I wanted to post generically about gas utilization and towing. We tow our LGM with a Ford F150 Ecoboost V6. It works quite well, even loaded up. Here's the catch, the F150 only holds 24gal of gas, great for around town, but not for towing. You can do the math here, but for us 24gal X 8mi/gal (at best) gets us 192 miles and many times quite a bit less. In some of the more remote places in Texas we like to go, you can travel 150mi with no gas stations in site. This has become a real problem on long driving trips anywhere outside a city. Rather than planning a wonderful back roads trip, we were planning around gas stations. We ended up buying 2 5gal gas containers for emergencies. We were a flying bomb going down the highway with both gas and propane secured in the bed.
We finally came up with a permanent solution. We swapped out our gas tank to a 36gal tank (Ford makes and Extended Tank & parts package), there's also a 45gal option but not Ford parts, just a tank. We chose the 36gal Ford option because it mandatorily included a new fuel pump, O-rings, gaskets and hoses. It fits great in case you're wondering, we can discuss how that is the case at a later time if you're interested. It wasn't cheap, but we are definitely feeling more secure while traveling now. Something to think about as you travel larger distances.
If you have any questions, just post here. A friend of mine did this himself with a used tank and parts from Ford for under $200, there are numerous Youtube videos. We opted to have it done professionally since this is our primary mode of transport and some expertise is required to reprogram the computer. We used the Ford OEM parts package and a local Jeep/truck performance shop to do the work, $3000, $3800 at a Ford Dealership. Pricey I know, but it's absolutely amazing to see the "miles to empty" gauge read 700mi and definitely cheaper than buying a new truck. Most new trucks (unless diesel) don't solve this problem either. I know this could be an issue for a lot of folks, so I just wanted to post the idea. I hope it turns on your creative genes!
Hello All.
I made the above post a few months ago. We have made some changes in the past few months. Maybe a few will be interested since towing & gas mileage seem to be a big topic.
We had a problem with our Ford F150 Ecoboost on one of our last trips. It began to overheat on a cyclical basis, meaning, the temp would rise, then the electrical components of the engine would shut down some of the extraneous operations (ie air conditioning) in order to keep the engine running and not completely overheating. Interesting tech that I didn't know was built in the F150. It kept us running long enough for us to turn around in the middle of our trip and head home. The only thing worse than being stranded, is being stranded with a trailer! We made it home. Mind you this issue never manifested itself while just driving and not towing. It ended up being an issue with the radiator, it was replaced (only 3yrs old). It did not cause an issue until we put the engine under stress....towing. I have posted many times that towing is not for the faint of heart engines or vehicles out there. Many will tell you they can tow, but the questions are should they, how much and for how long. I don't want to tell you which vehicle is right or wrong, just be aware that not all vehicles are created for towing. Ours was an F150 capable of towing 14400lbs. What I have since found out is that depending on the options on the vehicle, that could decreases dramatically and it did. Our Ecoboost 6 was capable, but here are the problems. The twin turbos kicked in around 1700rmps. So when going up a slight incline, these kicked in and drew the mpg way down to around 5mpg. It was fine on flat roads. The vehicle did not have a large radiator built for towing long term, nor a gas tank that would get us more than 150 miles, nor an oil or transmission cooler, made for towing long distances. The hitch was also smaller than what's required to tow 14400lbs. Not to mention the slide I used was only good for 5000lbs. The reason I mention all of this? It's because it is the weakest link that will cause you issue when towing, especially long distance.
We have since traded our Ecoboost in for an F150 V8 with a class 4 hitch and everything mentioned above that is needed to tow long distance, for long periods of time and be reliable. Maybe over kill I'm sure, but as we begin our new retirement travels, I'm just hoping you will not see us on the side of the road.
I write all this because I want everyone to be aware and ask the right questions when determining if their vehicle will tow properly and reliably. There are many many facets to towing with many answers, just be knowledgeable.
