quest for better fuel mileage while pulling a travel trailer
 

:eek:has anybody tried to streamline a crew cab pickup truck and 30 ft. travel trailer;)

there are people that have optimised truck and trailer rigs, on this site, try different search phrases, if i find them ill post it for you, as i recall they worked to enclose, as best you can the gap between rig and trailer, and also i know even smallish kammback,s on the rear of the camper might help, ,,,alot if the rear of the rig is rounded, air breaks of cleaner from a sharp line than a rounded edge. there is also some info up at the top of this forum in the "sticky" .

Your best bet without lots of fabricating is to put a topper on that matches as nearly as possible the height of the trailer.

thanks for the replies. This spring I would like to try to work with the aerodynamics of my 1994 Ford 4x4 F350 diesel crew cab and 30 ft. travel trailer. Presently 11 mpg pulling and 18 MPG unloaded.

You may want to try to install an air dam on top of your truck bed cap that is as tall as your trailer and vee shaped to deflect the wind to the side. Look at the top of semi tractor cabs, a lot of them have a deflector to help reduce drag.

type?
 

zoom,is it a tongue-pull,or 5th-wheel trailer?

it says travel trailer i think that indicates its not a 5th wheel aero.

Zoom, I am currently working on streamlining my Quad cab. Have not tried with a trailer yet. However, I think my mods would work. I am going to wire in my MPGuino and see what results I get...

Hucho
 

zoom,if you can get access to Hucho's book,he's got a section on caravan trailers.Also,everything in the commercial vehicle section which deals with tractor-trailers would also apply.

Thank you for all of your suggestions I will be working on my 1994 Ford F. 350 diesel crew cab long box with a flat toper and 30 ft. travel trailer not a fifth wheel. In all what you have said about tractor-trailers having an aerodynamic deflector on the cab. I'm wondering if a rack was made for the top of the truck and a light aluminum boat was put up on this rack upside-down with the bow to the front and the Stern close to the trailer but not in the way of turning and somehow filling the gap between the trailer and the boat and truck. I realize that will not gain a lot of and MPG in normal circumstances but with my truck the horsepower is only around 200 and when I pulled my trailer out to Montana from Wisconsin, it not only seems like an uphill drive all the way but it seems like your battling 20 to 30 mph Headwinds that would decrease my fuel mileage down to 7 mpg from 11MPH this is where the aerodynamics would really shine. By the way I have a pullright hitching system too. thanks again you all have great suggestions! Zoom