RE: best years for the cummins?
Mine is 2004.0 (non-HO, which I preferred), 6-speed. 140,000 miles, needs nothing, only on second set of tires, first set of replacement brake pads.
All miles this calendar year (no towing; in-town plus 45-mile roundtrip commute) is 19.2 mpg. Highway solo is 22 at 62 and towing is 15 on Interstate at 62.
Actual operating cost is 57 cpm
RE: towing statistics
Trailer weight is important, but trailer aerodynamics means more. A lowered rig would do better, as would one of the old-fashioned all aluminum trailers (Airstream, Avion, Silver Streak, etc). I'd live with what you have until you change the trailer. A restored trailer of the above brands from the 1980's or earlier would be light enough for your TV, possibly have more room (length), and would outperform your current trailer in all respects of road-ability.
I tow a 34' trailer at 15 mpg at 62 mph, and chose both TV and TT last year for best mileage and longest life. I purchased both, used, for just under $30,000.
The future will bring better TV's, it is worth your while to search out a better TT in that meantime.
My fuel expense, with local prices currently, would be $329 to travel 1200 miles. But fuel is only a small part of the equation. Vehicle depreciation is higher, and RV depreciation higher yet. My trailer has appreciated in value, and the truck remains steady.
Use it, have some fun. I travel at 58-62 mph for the best compromise of economy, traffic flow and handling safety.
RE: Added rear anti-sway bar
My truck came with factory front and rear sway bars. I noticed a difference in the handling after I replaced all the rubber sway bar bushings with polyurethane bushings from Energy Suspension. It was a cheap, easy upgrade that delivered alot of bang for the buck. :)
Have done this on two 2WD Jeeps, a tremendous difference because the anti-roll bars "come in" (act) more quickly than with soft (deflecting) rubber bushings.
Agreed that a front and rear anti-roll bar set must be matched. I'll be adding a rear to mine as it didn't have one and needs it the way I have the truck set up. I'll either look for a factory rear piece or go with larger FF & RR Helwig bars. With poly bushings and stout end links.
RE: real MPG savings?
On my last trip I averaged 11.3mpg doing 60-65mph...my trip before that doing 70-75mph I averaged 8.5mpg. Maybe I could hit 12mpg if I slow to 55mph!
Happy Camping
Carlstone
Gee, only 25% fuel savings, and a speed where the driver might be more likely to control the rig in the event of an emergency. And a travel time of under an hour difference on a 400-mile day.
On a 4,000-mile trip a savings of nearly 120 gls. Closing in on $500 plus reduced wear and tear on the rig, and a more alert, relaxed driver.
RE: Question for Hensley owners
There are parts that wear. I have already made an exchange of the stinger to compensate for a changed TV. I think it is cheap, overall to have the warranty. It may not matter, and for me it would be no deal breaker. I wouldn't purchase an aftermarket warranty on a used car, but in this instance I'd think it worthwhile.
RE: wind deflectors , do they work
For a travel trailer it is the gap between the vehicles that is the problem, aerodynamically, for a given trailer. Cummins says that, for fuel economy on big trucks, gaps of 30" or greater between the tractor fairing and trailer leading edge need to be addressed by shfting the trailer forward on the fifth wheel or further modifying devices must be added.
I have a pickup truck with roof-height topper on the longbed. And an aerodynamic trailer. But, what is the gap between the two vehicles? Sixty-four inches, a HUGE gap by what Cummins indicates.
It may be that for some rigs, the wind deflector is addressing that "gap" where air turbulence between the two vehicles has become a source of significant drag.
The deflector sounds to me like a idea to play around with. I certainly will not be changing trailers (my folks kept theirs on the road for 27-years), and the truck will be around for some years yet. I have found the topper more useful than I initially thought. A decent-looking and easily-removed wing "sounds" more promising than one of the other "mileage" aids I see out there (electronic engine tuners, etc).
RE: BIG TiMe downsize!
Aerodynamics is a key to fuel economy. Weight is second.
I have a 34' travel trailer, weighs 7,400-lbs.
I used a turbodiesel truck to tow.
On the Interstate, at 62 mph (non-mountain) I can average 15-mpg, and winds are not a problem in comparison to fifth wheels, motorhomes and most "square-box" trailers.
On the backroads, with stops in every town, varying speed limits and the rest, it is about 13 mpg. That includes hilly country with downshifts to maintain better than 50 mph on the steepest (again, not mountains).
With the torque of this motor, mountains are not the problem they are for a gas motor, and being turbocharged, the fuel economy of climibing long grades works out better.
I'd highly recommend a low center-of-gravity, all-aluminum, aerodynamic trailer as the economy of operation is so much lower, and the trailer a FAR better unit on the road. Plenty of good used ones available that may only need an appliance or two, some new flooring and good to go.
RE: Hensley Hitch
And an aerodynamic trailer doesn't "capture" wind but allows it slide off the sides or front corners, unlike a square box trailer. This is a huge difference in trailer towing safety. With independent suspension the trailer is better able to adjust to road irregularities and wind, simultaneously, the sort of things that will upset a leaf-sprung trailer.
