F350 SD FX4 6.2 fuel economy with hard side TC?
- Thread starter 84FLH
- Start date
Thanks, Ken. This 28 page (!) thread about 6.2 gas mileage is the source of my question here. Posts are about 50/50 between towing mileage and non-towing mileage. Towing mpg is anywhere from 6 to 12, with most 8-10. Non-towing is mostly 12-13, with a few guys getting 14-15 by driving conservatively, using synthetic oils, and one or two guys claiming an intake filter called Airaid gave them another .75-1 mpg.
I'll be traveling with just myself and my dog and on my retirement incomes. 8-10 mpg to travel America for 6-12 months raised my eybrows! Would like to ask you:
~ How much better, if at all, do you think mpg would be with 4:10?
~ How much better, if at all, would mpg be with non-SD F350?
~ Do I really need a SD for a hard side that's 2200-2600 lbs dry? OTOH, I'd love a flatbed with storage boxes under and tucked in the side 'notches' of the camper, to carry good assortment of sockets, wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, impact gun, vise grips, jumper cables, 1/2 size floor jack; plus skis, boots, backpack gear, small charcoal grill, grilling tools, etc, etc. So maybe a SD would be best.
Thanks again. Always loved the build and build story.
Real world gas mileage with the 6.2 - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
6.2L V8 - Real world gas mileage with the 6.2 - Took my 2011 F-250 with 6.2 gas and 3.73 gear to The national farm mach.show in louisville Ky.this past weekend.Driving 70-75 mph average MPG was 12.4-12.7:'( if I kept it under 65 mph my average was 13.8:DMy truck is 4X4 SC with 5,000 miles on the...
www.ford-trucks.com
I'll be traveling with just myself and my dog and on my retirement incomes. 8-10 mpg to travel America for 6-12 months raised my eybrows! Would like to ask you:
~ How much better, if at all, do you think mpg would be with 4:10?
~ How much better, if at all, would mpg be with non-SD F350?
~ Do I really need a SD for a hard side that's 2200-2600 lbs dry? OTOH, I'd love a flatbed with storage boxes under and tucked in the side 'notches' of the camper, to carry good assortment of sockets, wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, impact gun, vise grips, jumper cables, 1/2 size floor jack; plus skis, boots, backpack gear, small charcoal grill, grilling tools, etc, etc. So maybe a SD would be best.
Thanks again. Always loved the build and build story.
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BajaSurfRig
Well-known member
I have a 2014 F250 with the 6.2, 3.73 gears sitting on 32’s. I carry a 2001 Lance 815 (about as light as you can get dry is 1700). I get between 9 and 11 depending on driving habits and terrain). The 6.2’s are very reliable just thirsty. To save on fuel I’d recommend less miles and enjoy each location longer if you have the time.
deserteagle56
Adventurer
Yes, absolutely!
That hard side will weight 3000 lb or more once you have it loaded for traveling. If you carry all the other stuff you mentioned you are looking at another 1000 lbs on top of that. So now, not only are you looking at an F350 but maybe even a dually. Any half ton will have a payload of less that 2000 lb - most are around 1200 - 1500 lb unless you spec out an F150 with the heavy payload package and that will give you just over 2000 lb payload.
Been there, done that. I have an old Bigfoot 2500 camper. Only 9' long and no slideouts. Had it mounted on a 2500 but it felt so unstable with all that weight way up high that I ended up going with a dually. Whole world of difference in stability. As far as fuel mileage - if you stay with a newer gas engine then yes, you'll be lucky to break 10 mpg if loaded with the camper. My 2004 Dodge/Cummins averages 14.3 mpg hand calculated loaded with the camper and towing my Jeep. Huge difference.
Payload sticker on my F150 - and it is higher than most F150s because it is only a Supercab, not crewcab. You need at least twice that!
You'll want a 1 ton or at least a 3/4 ton with a payload package to handle 3000+ lbs for a cabover camper weighing 2600 lb dry.
My setup:
Thank you, DE56. Nice rig. Even the trailer's in white paint! And a Rubicon, to boot!
I'd like to be as far from the crowds as my truck and 'off road' ability will allow me. Everything I've read says too much truck is better than not enough, and the F350 or Chevy/GMC/Dodge 3500's seem to fit the bill. But the warnings about dually's 'off road' have made me think SRW is better for what I want to do.
I've read dually wheels are problematic in some off road driving, for two reasons; rear width of vehicle, and rocks getting stuck between tires. For that reason I've not seriously considered a dually.
OTOH, I'm too old for much more than fire and maaaaybe some logging roads, and dirt/gravel roads without too much off camber to them. In fact, I've never driven any TC on or off road. Driven an S10 Blazer and Nissan (both 4wd) on some local, rocky/dirt/gravel roads; even some ice chest sized rocks, but they were beater trucks, not the home I'll be living in. And that's one reason a dually may be better for me; more stability for a first timer whose house is literally riding in the back of his truck.
