95 F150 and Uhaul trailer drive across USA
 

I didn't think this should go in Aerodynamics, but here we go:

In the fairly near future I have the task of driving a 1995 Ford F150 supercab (not crew cab) 2wd with a 302 across the country from Dallas Texas to Central Oregon. In tow I will have a Uhaul 6x12 trailer. Both truck bed and trailer will be full of not particularly heavy but bulky household items (furniture, freezer, antique rocking chairs, secretariat, etc.) as aging parents will be entering a retirement community. The drive is estimated at a shade over 2000 miles taking the flattest and time efficient route (Dallas TX- Salinas KS- Denver CO- Cheyenne WY- SLC UT- Boise ID- Bend OR); heading across NM and AZ and up through CA is an additional 200 miles.

With the drive and vehicle in mind, I estimate that on flat ground at highway speeds the truck will achieve 17mpg, with the aforementioned trailer it should achieve 12-13. Any faster than 60-65 tops and fuel economy will fall off a cliff further.

I will be arriving at DFW pre-dawn on a Wednesday, and have an appoitment that morning to have a hitch installed and trailer picked up, and then leaving early on a Friday morning for the estimated 3.5 day drive. In this window I will have to go through a 3900 sq ft house and 2200 sq ft shop and place everything we are taking in one place on Wednesday and spend a portion of the day loading Thursday. This does not leave much time for my idea which I am finally getting to:

Dad has a working woodworking shop which has not been touched in 3-4 years. In my recollection from briefly walking through it this summer there is enough wood and plywood to make a temporary canopy (only has to survive the drive to Oregon) to extend from the cab of the truck beyond the tailgate towards the square trailer, which will hopefully allow 1 or 2 mpg back from towing.

In order to pull this of I will have to complete measurements, cut wood, secure framework to vehicle (complicated by drop-in bed liner and tubular bed rails (u-bolts to created wooden frame?)), and then measure plywood and secure to frame, as well as gorilla tape gaps. I will have to pull this off without dad's direct assistance due to alzheimers and power tools not mixing.

So I ask, what would be an effective way to accomplish this in 4 or 5 hours? Would it be better to just lay plywood over the top of the truck bed rails and secure it, and hope for the best with the trailer aero? I do not wish to hunt down and purchase an overpriced used canopy/bed topper on craigslist in Dallas with limited time and tight budget. I will not have coroplast available for scavenging, only wood-related materials.

Your thoughts? Taping gaps on the truck seems fairly obvious as are airing up tires. Thank you.

Get a Masterlock adjustable hitch ball so that the trailer rides dead level (or barest forward). Lug nut torque, tire pressure and brake fluid need to be checked at UHaul. It's usually NOT right. Good trailer choice. My 24-mpg one ton still did 18-19 with this trailer (same route covered many times; same speed, etc).

I'd go with plywood over bed. How to fasten it down is the trick. Needs to be strong.

On the road, plan your stops in advance of the day's drive. About two hours apart (and combine meal with fuel stop). The farther past 350-miles per day you run, the more tired you'll be. I recommend starts of around 0430 to get the most miles out of the way. I'm usually up by 0300 to accomplish this (truck driver). Th more fire one is, the faster the deterioration of fine motor skills. And the the prevalence of white line fever.

In main, no lane changes. Constant use of cruise control. The gravest distance maintained from other vehicles. Slow to let others pass more quickly, etc. plan ahead by watching mirrors. What is behind me is my future.

The load will be level or just slightly tilted forward; I have thought this part through with hitch's drop which will be going in the receiver. The load in the bed may also help with the angle as it is only a half-ton truck.

This may be the easiest and most cost effective method. Perhaps cutting various V-grooves in the sides of a 4x8 plywood for rope threading with foam or shop rags at the peak of the grooves to deter fraying? Also a redundant stretch of rope or paracord tying the board to the truck in case the main lashings fail? The board would hang over the tailgate a little and I do not have a problem with that.

Now that I think about it, it may be a huge sheet of chip board instead of plywood that I have access to.

At any rate, safety first on this.

You could bang together a quick-and-dirty cap that rose gently to meet the height of the Uhaul's roof, and sides that flared out to meet the width of its walls. Take those as far aft as you dare, bearing in mind that you'll spend the majority of your time on Interstates with gentle turns. The closer you get to making them meet, the less turning tightness you have left, obviously.

If it were me, I wouldn't do more in the time frame you have mentioned. I wouldn't waste a lot of time and effort on a one-and-done like this.

Agreed on the interstates; however, there are still hotel parking lots and driving in towns, interchanges, and the twisties on Hwy 20 between Ontario and Burns in OR to deal with. Realistically it most likely won't extend much past the hitch a foot or two behind the truck but every bit will help.

