Pulling my first flatbed load from springfield to odessa and mpg is crap. The load weighs out at 37k and a gross of 66k. I am having an issue with breaking 6.3 mpg.
I'm shifting at 13-1400 rim like trainer said to. I am averaging 57 mph. I have tried increasing and decreasing speed to see if anything changes. Even at 55 and 62, the 6.3 does not change. It went down to 6.0 earlier due to i would presume a strong headwind.
Both speeds were for at least 100 miles each. I know being first load and all I should not sweat it, but I only got mpg this bad with trainer pulling 70+k loads or going up mountains.
Any flatbed guys out there have any insight or tips?
rookie mpg question
Discussion in 'Prime' started by jmadd, Dec 21, 2014.
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You ridding the throttle?
I'm on a 41k load in the mountains right now hitting 7.8 mpg with an average speed of 59.
Manage your throttle based on what the engine strain gauge is showing, keep your turbo boost under 20 psi but hit the gas around 50 mph so you don't have to down shift and dump fuel into the block in 9'th.
Cruise control is nice but it won't save you a ton of money. -
Nevermind previous. Your post and this road assist picture in the black binder made everything click together. Keep rpms at around 1100-1200 while driving.
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You will figure it out as you go. Play around with the throttle while driving. Again, cruise control is nice but if you're in the hills it doesn't do a ###### bit of good.
Remember to pay more attention to the road than your boost gauge.
There will come a time when you know just by how your ### is vibrating in the seat how much fuel is being sprayed into the cylinders and you'll be able to adjust accordingly to save yourself money, or get better MPG.
The only way to get better is practice, though. Again, additional emphasis on worrying more about what's going on around and in front of you versus under the hood.jmadd Thanks this. -
Maybe your FM can look up the history on it and see what it was getting with another driver, if there was one. -
could be your rear end ratio is to low. you did not tell us what kind of rpms you were running at those speeds. if you had some other type of transmission than what your trainer had are you sure you had it in top gear? also if you used blended fuel that would cut your mpg a little. hope you find the problem
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As far as transmission goes, same truck model and year, otherwise no clue. Will have to ask him. Looking at performance I was running, 89.35% top gear, 0.00 over rpm. I am thinking it's rpms too high while in cruise, gonna try manual acceleration once I pick up a new load tmo.
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Maybe your load is not very aerodynamic don't sweat the small stuff woop woop Truck it up.
ramblingman Thanks this. -
Shift at 1200 RPMs, any higher your waisting fuel. In fact I shifted between 1100-1200 rpms when normally pulling 79k gross, unless I was pulling up a hill for some reason, then of course RPMS are higher. Try to keep your RPMS under or at 1200 RPMS while running at highway speeds. As this is a Prime truck it is geared to run at or around 1200 rpm for the best MPG.
Now that said you also stated your running into the wind so that is also hurting you.
Hope this helps youjmadd Thanks this. -
What kind of truck do they have you in?
The pete they stuck me in often got bad fuel mileage. On a good week (light loads, away from hilly places and trafffic) I could get above 7.5mpg average, but with back to back heavy loads or up in hills out east, forget about it.
Hope they didn't give you my truck, lol.
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