wolfshead1
Member
Heavy foot figure 35% drop,light foot 22% drop pullin.Height means less mpg,lighter is better.
Cage mileage when pulling a trailer
- Thread starter mnultra
- Start date
I normally get about 19mpg with my 06 F-150 5.4 SCAB. I tow a Cycle shuttle 14 single axle with a roof top A/C.
I use the trailer as a camper once the bikes are out of it. The trailer with the A/C is tall, about 10 feet. The nose of the trailer is aerodynamic, but quite a bit of it is above the cab of the truck. And it some times feels like I'm pulling a parachute.
My mileage drops from 19 to 15 doing about 65mph. The trailer is 1000lbs, but, with the bikes and gear (tools and so on) I'm towing about 2700 lbs. Plus the bed of the truck is probably loaded with 300 - 400 lbs of stuff.
If an event is close (with in 300 miles) I'll ride the bike. If not it goes into the trailer. Some say the adventure is riding to the event. I say I get the most fun out of riding at the event. I used to go to Laconia every year. I alway trailered. I didn't want to put 2 days of hard riding in just to get there and know you have 2 or 3 days of hard riding just to get home.
I would rather relax going up there and know I was ready to ride the mountains as soon as the bikes are unloaded. And then ride right up the last minute the night before we leave. We would get back just before dark, load the bikes, and hit the bar a last time with friends. The next morning we climbed in the truck and started the drive home. It made no difference if we were a little tired. It's easy to switch drivers. If the weather was forecasted to be rainy and wet for 500 miles of the trip, we were dry and comfortable.
Traveling long distances is to an event is different for each rider. Some prefer to ride it no matter what. Some prefer to do their riding after they get there.
To each his own.
I use the trailer as a camper once the bikes are out of it. The trailer with the A/C is tall, about 10 feet. The nose of the trailer is aerodynamic, but quite a bit of it is above the cab of the truck. And it some times feels like I'm pulling a parachute.
My mileage drops from 19 to 15 doing about 65mph. The trailer is 1000lbs, but, with the bikes and gear (tools and so on) I'm towing about 2700 lbs. Plus the bed of the truck is probably loaded with 300 - 400 lbs of stuff.
If an event is close (with in 300 miles) I'll ride the bike. If not it goes into the trailer. Some say the adventure is riding to the event. I say I get the most fun out of riding at the event. I used to go to Laconia every year. I alway trailered. I didn't want to put 2 days of hard riding in just to get there and know you have 2 or 3 days of hard riding just to get home.
I would rather relax going up there and know I was ready to ride the mountains as soon as the bikes are unloaded. And then ride right up the last minute the night before we leave. We would get back just before dark, load the bikes, and hit the bar a last time with friends. The next morning we climbed in the truck and started the drive home. It made no difference if we were a little tired. It's easy to switch drivers. If the weather was forecasted to be rainy and wet for 500 miles of the trip, we were dry and comfortable.
Traveling long distances is to an event is different for each rider. Some prefer to ride it no matter what. Some prefer to do their riding after they get there.
To each his own.
smorgan
Member
I normally tow with my shortbed cc diesel but once in a while when I tow my sleds I use my Grand Cherokee witch is closer to what your using. I tow a 16' alum V nose so its a little longer but lighter. Solo my Jeep ( has a little lift & lager all teerain tires) also its a V8 all wheel drive gets 14.5 but towing gets mid to high 8s. Its a kicker cuse my dually gets better mpg but diesel is more..
Being in scotland things are a little different on the one occasion i pulled a trailer with the dyna on it my fuel consumption dropped to 37 mpg i was going up hill a lot england to north scotland but would normally get 50+ mpg on that journey although imperial gallon is slightly larger than a us gallon
Brian
Brian
scrinch
Active Member
Too many variables to compare. HP, Torque, transmission type, gear ratio tire size, weight , wind drag, terrain, wind speed, weight of trailer etc, etc . One sure fire way to get better mileage hauling ,that I know of is to slow down. I usally get a book on tape, a tall cup of coffee and sit back and enjoy the ride at about 60mph or less. Also take off the criuse...
I've been doing some reading and thinking about this recently.
The travel trailer guys worry about aerodynamics a lot. But, not just the nose of the trailer. A vee nose trailer will help somewhat but there are two other areas that really affect the aerodynamics of the trailer quite lot. The bottom of the trailer and the back end.
Ideally you would want a completely smooth bottom. No frame members or even axles to catch the wind goind underneath. Some of the travel trailer manufacturers and trying to fix this problem.
The back end of the trailer is a huge problem. Your vee nose might part the airflow nicely but when the air gets to the back of the trailer you end up with a large low pressure area that actually creates a suction. This suction slows you down quite a bit. The faster you go, the worse the suction gets.
A vee nose can actually create a suction along the sides of the trailer. It's not as bad as the tail but it does exist.
I conclude from what these other guys have figured out that the ideal trailer shape would be a giant lozenge. A rounded nose with completely smooth sides, top and bottom, followed by a rounded tail. They are talking about the kind of rounded nose found on a nuclear submarine. The tail would be identical to that. One of them was even trying to put fairings around the wheels and tires.
I'm using a landscape type trailer. I don't get that large low pressure area behind the trailer. Of course, there's no protection for the bike on the trailer either. I'd like to add a rock guard to the front but I just haven't found the right thing yet.
