Mesilla Valley Trucking (adding folding boat tail panels to "bondo" Herndon aerolid?)

[aerostealth]

I have a Herndon Aerolid for my 2014 Ford F 150 4X4 Super Crew Cab with a 6.5 ft. bed. I also got a hitch mounted boat tail from Brett which I am considering boat tail extension mods for. Have any of you ever seen a Semi Truck rig from Mesilla Valley Trucking? They have these triangular shaped panels that are hinged to the rear of the trailer and fold out to make a boat tail. I am thinking of making a miniature version of this for the boat tail of my truck. The current boat tail adds 25 inches to my length and I only use it for trips. The wake area is 13.7 sq. ft. and I think we can reduce the wake area to 7 or 8 sq. ft.. They need to be able to fold inward to stow away for city driving, parking lots and such. It would be interesting to find out how much that would lower the Cd from it's 0.30 with the boat tail. Something in the Cd= 0.26 range would be nice but that would take some other mods. I would settle for a solid 0.28. Belly pans and wheel covers are a natural next step also. The large Ford mirrors probably cost me 3 HP but are problematic to much of anything about.

[MetroMPG]

I've seen the folding panels you're talking about.... but only in photos.

Something like this:



So you want to add those to the end of your boat tail extension?

[jjackstone]

Saw a lot of those truck mods riding my tricycle cross country earlier this year. In most of the western states bicycles are allowed on the shoulders of Interstate highways if you're crazy enough to do that. I am. I could feel the difference in the air turbulence when one of these went by compared to a non-faired truck. I wouldn't get as much pull and the faired trucks were in general much more quiet when passing.
JJ

[aerohead]

John,here's a link to the Trailer Tail's website ATDynamics – Fuel Efficiency Aerodynamics Technology for Tractor Trailers saving over 10% with TrailerTail and Side Skirts
Here is a drag study conducted by Kamm/Fachsenfeld

Here's another relationship




The underbody and tire drag will contaminate the drag relationship,but there's a definite trend as the wake area is reduced.
The air is trying to 'tell' us what it wants



Brett's fiberglass magic is certainly pointing the F-150 down the right path.And the extra booty should only add to the fun!

[aerostealth]

I was looking at plastic panels at Lowes today for the under body on the F-150 and I spotted some for about $33 that were white, textured on one side and smooth on the other. I have found Chloroplast signs online (18x24 inches) but they are not big enough for my truck. The space between the frame rails needs a 4 ft by 8 ft panel to bridge it. What are some of you using for belly pan paneling? I am still going to need at least $100 in these panels not to mention fasteners. Any thoughts on this. I think my best bang for the buck is under body paneling to smooth the air flow under the vehicle.

[jjackstone]

Printer supply companies often carry 4' x 8' coroplast panels because that is what those little signs are made of. The last time I bought some(5 years ago) I paid between 20 and 30 bucks a panel depending on color. Those were 4 mm thick panels.
JJ

[aerostealth]

Thanks jjackstone. I have a friend that is in the industry so I will ask him how I might go about ordering them. Be nice if I can get black or at least dark colored panels.

[dirtydave]

Harbor Homepage has 4' X 8' 4mm coroplast for $14.81

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I've seen the folding panels you're talking about.... but only in photos.

Something like this:



So you want to add those to the end of your boat tail extension?

These are EXTREMELY popular in Cali. There is a rumor they can help you not tip over in high winds, but obviously it's just a rumor. I talked to several truck drivers and they all saw at least a 10%FE increase hauling the same load.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by dirtydave

Harbor Homepage has 4' X 8' 4mm coroplast for $14.81

Product List

You'll have to register an account and log in to see the prices...