Towing a V nose - pain or no?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
E

Eggbert

Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Posts
16
Location
Georgia
I'm looking at the Forest River 30WTBSV http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=206&Image=5045&ModelID=3893#Main 
 

Is towing a V nose more troublesome/different than towing a traditional TT?  I've never towed anything before so I don't have anything to compare it to, but if it's harder to tow, then I can scratch it off my list.  I guess it's called a V nose, go easy on me if I'm wrong :)

This is not the only TT that I'm looking at.  I have a long list that I need to go through (quite exhausting).  First TT and I want to make it last quite a few years before I upgrade or downgrade.
 
I have never towed that type of trailer but based on everything I know. it should not be a problem.
(Relative to a flat nose of the same size that is).
 
The theory behind that design is the v-nose will cut the wind resistance and make it easier to tow.
Disclaimer; I have never towed one either because we couldn't find a floor plan to suit us.
 
Sprucegum said:
The theory behind that design is the v-nose will cut the wind resistance and make it easier to tow.
Disclaimer; I have never towed one either because we couldn't find a floor plan to suit us.
Click to expand...

You have one that's on my list!  I guess I can hijack my own thread...  how do you like the Shasta Revere 25BH?  Any complaints?  There's only 3 of us + a 95 lb lazy fur person. 

I guess my brain is in a thousand places b/c I didn't even think of the V being somewhat aerodynamic.   
 
I tow a V nose utility trailer.

The only thing I can say the V nose can fool you when backing.  When looking at the trailer you may find you are near a jack knife because the V nose may look like the trailer is square behind you when it is not.

I find the V nose is more difficult as it is more difficult to tell how much of an angle the trailer is by looking at the trailer in rear mirror or rear window.

Otherwise no problems.

As for wind resistance I can not say the V nose is any better than a flat nose.
 
lavarock1210 said:
I tow a V nose utility trailer.

The only thing I can say the V nose can fool you when backing.  When looking at the trailer you may find you are near a jack knife because the V nose may look like the trailer is square behind you when it is not.

I find the V nose is more difficult as it is more difficult to tell how much of an angle the trailer is by looking at the trailer in rear mirror or rear window.

Otherwise no problems.

As for wind resistance I can not say the V nose is any better than a flat nose.
Click to expand...

Eek!  That scares me a bit.  I think I may need to get my feet wet before diving into something that's a bit trickier to work with.  Thank you for the feedback.
 
I'm not sure the V nose has as much to do with air drag,  as it has to do with more interior room on the same size frame.

At highway speeds the tow vehicle has already punched a hole in the wind and the trailer is mostly drafting.
 
I can see where a person accustomed to looking at a square nose trailer in the mirror could misjudge a Vee-nose, but a newcomer would not have any prior experience to cause that. It's not "different" if you have no other experience to compare to.

The Vee-nose simply encloses part of the "A" at the front of the trailer frame. It doesn't actually take up extra space or alter the distance from tow vehicle to trailer, but it is more visible.

As for the aero effect, I suspect Tony is correct. The Vee looks more aero-dynamic, but probably has little actual effect on mpg when towing.
 
we had a Flagstaff V-Lite (35') and never had any issues towing it or backing up. it towed nice and the hitch was set up properly too. we backed it into many a tight spot and even back down a road about 300 yards with no issues thanks to the GPS- I never had the V front angle effect backing - also have a friend who is on his second with no issues.
MPG's were about 8.5 to 9 towing it with a 3/4 ton 6.0 Chevy gas crew cab
 
Back to the thread hack  :) we like the floor plan of the Shasta Revere 25bh but found the hitch weight to be closer to 20% than the 10% stated in the specs. Once you know that you can make the appropriate adjustments to optimize your towing experience  8)
 
Wow.. 20% on a bumper pull trailer,  is there any way to shift some of the load ? 
 
The V nose TT we looked at had the kitchen installed in the V shape.  It's probably the most efficient use of the space but it does add a lot of weight to the tongue.  I also noticed that because of the V shape, there is not a lot of the trailer tongue exposed.  Is there a problem hooking up a weight distribution hitch.  I also assume the batteries are AGM and the propane tanks are stored inside a compartment somewhere.  The extra price of the V nose TT is not worth the small if any fuel mileage savings.
 
Eggbert said:
Eek!  That scares me a bit.  I think I may need to get my feet wet before diving into something that's a bit trickier to work with.  Thank you for the feedback.
Click to expand...

Don't let that scare you. If you get use to using your side mirrors (which you should be using anyway) you won't have any problems.
 
The biggest problem to overcome when backing a trailer is FEAR.

I have backed assorted trailers. including some wagons (They ARE harder to back) and well regular trailers (not wagons) are easy.... All of 'em.
 
I tow a Windjammer (V nose) and a "conventional" 4 place Snowmobile Trailer....truth be told I prefer towing the Windjammer. The Reese WD anti-sway hitch works well with the setup.  The V nose has no bearing on backing into a campsite or your driveway you should be using your outside mirrors not looking in your rearview mirror...bottom line is practice has always made perfect. Our Windjammer has the front kitchen...which by the way is fully accessible when overnighting with the slides in.
The Windjammer has been a great TT for us.

 
Pain or no?  NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

I have a V nose cargo trailer that works great.  So good that I don't use a weight distribution hitch and it tows fine.
When towing with my SUV the trailer is taller and I believe it does cut to through the wind much better than any flat nose could.
Loaded to the MAX I still got better mileage then guys towing a boat which weighed way less using the same make of SUV.

When I tow it with my MH the MH is taller than the trailer and I hardly know it's back there and don't really see any mileage
difference when it is back there.

I don't have any problems backing it up with either the SUV or the MH. With the MH all I can see is a sliver of the fenders,
but that is enough to allow me to back it up pretty straight if I need to or park it in any spot it will fit into.

So if the TT your looking at will be taller than the truck you plan to tow it with I think you would see a little better mileage and
probably a better handling trailer as it's cutting through the wind vs. a wall hitting the wind.  JMO.

So IMO it's NOT harder to tow a V nose trailer.  If you have never towed anything a V nose TT would be a good starting point.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 875 (members: 30, guests: 845)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,934
Posts
1,387,792
Members
137,686
Latest member
DrWil
Back
Top Bottom