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Aeromod this, if you dare! (2004 Chevy 1 ton, cab and chassis truck)
So reading about the mods some of you are doing has me inspired to try some things on my personal drivers. But it got me to thinking about my work rig. I use it to move portable buildings.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psv5ezlvsw.jpg The rundown...2004 Chevy 1 ton with a duramax diesel. It is a cab and chassis pickup, so it has a narrower rear end than a full bodied dually pickup, it has the same track width in the rear as a regular single wheel pickup. It is an extended wheelbase with a 12' flatbed. Load3d to work and full of diesel it weighs in between 9000 and 9500. I am wondering what could be done to help the truck when it is empty, which is over half its miles. Loaded is another story. I am thinking that skirts under the bed would be relatively easy to build. I have plenty of metal sheeting to use, it is ribbed panel used to build buildings, but i think it would work. Both sides of the truck have toolboxes, so my thought is to come back straight off the boxes. I don't know though if it would be a total waste. Here are a couple pics loaded with my trailer... http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psyq2zyozw.jpg http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...pspewivvzs.jpg A whole other ball of wax would be finding a way to improve aero with a building loaded up. So, hopeless case? Rob |
There's never a hopeless case!
Can't remove mirrors because of towing Can't use a full grill block because of towing but you can probably do a partial grill block Increase tire pressure. I have my Tacoma at 45-50psi An under belly pan for the whole truck Side skirts A front air dam that's larger than the stock one I personally drive ~60mph w/o trying to be an asshole to others when I'm not towing. |
A grille block is an idea, but I don't know if I could have any at all in summer months, as I have a tendency to run warm loaded. The front bumper is currently damaged, so i am going to replace it soon, and a small air dam might work out nicely. It cant hang too low because i do get into some hairy spots from time to time. I have been thinking on the belly pan. My biggest issue is probably that the exhuast comes out under the bed (factory setup on cab and chassis), so there would have to be something done to allow an opening for the exhaust. Another towing related concern is covering the trans oil pan. That deep sump hanging down is part of the cooling, so may have to trim pan to allow exposure of the pan. That might actually help with the cooling of trans, then the pan is getting blasted with fresh, non-preheated air...
Another concern with a grille block would be restricting air flow over the intercooler. I don't know what kind of effect that would have on air intake temps, and in return power output and exhaust Temps. Do you think side skirts would be a lost cause? I looked at the website for the Bullet Truck and kind of got me inspired. On the tires, they are 10 ply they are already inflated to 80 psi. Ish... |
Make the grill block easily removeable, so you can use it when empty.
Side skirts would probably help. Beware of ground clearance. Big rigs use a somewhat flexible material so it will bend out of the way. Metal sideing probably won't be as forgiving. Try to smooth out the transition from the cab to the front of the toolbox. It appears to be a big flat edge. I know you don't have a lot of room to work with there. Make a removable AeroCap. Something with a stiff, light framework maybe with some quick release fasteners and hinges. You need to be able to break it down and store it when the truck is loaded, maybe under the bed. A sheet metal box that it can slide into. Although it would be nice, you don't necessarily need to see through it, you can't see through the buildings when loaded. |
I am thinking side skirts that are even with the bottom of the tool boxes. I am def gonna look at something in fron of the boxes between the cab. My thoughts on an aerocap....with the louvered headache rack, it seems all it would turn into is a sail, filling up with air thru the headach rack. My concern with a gap filler for the bed to cab is the cab is on rubber mounts with some flexibility. The bed is rigidly mounted to the frame, so there is a flex issue between them. I also dont want something that could/would damage the finish on the cab. When i get back to work next week i will have to soend some time measuring, looking, and trying out some things.
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An improvement to the barn doors that you haul/tow will do far more for your total fuel consumption than anything that you can do the truck. I'd guess that hauling just one of those buildings cuts your mileage by about half.
Most of the drag from the building is from those square leading edges. Is there any way that you could make some sort of collapsible tube and fabric rounded leading edge contraption to fit over the front of the first building? It would cut total aero drag by almost half. |
1-ton
*I yanked the bed off my Dodge and lost 2-mpg
*Skirts would help simulate restoring part of the bed. *An inflated 'bedcover' would give you another 2-3 mpg. *Inflated fairings on the empty trailer would gain you even more. Energy to operate the 12-V inflation fans would be nothing compared to the savings you'd see. *Inflated fairings strapped onto the buildings during transport could cut drag by maybe 75%.Just a SWAG. |
I now understand your avatar, Mr. isecretlywishiwasahippee. :)
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...dynamics-c.jpg According to that the front and underside is 55% of the drag.
