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Old 01-01-2019, 09:07 PM   #2 (permalink)
slowmover
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 2,442

2004 CTD - '04 DODGE RAM 2500 SLT
Team Cummins
90 day: 19.36 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,422
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15-mpg is my average for a 35’ travel trailer with one ton Dodge. Combined rig is 63’.

A Moho gives up an enormous amount of utility just to be self-propelled.

To get the most from it:

1). How many nights aboard annually?

Chart everything against this. Miles & all expenses of ownership & operation. $5000 into 37-nights? $135/day.

It puts fuel use into perspective.

How best to drive it is in having a trip plan. Breaks every two hours. Etc. A one hour break for a meal and maybe that’s the fuel stop also.

Best economy is simply steady-state cruise. Use of cruise control.

Think now of avoidance:

Avoidance of crowds.
Avoidance of lane changes
Avoidance of brake/acceleration events

An early (pre-dawn) start means best results since traffic volume is at its lowest. After 1100, all roads across US are crowded until far past dark. (I drive for a living. Today was typical: 605-miles from 0345 until 1430 with a meal break midway. A high AVERAGE mph — thus average mpg — due to almost no traffic at all until the very end).

Low friction, so to speak. Never have to leave travel lane. Never have to slow to get the idiots on their way. Etc.

It would be worse than unwise to take the Moho out of gear. Too much vehicle for too low a braking capacity. It’s a stunt with no upside.

See #1 above: what’s the percentage change to the annual “per night aboard” expenditure?

Each trip fully planned. Leave nothing out. This is what pays. Route familiarity.

Right down to studying sat pic of where to park for easiest egress of the local grocery store parking lot. From the campground and back.

Buying fuel based on finding a station in same direction of travel and a few feet from re-entering Interstate (there’s no savings in driving into town for “cheaper” fuel. That’s false economy). One that also presents no obstacles.

Tires, alignment, brake drag & steering slop are all typical truck problems. Body bushings are almost always worn out due to age, and gives tracking problems.

The number of steering corrections per 100/miles should concern you. Get that back to “none” and ALL other inputs are reduced in degree & duration. Giving you fine-gain versus coarse-gain control over the needed actions.

Last edited by slowmover; 01-01-2019 at 09:15 PM..
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