4800lbs trailer verse 3800lbs trailer

[bizzaro]

I would like some info will I save a lot on gas milage
If I downsize my travel trailer from a 4800 lbs trailer
To a 3800 lbs trailer is it a big difference ? I am trying
To find ways to get better gas milage so I can go camping
Again instead of always camping close to home cause I get 9 miles
To a gallon on my rig now . I was even thinking of getting a class b+
Mercedes motor home as I have friends who has one and they are getting
16 miles to a gallon

[tatest]

1000 weight reduction is not likely to improve MPG much. The problem is the frontal area of the box. You can get big gains in MPG by reducing your towing speed.

A Sprinter based B+. Last I looked, a new View was about $100,000. That's not what gives 16MPG, that would more likely be a B like the Era slightly higher. If I replaced my 8 mpg RV with a 16 mpg RV, I could save 25 cents per mile on fuel costs, at current prices. The fuel savings pays off at 400,000 miles.

Actually, I'm thinking about $15,000 into a small TT, to pull behind my van at 12 mpg. That would save me about 15 cents a mile, recover the cost at 100,000 miles. But I wouldn't be doing it to save gas, I would be doing it to accomodate a lifestyle change, from RV touring to casual camping, and would not likely rack up the miles to pay for it with fuel cost reduction.

[brulaz]

avoidcrowds wrote:

...
Tows like a dream. My TV is a diesel Grand Cherokee. I have gotten 21.5 mpg on each of three trips into the mountains of Colorado this summer. Have not towed on the eastern plains, but I expect at least 2 mpg better. I get about 27 mpg when not towing, on the same mountains.
...

Awesome mileage.

[avoidcrowds]

Just found this thread. May be a bit late for OP, but I do have a TrailManor. I have one of the smallest models, a 2417 KD.

Loaded for a trip, it weighs 3500 lbs. King bed in back, dinette in front, shower, toilet, stove, and water heater. Plenty of room for the two of us. I am going to have 4 adults sleeping in it in a few weeks. Only one will be sleeping on the floor. The rest of us will have comfortable beds.

Tows like a dream. My TV is a diesel Grand Cherokee. I have gotten 21.5 mpg on each of three trips into the mountains of Colorado this summer. Have not towed on the eastern plains, but I expect at least 2 mpg better. I get about 27 mpg when not towing, on the same mountains.

We have had two TrailManors, and I intend to continue to purchase TMs, if I replace my current unit. I like the simplicity of towing. It is not difficult to set up, and to me, the ease of towing and the fuel economy are very good benefits to trade against the simple setup. Works great for us!

[bizzaro]

My wife and I have a 2004 28dd forest river Cherokee my tow vehicle is a 200
Ford expedition Eddie bower .. Love my rig. But will be upgrading in the future
My concerns are gas milage hopefully I can acheve some of that .. My trailer is the ultra light maybe I can find a pull vehicle that will give me a little better gas milage and keep my TT .. Still looking .. Thanks for all the info all of you have given me . You have no idea what a big help this was
Thank you

[brulaz]

bizzaro wrote:
Thanks everyone for there input I appreciate it .. Brulaz thanks I contacted the company
For info on the unusual tt .. Does anyone have any dealing with these type of trailers ??

Trailmanor has an excellent, friendly owner's forum. They'll be glad to answer any questions you have.
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/index.php

Personally I find the big folding Trailmanor's very spacious and airy inside. But part of that comes from the lack of overhead cabinets. There are other trade-offs as well. But if improved mileage is your primary goal, reducing frontal area is the main way to do it, and the folding Trailmanors are the most spacious, low frontal area trailers out there.

[bizzaro]

Thanks everyone for there input I appreciate it .. Brulaz thanks I contacted the company
For info on the unusual tt .. Does anyone have any dealing with these type of trailers ??

[rbpru]

Well you pretty much know the story; weight is secondary to frontal area.

My E-boost F-150 gets 20 to 22 mpg, no load, flat highway, no wind, at 65 mph. Pulling my 26 ft. Dutchman it get 10 mpg. at 65 mph. Add wind or hill it is 9 mpg. slow down to 55 and it is a bit more.

Some people report better mileage with the Casita or Scamp TT. That is not surprising if you look at the smaller frontal area. We own a PUP at about 15 mpg, so my wife and I looked into an A-liners and Hi-Lo type folding hard-sided trailers. However it is not about the gas mileage so much as size, convenience and cost; you can buy a lot of gas for the difference.

In hard numbers, for every $1000 difference in price you can buy about 250 gals. of gas; or about 2500 miles of travel. In our case we opted for room and convenience and found a used TT about 8k dollars less than the smaller folding models we were looking at. That is a lot of travel miles.

[brulaz]

Trailemanor makes several large folding type trailers that give excellent gas mileage. http://trailmanor.com

[kend40]

bizzaro wrote:
Yes absolutely .. I was amazed at the ford f150
V6 with the ecoboost .. Rented one I was getting 22
Miles per gallion without towing I can only emagine
What milage I would get towing

Towing you will likely get 10mpg......my daily driver is my TV....a F150 ecboost and i tow a 5000lb TT with it. Best ever non towing was 29 average towing is 11

[rexlion]

You probably could get 14-16 mpg with a Scamp, Casita, or similar molded-fiberglass trailer. They are under 90" high, about 80" wide, and have rounded edges and corners for good aerodynamics.

