand the appeal of rv'ing, have quite enjoyed the number of RV'ing trips I have done, but having a $60000 set up is not worth the cost, gas, etc. Plus you miss the camping experience of a tent if you actually go camping. Nothing like waking up to a Grizzly sniffin up my jock shorts.:sign0176:

[bezzola]

Worried about fuel sell the camper

[Scotty454]

Worried about fuel sell the camper

Serious... Campers are like big wind sails.


Unless you are driving with the wind, they you hardly go through any fuel at all!! :sHa_shakeshout:

[Bundo1980]

I just purchased my answer to long hauls with the camper today. 230TC Tidy tank and aux pump, $1250 all in and i can now haul an extra 230L of gas on top of my girly 86L tank in my new chev 1500. Air bags are a must now as well, so we are closer to $2K all in for the set-up.

Hopefully be able to get between 1000-1200km before having to stop for gas on our trip back to ON this summer.

[friendofacatahoula]

6000 pound truck with a camper and the family with a 6.0 and 4.10's....don't expect much better than 23L per 100l or whatever that works out to in mpg, 10 mpg?

If you can keep the revs down around 2000-2400rpm the 6.0 does okay. I have had two of them and I have seen anywhere from 8 mpg to 15 mpg.