this is my first cummins and i love like no other truck,but im pulling campers and tank holds 35 gal empty i get roughly 500 miles till bone empty,but loaded i only get 300,the campers im pulling are usually 30ft bumper pull fema campers,theyre lighter than most campers,please someone help me.ive 4.10 gears k-n intake edge on the fly programmer straight pipe

 

that's right in line with what i get.

 

I pull 50' step deck with mine, I get around 10 loaded and empty with my trlr, but im always in mtns, i hauled some fema cars down to baton rouge right after katrina and i got about 14 on flat land empty and my trlr weighs 8000#, but i always empty my filter cannister out weekly and change it every 3 weeks

 

What speed - RPM are you running?
You best MPG will usually be achieved by keeping the RPM at 1800 - 2100 rpm.

 

my speed 68mph rpms are 21 edge is on level 2,like i said above 300 tops loaded,im new to the cummins but i didnt think pulling a light camper would basically knock my milage in half,the truck has all the power in the world,no strain at all,so why so much fuel?

 

Don't forget that you are pulling camper, light, yes perhaps, but what kind of wind resistance (drag) do they have. I used to pull a little 12ft. box trailer, it pulled harder than my 20 ft gooseneck which is 2.5 times the weight empty because the frontal area of the box.

 

I usually get around 11-13 mpg at 60-65 mph with my 5th wheel camper, lots of frontal area, weighs around 9000 lbs. Last month I had to rescue my sisters F350 which came to a grinding halt in PA. I put it on a flatbed trailer and hauled it from PA to TN, did 65-70 mph and got about 15 mpg. It really was a wakeup as to the amount of wind resistance on the 5th wheel and it's affect on fuel milage.

 

Just completed 15,800 miles to Alaska and back pulling 16,000# fiver. I run 60ish unless on interstate and clear and in a hurry - - then it's 65 to 70. Averaged around 12.1. 6 speed with 4.10 bone stock except a RamAirIII.
Bob

 

cant argue about wind drag its ugly,these cheap fema trailers are pretty blunt in the front.do any of you think a wind deflector on the cab of some sorts would help and if so where to buy one,also what level do most of you run your programmers on? ty

 

I haven't towed yet using the Quadzilla yet, but I'm going from Tennessee to Colorado in late November, so I'll report on any improvement if I see one.

The fuel cost is one of the reasons I didn't sign on with Horizon for the FEMA jobs.

 

As far as fuel mileage goes, with my 93, I had to drive to Horse Heads, NY to pickup a 96 Dodge(cummins of course) on Saturday. I averaged 13 mpg round trip at 75 to 80 mph empty (trailer weighs 5000lbs empty) on the way up and 70 to 75 mph loaded on the way back.

 

Get about 12 pulling my 35' fifth wheel, always wondered if you might get an improvment with one of those roof mounted deflectors, has anyone run one of them?

 

I have talked to a lot of people who have deflectors with a mixed bag of results. I think a lot of impact has to do with the configuration of the trailer being towed. If you are talking a modern fifth wheel with a contoured front design, me thinks no deflector is better - - the wind will slip right over the roof of the truck and go under and around and over the fiver. With a deflector, you will create a vacuum behind the deflector causing most wind to go up and around, little under. Plus, when you are not towing, you now have a big deflector on the top of the truck which has to be lowered, but still creating a drag on the contour of the truck. I know one thing - - it will definitely move the bug line higher on the front of the fiver.

If I had to tow a blunt trailer, I might consider one. There have been some interesting tests run on mpg change with the tail gate down versus up. It is best to leave the tail gate up. So much for increasing mileage using a vented fiver tailgate.

Casey has a wing - - a very pretty one I might add - - maybe he will kick in with some tidbits of his experience with using one versus not using one. But, he is pulling a fiver with a streamlined front.

Bob

 

I've been running with a deflector for about 6 yrs, first on my 85 W150, pulling 8000# and it dropped my RPM 150-200 at 65MPH. On my 98.5 it does about 200 RPM drop at 70MPH.
Mine is an auto-adjust made by Ultra-Fab (Trail-Ezee II)

You can see the change in the "bug line" on your trailer.

 

I just pulled a 12' box trailer (bumper pull) from Michigan to Florida. I had about 5000 lbs cargo. I pulled at 60 mph on cruise. I got 16mpg. I pulled it back with about 1000 lbs in it. I got 17.5 return trip travelling 65. I then hooked up to this big friggin boat (triple axle trailer) and dragged it down to Florida. With the box trailer I never lost a mph on the hills. Dragging this pig I had to shift to 4th on a couple of hills. Got a whopping 9.2mpg. Man do I like the exhaust brake. Now hanging out in FL