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For a grill block, you could use an easily removeable "winter front". There are many types and styles to choose from, pick the one that would work best when empty and just pull it off when loaded.
Travis.. |
You said you'd use sheet metal right? Maybe make side skirts from the back of the tool box, while screwing it to the flatbed, and make one large sheet all the way to the end of the flatbed. Which will also cover the rear wheels.
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I need to shy from anything that could possibly damage the buildings. The other issue is the varied sizes and shapes i haul. From 8-16' wide, and 8-12' tall.
My thought on side skirts is toolbox back, tucked under the edge rail of the bed. I may have to get creative about tying into the back of the bed because of its taper. Then i need to tackle the front of the toolboxes. My main concern is unloaded economy. The truck does a lot of just running around empty, and most moves/deliveries i do don't require the trailer, so alot of empty miles to and from. The trailer does not have a solid deck, it is rollers and pipe. Would side fairings really net any gain without the solid floor? Other issue is it tilts on the back axle when unloading, and the tail usually sets on the ground. I will get more pics when I am back at work next week. I am not trying to be negative Nelly, and i hope guys taking it that way. I am just trying to weigh how things would function with how i use the truck. So here are some photos... Hauling a 10x22x7 barn. http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psnjdujriw.jpg 12x16x7 Barn http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psr5i7gyrj.jpg 12x20x7 Peak http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psrndqm5i3.jpg 16x24ish on the trailer http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psntaxbn00.jpg |
Looks like your best bet would be more aerodynamic barns. :thumbup:
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This must be just about the worst case scenario there can be.
Pull the mirrors off when empty and go slow (<55) realizing that without serious fabrication and effort, this thing is simply an aero disaster. |
Yes, it is def not ideal, to say the least. I know slowing down would help. The good news is when i am loaded i dont have to watch all the idiots fly up and almost eat my hind portions. I honestly don't even know what the thing does fuel wise, i need to check it. One thing that really hurts it is LOTS of idle time. When I am loading or unloading it is running. Gotta keep the batteries charged up to power the 12k lb winch, it can sure zap them in a hurry. Of course you have also extended warm up times in winter, cool down in summer. It really is an mpg nightmare.
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I don't usually post, but I was thinking about this and had an idea how you could do an aerolid. First, cut a sheet of plywood to shape and attach it to the bed side of the metal hoop behind the cab so no air can get through. I don't know how long your bed is so I'm assuming 8' but adjust as needed. Take a flat sheet of plywood and attach with hinges to the top of the metal hoop so it can swing from below horizontal with the far end touching the bed by the back bumper, up to vertical. Make the back end something like 2' narrower than the front end to give 5-10 degrees of plan taper - the exact dimensions obviously depend on the bed and lid length and others will have to recommend the optimum target angles. Take a piece of 8" pvc pipe and rip it lengthwise into four 90 degree quadrants, and attach one quadrant across the back end of the lid. For an 8' bed and 2' high metal frame that should give about 12 degrees of downslope, which is in the range of 10-16 degrees that I've seen recommended here. Cut trapezoidal pieces of plywood to connect the front edge along the metal frame, the top edge along the lid, the bottom edge along the outside of the sides of the bed, and the back end where the pvc pipe is. Probably best to attach quarter discs to cover the ends of the pipe section to the pipe, and then have a straight edge on the side pieces. Attach the sides to the lid with hinges, add some kind of latch or bracket to attach the back edge of the side pieces to the ends of the pvc pipe, and some kind of latch or strap to hold it down in the back. Now you have an aerolid for cruising empty.
