wind resistance

[ARoamer]

Would someone please pop on over to the Airstream forum and report back here with their MPG findings? With their distinctive rounded front and rear aerodynamic styling they must see huge fuel savings when being towed.

[Falcon67]

Originally Posted by lefoster

A brick pulling a box........that describes it perfectly!


Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas!


HAPPY CAMPING!

Our soon to be ex-220RD is like dragging a 8' x 11' vertical piece of plywood down the road. F-350, 48 gallon tank. No wind - one top off between west Texas and Albuquerque. Head wind - at least 2 stops.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Originally Posted by marbles

I hear that the wind drag is caused by the vacuum or parachute behind the trailer, not in front. You would need to attach a nose cone to the rear of the trailer to help it slip through the wind.

Gonna tell the wife about this...gonna tell her the guys suggested mounting an Aerial Rider Kepler on the back...gonna tells her we'll double our mileage ..yea...that's what I'm gonna do!!

[Falcon67]

Originally Posted by ARoamer

Would someone please pop on over to the Airstream forum and report back here with their MPG findings? With their distinctive rounded front and rear aerodynamic styling they must see huge fuel savings when being towed.

FWIW - towing with the F-350 DRW: The 220RD average 6.5~7 for a one way to Albuquerque, 480 miles, minimal wind issues. The 2016 race trailer - usually 7.5+ unless there's a really bad headwind like 20+ MPH. The Keystone weighs around 5800 loaded. The race trailer weighs 13,800. The race trailer is a extra height, so around 8' tall at the roof. The Keystone is close to 10.5'.

We moved the daughter to ALB using the race trailer. On the scales at Santa Rosa, the total rig weight with her junk was 20720 lbs. 1026 mile trip, 7.9 average MPG.

[Skyline]

My 2019 F350 has a 32 gallon gasoline tank. I was getting 7-7.5 MPG while towing my 9,000 pound Eagle HT. I installed a wind deflector I’m now getting about 1-1.5 MPG improvement. My range has increased about 32- 48 miles per tankful. At $3 per gallon that equals about $15-20 savings per fill up. It takes about 20 minutes to install and folds flat when not in use. For myself the extra range is as important as the dollar savings.

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by Skyline

My 2019 F350 has a 32 gallon gasoline tank. I was getting 7-7.5 MPG while towing my 9,000 pound Eagle HT. I installed a wind deflector I’m now getting about 1-1.5 MPG improvement. My range has increased about 32- 48 miles per tankful. At $3 per gallon that equals about $15-20 savings per fill up. It takes about 20 minutes to install and folds flat when not in use. For myself the extra range is as important as the dollar savings.

What wind deflector did you install?

[Skyline]

I looked online and didn’t want to pay the $500 that they cost so I made one myself. I used a $50 roof rack and some aluminum angle and a 200 watt solar panel. I will try to post pictures if I can figure out how to do it.

[Skyline]

Marcm157, I can’t figure out how to post pictures. My home made air deflector cost me about $350. 200 for a solar panel, 50 for roof rack and 100 for hardware. Solar panels are rated for 140mph. I based the the mount on the ones on my house except I used four mounting points instead of two. I tested it at 90 mph, without the trailer, for a few mile before my first trip. It didn’t budge and hasn’t for a few thousand miles of use. I will integrate the solar panel when i install solar on my trailer.

[Skyline]

[Skyline]

[440 scout]

Originally Posted by marbles

I hear that the wind drag is caused by the vacuum or parachute behind the trailer, not in front. You would need to attach a nose cone to the rear of the trailer to help it slip through the wind.

That's correct, just take a look at the Bowlus travel trailer. Unfortunately it's a little pricey!

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by marbles

I hear that the wind drag is caused by the vacuum or parachute behind the trailer, not in front. You would need to attach a nose cone to the rear of the trailer to help it slip through the wind.

Drag is yes, but also wind resistance is caused by the frontal area. Walk down the street on a windy day holding a 4x4 piece of plywood in front of you.

[Skyline]

When gas was over $4 per gallon it cost me .60 per mile to tow my trailer. I did some research on air deflectors before I built one. Almost every semi truck on the road has one. The ones commercially for sale are over $500 dollars. Any way one thing lead to another, and after deciding on the solar panel instead of plywood I put it together myself. It was an experiment to be sure. It does work, 15-20% savings is what I have averaged. I haven’t used the solar panel but when I install solar on my trailer I will plug it into the system.

[Skyline]

I just looked at the Bowlus trailers. At $250,000 the owners are probably not to concerned with gas mileage. That’s $200K I have left over after what I paid.

[ARoamer]

Originally Posted by Skyline

When gas was over $4 per gallon it cost me .60 per mile to tow my trailer. I did some research on air deflectors before I built one. Almost every semi truck on the road has one. The ones commercially for sale are over $500 dollars. Any way one thing lead to another, and after deciding on the solar panel instead of plywood I put it together myself. It was an experiment to be sure. It does work, 15-20% savings is what I have averaged. I haven’t used the solar panel but when I install solar on my trailer I will plug it into the system.

Sorry for the sarcasm, but that's some magical solar panel roof deflector saving 15-20% . All the trucking companies would be very interested. Seems like you'd better patent it and make big $$$$.
Quote-"
Semi tractor manufacturers claim 5 - 10% increase in fuel milage with their aerodynamic packages, with 3 - 6% claims from the roof fairing and side extensions. FedEx and other major carriers must have data to support that because they buy the packages.
Vehicle roof wind deflector manufacturers claim up to 3% improvement while pulling a travel trailer."

[Skyline]

I checked out one on Amazon for $570. They claim 3 mpg fuel saving. I think I got between 1 to 1.5 better mpg on my trips.

[CAG]

There were numerous studies done a number of years ago concerning the draft additions and they did nothing to add to gas mileage.



Another addition that does nothing to help the RVer but does great things for the people selling the addition. Makes their pocket book full.

[Skyline]

It seems that there are differences in opinions on wind deflectors. 3 million tractor trailers have wind deflectors or are designed aerodynamically to deflect wind resistance. I guess that’s because they DON’T work. A semi truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, be 70 feet long, and have 18 tires, that’s 2000 pounds of rolling resistance. If wind deflectors have any effect on tractor trailers will they work on RV’s if placed properly? Comparing an RV to a tractor trailer is like comparing a Toyota Prius to a Fifth wheel. I have one on my RV I have seen an average increase in 1.25 mpg. Your results may vary. There are numerous videos on YouTube make your own decision.

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by Skyline

Marcm157, I can’t figure out how to post pictures. My home made air deflector cost me about $350. 200 for a solar panel, 50 for roof rack and 100 for hardware. Solar panels are rated for 140mph. I based the the mount on the ones on my house except I used four mounting points instead of two. I tested it at 90 mph, without the trailer, for a few mile before my first trip. It didn’t budge and hasn’t for a few thousand miles of use. I will integrate the solar panel when i install solar on my trailer.

Pretty unique idea. I am only about an hour or so north of you. I will definitely recognize the truck if our paths ever cross!

[Skyline]

Let me be clear on one thing. I no way does the photo-voltaic aspect of the solar cell have any effect at all. I could have used other material such as plywood for example. The solar panel weighs 28 lbs, is waterproof and wind rated to 140mph. It also was cost effective when compared to marine grade plywood.