Iron hauler- What sort of MPG will this truck get ?

Milacron · Jan 13, 2011

2005 GMC C4500 for sale in Salisbury, North Carolina - CommercialTruckTrader.com

Mostly flat Interstate, average speed of 70 mph, empty...what would the MPG be ?

MPG in 4x4 vs 4x2 ?

SilveradoHauler · Jan 13, 2011

Gas or Diesel?

I have a F450 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel. 15,000 GVW.

16 MPG running empty without trailer.

11 MPG pulling 34 foot Gooseneck at about 12,000 trailer weight.

9 MPG in the Pacific NW mountains pulling the trailer.

Duramax in the 4500 GMC likly will do better.

If the 4500 is not a Duramax, keep shopping.

Check out the GVW of the truck, what is on the stickers in the door jam, not what the truck is licensed for. If you have never owned a 16,000 GVW or over truck, carfefully research your state regs concerning Commercial Vehicles, CDL, stoping at scales, medical exam required for the CDL, etc. Some states are nasty about all this stuff. Then the Federal DOT steps in and things get more complicated. Logbook required, scale stops required, etc. And some states go for the total combined weight of truck and trailer, it is real easy to go go over 20,000 GVW if the trailer is loaded, especially in your case when moving iron! The key here is if the truck is used for commerce. If you are making money with the truck, i.e., transporting for buying and selling, then you are classified commercial and have to follow all the rules.

16,000 GVW is where most states, and the Feds, make you follow the commercial truck rules. Some states are lobbying to go to 10,000 GVW so as to eliminate the loophole of hotshot truckers using F350's, Dodge and GM 3500's for commercial haul.

Milacron · Jan 13, 2011

SilveradoHauler said:
Gas or Diesel?

That's why I posted the link to the ad... all the necessary info is in the ad :dopeslap:

And for the record, I don't care what MPG you get... I have a 2007 Dodge 3500 diesel now and know the mileage on "one ton" trucks....but this one is larger, heavier, more wind resistance... what is the MPG on this one ?

wrenchbender01 · Jan 13, 2011

my guess would be 15 to 18 mpg empty and in 4x4 it would be a drop of about 15 to 20%. with a trailer. I would assume 9 to 11mpg in both 2 and 4x4. as the engine load is some what equal.
but the common sense thing is to not run 4x4 at highway speed.

Steve in SoCal · Jan 13, 2011

I don't know about the MPG however; the truck you linked has a few issues to consider. First and foremost is that GM MDT trucks are stepchildren. It may not be an issue to you but, it does have a stigma and resale values are where you will see it most. The other thing about "this" truck is; many MDT 4X4 trucks are geared rather low and high speed highway driving may not be optimal. The truck looks like it was a municipal service truck and they are speced to drive around town NOT burn up the highway.

A class 4 MDT is just barely an MDT anyway, perhaps you should look at some class 5-6 trucks. None are going to ride as well as your pick up and the class 5 and up trucks have more robust systems. The class 4 trucks are 1 tons on steroids.

Steve

Milacron · Jan 13, 2011

Steve in SoCal said:
The class 4 trucks are 1 tons on steroids.

I know...that's exactly what I would want. Please stop with the alternatives and stick to the actual question. I'm really wanting to hear from someone who has actually driven a Chevy C4500, either 2WD or 4WD, with Duramax...others please sit on your hands for now.

david n · Jan 13, 2011

My guess is it gets between 1 and 20 MPG.

I think anyone's suggested MPG will be a complete shot in the dark. Once you go to 4500 series and above, tranny and rear end selection becomes wider. Who knows how this thing is geared? Is the tranny the same Allison they put in the 1 tons? Even tire sizes on these babies may be drastically varied, thus affecting gearing. Even if someone replies that has driven one, their rig may be quite different than this girl. More info is needed.

Willy · Jan 13, 2011

70 MPH in anything is going to push a lot of air and this thing is a brick aerodynamically. A diesel is most fuel efficient at low to medium speeds where it is operating at or near it's torque peak which is also the sweet spot for fuel efficiency. This particular truck is a good unit for construction and pickup and delivery service around town...70 MPH is going to suck fuel big time.
From the two units I've seen, which were 4x2's by the way, expect anywhere from 8-12 if you're lucky. Tires and gearing will also have a noticeable effect for this application.

I believe the Duramax and Allison combination to be a very sound and proven team, but this truck is out of it's element when used as a highway hauler. Comparing this truck to a pickup's fuel mileage is a far fetched endeavor to say the least, there are too many different parameters here to make a viable comparison between the two.

