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Old 07-31-2017, 10:09 AM   #15 (permalink)
ThomCat316
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Join Date: Sep 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover View Post
Is it a toy, or something on which you and your family will depend?
There are now two of us in the family full-time, with up to four additional for short visits. We are designing around this sort of scenario, both with the trailer and with the hauler.

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Will it "save" you $500 or $5000 in a calendar year AFTER you've recouped the cost?
Net savings of going fulltime should be in excess of $10,000/yr. Cost estimate at this point is less than $20,000, based on a careful accounting of build costs and past experience with similar projects.

Quote:
A fifth wheel travel trailer looks nice on paper. But it uses up the trucks cargo capacity for volume and weight.
Over on Airforums are some threads by "Skatiero" where she and her husband beautifully modded a 29 and then a 32 foot Airstream to accommodate their family of nine.
Something like this with a well-chosen passenger van is far more "fuel efficient" than a specifically high mpg rig.
We are looking at the capacity issue as more of a "transfer" to the trailer rather than a loss, and won't be really digging into the capabilities of the truck all that much. The weight budget for the trailer, loaded, increased when we decided to retire rather than vacation, which pushed us up from a Mercedes diesel FrankenDakota to the standard 5.9 CTD - but barely, as the trailer is coming in at a little over 3,000 lbs. with full tanks and stores. The Dakota would likely be up to the demand, but I'd rather have reserves in hand than live too close to the edge. If I were to put a 12V CTD in the Dakota, it would likely be perfect, but there are fully functional 2500s for sale all over the place.

Quote:
Where the trailer has been "maximized" in terms of not needing outside supply where X people over Y nights is concerned, is the path to take for fuel efficiency.
Trailer parked at given location and no use of the tow vehicle for ? days. That's the question to answer.
We entirely agree with you in this, though we want the flexibility to boondock, bicycle about, carry kayaks to remote locations, haul loads, add a camper shell to the flatbed sometimes, tow a 32 ft. sailboat, and various other things that made a van a non-starter.

Quote:
Limiting the use of an otherwise well chosen (and highly reliable) tow vehicle is the path to follow for reducing fuel burn. That limited use is then defined with carefully planned trips.
As I recently went over in a post on the thread "Economics of Modding" , it's not the highest mpg of the vehicle per se, it's the best use per mile.
True, given that specific target. Very much agreed. We are looking at this fairly holistically, and for various reasons are more comfortable with the pickup as the tow vehicle.

Quote:
A passenger van with short rear overhang and an indefinite lifespan aero trailer is a dynamically good as well as overall efficient package.
What I'm trying to say is that there is a limit to chasing FE in a specific instance.
YES! Not our ideal solution for the two of us fulltiming, but a better one if we were planning to travel with kids or other passengers.

I haven't had a chance yet to go check out either "Economics of Modding" or the Airforums folks, and will, but I don't think, given the versatility we need out of a tow vehicle, that we're likely to change our plans. The focus will likely continue to be making the best of what we're working with.

Thank you for assigning additional reading, and for making me think more...
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slowmover (07-31-2017)