Adding a Hensley makes it even better. I've towed in side or quartering winds that had the reefers and dry vans off the road, not to mention motorhomes and fifth wheels. The trailer simply doesn't move independently of the TV any more with a Hensley (or, ProPride).
So, an aerodynamic trailer, independently-suspended, with a Hensley hitch, that's a Porsche compared to the friction-sway, leaf-sprung square box that might as well be a '64 International pickup for roadability.
RE: Level TT when towing?
Level is good, but none of it matters for analysing a particular rig unless one has individual axle weights, hitched up AND solo, both trailer and tow vehicle. The weight-distributing hitch needs to move about 2/3 of the tongue weight forward to the TV, and one-third to the TT axles. The TV "split" on the tongue weight should be about equal between the steer and drive axles.
Something other than this is incorrectly hitched.
RE: Our TT is too big! What to do?? Sell on own/Trade??
For backing, never look at steering wheel, and never use throttle, just let the trailer back as slowly as possible with the least amount of steering input. Try non more than a quarter turn and see how that works, first. I'm a truck driver on and off the past ten years and there are times I can't back for beans. Practice can be done with traffic cones and an empty parking lot.
RE: how make my Ram increase more MPG towing?
68Monaco, what you say is true. However, there are things one can do with a conventional trailer to just about equal the economy wrought by the aerodynamics of a bullet trailer.
In my case, when I added an air deflector wing on the top of my campertop and AirTabs to my JayFeather trailer, my mileage pulling the conventional JayFeather equalled my mileage pulling my Airstream. Prior to the wing, the Airstream was more economical to pull.
On a 3275-mile trip a month ago with my JayFeather, I travelled 3275 miles and used 223 gallons of diesel for an overall average of 14.7 mpg. That's as good as I could get with the Airstream, even though the Airstream is shorter and lighter by about a thousand pounds (6000 v 5000).
This is what I'm hoping to read more of, solutions that use less fuel with the rigs we have at present.
What brand of deflector, what sort of "campertop"; how mounted? The AirTabs, how many, how far from trailing edge? Why not some on truck? Any pics?
Thanks!
RE: Running from a hurricane with the 5er
I hope to hear more from those who have used their RV as a mode of "mobile alternative/emergency housing". Before moving to the coast one of my concerns was not having to live in an apartment, distant, if we had to rebuild our home. I'd much rather be in my trailer, hopefully a reasonable commuting distance away until I could set things up to use the trailer at the lot.
3-5 mph is common, 7 mph is another speed I've heard. I've been estimating 3-5 mpg for a gas truck, and am now wondering if 6 mpg for the diesel is a good ballpark figure. It looks as though the vehicles, towing or solo that have the biggest fuel tank are better than a small car with small tankage.
Figure I may have to use sick days, also. Will try to make this a regular exercise so that it becomes easier with practice.
As to routes I have been studying what the city/county/state have to say about zones, traffic flow, etc. Corpus Christi is obivously a different problem than greater Houston as our metro area (surrounding counties plus city) is 400m people. That said, if the Valley has to evacuate then it increases steadily. After Rita I was hearing that the 150-mile drive to San Antonio was 12-hours.
Thus, I have been studying alternate routes (heading west, then north to go west around San Antonio for example), with the proviso that I DON"T KNOW if I would be able to cross some major highways if the crossing is at grade-level (police may force traffic into stream).
The National Weather Service has some interesting info on the reach, inland, of a major storm, it is well over 100 miles. Heavy rains and wind.
I don't plan to offer amenities to anyone beyond what they can carry away (food, fuel, water or other supplies). That said, I may make exceptions like anyone else. I saw some terrifically poor people barely making it north after Rita, and they could have used help from anyone from what I saw, it was pitiful.
Thanks to all for their experience, I'm all ears for more.
RE: Tire Temp?
After buying a pocket IR thermometer last summer we made a trip from Corpus Christi to Houston. The temps were at or near 100F ambient. The TV tires were around 125F and the TT tires were 120F or so; Michelins and Yokohama's, respectively. This was after departing a secondary road (US-59) moving at our usual 62 mph; it was around 4 o'clock.
This was the highest temps I've seen. Other days the tires were not that much higher than ambient; around 15F higher when near 80F.
RE: how make my Ram increase more MPG towing?
I also spec'd my rig for economy. I bought an aerodynamic, all-aluminum 34' trailer and a 6-speed Dodge CTD 2WD. I see 13+ on the secondary highways, and 15+ on the Interstate at 63 mph. The aerodynamic, lighter weight trailer is a BIG help. Note that my trailer is 6' longer but weighs the same (7,380# loaded for full-timing).
On the other hand, how many miles one tows annually is a better determinant of economy. If it is only a few thousand, then changing TV's before the TV is worn out (12-15 years or 200m miles on a gas motor), is not economical. Depreciation, etc, eats far more money than fuel.
I believe I have another one mpg to improve (probably by dropping to 58-9 mph/1700 rpm), but I would NEVER own a square box to tow.
Plenty of used well-made aerodynamic aluminum trailers out there, and that is where I would start. Literally, one is putting the cart before the horse when towing a box (being concerned for economy).