Maybe a gurney flap on the trailing edge of the board, or would that be counter-productive?

If a simple plywood tonneau will work, that's the best, simplest answer. If you need more space then a plywood cap isn't that much more work: a fast and dirty box frame like this guy's chicken tractor. U bolts or exhaust clamps can hold it on, sheath it with plywood and let at least the top panel extend as far aft as you dare.

https://quainthomesteader.files.word...ractor-001.jpg

That cap in the background... it's already made. Often there are plenty of them to be found on Craigslist free.

It's big, thirsty, and un-aero. Best thing if you can find the mental discipline is to plod along slowly.

I once drove from Southern California to Wisconsin at 50 MPH. A 1955 Ford half ton, worn out six cylinder, and an overloaded U-Haul trailer. Worn king pins made over 50 MPH impossible even when it had enough power to go faster. But I got there. In following years I drove that truck out to Wyoming and up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, still at 50 MPH.

Slow WILL get you there, and the gas mileage will be better than you could get with aero improvements at higher speeds. Use the five hours to go slower.

The wood frame in the foreground, Frank.

Yes, caps are un-aero, but not as bad as a bed full of furniture. Any kind of a shroud will help. Even driving "slowly" is on a highway, and any help you can get is a bonus.

I'd prefer to fly down, then rent a diesel moving truck to load everything, and drive that back. Or, is there something special about the truck that it needs to go too?

If you're towing an enclosed trailer (or one with a tall load), a square cap is better than an 'aero' type. Adding a deflector to kick air up to the roof height of the trailer is better still.

My point was there are many caps readily available for cheap or even free that are already built- no need to cobble anything together. And they are big and square.

Renting a truck will run roughly $2k to make the drive; the Ford is at no cost, well maintained with a low 78k on it, full maintenance history, and has been garaged since new... the only thing wrong with it is the tinting has turned a shade of purple over the years and the fact that it is still a full size truck with a V8.

Regarding low cost or free pickup toppers/canopys, I have been searching the Dallas CL for a few weeks now with nothing suitable (however, if there are any Dallas ecomodders which wish to donate a fitting canopy, I can be there the evening of August 31st to pick it up :)). Should one not be found it looks like the route of the DIY tonneau lashed to the bed.

For each MPG you gain for 2000 miles you will save $15+-. If you manage to gain 3MPG you will save about $50. Is there any cost of material? Is there any value for your labor? If you had a greater distance or if you will use the rig in the future this would make more sense.

We can chip in and get you a roll of duct tape! :)

Materials are at no cost; it is leftover from dad's woodworking days and there's an entire 1-car garage sized room full of organized lumber of various sizes on shelves and racks.

Stopped at the local u-haul dealer today to get a good visualization of the size of a 6x12 trailer; it will be about the same height as the F150's 5'10"-6' height so maybe a tonneau isn't the best option and grabbing a box of 3" deck screws in addition to the free lumber and chipboard at my disposal is. The only limitation I have is time which will be only a few hours as originally posted. It doesn't have to be pretty, only has to work.

The tongue of the trailer is about 6 feet in length so building a canopy that extends maybe 3' off the back of the truck's 7' bed would be a starting point? There would be a gap but it will allow articulation of the trailer for any situation on the road.

Regarding future use of the truck, it will be replacing the Comanche as the occasionally-used load hauler, as it is simply old and small and parts can be challenging to source at times from the doors back. Try pricing out a tail light for one of these Jeeps- ouch.

We will have a roll of white gorilla tape on hand for front-end gap sealing.

Which reminds me, it has contoured running boards which will need to smoothed over where the steps are for ingress/egress.

I think you don't have to cover much of the gap between the truck and trailer. I towed a teardrop trailer behind a '99 Montero (both fully loaded) and barely felt the weight (except up hills) I figure the reason was that the teardrop trailer actually helped the montero close the air behind and the size of the two were fairly even. You probably can't do much to fair the tail of the U Haul but the truck could have a topper slightly higher and wider than the trailer. I suppose that the air leaving the back of the topper would follow much the same pattern as the aero template (teardrop) as it attempts to close behind the truck. So as long as the trailer fits just inside this closing air it would ride smoothly in the wake...and then create it's own horrible drag behind it. So if you draw the aerodynamic template over the topper and raise it to cover the gap you can imagine how the air would flow. A larger image would help, but this little sketch looks like raising the topper about 8 inches or so above the height of the trailer would be about right. A flat plywood roof would suffice. I don't think you gain much by curving the topper. You will gain a tiny bit by smoothing the plywood and painting.

