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You can try to reduce the weight (and be mindful of what you buy and what you pack). As for up/down-hill that's not in your control. The factors you mentioned all matter too, plus the driver behavior (speed, acceleration, braking, etc). I have found that the difference between going 100kph vs 110kph can be about 10% more fuel consumption. So I go a bit slower. Try to minimize use of brakes and keep rpm as low as possible. These are help.Right, weight is not a significant factor unless all your travel is uphill. A lot more weight means larger tires and thus more rolling resistance, but saving a few hundred lbs isn't worth the effort.
Drag, however, is a major factor and wider or taller rigs always have more. Deflectors can help, but the right type, position & angle is often not intuitive. Plus it's not just frontal resistance - other [sometimes large] contributors include:
- Rear suction, which literally pulls back on the rig
- Turbulent flow over the roof due to a/c, vents, antennas, etc.
- Turbulent flow underneath (no RV is a ground hugger)
When i said 700lbs i meant the canopy 6 wake boards, 4 surf boards, all in individual bags - ropes, jackets, several tubes etc etc, sorry if i wasnt clear.Truck shells do not weight 600 or much less 700 lbs. Mine weights ~ 170 lbs (short bed Pickup).
Common sense says that a pickup truck with a shell towing a TT that is 8 ft wide and typical height, has less frontal area than the same pickup towing a 8 ft wide 5th wheel.
Science says that drag is directly proportional to the cross sectional area being towed. All other things being equal, the RV with the smallest cross sectional area will consume less energy to overcome the drag.
Only thing we can't really know, is the drag coefficient of the TT vs the 5fer. Those numbers are usualy measured in wind tunnels. This coefficient is also directly proportional to drag of area being towed. I would argue that the drag coefficients for the TT and 5fer are close and contribute much less to drag than the difference in cross section.
I have a Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 gas and pull a 28ft toy hauler. I average 10-11mpg. But, I do try to keep it under 65. If I run 70, I lose about 2mpg.Start a new thread please.
We have a gas 2500 and get less than 10mph towing our 30ft trailer.
Those are excellent numbers!I have a Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 gas and pull a 28ft toy hauler. I average 10-11mpg. But, I do try to keep it under 65. If I run 70, I lose about 2mpg.
There is a huge difference in toy haulers from tin walls to triple axle 5ers . 5000lb to 20000lbsI have a Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 gas and pull a 28ft toy hauler. I average 10-11mpg. But, I do try to keep it under 65. If I run 70, I lose about 2mpg.
And that’s about what I would expect, you’re being realistic.Start a new thread please.
We have a gas 2500 and get less than 10mph towing our 30ft trailer.
Mine is a lightweight. GVWR, 8800lbs. Probably no where near that even with the bike in it. Would never think about hauling anything heavier with my 1/2 ton even though it's rated for 9800lbs and 1000/12009(WDH) tongue weight.There is a huge difference in toy haulers from tin walls to triple axle 5ers . 5000lb to 20000lbs
There’s only one sure way to know what the rig weighs. Load it all (truck and trailer), for a trip. Full fuel and whatever else you want to take. Weigh the truck separately, unhooked, Cat scale at Flying J or similar. Then do the trailer, unhooked. Then hook ‘em up and weigh together. It can be “surprising”.Mine is a lightweight. GVWR, 8800lbs. Probably no where near that even with the bike in it. Would never think about hauling anything heavier with my 1/2 ton even though it's rated for 9800lbs and 1000/12009(WDH) tongue weight.
8800lb gvwr x 15% tongue weight would be 1320lbs tongue weight on a 1000lb capacityMine is a lightweight. GVWR, 8800lbs. Probably no where near that even with the bike in it. Would never think about hauling anything heavier with my 1/2 ton even though it's rated for 9800lbs and 1000/12009(WDH) tongue weight.
Yeah, but with WD he could go up to 13.5% tongue weight (13.5% x 8800 = 1188 lbs) and that is well within a typical tongue weight range. As others have said, the way to know for sure is to weigh it.8800lb gvwr x 15% tongue weight would be 1320lbs tongue weight on a 1000lb capacity
There are more variables as well like load in the truck bed etc - so its just a rough estimate my tool box in the box of my truck is a couple hundred pounds of crap im sure lolYeah, but with WD he could go up to 13.5% tongue weight (13.5% x 8800 = 1188 lbs) and that is well within a typical tongue weight range. As others have said, the way to know for sure is to weigh it.