[slowmover]

"What other easy things can I do to help out. Been reading a lot, but not sure where to start".


Maybe you know all this and have already done it. These are the "is it plugged in" questions.

The cheapest is driver. 8-mpg average is a gas motor average for that rig weight and shape. 11-12 would be reasonable. The truck industry average between best and worst drivers, controlled, is 30%. Only thing that matters is on-time for cheapest cost. First guess is that you're driving too fast. Anything above 60-mph hurts too much, so keep speed down while in motion, trip plan all stops for fuel food (2-hours max), and pay closer attention to tire pressures/brakes/alignment and get the hitch dialled in.

Driving no more than about 10-under the limit on the Interstate (except in 55-mph states) keeps one out of the packs of cretins on the road. It is not only legal, but prudent. You have right-of-way, so use it. It also helps avoid lane changes, "brake tests" and allows you to pay closer attention to road condition, weather and traffic. Set the cruise between 58-62 mph. Widens peripheral vision as well. All to the good. The only measurement is how much fuel to move X-weight Y-miles. Speed hurts. Stopping/starting hurts more. You'll make it up by planning all stops in advance for rest/fuel/food. Every two hours, max. Plan your route for majority "truck designated" miles (Trucker Road Atlas). I'd rather travel an extra 15-miles on the Interstate than cut across town, for example. Avoid "scenic" and no-shoulder roadways. Discipline pays.

Fatigue sets in by 6th hour, and driver performance declines. So long as you are, overall, making 50-mph per tank of fuel you are good (use hourmeter). Anything over 600-miles per day is too far. Avoid any night driving if at all possible (respect civil dawn and civil twilight). Fatigue -- as you already know -- tears up performance. Zero idle time.

As to tires do not inflate to maximum (a mistake) but optimize to load. Tires pressure/temperature takes 1.5-hours of steady state driving to stabilize (a tire consultant tells me), so look for an ideal rise of only 3-psi after that point. 5-psi is okay, but one can come down a touch. Find out what is best for your rig. Do not exceed vehicle manufacturers numbers for full load, front or rear on the truck. Tire sidewall numbers don't mean much. Need weight PER WHEEL to send an email to manufacturer to get recommended pressures. Work to fine tune from there. Same for trailer.

Alignment on BOTH truck and trailer axles should be set, tires wheels balanced on BOTH, shocks should be like new on BOTH vehicles, and trailer brakes should be perfect (not only in adjustment, but in measured voltage/amperage at each wheel drum). I've yet to see a recommendation for adjusting trailer brakes exceed 5,000-miles. And bearings usually call for maintenance at 3-5,000. I'd make them all perfect. Yours may be equipped with Nevr-Lube bearings, but at least do the brakes often. Personally, I'd re-wire both the truck power to the trailer, and the complete trailer brake system. They're never as good as they should be (unless they're disc units). Ideal brake performance means lesser/finer measured inputs by driver.

You need the weights of the truck and the trailer, separately, as well as both when empty and loaded. Also the trailer tongue weight. And then the rig as hitched. Proper hitch rigging is found less than 10% of the time studies show, going back decades. Use a CAT Scale. Have a look at both calculators and threads on RV.net to set up hitch. Look for posts by Ron Gratz over there. Use the formulas. Improper hitch rigging is not only a safety deficiency, but causes the front end to catch more air and worsens trailer response. Scale tickets are a deductible business expense.

Set up correctly you can drive with two fingers assuming a decent hitch (not the friction bar type). If not, more work is needed for adjustment (or, my preference, a better hitch). If you can get BOTH truck and trailer just slightly, just barely nose down it'll be a help (by actual measurement, not eyeball). Both before and after being hitched. If not, I'd modify the hitch receiver and ball mount if the usual adjustments don't work.

To start spending money I'd go first for a P3 or, better, a MAXBRAKE brake controller. Be sure trailer leads truck brakes slightly. Test in gravel, too, if you can (need observer to tell you which brakes are locking first). MULTI-VEX mirror inserts would be next (vision trumps everything else in towing), and then AIRTABS would be worthwhile as an experiment, as, anything that keeps trailer tail from twitching is worth trying. I would also try a front air dam on the truck (after blocking grille). The 2WD's I've measured -- Ford, GM and Dodge -- are all at least 7" of clearance with stock air dams. I've seen at least one extra deep sheet metal air dam retrofitted. 4WD's sit way too high so it might help. Be sure the accountant sees any of this for deductions (repairs/maintenance, etc).

Get tires optimized for on-highway performance next time you need some. Never seen any complaints about MICHELIN and I average above 80,000 per set with mine. (And get a real wheel and rotate the spare in and out. Use no patched tires to tow with, make that one the spare).

See if you can't find a used HENSLEY ARROW hitch for sale (better, a PRO PRIDE). The difference is amazing. It's some bucks, but if times get flush I couldn't recommend anything to make a larger improvement in the overall performance of the rig. PULL RITE is slick as well. The "easier" your rig is to drive, the more time/attention you can give to the tiny adjustments to keep efficiency high.

I averaged 15+ mpg with a 34' 7,500-lb trailer at 63 mph. Could have broken 16 by slowing slightly. I averaged 19 with a 12-foot 6x6 enclosed trailer at around 3,800-lbs. Granted, both were "aero" trailers in comparison. Yours is "ugly" for fuel economy. Look forward to your experiments.