I've been scared off of a diesel. Even the smallest repair seems to cost triple or quadruple or more than for a gas motor. And then you need to monitor all the gauges. EGT is the only one I recall off hand. In my younger day's I'd have eagerly embraced it, as I did my '65 panhead when I first got it. Carrying a 25 lb tool roll, various bailing wire, cotter pins, etc; I was the picture of "I can fix it right here".
Now closer to 70, all I want is to turn the key, put the lever in D, and go, lol. In fact, I wish oil pressure, engine temp, trans temp, and charging voltage gauges could be hooked up to their own, jet fighter style "heads up" display on my windshield so I didn't have to scan the instrument panel by eye!
Would like to find one of the early NL 'compact' TC's, I believe it was a 6XX model number. I have 18-24 months to put it all together. Which really is not a lot of time I'm finding out.
I'd like to be as far from the crowds as my truck and 'off road' ability will allow me. Everything I've read says too much truck is better than not enough, and the F350 or Chevy/GMC/Dodge 3500's seem to fit the bill. But the warnings about dually's 'off road' have made me think SRW is better for what I want to do.
I've read dually wheels are problematic in some off road driving, for two reasons; rear width of vehicle, and rocks getting stuck between tires. For that reason I've not seriously considered a dually.
OTOH, I'm too old for much more than fire and maaaaybe some logging roads, and dirt/gravel roads without too much off camber to them. In fact, I've never driven any TC on or off road. Driven an S10 Blazer and Nissan (both 4wd) on some local, rocky/dirt/gravel roads; even some ice chest sized rocks, but they were beater trucks, not the home I'll be living in. And that's one reason a dually may be better for me; more stability for a first timer whose house is literally riding in the back of his truck.
I've been scared off of a diesel. Even the smallest repair seems to cost triple or quadruple or more than for a gas motor. And then you need to monitor all the gauges. EGT is the only one I recall off hand. In my younger day's I'd have eagerly embraced it, as I did my '65 panhead when I first got it. Carrying a 25 lb tool roll, various bailing wire, cotter pins, etc; I was the picture of "I can fix it right here".
Now closer to 70, all I want is to turn the key, put the lever in D, and go, lol. In fact, I wish oil pressure, engine temp, trans temp, and charging voltage gauges could be hooked up to their own, jet fighter style "heads up" display on my windshield so I didn't have to scan the instrument panel by eye!
Would like to find one of the early NL 'compact' TC's, I believe it was a 6XX model number. I have 18-24 months to put it all together. Which really is not a lot of time I'm finding out.
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IdaSHO
IDACAMPER
We run heavier than most, and certainly not within the max GVWR, (still within axle and tire limits) but done right I've never felt the need for dual rear axle.
And running year round with the camper in NorthIdaho a single rear wheel truck is simply safer, especially unloaded.
That, and a dual rear axle makes the truck considerably wider, and with a custom side entrance flatbed camper, it simply wouldnt work well.
Our truck is not stock though, we are running high capacity coils and leaves, with heavy duty shocks, and the highest load index LT tire you can get.
It doesn't ride well (at all) empty, but softens up great and does everything incredibly well when loaded heavy.
Id argue it NEARLY handles as well loaded with the camper with this suspension as it did empty with factory suspension.
And running year round with the camper in NorthIdaho a single rear wheel truck is simply safer, especially unloaded.
That, and a dual rear axle makes the truck considerably wider, and with a custom side entrance flatbed camper, it simply wouldnt work well.
Our truck is not stock though, we are running high capacity coils and leaves, with heavy duty shocks, and the highest load index LT tire you can get.
It doesn't ride well (at all) empty, but softens up great and does everything incredibly well when loaded heavy.
Id argue it NEARLY handles as well loaded with the camper with this suspension as it did empty with factory suspension.
deserteagle56
Adventurer
For the roads you are mentioning a dually is not a problem. Mine has thousands of off-pavement miles on it with no problem - see pic below. Never had a rock stuck between the tires...I'm sure it does happen but it is pretty rare. I worked at a mine all my life where there were a lot of dual rear wheel flatbeds and service trucks running around and rocks between the tires were simply not a thing. If you were to take your rig into the places IdaSho does then yes, single rear wheel is better. So if you go SRW get with him re modifications to the truck to handle all that weight that's way up high.
And it's a misconception that you "need" to monitor EGTs or anything else on a stock diesel that you wouldn't monitor on a gas engine. If you don't modify the engine it is simply not necessary. The vast majority of diesel-powered trucks, especially the older, pre-emissions ones, aren't even set up to monitor EGTs. EGT monitoring is something the owners have to do after adding a tuner and other mods to get more power out of the engine as the mods can raise EGTs to dangerous levels.
Not trying to talk you into a diesel...if I were buying a newer truck just to haul a camper around I'd go gas also. But being pre-emissions and well taken care of, my old diesel will last me the rest of my driving life and I'm not about to buy a new truck.
Skinhyfish
Observer
Regear!! Best thing I have done on my last 3 trucks
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