Notes from a 10,000 Mile trip
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From: Homer, AK
Notes from a 10,000 Mile trip
Recently, I completed a round trip from Alaska to Florida hauling a 6000# loaded horse trailer (loaded with motorcycles). I have a 98 F-150 Supercab, Flareside with the 4.6L, 4R70W auto tranny, 129500 miles (after trip). Here are a few notes about how it did if anyone is interested.
1. Have realistic expectations. I was not able to set the cruise control at 70, and expect the truck to keep up in all circumstances. (this is an f150 with a 4.6 after all) About 55-60 seemed to work out the best.
2. The 4R70W tranny was barely adequate. Fresh fluid and filter before the trip, however the temps were pushing limits throughout. I will install a larger tranny cooler soon to help (although I have no intentions of pulling such a heavy load for such a distance again any time soon). The shift points were annoying whenever pulling hills, I found it easiest to "bump" the throttle to allow it to downshift faster.
3. Fuel economy depended most on the wind, and type of gas used more than anything else. I got some of the best mileage in Alaska where most of the big hills were pulled. In the Midwest states, and Saskatchewan, they are using some sort of corn based ethanol gas which gave me anywhere from 4-6 miles per gallon. Once I got to where I could get regular gas, my mileage increased to about 9.5. For the trip overall, I averaged 7 miles per gallon. Pretty thirsty, but I was asking a well used truck to do alot more than it was intended to do. The fuel mileage also depended alot on the wind. In some of the plains areas, I noticed some wind on the nose, and fuel economy suffered, regardless the type of gas used.
4. Carry an extra paper air filter or two. I used to use K&N, but since I didnt notice any increase in power or economy, as well as a MAF constantly giving error codes and needing to be cleaned often, I switched back to paper. Each time I changed it (about 5-8K depending on dust), power and economy increased dramatically.
5. Airbags will soon be added. The rear suspension did not handle the tongue weight very well. A set of airbags will hopefully alleviate this.
6. You better have electric trailer brakes. The stock brakes (in 98 disc in front, drum in rear) were almost worthless. Brand new truck brakes and two axle electric brakes on the trailer, and I still smoked the fronts on the truck. This is despite using engine braking whenever possible.
This is all I can think of right now, I realize this trip was a little ridiculous to make with a too small truck and a too small motor, but it was what I had. All in all, it didnt do too bad, just a few changes to make for durability in the future.
1. Have realistic expectations. I was not able to set the cruise control at 70, and expect the truck to keep up in all circumstances. (this is an f150 with a 4.6 after all) About 55-60 seemed to work out the best.
2. The 4R70W tranny was barely adequate. Fresh fluid and filter before the trip, however the temps were pushing limits throughout. I will install a larger tranny cooler soon to help (although I have no intentions of pulling such a heavy load for such a distance again any time soon). The shift points were annoying whenever pulling hills, I found it easiest to "bump" the throttle to allow it to downshift faster.
3. Fuel economy depended most on the wind, and type of gas used more than anything else. I got some of the best mileage in Alaska where most of the big hills were pulled. In the Midwest states, and Saskatchewan, they are using some sort of corn based ethanol gas which gave me anywhere from 4-6 miles per gallon. Once I got to where I could get regular gas, my mileage increased to about 9.5. For the trip overall, I averaged 7 miles per gallon. Pretty thirsty, but I was asking a well used truck to do alot more than it was intended to do. The fuel mileage also depended alot on the wind. In some of the plains areas, I noticed some wind on the nose, and fuel economy suffered, regardless the type of gas used.
4. Carry an extra paper air filter or two. I used to use K&N, but since I didnt notice any increase in power or economy, as well as a MAF constantly giving error codes and needing to be cleaned often, I switched back to paper. Each time I changed it (about 5-8K depending on dust), power and economy increased dramatically.
5. Airbags will soon be added. The rear suspension did not handle the tongue weight very well. A set of airbags will hopefully alleviate this.
6. You better have electric trailer brakes. The stock brakes (in 98 disc in front, drum in rear) were almost worthless. Brand new truck brakes and two axle electric brakes on the trailer, and I still smoked the fronts on the truck. This is despite using engine braking whenever possible.
This is all I can think of right now, I realize this trip was a little ridiculous to make with a too small truck and a too small motor, but it was what I had. All in all, it didnt do too bad, just a few changes to make for durability in the future.
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Joined: Feb 2005
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From: San Diego, CA
Hello Akheloce1,
Glad you had a safe trip. In Canada the gallons are bigger and are called Imperial gallons. 14 mpg on US gallons is about the same as 17.5 mpg on Imperial gallons so that is why it appears that you got better mpg in Canada but you really didn't. I don't know why it was better in Alaska and the midwest, better quality gas maybe. I was getting 10+ mpg towing in CA and Nevada but it jumped to 12+ in Utah where they had 93 octane and more hills?! Go figure. Amen to the tranny cooler and temp gauge. The other thing I did long ago was get 4.56 gears. The whole drivetrain works easier towing a 7000lb gooseneck horse trailer.
Geez, I reread the part about your mpg and now I think I screwed it up. Did you get 4-6 mpg in Canada? :o
Glad you had a safe trip. In Canada the gallons are bigger and are called Imperial gallons. 14 mpg on US gallons is about the same as 17.5 mpg on Imperial gallons so that is why it appears that you got better mpg in Canada but you really didn't. I don't know why it was better in Alaska and the midwest, better quality gas maybe. I was getting 10+ mpg towing in CA and Nevada but it jumped to 12+ in Utah where they had 93 octane and more hills?! Go figure. Amen to the tranny cooler and temp gauge. The other thing I did long ago was get 4.56 gears. The whole drivetrain works easier towing a 7000lb gooseneck horse trailer.
Geez, I reread the part about your mpg and now I think I screwed it up. Did you get 4-6 mpg in Canada? :o
Last edited by fasterhorses; Jul 30, 2005 at 02:05 AM.
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From: Homer, AK
I figured the mpg in canada by dividing liters by 3.78, which is the ratio to US gallons. The poorest MPG was in North Dakota, and Saskatchewan where they were using the high corn ethanol gas. Other than that, the mpg was determined mostly by the wind. I currently have 3.55 gears, but I think I'm going to change to 4.10 pretty soon. Have 4x4, so going to cost a little more.
Last edited by akheloce1; Jul 31, 2005 at 06:05 PM.
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From: Kamloops. B.C.
Originally Posted by fasterhorses
In Canada the gallons are bigger and are called Imperial gallons.
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From: Saskatchewan
Originally Posted by akheloce1
The poorest MPG was in North Dakota, and Saskatchewan where they were using the high corn ethanol gas.
Also, you'll find the highest amount of ethanol in the lowest grade (cheapest) gasoline. If you want to pay more you can get the high octane premium fuel with 0% ethanol (but for me I don't see the advantage).
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lol
Long trip to make and I'm glad to hear the truck made it. Sounds like it barely made it the way you describe it.
Let's sum this up:
Under powered
Poor braking
Sagging suspension
Over heating
Poor fuel economy
lol
Long trip to make and I'm glad to hear the truck made it. Sounds like it barely made it the way you describe it.
Let's sum this up:
Under powered
Poor braking
Sagging suspension
Over heating
Poor fuel economy
lol
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 43,535
Likes: 817
From: Joplin MO
Yeah, but it DID make it - that's what counts. Many years ago I towed a 5x8 U-haul closed trailer loaded to the brim from Burlington, VT to Chicago - with a 240Z. I must have been nuts. The U-Haul guy KNEW I was nuts. Sucker made it though. I wish I still had that car.
