What 2014 diesel truck and SRW or DRW ?

[Ladiver]

Mike,

I am sorry. My comment regarding cost of DEF and 10mpg was not directed at you specifically. I do not like those two thing either. It is just a topic that many people bring up and focus too much on when buying a new truck. I have seen other forums where they debate how many miles they drive before a regen. I am one of those who just drive till the DIC says to fill it.

 

[MTPockets]

I can assure you from first hand experience that Fords exhaust brake is not useless. It works great on 7% mountain grades.

Spent May thru August in New Mexico & Colorado. Lots of ups & downs, on and off road. Long downhill grades were fine with mine too. I think it may be the differences in drivers.

 

[Birchwood]

If you can keep below the GVWR of your truck it doesn't matter if its SRW or DRW because they have different ratings.Calculate the weight of your truck without the Cyclone. Value 1. Multiply the GVWR (16000lbs)of the Cyclone by 20% that would equal 3200 lbs.Add the weight of your truck(passengers,fuel,cargo and hitch) + the pin weight of 3200lb.If this value is less than the GVWR stamped on the door sill of your truck go enjoy yourself.If its over this value you are simply overloaded .

 

[mmomega]

The SRW will give you 1000-1500lbs of breathing room, the DRW will give you another 5,000lbs, give or take a little.
Now this is dry weights on the truck and trailer, so once you factor in full of fuel, passengers, clothes, whatever else you load up it can be rather close.

I know some "have been towing like this for years" and yes any of the top 3 trucks SRW can physically tow the trailer, you're going to be very very close to the trucks GVWR. You'll go over your GVWR WAY before you hit those GCWR numbers.

I just know most SRW (ford, gm, ram) rear axles are rated from manufacturers around 7,000 maybe a hundred or so more.
With my trailer which is fairly close with numbers of yours, the weight on my rear axle is 6820, now this was before I added the generator and fuel tank so I'm probably right at 7,000. With a dually you're rear axle is rated at 9,000+.

 

[porthole]

Ford also has an optional hill decent controller. I didn't get it on my DRW but it might help. I pull a RW415 @ almost 18K and the F350 is a dream from DFW to Durango. It is also my daily driver. Unloaded I get 15-17mpg w/5er 9-11mpg. DEF depends on how you drive her, but I usually run through about a gallon per 1000miles.

Hill descent is not available on the DRW.

Hill descent mode is not an "on the road" feature. It is designed to be used off road when negotiating steep terrain. As such, the "speed control" range is 2 - 12 mph. It is still active (when switched on) up to 20 mph but offers no speed control.
Since the system is relying heavily on the ABS and service brakes, frequent cool down periods are needed.

Hill hold, although listed as not being available on DRW's is actually active on my DRW.


DEF use. My experience has been right along with the FoMoCo estimate, approximately 5 gallons of DEF per oil change interval.

As much as I don't care for all the emission controls on the new diesels, I really do like the white glove clean exhaust tailpipe and the lack of soot on the Cyclone.


And since I can't help myself - Ford 6.7 Diesel PU's are not equipped with an exhaust brake, no matter what Mike Rowe says in his infomercials.

 

[thirdtimeround]

OK ladies and gents, appreciate all the feed back. I'm trying make a deal on a Ram Diesel3500 Mega Cab, short bed, DRW with Aisin trans. I really don't like being so close with tow rating numbers. I really don't want to drive this beast all the time. I just have to make a decision. If I come up short of truck , it's back to the dealer and that will be painful , I'm sure. Anybody buying DEF in bulk drums 25-55 gallons? Looks like $3.00 a gallon that way. Does it store well/shelf life /freeze? Mike

 

[jnbhobe]

You won't use enough DEF to make it worth buying it in bulk. Last time I bought 5gal it was less than 20 bucks.

 

[danemayer]

DEF has a relatively short shelf life so buying a large drum would be problematic. Flying J/Pilot and some other truck stops sell bulk DEF at their truck pumps for around $2.70/gallon. If I've gone more than 2500 miles since adding DEF, I'll usually find a Flying J.

 

[Eddhuy]

I tow with a 2013 F350 SRW but trailer is only 14K GVWR. Going up the grapevine at 60 MPH in cruise control was no problem with room to spare. While the Ford does no use an exhaust brake, they control the downhill speeds well. Going down the grapevine was easily negotiated as well with very little braking necessary.

The only time I have felt a side wind while towing with a SRW truck is when the wind was gusting to 35 MPH from the side. Less than that and you won't feel the wind at all.

In over 5,300 miles on my truck, over half towing FW, I have put in 2.5 gal of DEF and the dealer put in some at 5K oil change at no charge.

Every time I tow, MPG is going up. Last 240 mile trip I got 14.2 MPG overall. Trip before that, 11.8 MPG and climbing. Trip before that 11.2 MPG. Without towing on freeway, 20 + MPG and about 17 to 18 mpg mixed. MY speed is between 55 and 60, usually closer to 60 when towing.

 

[thirdtimeround]

Great MPGs ! Seems like DEF not all the bad. I asked the Ford dealer at the parts desk and was told it's cheap. We have 2 1/2 gallon jug for $21.00 which is $8.40 gallon that's why I was asking. Mike

 

[whp4262]

I saw DEF for sale in the auto section at Walmart the other day but I can't remember what the price was. I think it was cheaper then $8.40 a gallon though.

