Community Forums

abacusblack · 11-09-2011, 09:18 AM

Hi Everyone.

I have just purchased a 1998 Signature XL 34ft. 5th wheel trailer.
This is my first 5th wheel and I am looking for a used tow vehicle.

I have found two 1994 Ford F350 Dually trucks with the 460 engine on Propane/Gas.

My trailer is : GVW= 12,400 lbs
Unloaded dry weight= 10,180 lbs
Pin weight= 2,000 lbs.

I have heard that propane powered engines are not good for towing.
If so can one not select the " Gas " option on the dual function carb on this engine if you have to climb a hill? Both trucks run on either propane or gas.
I would like some advice from the members and especially comments from members who have or have used propane powered trucks for towing.

Thank You. Brian.

Ray,IN · 11-09-2011, 08:56 PM

When you inspect this energy conversion chart you see propane has about 70% of the btu's as gasoline. This translates to a 30% power reduction on propane.

Billieg · 11-09-2011, 11:11 PM

I'll tell you the same thing I said on your other thread and I'm done:

I hope you have a large amount of $$ for fuel or don't plan to go very far.

Lessons I learned.... older gas units = 4 - 6 mpg. Diesel = 8 -12. Older gas units go up hills 20 - 30 mph. Diesel 45 - 65 mph.

I learned it the hard way. Hope you don't have to.

There is no "cheap" way to tow a big 5th wheel.... Quit kidding yourself.... You either pay up front for a good diesel/dually or pay for fuel and repairs for an inferior towing truck as you go. Save yourself a lot of expense and heartache and get the truck you need.

SmokeyWren · 11-10-2011, 08:13 PM

We had dual-fuel gasoline/propane pickups way back in the 1950s. As the others mentioned, when on propane the engine has about 30 percent less power and gets about 30 percent less MPG. It was cost effective 60 yaers ago because propane "tractor gas" cost 7 cents per gallon while gasoline cost about 4 times that much.

We had propane-fueled farm tractors t00. I still have a 40-something year old Massey-Ferguson Model 50 that is propane only. Runs great on the same propane we use to fire our "gas" furnace, kitchen range, clothes dryer, and water heaters. But that stuff is now about $3.00 per gallon.

Our pickups had the stock gas tanks and the added propane tank in the bed. We had a valve under the dash, so with nimble fingers you could switch tanks on the fly.

Today, with propane costing more than gasoline at most stations that have both, you'd want to run in propane mode only in an emergency. On gasoline, the 460 engine would be a gas hog just like all 460 engines, but it would probably tote the mail if you had the right rear axle ratio.

But as hinted by other members, our propane farm tractors were replaced by diesel farm tractors about 50 years ago. And I'm surprized you found propane powered pickups less than 30 years old.

Jigger · 11-22-2011, 02:06 PM

.................My advise would be to look for a 2002 through 2007 Chevy 8.1 gas with the Ally trany ! You'll have the best gasoline puller available , the Ford V10 is probably as good but generates it's torque at higher RPM , also , don't forget the dodge V10 as it deserves consideration as well . , jigger

She and I · 11-22-2011, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abacusblack

Hi Everyone.

I have just purchased a 1998 Signature XL 34ft. 5th wheel trailer.
This is my first 5th wheel and I am looking for a used tow vehicle.

I have found two 1994 Ford F350 Dually trucks with the 460 engine on Propane/Gas.

I have heard that propane powered engines are not good for towing.
If so can one not select the " Gas " option on the dual function carb on this engine if you have to climb a hill? Both trucks run on either propane or gas.
I would like some advice from the members and especially comments from members who have or have used propane powered trucks for towing.

Thank You. Brian.

Hi Brian,.
I have converted a fleet of 55 school buses from gas to LP/gas.... in the Jimmy Carter day's ,....Then it was cost effective.....now all gas prices compare ..you get what you pay for so to speak, You asked if the 1994 F350 would pull your 5th wheel you bought ...kinda the cart ahead of the horse,don't you think?...It will pull it any where you wanted to go, LP or gas,it is hard to tell the difference when driving..
If you could move up a couple of years to a V10, you would like it better .
its all in what you want...Did the 350's belong to a lp gas company by chance?
Richard

Bobsbeatter · 11-28-2011, 09:21 PM

I ran my 1989, F150 on propane for 22 years. It worked fine and got 12 MPG/ US gallon in regular driving. This worked out to the equivalent of about 22 MPG as calculated in cost per mile. On gas the MPG would have been around 15. But I live in western Canada where propane is usually cheaper than gas and still quite popular. But it is getting harder to find a mechanic who is certified to work in propane and traveling in the US was always a challenge when looking for fuel. I didn't keep track of all costs over the 22 years, but my impression is that I might have broken even in fuel savings vs. increased repair/ maintenance costs.

If you like Ford and want to stay with gas to avoid some truly s**ty diesels like the 6.0 and you want to buy used, get a V10 and a tuner from Mike @ 5 Star. You will be impressed. And your MPG will not be much worse than a POS- PSD.