Full-boat-tail trailer with gap-fillers for Toyota T-100 pickup

[aerohead]

Hello all.I've had a little time to devote to the trailer project.The complex curves make it a challenge for me to visualize my goal so I did some primitive Photoshop work to help my pea brain.The image is from an actual photo of a Viking fiberglass speedboat a neighbor gave me atop it's cut-down trailer.The inverted-prow is deceptive in the photo and when viewed from the rear,the hull comes to a complete point,ten feet behind the tailgate of the truck.This agrees with the aero template from Jaray and Lay's work.Most of the gray area at the lower part of the trailer body is fairing for the wheels.The underside of the trailer follows a line rising 2.5-degrees and is a continuation of the line established from the underside of the T-100.Between the truck and leading-edges of the trailer will be four movable gap-fillers which hinge at the truck back and ride on the forward surface of the trailer on rollers,held in tension against the trailer by a tension cable which itself rides over pulleys below the panel elements,with a simple spring maintaining tension.---------- The boat hull is far from ideal but using it will save hundreds of man-hours and should help settle my curiosity about such a contraption.Maybe 40-mpg HWY,we'll see.P.S.,the trailer is large enough to serve as a rigid tent,for car-camping.

[aerohead]

Now that the spring rains have hit,the flying insects are attempting to mate with it!

[cfg83]

aerohead -

Ha ha, that reminds me of the lovebug couples that used to cover Houston in the summer.

CarloSW2

[Daox]

I totally missed this thread the first time around. Very nice! Think you could get some more pictures from different angles? It looks very interesting.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Daox

I totally missed this thread the first time around. Very nice! Think you could get some more pictures from different angles? It looks very interesting.

I have some shots of it from before I cut the pull bar down to its final length,which puts the axle way aft and I didn't include 'em.I'll slap the thing back behind the truck and get better shots and post those.Everyone does need to see those views to get a proper feel of the form.Hang on,and I'll get it done.

[wwkayaker]

I am curious about how it turns. Do the sides slide into the trailer?

[jime57]

I love it. But my wife said she'd be more embarrased to drive it than our current aerotricked Echo ;-)

What do you figure the overall MPG improvement to be?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by wwkayaker

I am curious about how it turns. Do the sides slide into the trailer?

The 4 articulated gap-fillers are hinged at the truck's back.They "ride" on rollers on the face of the trailer,which is a wedge.As the rig corners,the panels displace outwards to clear the pivoting trailer face,and then,as the trailer straightens,a spring-tensioned cable,riding on pulleys attached under each panel,pulls the panel back to it's "stowed" position.The longitudinal edges of the panels are chamfered at 45-degrees,and it is hoped,will not bind.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by jimepting

I love it. But my wife said she'd be more embarrased to drive it than our current aerotricked Echo ;-)

What do you figure the overall MPG improvement to be?

The truck is getting 36-HWY/32 -Interstate.With the trailer,I'm given to understand from the formulas,that the trailer could push the mpg to 40-HWY/36-Interstate.There's no way to know without attempting it.--------------------- The trailer would only be used for out of town travel.------------ With the 2-wheel trailer behind the CRX,I pulled an average 50-mpg.There were no gap-fillers, no lower sides or belly to the 2-wheeler,and no real boat-tailing.------------------From Los Angeles to Denton,with a quarter-ton of batteries in the trailer,I still pulled 50-mpg.The rig weighed 3,300 pounds(the weight of my T-100 empty).

[MetroMPG]

I also missed this thread first time around. Another interesting project, Phil.