looking at V nose TT

Mvander wrote:
Im no expert but wouldnt a v rear or both front and rear give the best aero?

Have seen a number of OTR trucks with that contraption on the back of the trailer that when deployed gives a "V" profile to the rear. I don't know if it helps with fuel consumption, but after following one in the rain on an Interstate, I can definitely say the truck threw a helluva lot less road spray on my windshield than a truck without it.......

I own a Windjammer 3008W. The V nose design caught our attention and I heard claims of increased fuel mileage from salesmen, none of whom could substantiate their claims. I talked with a couple of engineering associates about the drag issue and the consensus was basically any decrease in front drag due to the V shape will be offset by increased side drag.

We eventually purchased the V nose trailer because of the interior layout. Ours utilizes the front V space for the kitchen sink and counterspace that would otherwise be lost. We love the layout. As for towing stability, I find it tows much better than my previous flat front trailer. But I have an Equalizer 4 point WDH setup on this trailer that is also much better than the WDH setup I had on the older one so I cannot compare apples to apples. I think my better towing is more a function of a much better WDH than the V front design.

I have a v-nose snowmobile trailer. It does not tow easier or use less fuel. Two reasons. As mentioned, a great deal of drag comes from the flat back end of the trailer. Also, the drag at the front is the product of the coefficient of drag times the frontal area. A v-nose might lower the cd, but at the same time INCREASES the frontal area.

Yes, I should chill out. Sorry,whitehat.

We make a couple of long trips a year, AZ in the winter and Utah next month, but yes, it sits more than moving down the road.

I had to shorten the L-brackets the WD bars sit on. I initially couldn't pull the bars up enough to transfer enough weight to the tow front axle as set up by the dealer. Also, the batteries are inside a front door that makes them difficult to maintain. All is not not roses but we're liking it now that the initial issues are resolved.

Mvander wrote:
Im no expert but wouldnt a v rear or both front and rear give the best aero?

The "best" would be teardrop. Rounded in the front and V in the rear. But this does not make for the best living conditions though. Their inlies the problem.

I could design a very slippery trailer. But nobody would want to buy it or live in it. :W

Unless you travel A LOT I would pay more attention to the living arrangements of the RV instead of whether it gets one more mpg. I believe we all are stationery more than moving when the layout becomes extremely important.

Im no expert but wouldnt a v rear or both front and rear give the best aero?

One of the major cargo trailer manufacturers published some data a few years ago on V-nose vs a conventional slant nose ( it might have been Wells Cargo, but I can't remember for sure now ). Their finding were that the V nose created turbulance along the sides of the trailer that actually added drag. By comparison, the slant front trailer had a smoother airflow along the sides.
One thing I have wondered about a V nose is it seems to me that a fairly significant percentage of my towing days involve having a quartering/headwind. To my way of thinking, a day like that would be that a V nose would be presenting a totally flat surface to the oncoming wind. I dunno.....just thinking out loud on that.

A buddy has a Vnose cargo trailer, and I do know that on his, because of the way the V "covers" the A-frame rails, it would be difficult to install a WD hitch.

I think the biggest advantage they have is using the space on the tongue that is normally wasted. When we were shopping, we looked at one that had front living. The sofa used the V space in the front. Arrangement was very nice. We liked the ones with the front kitchen as well as this seems to be the most practical use of the space. I am not sure how these layouts effect tongue weight

Most of the drag a trailer experiences comes from the rear of the trailer - there is where the v-shape should be. No one would buy such a trailer, because of the way it would look. Actually, I found out since owning it that a Vnose is one of the most unstable designs for sway. The vshape cuts the wind and sends it coursing down both sides of the trailer, causing it to be very sensitive to the bow waves from passing trucks. That's why I had to invest in a Hensley hitch for stability.

^^^^^ on the money.

A lot aero drag comes from the back. That is why OTR trucks are starting to show up with rear drag options. All in all these things are very very small in the total mileage makeup.