Note that my image is not intended to suggest that this is a perfect aerodynamic shape, merely show the path of air leaving the truck topper to meet up with the upper edge of the trailer.

http://www.poodwaddle.com/images/uhaul.jpg

I think if you're gonna keep the truck a while, which I would and it appears you will, you'll have eco-modding thoughts about it in the future and if you're contemplating a temporary shell now, you'll do so again. It makes sense to invest in a permanent shell now and let the trip start paying back that investment in fuel savings. Having a shell is very handy, even more so if it's a cheap utility type that you just clamp down when needed and leave on sawhorses the rest of the time.

Camper Shell (Topper) $60

Dallas Craigslist, it's sitting on a longbed old body style F150 in the pics

So,
How did it go?

The built wooden canopy didn't happen as the wood was too old and unsuitable to use. A fiberglass or aluminum canopy could not be found close enough to make the fuel used getting it worthwhile; however, we did come up with an alternative.

Since we passed through Denver we stopped in Longmont and picked up a 'sleeper' canopy which gained us a 1/2 mpg improvement despite hilly/mountainous terrain after picking it up.

Verdict: box trailers murder mileage- Before the sleeper canopy with the 6x12 trailer [Dallas-Amarillo-Denver leg] we got an abysmal 8.8 mpg when sticking as close to 62-65 as possible in order not to obstruct traffic and to be somewhat time expedient. After the sleeper we went up to 9.3 [Denver-Laramie-SLC-Boise-Central OR leg]. Mileage calculated over all fill ups without and all fill ups with sleeper. Still spent $500 in fuel [ranged from $1.89/g to $2.65/g] during the 2.25 day drive. Should have I gone with a full 7.5' canopy? Yeah, I probably should have.

http://i983.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2wncpzxh.jpg
http://i983.photobucket.com/albums/a...psjcyekax1.jpg

Despite of bad mileage, it´s good to hear you made it without accident.

Thanks

Did you do a control run (of any sort)?. That is, an approximation of conditions, but solo. Preferably, loaded sans trailer.


The following is said "in general" (not meant to be critical of an individual, overall):

The usual penalty on a travel trailer is a 40% in mpg (where all else is the same). 50% means there is room for improvement.

As in an adjustable hitch to level that trailer (as I advised). One axle loaded more heavily "digs". Same for engine tune, alignment perfection, tire pressures, and brake drag. Constant use of cruise control, planned stops, zero lane changes, etc. FE is cumulative. Small things really add up.

To dive deeper is to monitor average speed. Engine run time versus miles. This s revealing. My cruise is set for 67-mph on the Kenworth. But in the past eight days I've had three days of running 400-miles at an average of only 56-mph. And this on IH20. Traffic, construction and cities. It adds up. No hills of note. No major accidents. Etc.

Right off the top I'd say that while the chosen travel speed was "rational", there is still a considerable penalty in running above 60-mph. As a truck driver I can say that the "average speed" won't differ much between 58 and 63 (the range of a pickup towing -- best travel speed given stopping distance and steering needs -- but 63 will have acceleration penalty. It's too fast). 58 won't change the behavior of today's idiots. (One can add a magnetic yellow battery powered LED flasher to trailer rear for concern about other drivers). IOW, your time of travel won't change as significantly as your mpg I using 58 versus 63. And you'll damned sure never have to change lanes or slow for the majority of construction. This is vital. Leave it on cruise.

Monitoring acceleration and deceleration events is crucial. The number thereof. Then their duration and the amount of throttle or brake pressure. Etc. More is horrible. Same for number of steering corrections per 100 miles. It's measurable on mpg.

Departure and arrival times to avoid traffic. In general, off the road by about 1500. Depart early. I don't advise predawn to amateurs, but I usually cover 200-miles without traffic by 0800 leaving the truck stop by 0430. Up at 0300.

In metro areas 75-miles out from city, the distribution guys are heading back by 1500 and the earliest rush hour traffic is brewing. Traffic peaks. (Importantly, unlike yesteryear, the roads are full of idiots until past midnight. I quit by 17-1800 and my 10-hr mandatory break is then over by 0300-0400). It doesn't die off anymore. Thus, start early and quit early.

Everyone hits a wall at 300-miles. Attention wanders. The rig wanders. Things start happening a little too fast. Best to be getting ready to get off of road before traffic pressures start to spike. 300 miles or three o'clock WORKS.

I used the same trailer twice to move back and forth up the length of the Texas Gulf coast (Corpus Christi to Beaumont; and back). Made the same trip -- crossing nations fourth largest city each time) solo. Loaded (9k) and empty (7.2k). In which -- whether day or night, rain or sunshine, traffic or none -- I didn't fall below 24-mpg at 58-mph (1,725-rpm). Highs of 27 on several occasions. Planned stops, etc.

