Trailer Weight Vs. Fuel Economy

[nhtope]

Hello,
I have been going back and forth on how to improve my fuel economy. Our current set up is a 2013 Chevy 4X4 2500 hd with 3.73 gears gas. I know that diesel would have been the way to go but it was too expensive. We pull a Wilderness 3150ds. It is 6700lbs dry so I am estimating it at around 8,000 loaded. We also tow with a Hensley arrow. Currently I am able to get about 7 mpg. We would like to venture further out west but I am concerned with how often we would have to stop. Would going to a lighter trailer that is a little shorter help with this? For example I have seen some 26 foot trailers around 5,000 lbs. Would it be enough of an improvement to be worth a trade in? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. one last thing. Do the vehicle tuners like the Bully Dog help with this at all? Thanks

[Gdetrailer]

You are not going to gain much if any by downsizing.

Case in point is my 26ft TT, empty is 5K, loaded with all of our gear in the truck bed plus trailer we are about 7K. A couple of years ago, we were towing with a 2006 F250 with 3V 5.4, typically we averaged about 9 MPG.

We also did nearly the same trip with our 18ft 10K flatbed, empty it weighs 2400 lbs. We got 10 MPG with the flat bed empty, on the way home with 3,500 lb load (5900 lbs)on the flatbed we averaged 9.8 MPG.

I really don't understand why the fuss about mileage, really at the end of the day you spend a few dollars more but it shouldn't be the driving force in the end.

I have said before, if you are worried about mileage, sell the RV, buy a Prius and visit Hotels and Motels...

[therink]

My experience is that wind resistane is a larger fator for fuel usage than is weight. I used to have a 9500 lb 33' tt and got between 7&8 mpg. Moved to an 12,400 lb fiver and milage is no different. I have noticed that wind has a significant factor in mileage. Strong head winds can reduce hwy mileage to 5 or 6 mpg.

[KD4UPL]

Your main MPG factor is how you drive and how fast you drive. Your second most important factor is the aerodynamics of the vehicle. Most any TT will be about 8' wide and 9' tall. Any time you're basically pushing a "wall" that size thru the air it will use a lot of fuel.
Once you're cruising along weight doesn't have much to do with it. I don't think any change in trailers would make any significant difference in MPG, certainly not enough to justify getting rid of a trailer I presume you like.
An Airstream trailer might get you some improvement but they are rather expensive so the trade still wouldn't be worth it financially.
Really, 7 MPG is pretty good for that size of a rig. I think your best bet is a bigger fuel tank from Titan. Or, as you already know, a diesel would probably get nearly double the fuel mileage.

[romore]

You likely won't see a big improvement, certainly not enough to down size the trailer. I find my right foot has more to do with mileage than anything, 55-60 seems to be a good speed. Any more than that I pay.