R-Vision Trail Lite TCLE-29BHSS
Hey guys, Been a while since I've posted on these forums, but I'm looking to replace my 2006 Starcraft TT with a 2009 R-Vision Trail Lite TCLE-29BHSS. It has quad bunks in the back and a small slide...
Forum Discussion
Soundguy, Don't want be disrespectful or start any angry arguments, but until you've towed with my rig you really can't make that statement that its an old wives tail. Since I've towed with a 1965 Chevy Van flat front for many years, I have become an aerodynamic semi-expert. After trying rooftop air deflectors on the old van I discovered that its the shape of the rear of the trailer that makes the most difference. So, whenever I owned one of those stupid flat back trailers (terrible design), I always used a rear air foil at the back of the roof to direct the air off of the roof down the back of the TT to break up the vacuum created by the air flow that is trying to break loose of the trailer. The vacuum actually is pulling you backwards. That always helped a lot, I could really feel the difference when towing with the van because it was very sensitive to air flow.
If I didn't have the aerodynamics right, I could feel the headwinds and rear vacuum pulling me back. Google "flat back vehicles" and you'll find a lot of info how to over come the vacuum. Also, note which end of an airplane is skinniest, the rear comes to a point.
The statements regarding differences in towing with a pick-up or Suburban make sense. It would seem that air coming off of the cab of a pick-up would dive down then have to go back up over the trailer. Air coming off of the long roof Suburban doesn't have a lot of room to dive down when leaving the Suburban. So that may make a difference in our towing experiences, never thought of that since I've never had a pick-up.
The 2000 30' Trail Lite we had was the easiest towing TT I'd ever had. So this time we wanted to find a Trail Lite or Cruiser that had the floor plan we needed. So, after months of looking we found one. It weighs about 700 lbs more than the 22' Tahoe we had. However, it towed a lot easier than the flat back Tahoe. The Trail Cruisers have a curved roof radius at the back and the lower back angles back toward the front around the tail lites. The upper radius allows the air to slip off of the roof a little easier than from the abrupt edge of a flat back. The lower angled back allows the smooth air coming up from under the smooth underbelly to be angled up to help break up the vacuum. (Notice how semi's now have side panels underneath angling from front out to the wheels to deflect air from under the tractor to minimize turbulence, some also have rear deflectors). As the black and grey tanks are tucked up underneath so they don't hang down, the only disruption are the two narrow axles running across the TT. It's got that rubber suspension so the axle pipe have a small diameter. Of course the very slippery front end doesn't hurt, it has no flat surfaces and it slants back at a very steep angle to the top.
R-Vision even used jacks that tuck up underneath instead of those heavy x shaped jacks that hang down, stupid design.
A trailer with many things hanging down and lots of pipes going across underneath creates much turbulence that affects aerodynamics and makes it more susceptible to sway. Again, I have learned these things by first hand experience over the last 30 years of towing. We've probably had 20 trailers over those years, some towed decent, some were awful. The Trail Cruiser is a delight. We are currently towing with a 1994 GMC Surburban K-1500 in pristine shape but with a weak engine, so like the van, it is sensitive to trailer aerodynamics and weight. Aerodynamics trumps weight, up to a certain extent.
Anyway SoundGuy, just wanted to explain why my earlier post is correct. The problem with the RV industry is that towability and aerodynamics are usually the last thing they think about. I guess the only thing that can TRUMP aerodynamics is the almighty profit dollar.
Darn, have to edit again, keep forgetting things. The last thing I care about is gas mileage. I've never notice much difference in gas mileage with all these different trailers and aerodynamics. The van got 10 mpg up, down and level. The 94 Suburban gets 9-10 all the time. If I get 10 mpg, I'm happy. I've also come to the realization that if I worry about gas mileage and gas prices, I'm not having fun RV'ing, that's just part of the expense that I'm willing to pay. Don't even look at the gas pump anymore while filling up.
If I didn't have the aerodynamics right, I could feel the headwinds and rear vacuum pulling me back. Google "flat back vehicles" and you'll find a lot of info how to over come the vacuum. Also, note which end of an airplane is skinniest, the rear comes to a point.
The statements regarding differences in towing with a pick-up or Suburban make sense. It would seem that air coming off of the cab of a pick-up would dive down then have to go back up over the trailer. Air coming off of the long roof Suburban doesn't have a lot of room to dive down when leaving the Suburban. So that may make a difference in our towing experiences, never thought of that since I've never had a pick-up.
The 2000 30' Trail Lite we had was the easiest towing TT I'd ever had. So this time we wanted to find a Trail Lite or Cruiser that had the floor plan we needed. So, after months of looking we found one. It weighs about 700 lbs more than the 22' Tahoe we had. However, it towed a lot easier than the flat back Tahoe. The Trail Cruisers have a curved roof radius at the back and the lower back angles back toward the front around the tail lites. The upper radius allows the air to slip off of the roof a little easier than from the abrupt edge of a flat back. The lower angled back allows the smooth air coming up from under the smooth underbelly to be angled up to help break up the vacuum. (Notice how semi's now have side panels underneath angling from front out to the wheels to deflect air from under the tractor to minimize turbulence, some also have rear deflectors). As the black and grey tanks are tucked up underneath so they don't hang down, the only disruption are the two narrow axles running across the TT. It's got that rubber suspension so the axle pipe have a small diameter. Of course the very slippery front end doesn't hurt, it has no flat surfaces and it slants back at a very steep angle to the top.
R-Vision even used jacks that tuck up underneath instead of those heavy x shaped jacks that hang down, stupid design.
A trailer with many things hanging down and lots of pipes going across underneath creates much turbulence that affects aerodynamics and makes it more susceptible to sway. Again, I have learned these things by first hand experience over the last 30 years of towing. We've probably had 20 trailers over those years, some towed decent, some were awful. The Trail Cruiser is a delight. We are currently towing with a 1994 GMC Surburban K-1500 in pristine shape but with a weak engine, so like the van, it is sensitive to trailer aerodynamics and weight. Aerodynamics trumps weight, up to a certain extent.
Anyway SoundGuy, just wanted to explain why my earlier post is correct. The problem with the RV industry is that towability and aerodynamics are usually the last thing they think about. I guess the only thing that can TRUMP aerodynamics is the almighty profit dollar.
Darn, have to edit again, keep forgetting things. The last thing I care about is gas mileage. I've never notice much difference in gas mileage with all these different trailers and aerodynamics. The van got 10 mpg up, down and level. The 94 Suburban gets 9-10 all the time. If I get 10 mpg, I'm happy. I've also come to the realization that if I worry about gas mileage and gas prices, I'm not having fun RV'ing, that's just part of the expense that I'm willing to pay. Don't even look at the gas pump anymore while filling up.
