realistic MPG expectations
after some searching, I'm wondering what kind of mileage people are getting when towing. I know the frontal area of the trailer is a big factor, as far as wind resistance, even more so than weight. ...
Forum Discussion
Slowmover wrote:
Were the square box versus aero fuel burn comparisons based on travel speed, climate, terrain and use of cruise control? Was the comparable solo figure given? ....snip.....
I don't know that you were specifically addressing me from my earlier post, but I will make this observation: I have a square box trailer ( funfinder 19' ) and a two horse bumper pull trailer. The horse trailer just coincidentally is about the same length and width as the funfinder. The horse trailer is lower to the ground, has a rounded front, rounded top edge at the front, and rounded wall/ceiling front to back. Admittably it's square and flat at the back. It weighs very close to the same as the funfinder when I have one horse in it.
I pull both these trailers with the same truck. I get essentially the same fuel economy with either trailer, pulling over the same roads. Either one is within one to one and half mpg of the other, mostly depending on how fast I run and what the wind conditions are for the day. These are pencil and paper figures over many tanks of fuel. I've pulled the camper close to 25,000 miles and the horse trailer several thousand miles in all different weather conditions. So at least for me, I just don't see a difference to speak of.
Again I go back to the idea of of, "if a user has worry over a few more hundreds of dollars spent on fuel, then RV'ing may not be for them".
This is not a cheap hobby. If a person wants to travel cheap, buy an economy car and a $100 tent at walmart. Not trying sound snippy, but it's just this whole RV thing is not an inexpensive way to see the country.