Or you could buy a popup and maybe get 17-18 mpg.

[Lantley]

wincrasher65 wrote:
There are a lot of variables to what you are asking. I've had a lot of different RV's in my lifetime. Right now I have a B van and love it. If you are just recreating, a smaller RV can add to your fun, costs less to use and can be a lot less work.

To your query, the answer is it depends.

If the 5000 lbs weight of your current trailer is at the max rating for your vehicle, then a lighter trailer should make a difference in mpg. It's still 1000 lbs of weight to carry around, and yes, makes a difference on a gas engine. Their best economy is going to be at 80% engine output, so if your tow vehicle is maxed out, then reducing speed may get you to that sweet spot. With a lighter trailer, then maybe you could go a bit faster for the same economy.

As others have stated, aerodynamics may yield more impact. A pointed nose, or rounded cap trailer may give less wind resistance that a slab nosed trailer. I've had a rounded, a pointed, and a slant. The slant was not any difference than the slab. In fact, that trailer was lighter, but more difficult to tow than a heavier, rounded nose trailer I had at the time. Wind tunnel test show that the rear end treatment may have a lot more impact to aerodynamic efficiency, but you don't see any trailer manufacturers doing much with the rear cap. You do see some rear trailer wings and deflectors on some semi-trucks though.

Buying a new or different RV to get better mpg is going to be difficult to get a payback, since the outlay is so much and resale generally so poor. So think long and hard on that one. If you have other reasons to change out your RV, then justify it that way, as a difference in mpg will take a boatload of miles to make up for the expenditure.

I'd say the sooner you decide to downsize the better. Eventually, these giant RV's will become dinosaurs that nobody wants. Even if your RV is fully paid for, it's still prying $100 bills out of your wallet just to take it out. Most folks with big gas guzzling RV end up letting them sit around and don't get their full use out of them. People with the small trailers and the vans, you see them out all the time, going somewhere. It may be just psychology, but I think that if it doesn't seem so costly to use it, then you probably will use it more.

I have no delusions that taking out my RV doesn't cost a lot. Nevertheless I enjoy taking it out and have no plans to downsize or discontinue using my RV as much as possible.
I understand a smaller RV maybe cheaper to operate but currently I have no interest in a smaller RV.
Possibly in the future my opinion may change but for now I enjoy the large RV that I have.
No I do not enjoy the overall cost, but more importantly I do enjoy the overall experience of my large RV. Currently I am not willing to sacrifice size for savings.

[wincrasher65]

There are a lot of variables to what you are asking. I've had a lot of different RV's in my lifetime. Right now I have a B van and love it. If you are just recreating, a smaller RV can add to your fun, costs less to use and can be a lot less work.

To your query, the answer is it depends.

If the 5000 lbs weight of your current trailer is at the max rating for your vehicle, then a lighter trailer should make a difference in mpg. It's still 1000 lbs of weight to carry around, and yes, makes a difference on a gas engine. Their best economy is going to be at 80% engine output, so if your tow vehicle is maxed out, then reducing speed may get you to that sweet spot. With a lighter trailer, then maybe you could go a bit faster for the same economy.

As others have stated, aerodynamics may yield more impact. A pointed nose, or rounded cap trailer may give less wind resistance that a slab nosed trailer. I've had a rounded, a pointed, and a slant. The slant was not any difference than the slab. In fact, that trailer was lighter, but more difficult to tow than a heavier, rounded nose trailer I had at the time. Wind tunnel test show that the rear end treatment may have a lot more impact to aerodynamic efficiency, but you don't see any trailer manufacturers doing much with the rear cap. You do see some rear trailer wings and deflectors on some semi-trucks though.

Buying a new or different RV to get better mpg is going to be difficult to get a payback, since the outlay is so much and resale generally so poor. So think long and hard on that one. If you have other reasons to change out your RV, then justify it that way, as a difference in mpg will take a boatload of miles to make up for the expenditure.

I'd say the sooner you decide to downsize the better. Eventually, these giant RV's will become dinosaurs that nobody wants. Even if your RV is fully paid for, it's still prying $100 bills out of your wallet just to take it out. Most folks with big gas guzzling RV end up letting them sit around and don't get their full use out of them. People with the small trailers and the vans, you see them out all the time, going somewhere. It may be just psychology, but I think that if it doesn't seem so costly to use it, then you probably will use it more.

[dadmomh]

The majority of us consider it a good day if we average 10 mpg. On a recent trip from TN to CO, once we left OKC our mileage dropped to just barely 8 mpg due to the lloooooonnnnngggg uphill pull. It was barely noticeable to us, but the truck sure knew it. UGH! Heading back home, we were much happier with the 12+mpg, so we did, in fact, average 10 mpg. Any time I do the budget for a trip - and we never leave home without my trusty budget page because that's just me, I figure 10 mpg and $4.00 per gallon. We've never topped the $4.00, but I just plan that way and then we find a little bit of change in the bottom of the bucket when we get home.

If you WANT the Mercedes B+, that's one thing, but it's not gonna be a cost saver for you. But they are nice!

[christopherglen]

First, make sure the tires are all aired up, second slow down. There is nothing - short of a tent - that will pay for its self in a reasonable period.