 

[ramdually4100king]

I have a 2009 3500 mega cab DRW dodge with 3.73 axle and tow a 18k+ 4100. I will admit that I have had the pedal to the floor with the flashers on doing 45 up a hill (southbound 15 by Qualcomm in San Diego) but it is rare. There is a military campground in a valley with a steep grade going in and out and the exhaust brake slowed the truck down the hill and the truck was able to get it back out. That is all one can ask for.

I get 8-10mpg towing and 15-19mpg when not.

 

[porthole]

Great MPGs ! Seems like DEF not all the bad. I asked the Ford dealer at the parts desk and was told it's cheap. We have 2 1/2 gallon jug for $21.00 which is $8.40 gallon that's why I was asking. Mike

Ford 6.7L DEF usage is roughly averaged into the oil change schedule, per Ford.
The engine and power train modules compute the oil change interval based on vehicle use. Light load, light use, extended oil change interval, up to a year. Heavy load, high usage, the interval can drop to 5-6000 miles (I have yet to see the oil change now message, I change my oil between 6-8000 miles, typically between 6-7K).

DEF usage, because it is based on engine load, averages out to about 1 tank (5+ gallons) of DEF to one oil change interval.
In 45K+ miles, about half towing, I have found that average to be fairly accurate.

Walmart has had the Blue DEF 2.5 gallon jugs lately for under $12

 

[jmgratz]

We get our DEF at Wal-Mart. About $11.50 for 2 1/2 gal. Need to add DEF about every 3000 miles when towing. Less often when not towing.

 

[porthole]

We get our DEF at Wal-Mart. About $11.50 for 2 1/2 gal. Need to add DEF about every 3000 miles when towing. Less often when not towing.

So that puts you just about at the oil change interval for a full tank. Have you gotten the "oil change soon" message?

 

[thirdtimeround]

Ok, I'd like add our real world info from our first trip. NY to FL 1,364 miles and started with a full tank of diesel and DEF. The fuel mileage was 9mpg. The DEF usage very poor. I used 3 more 2-1/2 gallon containers to get to my destination. I buy these at Wal Mart for $11.97 each. So I used 7-1/2 gallons on top of the full DEF tank on departure. Coming home I used 1-DEF jug less. I'm not getting the numbers stated here. Great comfortable truck but very costly to use. Around town/no towing seems to be 16mpg. Mike

 

[danemayer]

Ok, I'd like add our real world info from our first trip. NY to FL 1,364 miles and started with a full tank of diesel and DEF. The fuel mileage was 9mpg. The DEF usage very poor. I used 3 more 2-1/2 gallon containers to get to my destination. I buy these at Wal Mart for $11.97 each. So I used 7-1/2 gallons on top of the full DEF tank on departure. Coming home I used 1-DEF jug less. I'm not getting the umbers stated here. Great comfortable truck but very costly to use. Around town/no towing seems to be 16mpg. Mike

That's a lot of DEF. Our 2011 GMC uses about 1 gallon per 1000 miles.

 

[Cjackg]

I have a 2015 Silverado with Duramax and am finding the DEF is not much of an issue at all like I had also worried. Chevy includes free DEF fillups in their 2-yr free maintenance program on new diesel trucks. The cost of DEF is also a surprise, as high as $6 a gallon in the stores but as low as 2.79 a gallon at the pump in Truck fuel lanes, so the cost is not a very big issue, especially compared to diesel fuel costs!

 

[porthole]

Ok, I'd like add our real world info from our first trip. NY to FL 1,364 miles and started with a full tank of diesel and DEF. The fuel mileage was 9mpg. The DEF usage very poor. I used 3 more 2-1/2 gallon containers to get to my destination. I buy these at Wal Mart for $11.97 each. So I used 7-1/2 gallons on top of the full DEF tank on departure. Coming home I used 1-DEF jug less. I'm not getting the numbers stated here. Great comfortable truck but very costly to use. Around town/no towing seems to be 16mpg. Mike

Sounds high.

Ford's estimate is that you will use approximately a full DEF tank (5 gallons) for a regular Ford system monitored oil change interval.

The Ford oil change monitor is based on vehicle usage. Use it hard or tow all the time, the oil change interval drops. Use it for all highway no towing and the interval could more then double.

I have just over 50K on my 2011 F-350 with about 14K of that towing the Cyclone.
My experience is that the DEF usage is about spot on with the oil change monitor. Although, I do not keep track of it, it definitely is no where near what you have experienced.

I would think you need a visit to the dealer.
DEF usage is directly proportional to the engine load (injected into the exhaust stream). You may have a bad sensor.

 

[MCTalley]

Sounds high.

Ford's estimate is that you will use approximately a full DEF tank (5 gallons) for a regular Ford system monitored oil change interval.

That's what we have experienced. I waited until the change oil soon message appeared for the first oil change on our truck. It appeared at 7200 miles (about 1/3 to 1/2 towing). I had them fill the DEF tank at that oil change. The first warning on the DEF (500 miles) appeared about the time I was considering having the oil changed since we were getting ready to go on a trip (right around 14,000 miles). So, the five gallons of DEF put in at the first oil change made it pretty much close to 7,000 miles (or about an oil change interval).

Using 7 1/2 gallons for a 1300 mile trip is not normal by any means. I agree with Duane that there is definitely something wrong with the truck.