Attach two vertical pieces of say 3.5 or 4" iron pipe as tall as the metal frame, about 6-12" in from each side, flip the lid so it is standing up vertically, and drop two pieces of 3" iron pipe into the sockets and attach the lid to the pipes with some kind of loops or clamps to support it in this position, and now you have a front wall that can take a moderate wind load and can load your buildings onto the bed. Either fold the side pieces in so the pipes hold them in the folded position, or fold them out and add horizontal bars to support them so they cover more of the front of the building. Ideally, if the bed length and the height of your cargo match, the pvc pipe will give you a nice rounded edge across the top. If the lid comes out way too tall then you will either have to make a horizontal cut and add more hinges so you can fold it as you raise it, or make the lid shorter than the bed. If you added horizontal supports to let the side flaps fold outward, you can add vertical pieces of the 8" pvc quadrants on horizontal bars that connect to those supports, and make the horizontal bars in different lengths to match 8', 10', and 12' buildings. This will give rounded vertical corners for even better aerodynamics. After you build the wood version and test it, get one of those bulbous nose plastic bulges that they sell to go on the front of trailers, and attach it to the lid so the bottom of the bulge is as close to the cab roof as possible. This should help when you have a building on the bed, and may help or may hurt when the lid is down, it depends on how steep the side angles get and you will just have to test. Measure the bed length, the height of the metal frame at the front, and the most common building heigth and see how the angles work out, and build the simple plywood lid first for testing, then you can add the pvc edges and front bulge if you want to keep going. I don't know what to do about the openings in the bed - can you add a belly pan below the rollers and tilt mechanism? Don't worry so much about the idling time, that's where diesels excel compared to a gasoline engine. Anyway, just one possible design you could pursue. |
The bed is 12' long. It is going to take a minute to digest all of your post....trying to paint the picture in my head.
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towing buildings
If I was gonna do this for a living,I'd:
* lose the rig *buy a Class-7 bob-tail turbo-diesel tractor *and pull a 5th-wheel low-boy trailer, with the load hugging the ground, rear axles behind and above the trailer floor. *this would reduce frontal area *get the center of gravity down *then construct some adaptive,multi-purpose nose fairing which could be taken down after each delivery. *or fashion a cushioned inflatable airbag which could be strapped to the buildings nose for the trip,then unstrapped upon delivery. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *the tractor could be optimized independent of the loads *the loads are where the major drag is *the buildings are around Cd 0.88 *softening their nose could get them to Cd 0.45 or so --------------------------------------------------------------------- *technically,the tractor should be just as large as the building your pulling *and no gap in between Here's what NASA did to their semi-trailer http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...itled17_11.jpg |
Well if the bed is 12' long then you could make the aerolid in two sections so when you stand them up in front of the building they are a reasonable height. See what aerohead says, but you could have the first section angle gently at say 3-6 degrees for 5' since the front of that is attached to hinges to the top of the metal hoop so when you stand it up it will be about 2'+5'=7' so it just covers your building cargo, then have the second section angle at 12-15 degrees for 7' so when it is vertical it goes from the bed up to the top of the front section. Either have the two pieces joined with a hinge or have them join with something like hasps and clevis pins.
The way to think of the aerolid design is as a box with angled top and narrower at the rear of the bed than the front, with side panel and an end plate (either flat or the pvc pipe idea), then when you need to carry cargo you flip the box vertical to expose the bed for cargo and to form a wall in front of the cargo that you can add rounded top and sides to. |
So, the next portion, I have to be able to get into and out of peoples yards to deliver the buildings, thus loading them on the truck itself when possible. Sometimes I will haul the building on the trailer and then pull it onto the truck to set the building. Plus going to a tractor like that puts us in another class with DOT and our requirements go crazy. I have a CDL so I can legally drive one, but once get a rig that grosses over 26k things get alot more difficult and expensive. Now at some point we may go to a tractor for hauling our buildings from our manufacturer, but it is overkill on almost all of our deliveries.