Search for best routing. Biggest road is best EVEN IF YOU TRAVEL 30-MILES FARTHER!!!! Short cuts a mistake. Know about construction. Etc. Do it ahead of time. Use truck travel plazas for fuel. On same side of road as travel. Etc.

With the same 6x6x12 trailer shown above, I saw 19-mpg empty and 18-mpg loaded. At 13k loaded. (Truck has cab high topper). Cruise on before end of accel ramp.

I had to tighten lug nuts on UHaul trailer each time, bring tire pressure up to spec (sidewall max) and explain to tech how ensure surge brake worked properly (to the point of using pump to drain and refill fluid chamber). Don't expect them to get it right.

My one ton Dodge has rack & pinion steering as well as four wheel disc brakes. Perfect alignment and no rear disc drag. No leaks in CAC system (turbocharged). Towing mirrors and seat adjusted for best driver posture. Tires to spec, not to max (braking trumps mpg). Perfectly clean glass inside and out. Etc. (Truck had about 150k on it at time). All maintenance ahead of schedule. Again, etc.

I knew my rig well enough that I was able to make a deal at the CC end of the journey on price. Thus towed that trailer two full round trips of 700-miles in a savings to rent or relinquish at other end. Fuel was near $4/gl at the time.

25% penalty even at 5k higher than normal. Pays to maintain your rig, know your stops in advance, and be disciplined. (With mountain grades it would be lower, but the principle applies).

As I need to fire up this much bigger Cummins and get on the road this morning, I'll end by saying that there is plenty of depth beyond aero help in cutting the fuel price per mile (which means cutting wear per mile) in planning a family move.

Congratulations on a successful trip. The best ones are uneventful.

Slowmover, this is excellent advice. Is there a thread for cross-country driving? Mods should sticky as most posts are geared for shorter distances.

We did attempt on several occasions to tail rigs to stay in their wind break without being too close to make the truckers nervous; I know that doing so is not particularly appreciated, but may have also contributed to the improved mileage on the 2nd half of the trip.

Second part first. I've posted the before. One is as close as one can be to a big truck when BOTH truck mirrors are visible to you. Too close is when I cannot see what is behind me from the Kenworth. Frankly, I think drafting a bad idea. Came upon a four truck wreck near Carrollton GA this past week. Pickup drafting first truck had both occupants killed. And fourth big truck driver was airlifted out.

Just don't. In all cases one wants MAXIMUM separation distance from others. If they're piling up around you, cancel cruise and let 'em run. Today's idiots all run up to the next guys bumper. Packs. Just learn to better read mirrors.

"Upright, and lane-centered" is rule One. Two, is separation distance. One car length per 10-miles/hr is a minmum. More than that should always be the rule.

As to big trucks. Many are governed at 65. But. For various reasons will have speed discrepancies. This they gather in packs at times. At 58 I don't have to worry about it EXCEPT when, say exiting a long 45/mph construction zone. Then I may want to run around them. If there is an ascent grade ahead, or I my exit is coming up, etc. I override 58 so as to avoid having to accelerate AGAIN leaving that zone.

That they all have to pass me again is not my concern. I save plenty of room (350/ft) ahead of first truck.

As to thread on this type of driving. I'd agree. Separates men from boys. The boys have a four passenger vehicle they be stripped to soapbox derby spec. The fathers need to load to max capacity and learn what real economy is about. In that case, FE is just one measure. Tires, brakes, suspension and drivetrain life are where it's at. The total cost of ownership per mile expressed in cents.

Get out of Dodge City, and do it well. Last minute is too late. Plan for worst and hope for best. FE is a huge part of that. And with trailers, pickups, etc, aero help is an excellent idea of it also covers load from weather and prying eyes.

Did you really cross the scales every trip? That seems unlikely. Also curious as to how you determined the position of your seat and mirrors to be "perfect." Not trying to be overly critical but c'mon

Moved the same stuff twice.

Crossed scale on another move. Moved entire household five times in five years, and I've been across a scale more than once.

"Perfect" may be conjecture by some as to seat and mirrors, but I'm far past one million miles the past forty plus years. I "know" what works, in that sense. I drive for a living, if that wasn't clear.

40% drop from solo is a benchmark for towing a travel trailer. 1966 or 2016, doesn't matter. 50% means improvement is possible. 30% and lower means good aero PLUS driver experience and route familiarity. So, 25% is definitely bragging rights. Another load and another road, it'd be different. That I did it twice is what made it worth telling. It's valid. Therefore, in the range of possibility for others.