| MOTORHEAD |
05-23-2013 09:35 AM |
Towing enclosed trailer question
Hello all:
I'm contemplating hauling the cobra up north for a month (1200 mi + one way) in my 20' enclosed trailer pulled by a F250 7.3 diesel. I'm wondering if there would be any fuel savings if I converted to a "V" nose, or rounded like the one Pete Brock designed. Anyone here have any experience with the flat vs "v" noses config as to fuel efficiency ?
TIA.
Ted
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| LREYBURN |
05-23-2013 10:02 AM |
I've pulled a V-Nose many miles with an F-250 Deisel and there may be a slight advantage regarding air drag, however, the biggest impact on fuel savings is speed and direction of wind. If you get a tail wind versus a head wind the fuel comsumption will vary by 8 to 10 miles per gallon.
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| SwiftDB4 |
05-23-2013 10:09 AM |
I have a slope nose enclosed trailer. Haven't noticed any difference in mileage over conventional shape. As other poster said wind and hills make the most difference. Be glad you have a diesel. My 460 F250 gets 9mpg towing.
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| Jerry Clayton |
05-23-2013 10:15 AM |
A V nosed traler will cause a lot of side thrust with cross winds or meeting/passing semis--
A bubble nose does smooth out the airflow at the corners of the trailer
If you have a cab high camper shell you don't need anything on the trailer
My f350 gets 17mpg at below 75 with a 44 ft triple axle featherlie goose neck-above that the clutch fan kicks in and milage slides down the scale
hope you don't have a four wheel drive!!!!!!!!!
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| MOTORHEAD |
05-23-2013 10:18 AM |
Did this trip a couple of years ago with stock flat front, we were pushing it some (70-75 mph) and I got 11mpg !!! Got to do better than that ! My non-towing hiway mpg is down also, was a best of 22, now down to 18-19. I'm thinking of trying towing at 55-60 and see what I get.
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Hmmmm, always get 10-11 when towing with a 460 on gas. you should be doing better with the diesel. my MPH is usually between 55 and 75.
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| scottj |
05-23-2013 10:45 AM |
One of the trailer manufacturers, Wells Cargo I think, did wind tunnel testing a while back. The test showed that the v-nose caused more drag on the sides of the trailer than a flat-front. The net result was no difference in efficiency between the two.
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| Slither |
05-23-2013 11:04 AM |
Obviously, it wouldn't be cost effective if you are planning a trip or two with that trailer.
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| Clois Harlan |
05-23-2013 11:13 AM |
I have pulled a 20' trailer like you have from Tulsa to Wisconsin and then the last time I was up there I pulled my 24' V Nose and my F250 6.0 diesel got between 10 and 13 mph going up and about 15-16 mph on the way home. I dont' think the difference is worth the additional investment. I only realized a couple mpg difference but my V-nose is a lot lighter than my old flat nose trailer.
Clois
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| scottj |
05-23-2013 11:18 AM |
The area of greatest drag is behind the trailer... make it a V-tail and you might have something.
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I didn't notice any improvement in MPG when I switched to a V-nose trailer. What I DID notice is the V-nose is much more sensitive to a cross wind. Still worth the extra space up front.
Pete
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| Jerry Clayton |
05-23-2013 12:49 PM |
Before I had the triple axle, I had a wells cargo 28 ft with a bubble nose on it---differances that I noticed--things in the back of the truck didn't move around and In heavy rain you could see where the airflow was going down the side of the trailer---it (rain drops) were deflected out and away from the trailer by 2 or 3 feet at the front and then easewd back toward the sides but remined about a foot or so out all the way to the rear where they really sucked into the space behind it----------I could feel the differance if someone got close behind me in the void
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| Silversmith |
05-23-2013 02:28 PM |
7.3 diesel good running shape 12 to 18 mpg avg. I avg. 16 mpg with my 20' round/flat nose Haulmark enclosed & the AC inside. don't bother with the extra cost. ;) If you really want to improve mpg. Have a GV under/over drive added to your 7.3 !
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| Jerry Clayton |
05-23-2013 03:53 PM |
My 1999 F350 has an oem overdrive with 3.73 gears----single rear wheel 2 wheel drive----
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| 347stroker |
05-23-2013 04:38 PM |
On my tractor trailer, a rounded nose cone helps. The biggest gain in fuel mileage came from closing up the distance between the cab and the trailer. That cuts down the effects of crosswinds and the unit cuts smoother through turbulence. When you are getting six miles to the gallon every little bit helps. Tom
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| CowtownCobra |
05-23-2013 04:44 PM |
The V nose can be tricky in a cross wind from what I have heard. Want to get better mileage? Keep it at 65 and below, there is a HUGE difference in mileage between ~65 and ~72. I hauled a 20 footer many miles with my old 7.3
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| 347stroker |
05-23-2013 04:51 PM |
+1 on reduced speed. Tom
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| 347stroker |
05-23-2013 05:14 PM |
If anyone wants their diesel pickup hotrodded by an evil genius pm me. His own Dodge Ram is somewhere north of 600 hp. This is with good fuel mileage. Back in the 70's he also held the track record at Nelson's Ledges so obviously he's our kind of car guy too. Tom
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| MOTORHEAD |
05-23-2013 08:32 PM |
Thanks for all the input guys, guess I'll forget the V nose, but I may try some of the tricks Brock used on his trailer.
Silversmith: my '99 250 SD is 2 wheel drive with o.d. automatic. Whay is the "GV" od you were refering to?
Anybody using a tuner chip? Any mileage improvement with any of them? I notice they don't make mileage claims for them like they used to.
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