S_W_Bausch · Jan 13, 2011

If you installed a ground effects air management package, perhaps with a belly pan, wheel covers, side skirts, etc.,
and replaced the mirrors with cctv,
and installed a cruise control,
and regeared the rear end, or installed an overdrive,
and installed Super Single tires,
and tuned the engine managment for economy,

You could probably see 20 mpg with diesel, on the highway, but you wouldn't be able to leave flat pavement, or get a tire changed at a tire shop, drive away from hitting a deer, or pass a school bus.

Or sell it for what you had in it.

Peterbuilt had engineering exercises that got 9 MPG on 80,000 lb semis.

moonlight machine · Jan 13, 2011

I know a guy that had one just the same except it had a dump box instead of a flat bed.13 mpg

bjorn toulouse · Jan 13, 2011

Milacron said:
That's why I posted the link to the ad... all the necessary info is in the ad

Actually, a very important bit of info is missing.
What is the axle gear ratio?

Rex

jkilroy · Jan 13, 2011

Around 12 average, assuming a 4.56 ratio or right around there.

Ox · Jan 13, 2011

That thing looks like BigFoot in the transport mode with those tiny tires on it. :skep:

A set of 34.5 x 9.50's Super Swampers would look good on there tho. :drool5:

(Great for duallies)

--------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Milacron · Jan 13, 2011

david n said:
My guess is it gets between 1 and 20 MPG. I think anyone's suggested MPG will be a complete shot in the dark. More info is needed.

Not really....in these situations one makes certain assumptions as to the most popular average. moonlight and jk have it close enough. Not always, but often enough those crying "not enough information" are just covering for the fact that they don't have a clue to the answer. I mean, if I gave you the rear axle ratio and tire size would you know the answer ? Nope.

Milacron · Jan 13, 2011

Ox said:
A set of 34.5 x 9.50's Super Swampers would look good on there tho.
(Great for duallies)

Look cool but too noisy m'man. That's one reason I'd rather have a C4500 than a C6500... the 4500 is way quieter in the cab. I've never understood why Jap cabovers and Class 5 and up trucks are so insanely loud in the cab, when my Dodge 3500 diesel is quiet as a church mouse in there.

Willy · Jan 13, 2011

I agree, 12-13 mpg is a good average but you asked for mileage at 70 mph.
You will be very lucky to achieve that figure at those speeds...be prepared if most of your miles are on the interstate.

Milacron · Jan 14, 2011

Willy said:
You will be very lucky to achieve that figure at those speeds...be prepared if most of your miles are on the interstate.

I agree with that too, so if anyone pops in with this thread later who has actually driven one of these on the interstate and checked the MPG, please post away ! (and tell me if yours is box or open style as the wind resistance of a box style is a factor to consider)

Also, now that diesel fuel is such a rip off, I'd be curious about the same truck MPG with 8 cyl gas engine.

Willy · Jan 14, 2011

Milacron, the two units I spoke of earlier were configured almost exactly like the one in your link. Both of these units were either 2004 or 2005, Allison transmissions, 2 wheel drive though, not 4x4.
Mileages were recorded accurately on several trips, lightly loaded, and reflect US mpg at freeway speeds of 65-75 mph.
Not sure of the gearing, but being 2wd I would assume that they would at least be the same if not higher than a 4x4.
As they say...YMMV.

Milacron · Jan 14, 2011

Willy said:
Milacron, the two units I spoke of earlier were configured almost exactly like the one in your link. Both of these units were either 2004 or 2005, Allison transmissions, 2 wheel drive though, not 4x4.
Mileages were recorded accurately on several trips, lightly loaded, and reflect US mpg at freeway speeds of 65-75 mph.

OK, thanks. Wasn't clear to me from your statement "the two units I've seen" that your experience with them was that extensive

Willy · Jan 14, 2011

Sorry, my fault for not being a little more concise.

These units belong to associates whom I regard as being very reliable in their record keeping practices.
Although not actually witnessed by myself I can assure you these guy are not a couple of monkeys. As I'm sure you are more than aware of the difficulty in obtaining accurate and reliable information.

Iron hauler- What sort of MPG will this truck get ?

Administrator

Cast Iron

Administrator

Aluminum

Titanium

Administrator

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Administrator

Administrator

Aluminum

Administrator

Aluminum

Administrator

Aluminum

Similar threads