The travel trailer guys worry about aerodynamics a lot. But, not just the nose of the trailer. A vee nose trailer will help somewhat but there are two other areas that really affect the aerodynamics of the trailer quite lot. The bottom of the trailer and the back end.
Ideally you would want a completely smooth bottom. No frame members or even axles to catch the wind goind underneath. Some of the travel trailer manufacturers and trying to fix this problem.
The back end of the trailer is a huge problem. Your vee nose might part the airflow nicely but when the air gets to the back of the trailer you end up with a large low pressure area that actually creates a suction. This suction slows you down quite a bit. The faster you go, the worse the suction gets.
A vee nose can actually create a suction along the sides of the trailer. It's not as bad as the tail but it does exist.
I conclude from what these other guys have figured out that the ideal trailer shape would be a giant lozenge. A rounded nose with completely smooth sides, top and bottom, followed by a rounded tail. They are talking about the kind of rounded nose found on a nuclear submarine. The tail would be identical to that. One of them was even trying to put fairings around the wheels and tires.
I'm using a landscape type trailer. I don't get that large low pressure area behind the trailer. Of course, there's no protection for the bike on the trailer either. I'd like to add a rock guard to the front but I just haven't found the right thing yet.
I have a '05 GMC 1/2 ton Crew with the 5.8ft. bed. I get about 17-18mpg without towing. I use a 5x10 utility trailer when I tow. I put some expanded metal on the sides of the trailer to protect whatever I'm hauling. Depending on what I am hauling I get about 16-17mpg. These trailers are real simple and light weight. Just wished mine was a 6x12 though.
mnultra
Active Member
As you can imagine, so have I. I came across a product out there called AirTabs. Home : Airtab Supposedly, this product is to combat just what you are talking about at the rear of the trailer and the tow vehicle. I am considering using them at the rear of the trailer and maybe the top rear of my Yukon (they would hide between the luggage rails). They may look okay if I painted them to match the side of the trailer but they won't be going on the side of the truck.
I have a really hard time commiting to a product that almost feels like a hoax (It seems I would have heard of these before in my line of work (heavy equipement and on highway truck)) but the science behind it makes sense.
Any opinions? I guess it wouldn't be a huge investment if it ended up not working.
Ride safe.
I just checked out that web site. Those Air Tabs look like a pretty slick idea. I don't know if they will help as much as they say but it sure seems to make sense to me.
I saw another good idea, but I can't find the web site again. A guy used PVC tube and flat sheet - fiberglass I think - from Home Depot / Lowes. He built a pyramidal nose on the front of his trailer. It made a measureable improvement in fuel economy but not as much as he hoped. It seems to me the ideal solution would be to keep the air from entering the gap between the tow vehicle and the trailer in the first place.
What I would try, if I had a box trailer that is, is a combination of a few ideas.
1. I'd put those Air Tabs on the back of the trailer. I think they should go along the top edge and maybe the bottom edge too.
2. I'd get some sheet metal and make the bottom of the trailer smoother.
3. I'd find a way to break up the air flow behind the tow vehicle/at the front of the trailer. I can't see putting those Air Tabs on my pickup, much less on the back of the car. But, For my truck as a tow vehicle I might try the Air Tabs on top of the truck cap at the very back. I'd probably try the pyramidal nose on the trailer.
Remember how they used to use flexible shafts to bridge the gaps between railroad cars on passenger trains? If you could find a good way to put that between your tow vehicle and your trailer, along with the Air Tabs at the back of the trailer, I think you'd see a big difference in fuel economy.
I saw another good idea, but I can't find the web site again. A guy used PVC tube and flat sheet - fiberglass I think - from Home Depot / Lowes. He built a pyramidal nose on the front of his trailer. It made a measureable improvement in fuel economy but not as much as he hoped. It seems to me the ideal solution would be to keep the air from entering the gap between the tow vehicle and the trailer in the first place.
What I would try, if I had a box trailer that is, is a combination of a few ideas.
1. I'd put those Air Tabs on the back of the trailer. I think they should go along the top edge and maybe the bottom edge too.
2. I'd get some sheet metal and make the bottom of the trailer smoother.
3. I'd find a way to break up the air flow behind the tow vehicle/at the front of the trailer. I can't see putting those Air Tabs on my pickup, much less on the back of the car. But, For my truck as a tow vehicle I might try the Air Tabs on top of the truck cap at the very back. I'd probably try the pyramidal nose on the trailer.
Remember how they used to use flexible shafts to bridge the gaps between railroad cars on passenger trains? If you could find a good way to put that between your tow vehicle and your trailer, along with the Air Tabs at the back of the trailer, I think you'd see a big difference in fuel economy.
mnultra
Active Member
Burt...I am thinking I will try the Air Tabs on the trailer and the top rear of the truck (Like I said, I can hide them between the luggage rack rails). It should help the suction on the rear of the trailer and help a little with the turbulance between the truck and the v nose on the trailer. I will let you know how it all comes out.
One way to know if it is working or not is the "wool" test. Basicly taking about 3" long pieces of yarn and taping one end to the yarn to the trailer in about twenty different spots, and then taking off down the road to see which direction they blow. I think it will be pretty interesting on the v of the trailer both before and after.
Ride safe.
One way to know if it is working or not is the "wool" test. Basicly taking about 3" long pieces of yarn and taping one end to the yarn to the trailer in about twenty different spots, and then taking off down the road to see which direction they blow. I think it will be pretty interesting on the v of the trailer both before and after.
Ride safe.