The flat deck trailer, while not the best aero option, is the best business option. On a low boy with the axles up and behind the load, you greatly reduce capacity. Trailer length is limited by DOT to 53' without needing a permit every time you have it on the road. So with the axles set up like that you loose that much footage of carrying, unless a smaller building could be set on top of them. The other manipulation the flat deck allows is rear overhang. You can put over 50' of buildings on a 50' trailer because, depending on the building size, you could run with 6-8' of rear overhang. My primary thought still lies with what I can do to improve empty, unloaded mileage on the pulling unit itself. |
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Permalink #15: 735 words Permalink #: 211 words Almost worth a picture. :) Howzabout: A telescoping mast in the headache rack with a 2nd hand cab deflector off one of the big boy trucks. It's fitted as an aerolid behind the cab, but will raise and rotate 180° to it's 'normal' location. :thumbup: Edit: Plus: A free sunvisor. |
I have definitely been toying with just an rv type air deflector mounted to the headache rack.
http://images1.hellotrade.com/data2/...or-250x250.jpg It might help some when i havea building on the truck. My other thought is that i might be able to somehow use 2 of them together to have a larger deflection area. Mounting a large deflector like on a big rig would be a great idea, especially if i can find one that would fit with minimum modifications. But what would the results be for empty running? Another thought is running a deflector on each side of the headache rack for the sides. |
Even the biggest deflector isn't going make any measurable gains when loaded, and will hurt when empty. For you to see any gains it would have to start at the front bumper and swoop smoothly up to building roof height (and width).
All I can think of is to make a deflector for the back of the empty truck bed to deflect air over the trailer. Even then I'd guess the gains to be small unless the fairing is also the width of the building. |
dead-heading mpg
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http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...2/scan10_1.jpg If your really chasing dollars (as some members have already mentioned) *grille block *electric cooling fan *airdam *rocker panel extensions/side skirts *wheel arch gap reducers *belly pan *rear wheel skirts *have an awning company or tarp company,or automotive trim shop sew you an inflatable aeroshell which can roll out and strap down,inflating to cover the 'bed' area like in the White truck above.This is where you'll see most of your savings. *If you want to patent it you'll be a millionaire and then you can just move buildings for fun. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As far as air deflectors go,your cab is so close to your load,and your load so large they're gonna have a tough time directing a beneficial flow.It would be better to have inflated plastic swimming pools attached to the face of the buildings to get their radiused edges on the corners of the buildings,all-around,to give you attached flow.(another millionaire!). Any air deflector would have to be removed after unloading or it would become a parasite even folded down. |
Inflatable triangle shape boat tail seems like your best bet!
that's a good idea aerohead |
If you were a hippy you could steal this [face] and be grateful while you deadheading.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...pe-ii-boat.jpg You could have a rooftop deflector that hinges at the bottom of the headache rack and slides back to 2 to 3 times the cab height. The 'stinger' on the VW becomes the deflector on your truck. Fiberglass tent rods. |
Also, if you were a hippy you could use biodiesel and not be a "carbon abuser".
Oh wait, biodiesel is not just for hippies. :D |
I could def go for biodiesel, if it was available in my area. I don't know what the recommendation. Is for a Duramax as far as bio-d is concerned. I would probably atleast add an aftermarket filter setup. At $70 a pop I don't want to be changing the OEM filter more than necessary, and at $400 apiece for injectors (and a grand labor) I sure don't want to risk them either.
Rob |
If you happen to be moving two housings, then try to keep them close together, as in Figure 13 in the linked post.
The drag goes down quite a bit when the slenderness ratio is larger. http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...pes-11183.html Jim. |
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I've put over 200k on three vehicles running B100 with no fuel related issues other than winter gelling (which really really sucks). Of course I needed to replace the injector returns on my old Mercedes with viton, and I had my ALH VW fuel pump re-sealed with viton as well. |
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Attachment 18762 Attachment 18763 Was easyer to take apic of my ideas than fight with my phone... Ask your questions !!! I used a clamshell Attachment 18764 |
I took some pictures of the truck bed this afternoon. ..they kind of suck because of the rain today.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psalkyw5zk.jpg http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/u...psfsuingw6.jpg Because of the installation of the tail roller that really messes with the shape of the back of bed. I need to lay some metal up on the side of the bed to see how it will shape up. I need to look at my options also for something at the front of the toolboxes. I figured mileage the other day, 9.7 mpg. That sucks! That all empty and unloaded for the entire time. I did some hauling, mixed between on the truck and using the trailer. And running pretty hard. Came out around 7ish. As crazy as it seems, being loaded really doesn't hurt the mpg all that much. |
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The small difference between loaded and empty is also unusual. What is the RPM at 60 MPH? You had mentioned needing to do a lot of idling because of your electric winch. If you replace the two starting batteries with three or four deep cycle batteries, you will have plenty of power for the winch and for starting without needing to idle the engine. |
+1 for upgrading the battery capacity.
