I finally got to buy a camper. Ended up with a 24ft amerilite gulfstream. 3600lb dry weight.I have the hemi with 3.21 and 8spd and have never had a bit of trouble towing anything from 2k to 10k lbs. Actually got 13 ish towing 8k worth of pickup on a trailer at similar speeds. I was figuring on 10-12mpg pulling this camper especially with it being so light. Pulling it home I got 7.5 with the cruise set at 72. That's where it seemed to be happiest. I tried 65 and it got just as bad so figured might as well make decent time and do 72. This thinthing feels like 10klbs not 3600lbs is that normal for this model or is something more going on?

Sounds fine, what's the problem?Take your foot out of it, try driving 55-60 and see what you get. Pulling a truck on a trailer is a lot less frontal profile compared to an RV. Gotta pay the piper to haul a tall plywood box down the road.

Congrats on the TT. Dont feel bad. When I haled my new TT home the lack of power up hills made me feel like I was haling 8500LBS instead of 4600LBS dry. I don't expect more than 7 to 10MPG max..5.7 gas.

Just to echo the others, it's to be expected. It's not the weight, it's the wind resistance of the travel trailer. You're pulling a barn door into a 72mph wind. The more you slow down, the better it will get in the long run. But it'll never be great. Physics, and all that.

DakotaDad wrote:Just to echo the others, it's to be expected. It's not the weight, it's the wind resistance of the travel trailer. You're pulling a barn door into a 72mph wind. The more you slow down, the better it will get in the long run. But it'll never be great. Physics, and all that.This!First, slow down a little and maybe lock out a taller gear or two if mileage is what you seek. With the rear end gear you have, TH is a must and locking out some of those OD gears may help you if it was lugging any or hunting gears.

55-62 is where it's at if your interested in mpg. Drag squares with the doubling of velocity and takes 8 times the power to overcome. This applies at all speeds.

2016 ram 1500 mpg 3.21? | Good Sam Community

GordonThree
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
Sounds fine, what's the problem?

Take your foot out of it, try driving 55-60 and see what you get.

Pulling a truck on a trailer is a lot less frontal profile compared to an RV. Gotta pay the piper to haul a tall plywood box down the road.
mat60
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
Congrats on the TT. Dont feel bad. When I haled my new TT home the lack of power up hills made me feel like I was haling 8500LBS instead of 4600LBS dry. I don't expect more than 7 to 10MPG max..5.7 gas.
DakotaDad
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
Just to echo the others, it's to be expected. It's not the weight, it's the wind resistance of the travel trailer. You're pulling a barn door into a 72mph wind. The more you slow down, the better it will get in the long run. But it'll never be great. Physics, and all that.
Greene728
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
DakotaDad wrote:
Just to echo the others, it's to be expected. It's not the weight, it's the wind resistance of the travel trailer. You're pulling a barn door into a 72mph wind. The more you slow down, the better it will get in the long run. But it'll never be great. Physics, and all that.

This!
First, slow down a little and maybe lock out a taller gear or two if mileage is what you seek. With the rear end gear you have, TH is a must and locking out some of those OD gears may help you if it was lugging any or hunting gears.
1320Fastback
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
55-62 is where it's at if your interested in mpg.

Drag squares with the doubling of velocity and takes 8 times the power to overcome. This applies at all speeds.
1320Fastback
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
Double post
Thestigmach1
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
Greene728 wrote:
DakotaDad wrote:
Just to echo the others, it's to be expected. It's not the weight, it's the wind resistance of the travel trailer. You're pulling a barn door into a 72mph wind. The more you slow down, the better it will get in the long run. But it'll never be great. Physics, and all that.

This!
First, slow down a little and maybe lock out a taller gear or two if mileage is what you seek. With the rear end gear you have, TH is a must and locking out some of those OD gears may help you if it was lugging any or hunting gears.

I tried it with a couple gears locked out and just leaving it to its own devices and the truck seemed happier just doing it's thing so I left it alone.
Thestigmach1
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
I know I know slow down but I'm way too impatient for anything less than 65mph. Even at that Mad Max starts coming out wanting to destroy everything in a 100ft radius. I was actually kinda hoping there was something wrong that I could fix but I guess I'm stuck with 7.5. I'd be happy with 10 honestly. I have a camper shell ordered so maybe that and driving 65 will get me 10. I'm sure getting out of the rolling hills of MO will help a lot too. Out of curiosity do the more round ones like the jayflight make a difference or does it have to go full bullet shape like one of those evergreen element ones to make a difference?
GordonThree
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
1320Fastback wrote:
55-62 is where it's at if your interested in mpg.

Drag squares with the doubling of velocity and takes 8 times the power to overcome. This applies at all speeds.

The cruel truth of physics.
bikendan
Explorer
Dec 22, 2017
your thinking is kinda wrong.

it's frontal air resistance that is a mpg killer, not the weight. so the faster you drive, the lower your mpg will be. and your tires may rated for 65 mph, not 72 mph.

and putting a camper shell will make very little difference. almost not enough to even calculate.

and a rounded or v-nose trailer will have very minimal improvement in mpg. only something completely streamlined, like an Airstream, will show a slight improvement in mpg.