Trailer Weight Vs. Fuel Economy
Hello, I have been going back and forth on how to improve my fuel economy. Our current set up is a 2013 Chevy 4X4 2500 hd with 3.73 gears gas. I know that diesel would have been the way to go but i...
Forum Discussion
Operational cost -- FE in this instance -- is mainly a question of vehicle specification, both TT and TV, first, and second, age/miles of vehicles in consideration. One starts from scratch to get the best from both. This is the way I put my combined rig together. My folks saw 7-8 mpg with their mid 70's Cadillac pulling a TT just like mine, only shorter. I bought a TD DODGE truck and see 15 mpg overall with a 35' TT with a 9k GVWR. I spec'd truck for best mpg and longest life at lowest cost (2WD, manual trans) and bought used. Same for TT: best condition at a price I could afford (trailer brand is an upmarket cousin to Airstream; in sig). Long life at lowest operational cost, not just a low purchase price, was key.
Now, both need money into them (age/miles), but the experience is consistent with more than a dozen others using pre-2008 Cummins powered Dodge trucks pulling 28-34', 8k-11k aero aluminum TT's.
To get the best of them is to follow the usual FE guidelines: low travel speed, zero idling, best book maintenance. To that I would add best hitch rigging, brake controller, etc. Mechanical baseline on both vehicles is vital as FE is a matter of details adding up: bearing adjustment, brake adjustment, alignment on both, no steering slop on TV, etc.
SMART SPEC is followed by SMART USE. Where can you decrease the non-towing miles the rest of the year? Do a better job of combining trips and avoiding cold starts, hard acceleration, idling, etc, and the savings under a fixed annual fuel budget can make a serious contribution to your vacation budget.
Closed shoulder highway rib tires are best for mpg. Worth more than 1-mpg. See the BRIDGESTONE m500 and maybe the r700 models. Stay with stock sizes.
Look to TRANSFER FLOW, TITAN and others for increased fuel range tanks. A 65/gl tank (if available) would give one a 500-mile range at 8-mpg. Really, if one is only traveling 300-miles/day, then less would suffice (as gas engines are more affected by increased TV weight).
I also recommend a SCANGAUGE or ULTRAGAUGE to give driver feedback. 60-mph at the highest vacuum reading is ideal. Also, it is important, IMO, to plan stops in advance. Fuel, food and rest breaks. Keeps the driver alert to the problems of the moment.
And, setting up your hitch rigging on a certified scale (and getting best TV tire pressures thereby) is highly recommended for keeping rig wander to a minimum. As before, all the little things add up. While hitch rigging isn't "little" it does have an effect on FE even if slight.
Most of all, remember that it is the percentage increase to the baseline MPG that counts:
From 7.5 mpg to 9 mpg is a 20% decrease in fuel burn!!
Good luck
.
Now, both need money into them (age/miles), but the experience is consistent with more than a dozen others using pre-2008 Cummins powered Dodge trucks pulling 28-34', 8k-11k aero aluminum TT's.
To get the best of them is to follow the usual FE guidelines: low travel speed, zero idling, best book maintenance. To that I would add best hitch rigging, brake controller, etc. Mechanical baseline on both vehicles is vital as FE is a matter of details adding up: bearing adjustment, brake adjustment, alignment on both, no steering slop on TV, etc.
SMART SPEC is followed by SMART USE. Where can you decrease the non-towing miles the rest of the year? Do a better job of combining trips and avoiding cold starts, hard acceleration, idling, etc, and the savings under a fixed annual fuel budget can make a serious contribution to your vacation budget.
Closed shoulder highway rib tires are best for mpg. Worth more than 1-mpg. See the BRIDGESTONE m500 and maybe the r700 models. Stay with stock sizes.
Look to TRANSFER FLOW, TITAN and others for increased fuel range tanks. A 65/gl tank (if available) would give one a 500-mile range at 8-mpg. Really, if one is only traveling 300-miles/day, then less would suffice (as gas engines are more affected by increased TV weight).
I also recommend a SCANGAUGE or ULTRAGAUGE to give driver feedback. 60-mph at the highest vacuum reading is ideal. Also, it is important, IMO, to plan stops in advance. Fuel, food and rest breaks. Keeps the driver alert to the problems of the moment.
And, setting up your hitch rigging on a certified scale (and getting best TV tire pressures thereby) is highly recommended for keeping rig wander to a minimum. As before, all the little things add up. While hitch rigging isn't "little" it does have an effect on FE even if slight.
Most of all, remember that it is the percentage increase to the baseline MPG that counts:
From 7.5 mpg to 9 mpg is a 20% decrease in fuel burn!!
Good luck
.
