segen77

I've been thinking about getting two kayaks, and putting them on a bed rack similar to the thule xportster. This will put the kayak sitting above the bed so my bikes can still ride in the bed. My question is this. How much of a hit will I take on my MPG's? I have the 5.4 if it matters. I know I'll have wind resistance, but I have no idea what it will do. Any tips would be great as well.

segen77

anyone?

whitestar_27

You won't even notice them.

Ford850

Yeah, I'm sure you'll lose a little MPGs especially on a windy or cross-wind day. But who cares? I've hauled canoes and kayaks like that for years and it works fine. It creates a little noise sometimes, and you'll learn that ratchets on ropes are quieter than flat web straps, but that's minor stuff. Kayaks are light weight cargo and have little affect on your trucks performance. You have a truck, now go use it. Enjoy the good MPGs when it's empty, and enjoy the ability to haul toys to do the things you like to do.

Barry_Vee

Looked through my fuel log and find a number of longer trips with kayaks & a canoe +/- a trailer. (Note wind conditions are not logged). No long trips with kayaks only.
Have burned several tanks of local driving with one kayak on the roof @ 18 mpg. These are light sleek sea kayaks with little wind resistance and don't effect mpg much. Now the canoe is a different matter!

Unladen would expect 23 mpg at this speed. Loaded @55-60mph:
Truck with canoe+two kayaks & light trailer=16
Truck with canoe+two kayaks no trailer=17
Truck with canoe=17
(Note that canoe mpg is the same with or without the kayaks)
All trips flat highway in excess of 200 miles.

These figures with boats are about 2mpg better than the 5.3 GM truck this one replaced.

Blue_76

I have kicked around the idea of a similar rack but that stuff gets expensive. I just stack two on top of each other and strap them in the bed. They hang out a LOT so I put a foam block under them so the end points upward some. That way a car might go under instead on hitting them.

Greg

segen77

Thanks for all the replies. MPG's are something I keep an eye on. Heck, completely unloaded I usually only get 17 Hwy if I'm lucky. Normally, if I'm going to have the Kayaks, it means I'm going camping. This will mean I'll have a 25ft trailer, bunch of gear in the bed including three bikes, and now two 10-11ft kayaks on top. As it is, with my current non kayak setup I avg about 6.5-7.5 Hwy. The TT only weighs about 5k, but is about as aerodynamic as a parachute! Oh well, the price you pay to have a good time...

Barry_Vee

I don't think adding the kayaks on top will hurt at all.