Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Closing the trailer gap

slowmover · 04-10-2013, 11:23 AM

1] Hitch receiver design. Inches count

2] Length of drawbar. Inches count

For any given tow vehicle.

Shortest rear overhang -- from tow vehicle axle center to hitch ball -- is best, as you note, but separate from the above.

The "best" trailer for a given use (shape + weight, first; second are road performance issues such as COG, ground clearance, suspension and brake type) drives the design for best tow vehicle. "Given use" drives the length of the trailer (among other dimensions).

The more choices one has in appropriate tow vehicles, the "better" is the trailer design, IOW. A Euro turbodiesel SUV or sedan may return all the best numbers . . but how affordable, in main? Avoiding the need for a pickup truck ought to drive things -- so to speak -- for a non-dedicated combination (where solo miles predominate).

If HP demand can be settled to the comfort of the owner, then the lash-up can be optimized for a given tow vehicle.

It's circular, but the trailer drives all other decisions. Trailer weight is secondary to trailer shape, on the one hand, but climate & terrain (mainly altitude) are the tow vehicle limiting factors. Paved, or unpaved. Etc.

Subsidized roads and subsidized fuel are the largest picture. Without them this is an exercise in futility.

More closely, we might say that the scaled weight of the payload, and it's shape, is what is at stake.

How quickly or slowly, and at what cost it arrives at it's destination is what needs sorting as secondary concerns (that folks often assume as being primary).

Shipping that same load by rail or truck versus transporting it ourselves reveals that we find convenience to be of a higher value than true lowest cost. Where do we draw a line? What are the upper and lower limits of payload shapes and weights. Etc.

Hitch rigging (lash up) comes down to specifics of the vehicles chosen. Aero is simply unknown until that point.

A pickup with the bed removed pulling gooseneck-hitched trailer may well be the best candidate for an aero trailer "package". But how useful is that tow vehicle to a non-commercial user in solo miles?

Etc.

.

04-10-2013, 11:23 AM	#27 (permalink)
slowmover Banned Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 2,442 2004 CTD - '04 DODGE RAM 2500 SLT Team Cummins 90 day: 19.36 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,422 Thanked 737 Times in 557 Posts	1] Hitch receiver design. Inches count 2] Length of drawbar. Inches count For any given tow vehicle. Shortest rear overhang -- from tow vehicle axle center to hitch ball -- is best, as you note, but separate from the above. The "best" trailer for a given use (shape + weight, first; second are road performance issues such as COG, ground clearance, suspension and brake type) drives the design for best tow vehicle. "Given use" drives the length of the trailer (among other dimensions). The more choices one has in appropriate tow vehicles, the "better" is the trailer design, IOW. A Euro turbodiesel SUV or sedan may return all the best numbers . . but how affordable, in main? Avoiding the need for a pickup truck ought to drive things -- so to speak -- for a non-dedicated combination (where solo miles predominate). If HP demand can be settled to the comfort of the owner, then the lash-up can be optimized for a given tow vehicle. It's circular, but the trailer drives all other decisions. Trailer weight is secondary to trailer shape, on the one hand, but climate & terrain (mainly altitude) are the tow vehicle limiting factors. Paved, or unpaved. Etc. Subsidized roads and subsidized fuel are the largest picture. Without them this is an exercise in futility. More closely, we might say that the scaled weight of the payload, and it's shape, is what is at stake. How quickly or slowly, and at what cost it arrives at it's destination is what needs sorting as secondary concerns (that folks often assume as being primary). Shipping that same load by rail or truck versus transporting it ourselves reveals that we find convenience to be of a higher value than true lowest cost. Where do we draw a line? What are the upper and lower limits of payload shapes and weights. Etc. Hitch rigging (lash up) comes down to specifics of the vehicles chosen. Aero is simply unknown until that point. A pickup with the bed removed pulling gooseneck-hitched trailer may well be the best candidate for an aero trailer "package". But how useful is that tow vehicle to a non-commercial user in solo miles? Etc. . Last edited by slowmover; 04-10-2013 at 11:34 AM..