V-Nose Towing Theory
New member, old question. Is it easier to tow a V-Nose or Flat Nose trailer? In context, I'm planning on a custom travel trailer made out of the hull of a cargo trailer and I probably will have to...
Forum Discussion
ACZL wrote:
To look at this another way. Cabover semi or slope nose conventional semi? Don't see many cabovers anymore from any mfr. Everything is conventional via very sloped nose.
Back in the day cabovers had horrible aerodynamic, but these days there's not much of a difference between modern cabovers and a conventional. Cabovers still lag a little behind in the aero department, but the gap isn't nearly as big as it once was. Since they're typically lighter, it helps them bridge that efficiency gap. Cabovers just break wind once while conventionals break wind twice. Aerodynamics was a very small reason why you don't see them here anymore.
The real reason why you don't see cabovers any more is because drivers hated the old ones and refused to buy them when they were no longer required to. The ride was terrible, you had to sit next to a loud and hot doghouse, they were harder to get in and out, they had a tiny sleeper, maintenance could be a real pain, all your stuff goes flying when you tilt the cab, etc. After the length limits got removed in the US, everyone jumped back to conventionals as soon as they could.
Low production numbers is what really killed them off. Freightliner actually made a pretty nice one for North America up until 2005. A lot of drivers didn't really notice a huge difference between that truck and a conventional. A lot of the annoyances of the old have been fixed in modern cabover trucks, but our drivers refuse to get back in them. Too many bad memories lol. Freightliner, MAN, Scania, and Volvo all make some pretty nice and efficient cabovers for the rest of the world.
