When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
You know better!! You throw that out to stir the pot?
No, I put it out there to educate people. I have held a Class A CDL since 1988, been driving since 1983. I have more miles driving hauling loads than most guys have in their entire lives. I have seen it, experienced it, and studied it. If you think you know better, prove it.
In case you don't know this, trailer height is from suspension, not side walls, so a 1' taller trailer will have nearly the same, if not the same sidewall area as a shorter trailer the same length. Get it? Got it?
Really? I don't have any TT experience, but with my enclosed cargo trailers, the drag impact was pretty obvious empty as well as full, and I always thought it was a frontal-area consideration—an empty cargo trailer was worse than an open sled trailer with sleds on it, and I think the weight was comparable. A foot shorter seems like it would be a significant decrease in frontal area and thus in drag.
Sorry that was a typo, meant 1' taller. I have a 6x12 enclosed cargo trailer as well and what I meant by work is by how much fuel is consumed towing at highway speeds. The truck uses nearly the same amount of fuel hauling a 2200 pound enclosed that is 7' tall as it does pulling a 28' long 11' tall, 6900 pound travel trailer. Difference is about 1 MPG towing either one. A 1 foot difference in height between travel trailers wont matter though, frontal area is roughly the same since the height difference is between the road and frame, not in frontal area. Only exception are those that have 8'+ floor to ceiling clearance, so roughly 6" more frontal.
When I tow my flat bed, the truck gets around 15 MPG.
No, I put it out there to educate people. I have held a Class A CDL since 1988, been driving since 1983. I have more miles driving hauling loads than most guys have in their entire lives. I have seen it, experienced it, and studied it. If you think you know better, prove it.
In case you don't know this, trailer height is from suspension, not side walls, so a 1' taller trailer will have nearly the same, if not the same sidewall area as a shorter trailer the same length. Get it? Got it?
Reasonable people would realize frontal area (which is width times height slick in case you slept though that class) has a big effect on the "load" the tractor feels
Next time you hop into a big rig take a look at the aerodynamic improvements your boss invested in to make that truck slip though the air easier.
Reasonable people would realize frontal area (which is width times height slick in case you slept though that class) has a big effect on the "load" the tractor feels
Next time you hop into a big rig take a look at the aerodynamic improvements your boss invested in to make that truck slip though the air easier.
Well if you want a pissing contest you have one. Frontal area on a trailer 10' high and one 11' high would be the same. As I stated, with a few exceptions, the height difference comes from the suspension, not the walls. Frontal area also varies by design. A full flat one such as that on a 53' van would be the most, but we are not discussing those, at least not in this thread. Keep it on topic. OP asked, does it make a difference between a taller trailer when towing. Answer is no. Frontal area would be very similar whether it is 10' tall or 11' tall.
The real difference is in design of the front shell. But OP didn't ask that did he? The truck will do the same amount of work with either height. The tow will be the same.
been looking at tt s and most seem to be 11 ft tall but I seen were coachmen (don't remember which model) wre 10ft high. Do you think a foot less in height would make a big difference in towing
Frontal area would be very similar whether it is 10' tall or 11' tall.
A 1ft taller trailer will have more of it's frontal area outside the atmospheric disturbance of the truck. The effect on mileage may be minimal, but it's there.
Just curious - you folks who have pulled a variety of trailers. Have you noticed much difference in how the front of the trailer is shaped? I see a lot more "slant" to the fronts of newer trailers than the older models - do you think that was to improve aerodynamics?
A 1ft taller trailer will have more of it's frontal area outside the atmospheric disturbance of the truck. The effect on mileage may be minimal, but it's there.
No argument there, it would take a lot of miles to see the difference though, but overall it would be in tenths of MPG. I wonder how belly aerodynamics play a part in the height between road and belly.
Originally Posted by larry2c
Just curious - you folks who have pulled a variety of trailers. Have you noticed much difference in how the front of the trailer is shaped? I see a lot more "slant" to the fronts of newer trailers than the older models - do you think that was to improve aerodynamics?
The 6 x 12 enclosed I have has a V nose, the TT has a rounded flat nose. Both use the same, or nearly the same amount of fuel to tow @ 65MPH. If anything is is between .5 and 1 MPG difference towing these two different trailers for me. Bullet shaped trailers like the Airstream pull much easier due to the highly aerodynamic shape of the nose. With the rounded sides and tail it also is less prone to side disturbances too.
The guys at Camp-Inn say rounding the trailer like the below requires less fuel than a traditional tear-drop design (rounded on the top corner only in the front).
Airstream knew what they were doing when they first rounded both the front and rear top and side corners of their trailers. An aerofoil is an efficient shape that exhibits low drag. The aerofoil tapers the trailing end to an extreme, but any real rounding of the following edges will smooth flow and decrease vacuum at the rear of the trailer.
The hideous 1996 Ford Taurus design was the product of seeking efficiency, bringing the car's cd from 3.2 to 3.0
Just like with the truck, the height of the trailer will impact drag. Fortunately, there isn't much in the way of air gaps and obstructions under most trailers, but even the top, sides and bottom of a vehicle, even when smooth, create drag. If you can limit air from getting under a tow vehicle or towed vehicle, you will reduce drag.
