Molded Fiberglass Trailers
Long time reader and first time poster. I have done a lot of reading about trailers and from time to time I read that molded fiberglass trailers are better. Yet in the marketplace there are few man...
Forum Discussion
I had a 17' Burro (molded fiberglass) and got 14 mpg on a 2000+ mile trip. I replaced it with my current 16' KZ Escape (boxy stick built) and I get 11 mpg. That's about a 20% difference. Same tow vehicle. Dry weights were within 200 lb of each other. The better aerodynamics of the rounded 'egg' trailer makes the difference. The engine is simply not working as hard to tow the rounded trailer, and the better fuel economy reflects this.
I guess if a person tows with a 6L engine or a big diesel or turbo, it won't matter as much because the drive train and cooling aren't close to capacity. But with my 3.5L V6 Highlander, towing the box over the San Rafael Swell and similar long grades was right at the vehicle's limit and the trans temp light was coming on. Towing the Burro up similar grades was no problem at all.
Having a small, rounded trailer allows people to choose smaller tow vehicles than they could ever use with a boxy trailer. Some 'egg' owners tow with 4 cylinder, manual transmission vehicles, and they report mpg's from 16 to over 20. I wouldn't even think of trying a 4 cyl Tacoma with my KZ!
I guess if a person tows with a 6L engine or a big diesel or turbo, it won't matter as much because the drive train and cooling aren't close to capacity. But with my 3.5L V6 Highlander, towing the box over the San Rafael Swell and similar long grades was right at the vehicle's limit and the trans temp light was coming on. Towing the Burro up similar grades was no problem at all.
Having a small, rounded trailer allows people to choose smaller tow vehicles than they could ever use with a boxy trailer. Some 'egg' owners tow with 4 cylinder, manual transmission vehicles, and they report mpg's from 16 to over 20. I wouldn't even think of trying a 4 cyl Tacoma with my KZ!
