For those towing 6000# +

[TallTexan]

Setting the tow mode only affects the first 2-3 gears. It has no effect on the last 2 gears in your tranny. Everything above third should act the same, tow mode or not. I think the shift points are extended to give that extra power in taking off.

[TexasTitan04]

Well, the thing that I've put on all of my vehicles since seeing the difference one made on my buddies car is this magnet fuel thingy.....sounds funny, but when I saw it on his car I laughed at him. He was prolly getting 3-4 more mpg than I was and we had identical cars, down to the options. I even drove with a light foot too. He told me his grandpa made it for him, but they are also sold in the JC Whitney....go ahead, laugh..... catalog. This is the only thing that I've bought from them and I even thought that it was "snake oil", that's why I never tell people. Oh, it mounts on the fuel supply line to the engine.

John C.

[Mike Up]

Originally Posted by moore101

double towing and have my class A commercial license

Ah, but do you have your double and triple trailer endorsement?? I DO. Although I have never used it and never plan to.

Have a good one.

[moore101]

Mike, yes I do. No airbrakes though so I can't drive a "big rig"

Here are a few pictures of my 5th wheel. The boat is in the shop so I can't connect it up now. The trailer weighs 6200# loaded. The pin weight was a little heavy at 1300# but I had the gray and black tanks completley full (they are right at the front of the trailer).

I will never travel with the waste tanks full so it should not be an issue. I will weigh again with the boat connected next week. I am estimating about 8600# total towed load.

[t j derr]

Depending on your water capacity you can save 8 # per gal by not taking w/ u. I have dry camped and have always been able to find water nearby. a 40 gal tank can add 320#. Wife & I are planing a vist to Alaska in next year or 2. What not to see what not to spend $ What is good eats etc. etc etc.

[Mike Up]

Originally Posted by moore101

Mike, yes I do. No airbrakes though so I can't drive a "big rig"

I wouldn't want to tow more than 1 trailer without air brakes. In fact, the stuff I was towing, I needed airbrakes. I didn't drive an 18 wheeler but drove utility and dump trucks and ofter pulled a payloader, backhoe, or trencher behind me. You know, construction work. The Utility truck had all of our tools and needed air brakes just by itself.

Have a good one.

[Cali_Titan-SE]

Originally Posted by O'silent1

Yesterday I traded in my 3500# trailer for a 6100# trailer and was wondering how that will affect my gas mileage/range. Given the fact that I'm a leadfoot, the best I could do before was 9mpg. With the new trailer, I will definitely slow it down. While I expect the results to be wide and varied, any feedback would be helpful. (NO need to elaborate on the "don't tow in fifth, don't use cruse control" - been there, done that.) I would also enjoy any pics of your rigs for comparisons sake.

I currently tow a 23 foot toyhauler that weighs in at 7500IBs loaded with all my stuff and I ahve found that i average 11-13 mpg towing when I shift myself (5 - 4 - 3), rather then using the tow mode. With the tow mode and 4 I was averaging 9 - 12mpg. I have driven sticks all my life and feel better shifting the auto myself (less pedal mashing to change gears). I also keep it under 65 for safety and stability.

[bluesun]

It really depends on the wind and the hills. Towing a full height travel trailer of around 9500 pounds, I get around 7 mpg. Towing a 12 ft uhaul trailer, I got around 11 to 13. Big trailer 60-65, little 70-75.

[ptgarcia]

blue sun,

Your tavel trailer is really 9500-lb? How does she tow? Do you slow to a crawl going up steeper grades? I'm curious because I ordered a 25', 6900-lb Thor Jazz and my brother thinks I'm going to have a hard time pulling it, especially up some of the steep grades here thru the passes in both Southern and Northern California. I told him not to underestimate the Titan...

[HudsonValleyTitan]

My 28' Sunline SR weighs 8500 LBS loaded and tows uphills just fine. I'm not sure I'd go as high as the limit of 9400 LBS though.

[ptgarcia]

Originally Posted by HudsonValleyTitan

My 28' Sunline SR weighs 8500 LBS loaded and tows uphills just fine. I'm not sure I'd go as high as the limit of 9400 LBS though.

Thanks HudsonValleyTitan, that pretty much settles it.

[O'silent1]

Well, thanks all for the info. There for a while, the more I learned, the bigger the knot in my stomach grew as I thought I had bought more trailer than my truck could handle. Fortunately, I have read lots of positive things about trailers bigger than mine. I also found this site (http://www.rvtowingtips.com/what-can-i-tow.htm) and it put most of my fears at ease. Down towards the bottom of that site, there is a button called weight calculator and I was able to punch in all of my weights etc. Turns out, while I am real close to maxing out the hitch weight (WITH a WD hitch), I still have a couple thousand pounds of breathing room for towing. We'll see how the gas mileage differs from my old one to this one. It seems that forcing me to travel at 65 or less will probably improve my mileage by a noticeable amount. Now all we have to do is get out for our first shakedown trip. AARRGGHHH, the suspense is killing me!!!
Afterthought wonder - Apart from the obvious (MPG), does anyone know why it is recommended to not use cruise control while towing? I would seem to think that it would be fine on flats. No time right now, but I'll do a search on this later and see if I can find the answer myself if no one knows.... thanks all!

[HudsonValleyTitan]

On flat ground, yes....it's ok to use the cruise control. Hilly and curvy roads wouldn't work well with cruise control though...for obvious reasons. Just be carefull on long trips while using cruise. People have been known to fall asleep while using cruise (I know.....w/o cruise as well).

[TJB39]

Just back from 900 mile round trip to D.C. pulling 32' 8000lb+ trailer. The Titan handled it like a champ. Tow mode, 4th gear the whole way like recommended, 9mpg avg. for the trip. The tow mode made a real difference on the hills, holding the gear longer, seemed like with more tourqe too, instead of constantly downshifting like my old truck. Never bothered with the cruise control, and never saw the tranny temp gauge go over half way in the entire trip. Would love better gas mileage, but my old truck was from 6-8mpg with a smaller trailer, so can't complain too much.

[rdfeatherstone]

Have any of you folks that tow a lot ever mounted one of those "Wings" to the cab roof? If so, did you notice any improvement in handling or MPG?

In theory it should help by improving the aerodynamics. Works for big rigs too.

TIA