WIND DEFLECTOR

I think people here forget that the new 5th wheels have much less wind resistance that the older models do with flatter face's ... If you look at the picture of the TT that TT has a flat face an I can see why a wind defector can help ...On my 5th wheel the face is curved both from top to bottom an on both sides this more arrow dynamic that a standard wind deflector ...

The other point about trucks having standard wind deflector on them, most over the road trucks the cab is built so you can walk around inside them, thus higher cabs an yes they defect the wind off the front of the trailer because the trailer have a flat face an grab wind not defect it ...

Safe Travels

laknox wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
those trailer skirts seem to be increasing in number according to my limited "survey", so I must assume that they do produce a savings. but that in no way justifies the standard wind deflector.
bumpy

The skirts are =required= for any commercial box-style trailer towed in Kalifornicate (there are a few exceptions).

Lyle

I would assume :s that these skirts are primarily installed on outfits where the tractor and trailer are owned by the same outfit??? what incentive is there for a firm just owning the trailers to go to the added expense, etc., of installing them?
bumpy

I have read all the comments on this subject, and I believe most of the replies have never experience using a wing and are just relaying what others have told them. And most of what they are told is true to some extent but if the wing is adjusted correctly they work.
I use it every time I tow.
1. I get around 1.5 mpg more with the wing driving 55 / 60 mph. Although any speed over 60 will increase fuel consumption, and again it would appear from previous posts MPG is immaterial compared to time ??
2. I fold it down when driving solo.
3. It gives stability in windy conditions.
4. I have it as far back as possible which leaves approx. 10 ft between the 5th wheel and the wing.
5. The best way to adjust the wing is to use a long straight edge from the top of the trailer to the top of the wing. that angle will also be within the same angle as the windshield.( If the angle is wrong then you will reduce any benefit you hope to get.

I have been questioned on here before re MPG, I have a 1996 GMC 1 Ton Dually Gas 454 7.4 (K3500 Crew) and average 10 to 10.5 mpg, which is the same as a lot of 1 Ton Diesels.
There are also comments of small percentages and its not worth it, Well I disagree, If you get 1 mpg more and your tank is 30 gal max that's 30 miles on a tank equaling a 3 gallon gain per tank. at present pricing that an average saving of $7.50 depending on price of fuel. And seeing how Diesel is more expensive in most states unless you're Rockefeller it makes sense (Cents) to save where you can. Of course tire pressure is a key factor on any vehicle for achieving the best mpg as is regular maintenance..

There are a few wings for sale on craigslist and e bay or you can buy a new one from Areoshield

http://www.icondirect.com/aeroshield-wind-deflector

Good Luck

I’m using an older style fiberglass wind deflector I picked up off craigslist for $75. I gained .5 mpg and a much cleaner front wall of my trailer. Anything that pushes the air up and over the trailer will help! The .5 mpg gain saved me on my first 1500 mile trip. It more that paid for itself. You also don’t feel a headwind as much!

Bumpyroad wrote:
those trailer skirts seem to be increasing in number according to my limited "survey", so I must assume that they do produce a savings. but that in no way justifies the standard wind deflector.
bumpy

The skirts are =required= for any commercial box-style trailer towed in Kalifornicate (there are a few exceptions). A lot of truckers hate them, especially those that might have to travel on rough roads as they are easy to FUBAR; I know I've seen any number that are tweaked to some amount. Yes, they =do= work, but you've got to have lots and lots of miles for them to do so. So do the rear folding caps, and probably more than the under-belly skirts, but the complexity and relative fragility of them make them expensive to install and expensive to replace if some forklift driver take a panel out.

IIRC, a full aero-package on a semi, aero-style cab, belly skirts, tractor skirts, flush wheel covers, aero nose and rear caps, gives +/- 3 mpg increase for a cost of several tens of thousands of dollars. As I said above, a lot of these mods are somewhat easy to damage and expensive to fix/replace. Then you have the cost of doing even routine maintenance that requires removing some of these panels.

Lyle

valhalla360 wrote:

Terryallan wrote:


IF you will read the OPs post. Youi will see he is talking about a 10,000 mile trip. As I PREVIOUSLY stated. For a normal trip. they would be no use. But for a 10,000 mile trip at highway speeds. it could make a difference,
BTW. It gave us a 1 MPG advantage. IF you are only getting 10 MPG. 1 is 10 percent. And if you are only getting 5 mpg. 1 is 20 percent.

Run the math. Assuming 10mpg start (fairly typical for a 5th wheel). That still doesn't cover the cost and your 1mpg advantage is far outside the typical results, so no real expectation he would get that. Also, if he loses 1mpg driving the truck non-towing, he can eat up most of the savings.

I'd do it. If I was towing 10,000 per. Will make it handle better, keep the nose cleaner, and give slightly better MPG, and they look really cool. And you can do it for under 300 bucks. I've spent more than that on an exhaust, and intake. Just because I like the sound.

Terryallan wrote:


IF you will read the OPs post. Youi will see he is talking about a 10,000 mile trip. As I PREVIOUSLY stated. For a normal trip. they would be no use. But for a 10,000 mile trip at highway speeds. it could make a difference,
BTW. It gave us a 1 MPG advantage. IF you are only getting 10 MPG. 1 is 10 percent. And if you are only getting 5 mpg. 1 is 20 percent.

Run the math. Assuming 10mpg start (fairly typical for a 5th wheel). That still doesn't cover the cost and your 1mpg advantage is far outside the typical results, so no real expectation he would get that. Also, if he loses 1mpg driving the truck non-towing, he can eat up most of the savings.

valhalla360 wrote:

Terryallan wrote:


Most over the road tractors do. They also have trailer skirts to keep the air out from under the trailer. They also have side skirts to keep the air out from between the tractor, and trailer.

And I'm thinkin. IF these aero add ons do no good. they wouldn't spend the thousands of dollars to install them. But they do work. We had one on our truck. Yes it increased the MPG. But only around one MPG. but you know. When you are only getting 4 MPG. ONE is a whole lot.

The difference is at 100k miles per year, they can justify the cost if it only gets them 0.1mpg.

Assuming 6.0mpg to 6.1mpg, that's about 275gal/yr saved or around $800/yr (assuming $3/gal). Assuming a 10yr truck life, that's $8000. Very worth while to spend a grand or two on a deflector. Also trucks and trailers are pretty standardized so you can expect much better results with a semi deflector.

Your typical RV might do 2k miles per year. Assuming they go from 10.0 to 10.1mpg, that works out to about $6/yr in savings...assuming they don't leave it on when driving around and hurt their non-towing MPG. Even if you assume a full 1.0 MPG increase, it's only about $55/yr and that is wildly optimistic.

IF you will read the OPs post. Youi will see he is talking about a 10,000 mile trip. As I PREVIOUSLY stated. For a normal trip. they would be no use. But for a 10,000 mile trip at highway speeds. it could make a difference,
BTW. It gave us a 1 MPG advantage. IF you are only getting 10 MPG. 1 is 10 percent. And if you are only getting 5 mpg. 1 is 20 percent.

those trailer skirts seem to be increasing in number according to my limited "survey", so I must assume that they do produce a savings. but that in no way justifies the standard wind deflector.
bumpy

Mine has been taking up room in the shed for a number of years now. The rack for it has been holding down a cover for a bed box in the back yard. As others have said, the bug line gets higher up on the front of the 5er.