Add 2 deepcycles for the winch. Disconnect the deepcycles from the startbatteries for winching. After starting the engine, place them back parallel. |
That mileage is airing it out at 75 or so. I do have an injector that needs replaced, and that may be having a small effect on the economy. I don't know what my rpms are at 60. In overdrive it turns somewhere around 2200 rpm or so at 70. I really wish the truck 4.10 instead of 3.73. It is bumping the red line at 60-65 in 4th gear, but drops out of the power band in overdrive. With lower gears i could cruise in overdrive loaded. I am going to start trying to keep a mileage log to see what is going on exactly. The injector may be having more of a hit on economy than i want to admit.
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+2 on the batteries.
Use an isolation relay. They're used in motor homes to separate the house and road electrics. One hypermiling technique is to not idle, even at stop lights. You have to be confident on your hot restarts though. Think of the bed as a horizontal tailfin, like a '59 Chevy. Everything below the bed and behind the tire should look like this: http://www.speedhunters.com/wp-conte...uki-S15-16.jpg http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/06/a-brilliant-view-into-aerodynamics-2/ You might want to read the article on background, even though it's ostensibly about Time Attack cars, it really gets into the whys and wherefores. Quote:
30% of your drag is in the undercarriage, it says here. Also notice the high momentum mud flap. I've never seen that elsewhere. |
I am not sure on the mudflap either. I am thinking some belly panning may be useful. Idle time is just a way of life with a diesel, or atleast a turbo diesel. If you are run in hard, the turbo needs to cool before you kill the engine to prevent excessive heat soak. Now excessive idling is detrimental also, so it is a fine line. The hard part about adding a bunch of big batteries is they take up alot of room. They can't go on the bed, there is no room under the hood. The only real option is installing another toolbox under the body and putting them there. Now that option is in the works, primarily to address a voltage drop issue I am having when I hook up my trailer and use the winch on it. I haven't done the figuring yet to see how much battery I would need, but it would not be unusual to need to run my 12.5k winch for 15-20 minutes on one sitting. It pulls enough juice that if I have it running under a good load for more than 30-45 seconds I have to let off and let the truck build charge back up.
another consideration is cost/benefit analysis. Driving 55 would help fuel economy, most definitely. But if you have 300+ miles to run in a day, the fuel economy hit of 65 mph sure starts to look miniscule, especially when you are oversized and can't run after dark. That 30 minutes could be the difference between making it home without a ticket or not. I do try to keep the speed down when time is not as much of an issue, but those times are somewhat rare. Extra battery storage to reduce idle time...so probably looking at easily $150 each for batteries, twice if I add 2. Then $300 or more for a quality underbelly box. Conservatively $50 for the odds and ends to wire it all up. When I consider for $1300 or so I can get the injector replaced, the batteries get me half way there, and may be more benefit in the end. I will say, on my empty mileage from above, 120 miles or so of that included going to help my wife after she had an accident on the way to work with our kids with her, and then me headed to work running very late. So I was definitely not driving for economy sake. I am hoping this week I can get some more numbers to pull from and see where we are economy wise. |
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Your miles per day and hours of daylight are fixed. All downtime that you save can be used to drive slower. |
So doing the math, my winch has a 1.5 hp motor, 1100 watts. The additional batteries will be a good addition at some point, but it still won't eliminate the need for idling. Can't afford to get stranded with a truck that won't start. I used to use a trailer that had much less winch on it, and its own battery, with no charging hooked up. We could get a couple good, solid 20-30' pulls, loading 2 buildings, before it was getting weak and needed a good round on the charger.
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Auxiliary Power Unit. The ones they had in B-17s were sweet. Honda?
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Put in three such batteries, and each has to deliver only 33 amps. That should work much better. Connect them through an RV isolator as mentioned earlier. An RV isolator lets you work off the deep cycle batteries without pulling down the starting batteries. Then, when you start the engine, the isolator has the alternator recharge the deep cycles. Your usage is drawing down your starter batteries. Starter batteries are designed to deliver large current for a couple of seconds, then get fully recharged. Deep cycle batteries are designed to deliver less current for a longer time. |
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