Teardrop trailer campers

[Mista Bone]

I haven't been on tnttt for some time....yeah the ideas I had.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by zjrog

I have a friend that towed a tear drop behind his 1958 Edsel wagon. On long trips, he went from 12 MPG without to 14 MPG pulling the little trailer. He took it everywhere just to get the better mileage. It really was tiny. Inside barely bigger than a fullsize matress, and no taller than the wagon.

Would it be possible to reveal a little about your friend,just for the record books?
To improve mpg whilst pulling any kind of trailer is a matter of much interest to me,it would be really helpful to have as large a database as possible regarding this sort of thing.

[freebeard]

I'm restoring a Westphalia trailer, slowly, since I don't have a trailer hitch.

But if I was going to make a teardrop, I'd start with a 4x10ft piece of swingdoor material, and Box out over the wheels like a gypsy/sheepherder's wagon.



And if the shell was Polymetal, it would be [a little]/[no] more expensive than plywood, but would weigh 1/5th as much. Plus being more durable.

Shaped like this, of course.

[bennelson]

Just got back from a camping trip and averaged 24 MPG on my Chevy S10 extended cab with 3 people, a full bed of firewood, camping gear, etc, and towing the teardrop.

[freebeard]

24 on an average of 30? Any idea if the trailer or load made more difference?

The guy with the Edsel got better mileage. That might be due to a teardrop shorter that the tow vehicle rather than taller.

[bennelson]

Most teardrop trailers are LESS aerodynamic than you would think, but they are still a giant step better than the typical big n boxy trailers other people use.

I think the trailer probably has more of an impact than the load in the bed. The trailer is about 900 lbs AND has two wheels on the ground, so besides wind-resistance, it has rolling resistance as well.

The load in the bed is just weight and almost fills in the space behind the cab, so I think that it doesn't have too bad of wind resistance.

I ran into THIS trailer at an event a few years back, and the owner claimed to get better fuel economy with it than without. If I recall correctly, the trailer was fairly light and the truck was a Dodge Dakota with a cap on it. You can see the slant on the back of this trailer is less than the curve on many teardrops.

[The Other Andy]

Originally Posted by bennelson

Just got back from a camping trip and averaged 24 MPG on my Chevy S10 extended cab with 3 people, a full bed of firewood, camping gear, etc, and towing the teardrop.

That is a nice looking trailer and truck

As to a comment earlier in this thread: you can get new Scamps with toilets iirc.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Here's one I designed for my Wrangler that I'm convinced would improve economy (or at least not hurt it):

[Fat Charlie]

Mine isn't a teardrop, but the frontal area is pretty good. I'm not happy with the van's boattail, so I don't use it much.

[JRMichler]

Have you considered tying the canoe down on top of the trailer? Seems like that would cut drag.