4800lbs trailer verse 3800lbs trailer

I agree with all the rest on this thread and will add a thought on a van, or motorhome of any kind. Upfront they are a ton of fun and with a B my wife even drove. Nice!! I have had them all, from Class A to Class c and then a B sprinter, and came to the realization I like Rvs, but do not like to ride in them. If squeaks, rattles, road noise, horrible suspension and handling even slightly bother you, then stay away. The deprecation and misc expenses of an aging power train alone will more than cost you anything you can spend on a decent towable. Each his own, but be warned.

Then think of all the technology coming down the pike on the new trucks, air suspension, smaller diesels with much better fuel economy, lots of air bags and having a really good excuse to upgrade your primary driver more often. Long term at least for your truly, its much more of a sustainable choice... Just sayin

Level towing, not much difference in mileage. Going up steep grades, quite a bit of difference. It all amounts to the amount of work being performed. Raising weight equals work done. Same goes for acceleration; more mass being accelerated equals more work equals more fuel.

I often pull my car hauler empty, it weighs 4K, and full it weighs around 8K. No difference in fuel mileage to speak of, maybe a half mpg. Maybe that would be a bigger difference with a gasser like you have. Diesels get better MPG but you have to drive a real long way to make up the difference in up-front cost.

Brian

Thank you everyone for your input .. I always thought
When pulling heavy vehicles the heaver the worst in gass milage
Didn't factor in the big mass of wall the wind would hit .. Looks like arrow dynamics
The way to go

If the size and shape of the frontal area of the trailer is the same there will be no difference in gas mileage and you will save nothing.

The only time weight makes a difference is if the towing trip involves frequent stop and go driving. If your 'close to home' camping involves only driving through urban aeas then there will be a small difference.

The reason is beacuse, for typical towing trips (not in urban areas) weight does not make a significant difference, since it is wind resistance (drag) that affects the mileage the most.

I moved from the previous 17' hybrid (3800#) to the present 30' trailer (7500#) and saw NO change in the mileage. I still get between 9.5 and 10.5 mpg. The rule of thumb for towing TTs is 10 mpg.

If you want to get the B+ in order to save gas then that is your choice, but in this lifestyle (RVing) I don't think that mileage is the primary concern but then we don't know what your criteria are. So that is a whole other discussion.

I dont know what your TV is but your mileage wont improve much. Lets say you do a 5000 mile trip and get 9 mpg. You will use 555 gallons at $3.75 gal equals $2083.00

If you could get 12 mpg with a lighter rig, AND you probably wont, say 5000 miles at 12 mpg would be 416 gallons times $3.75 a gallon equals $1562.00 or $521.00 less than the 9 mpg rig.

You wont go from 9 to 12, you may go up to 10 or 11 so your savings may only be $250 to $325.00 or so per trip.

I was driving a 2013 Chevy 1500 ext cab 4x4 5.3 24 foot Jayco TT Total weight TT and truck bed was under 6000 lb and I would get 10. If I was in a lot of hills I would get 9. If I was on back roads driving 45 mph I may touch 12

If they say 16 mpg, are they going by the dash gauge or actual on paper documentation over several tanks of fuel?

I had a house with a sort of funky drywall repair job on the living room ceiling. I mentioned it to a buddy and guess what he said? DON'T LOOK UP!

You are considering spending $$$$$$$$$$ on a MB to save $. Easiest way to get better MPG is to slow down.

Figure how much you would save in fuel cost and how much you would have to spend to achieve that savings.
Let us know the outcome.

Nope. It's NOT the weight, It's the wall. Weight means little once you are at speed. The only way to get better MPG, is to get a lower profile, more aero trailer.

And in truth. 9 MPG towing a huge wall thru the air is not all that bad. Pretty close to the average you could expect with many TVs.

You must remember MPG, and towing do not belong in the same sentence. It's just one of those things you pay for if you want to tow a TT, or 5er.

Of course. You can get a popup, and then your MPG will be great.