A 300 mile day for me -- on the Interstate -- is about 19.25 gals, versus a 10-mpg rig at 30- gals; or, at $4/gas and $5/diesel = $25 in fuel, per day ($95 versus $120). (At prices I paid today -- $4.59 diesel and $3.87 regular -- it is a spread of $27).
The savings is not as great as you may think (compared to a gas version of the same truck with a similar trailer another owner showed 12/17 tow/solo), I find that only when gas/diesel is at 50-cents per gallon differential that the cost difference is negligible. Otherwise, the gas motor looks good (it just doesn't tow as well or last as long).
A diesel TV and a lighter weight aerodynamic trailer is the future. Gotta have both to get top numbers IMO.
RE: Leveling Trailer - How Good is Good Enough?
I think it is worth sweating the details on ANYTHING that can affect safety; and a mismatched rig (improper rigging) is a noted problem in accidents involving TV/TT rigs, directly or indirectly.
The way I look at the results (swallowing how I feel about $$$) is that I can go down the highway steering with one finger. I have both hands on the wheel when a pack of semi's passes, but I don't HAVE to.
I still have more to go on mine, and look forward to getting rid of every "problem" I can.
RE: Hensley vs ProPride
I posted a couple of links in this thread that may be of interest; an installation with pics. And, a discussion that outlines some differences; both from another RV site:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21558042.cfm
RE: Propride hitch install
Good thread here on this hitch, already a good number of posts:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464/propride-hits-market-42311.html
Also, more indepth here (plus a linkback)
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464/new-forum-new-hitch-new-market-approach-37994.html
RE: New TT's designed like Airstream
Rubiranch, Airstream has gone through several owners the past few decades who have not treated this symbol with the respect it deserved. In the early years of Airstream (let's say 1950 thru 1968) there were regular changes and some exciting technological upgrades. Since then, some ill-advised band-aid "upgrades" make some years problematic for restoration.
So I would direct your attention to what current A/S owners are doing in terms of renovations -- some of them shell-off-frame that with pictures are quite instructive in the method of original construction -- and building the interior they want, as well as making changes otherwise that are just as slick as can be. One man has taken his Argosy and eliminated the propane system by going to marine diesel cooktop and furnace as well as floor-mounted A/C. Gorgeous workmanship. Nice upgrades for safety, and potentially better handling. He is not the only one.
There are any number of folks buying and renovating old A/S trailers to have what they want at a reasonable price. Due to the numbers of units available this is not so expensive as it sounds, and there are many factory parts available still, not to mention "donor" units.
Granted, not everyone is up for a two-year job, but you may find it of interest to look into what your fellow RV'ers are doing.
RE: New TT's designed like Airstream
Is it to a purpose that you have misread what I have written?
I am a fan of Airstream (read them again), but especially of ALL aluminum trailers. If you haven't ever heard, read or examined for yourself the deficiencies of an A/S then you need only look to the Airstream sites. Does it make one brand better than another. I haven't stated such. There are problems with them all, but Airstream is the most expensive to buy when used, and BY FAR the most expensive to restore to close-to-new condition (as regards the "roadability" of the unit). AND the interior will need more work.
The more expensive trailer new is now the cheaper one to buy, rehabilitate and own.
My "heavy" 34' trailer weighs 7,400-lbs, less than a current 25' Airstream."
So, your trailer weighs less than zero? A current 25' AS weighs a shade over 5900 lbs. according the AS webpage. Add a 1000 lbs for loads and "wets" and you still won't be at 7,400 lbs. Surely that is a mistake of some sort. Your 34' cannot possibly weigh 7,400 lbs. less than the 25' AS unless it weighs a coupla thousand less than zero or the AS is full of bricks.
(See that comma in the sentence you quoted of mine? This is one example of why I ask if you ignore what I wrote, and how I wrote it).
You are correct. The 2008 25' A/S and my 34' weigh the same. I stated it incorrectly. The GVWR on both trailers is the same, as is the shipping weight.
The current 25' Airstream is 25-years newer, but it weighs the same (ship weight or GVWR) even though it is a good nine feet shorter. Believe me, I was surprised to learn that Airstream trailers had turned into such porkers.
Other than this I can go through nearly every one of your objections, point-by-point, and refute them in the very words of Airstream owners. As I said before, the information is out there, in HUNDREDS of threads, in THOUSANDS of posts.
Here's one example. As there is little information for certain comparisons with my trailer, I rely on Airstream owner information. On a 34' trailer, built in the past 15-years, I have yet to see CAT Scale numbers that show one that is LESS than one-ton heavier than mine, full-up and ready to full-time (which is my scale weight for comparison).
Whatever the fine points an Airstream has -- it has many, which I have put as strongly as I know how on this and on other forumsin other threads -- there are also problems.
Sorry if you haven't heard it -- these problems -- contrasted in this manner to other all-aluminum, aerodynamic trailers ( Avion, Silver Streak and Streamline).
If you want to talk the talk, then you need to do the walk . . . .
It is that information, on old and new Airstreams, that will provide the basis for comparison of "New TT'd designed like Airstream" as the OP had it. Good and bad.
