540 Mile Trip w/ Loaded 2025 Ecoboost (towing pop-up camper and hauling dirt bike in bed)

[OR3X]

Recently did a 540 mile, four day trip in my 2025 EcoBoost towing my pop-up camper and hauling my dirt bike in the bed. Averaged an impressive 20.4 MPG with the truck at nearly max capacity(no 4K tow package here). Average was actually sitting around 22MPG until I did a 2hr interstate stint @75-80MPH which tanked the economy slightly. 55-60MPH is certainly the sweet spot for max economy. My old Nissan Frontier averaged 19MPG completely unloaded so I'm a happy camper! Truck handled the load super well and most of the time I barely noticed it was back there. The only time I really noticed anything was when running 80MPH the truck started to wander slightly, but nothing too bad. Due to the narrow width of the truck I actually had to get tow mirrors to see around the camper. I opted for these nifty clamp on ones(link below) over the typical strap style ones, and they worked pretty well. Overall it was a successful trip and the truck performed well!

Tow mirrors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086FCB8KM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

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[The Real Maverick]

"Happy Camper"

 

[Manollo3]

Great summary. Thanks for sharing.
No issues with the tailgate down and the trailer behind it? Would be scared to put a dent in the tailgate whenever there is a bump or something similar

 

[OR3X]

Great summary. Thanks for sharing.
No issues with the tailgate down and the trailer behind it? Would be scared to put a dent in the tailgate whenever there is a bump or something similar

None at all! The tongue will eventually hit the bumper, but the tailgate clears everything. In fact I take advantage of this to load and unload the bike with the camper still hitched. The corner of the tail gets within about 2 inches of the propane cylinder but it still clears.

 

[Edge Haley]

Great summary. Thanks for sharing.
No issues with the tailgate down and the trailer behind it? Would be scared to put a dent in the tailgate whenever there is a bump or something similar

An accident waiting to happen. Three things, accidentally leaving a tool, like a screw driver on the rear bumper that dents the tailgate when closed, or as another owner did, hit a bump and banged the tailgate into a trailer jack or trailer frame. Saw an accident weeks ago when someone made a sharp turn to have the tailgate puncture the side of an expensive borrowed trailer.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I came from a Gen2 Nissan Frontier 4cyl 2WD, absolutely dreaded towing the popup at elevation. So weak.

Looking forward to building a camper to tow with the Maverick. With my utility trailer, I don't even know its back there (except when I have my electric golf cart on it, its heavy and catches wind, so I'm more cautious).

 

[OR3X]

I came from a Gen2 Nissan Frontier 4cyl 2WD, absolutely dreaded towing the popup at elevation. So weak.

Looking forward to building a camper to tow with the Maverick. With my utility trailer, I don't even know its back there (except when I have my electric golf cart on it, its heavy and catches wind, so I'm more cautious).

That pop-up looks awesome! How much did it weigh? Did you get good fuel economy towing it with the 4cyl? I can't imagine towing with a naturally aspirated 4cyl. My Frontier was a 2nd gen V6. It got between15 and 16mpg towing the same pop-up camper.

 

[Manollo3]

None at all! The tongue will eventually hit the bumper, but the tailgate clears everything. In fact I take advantage of this to load and unload the bike with the camper still hitched. The corner of the tail gets within about 2 inches of the propane cylinder but it still clears.

Glad to hear that - even it looks very tight underneath the tailgate. Thanks for the clarification.
Have a TW200 I would like to take with me whenever I will find a pull behind camper.

 

[OR3X]

Glad to hear that - even it looks very tight underneath the tailgate. Thanks for the clarification.
Have a TW200 I would like to take with me whenever I will find a pull behind camper.

Ah, you meant vertical clearance. I thought you were asking about horizontal clearance when turning. There is probably a good 5-6 inch gap between the highest point on the tongue (the trailer jack) and the bottom of the tailgate. The camper would have to be at a pretty sharp angle relative to the truck (or vice versa) before there would be any danger of contact. I just don't see any possibility of that occurring during normal driving conditions on paved roads. Off-roading would be the only situation I can think of that could possibly cause any danger of tailgate contact, but I don't plan on doing that with this setup, so it's a non-issue for me. @Edge Haley mentioned a situation where a bump in the road caused the trailer jack to contact for someone else but with my setup it would have to be a HUGE bump before that would be a concern since my trailer jack folds. (and at that point I would probably have bigger concerns than a dent in my tailgate ).

 

[wb5oxq]

Recently did a 540 mile, four day trip in my 2025 EcoBoost towing my pop-up camper and hauling my dirt bike in the bed. Averaged an impressive 20.4 MPG with the truck at nearly max capacity(no 4K tow package here). Average was actually sitting around 22MPG until I did a 2hr interstate stint @75-80MPH which tanked the economy slightly. 55-60MPH is certainly the sweet spot for max economy. My old Nissan Frontier averaged 19MPG completely unloaded so I'm a happy camper! Truck handled the load super well and most of the time I barely noticed it was back there. The only time I really noticed anything was when running 80MPH the truck started to wander slightly, but nothing too bad. Due to the narrow width of the truck I actually had to get tow mirrors to see around the camper. I opted for these nifty clamp on ones(link below) over the typical strap style ones, and they worked pretty well. Overall it was a successful trip and the truck performed well!

Tow mirrors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086FCB8KM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

These trucks do amazingly well. Better fuel mileage than most other trucks.

 

[Tbone289]

An accident waiting to happen. Three things, accidentally leaving a tool, like a screw driver on the rear bumper that dents the tailgate when closed, or as another owner did, hit a bump and banged the tailgate into a trailer jack or trailer frame. Saw an accident weeks ago when someone made a sharp turn to have the tailgate puncture the side of an expensive borrowed trailer.

One of those things isn't related to towing a camper, and the other two aren't possible with this particular setup.

 

[tciotti2003]

And that isn't the typical smaller pop up either..Great description

 

[Monark]

I like your bike! What size is it?

 

[710-oil-614]

I'd be curious what the hand calculated average was but that still is pretty impressive.

 

[OR3X]

I like your bike! What size is it?

Thanks! It's a 2023 Husqvarna TE150. I bought it brand new to replace my old 2014 KTM 150XC. I love the 2-stroke 150's for racing! Super light and nimble but plenty of power for someone my size.

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