bike_pilot
Washington
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Well it looks like we are parting ways with our Jayco Eagle 298bhs. Its been a great trailer and never had any warranty work but fuel is going up.....so were going down. Down in trailer size anyway. We are looking at a used Jayco Jay Flight 20bh. There are 5 of us so we still need to see if we fit. It's almost half the weight of the Eagle so that should help with fuel. We are looking for the basics of having a bed for everyone with a shower and toilet and basic kitchen. The 20bh seems to fit the bill. Also gonna try and stay around the 10k mark money wise. The DW doesn't want canvas so we're avoiding hybrids and pop ups.
Bye Bye Eagle.....TBC
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Terryallan
NC
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It may not help with fuel. It isn't the weight so much that hurts mpg. It is the drag of that TT front wall. Weight only comes in to the mpg equasion, when either starting off, or climbing the mountain.
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coolbreeze01
Redding, Ca
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I'd re-think that move. Good luck.
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newsomer
Seven Miles South of the Cheddar Curtain
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We recently went the other direction, up.
Our first trailer was 18' long, 7.5' wide, 9' 8" to the top of the AC unit, and loaded weight was right around 3,800 lbs. We got 11 to 12 MPG in the rolling hill terrain of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
Our new trailer is 27' long (+9'), 8' wide (+0.5'), 9' 11" (+3") to the top of the AC unit, and loaded it weighs in at around 5,600 lbs. (+1,800 lbs.). Same terrain we are getting 10 to 11 MPG.
Going 100 miles at 10 MPG requires 10 gallons of fuel, $40 at $4 per gallon. Increasing the MPG by 1 will yield a savings of just a fraction over 1 gallon or just about $4 savings. So I figure taking a weekend trip to a camp spot 150 miles from home will cost me an extra $12. Now in our case it's just the two of us and our furkid Huckleberry the basset hound. The new trailer is well worth the extra $12 in gas. If I had to house three additional folks in a 20' trailer I don't think camping would be all that enjoyable knowing I could have kept a reasonable amount of space for what amounts to less than 5% of the total weekend camping budget. That 5% gets even smaller for longer stays.
You may have other points to consider but I just don't think I'd downsize on fuel price alone.
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dodge guy
Chicago, western subs.
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Terryallan wrote:It may not help with fuel. It isn't the weight so much that hurts mpg. It is the drag of that TT front wall. Weight only comes in to the mpg equasion, when either starting off, or climbing the mountain.
I am in complete agreement with this!
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bike_pilot
Washington
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dodge guy wrote:Terryallan wrote:It may not help with fuel. It isn't the weight so much that hurts mpg. It is the drag of that TT front wall. Weight only comes in to the mpg equasion, when either starting off, or climbing the mountain.
I am in complete agreement with this!
Well, Since I'm in Washington State I think you'll understand from the mountain aspect. We frequently crest Mt. Hood and Mt St. Helens so fuel IS a concern. Every trip involves at least a 3000 ft elevation change. Weight is a factor and our current setup is 9.5 tons. Hauling that over a mountain and /or several grades is draining (on fuel that is). Another issue is most state parks and National Park camp grounds around here are prone to 24ft back in spots or small pull through. The Beagle (BIG Eagle) just don't fit! So on to smaller, lighter and better MPG.
Losing 6 inches of front profile drag and losing 1 and a half tons will make a difference as well. Thanks for the feedback.
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driveby
Vancouver BC Canada
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slow down, camp closer to home and do that math, exactly how much of a beating will you take selling your nice TT for a newer and likely more expensive one? Bet that will buy alot of gas!!!
as for fitting into sites, well that is why we traded our lovely Crossroads TT and went MH - that part of the downsize I can completely understand. Weight/fuel, prob not worth the conversion cost (Sell current at loss + Depreciation of new one)
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Earl E
Klamath Falls, Oregon
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If you want a smaller trailer go for it, but don't do it for mileage. We, too, went the other way. Went from 3500# dry to 5100. Just completing a 5500 mile trip--almost all in the mountains, including three weeks in the Rockies. Difference in mileage? An honest .5 mpg! Our trucks's computer keeps track of it so I'm not making it up! You will never make up the difference in gas prices. Just take a minute to figure the $1000's you will spend and see how much gas that will buy.
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Earl E
Klamath Falls, Oregon
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If you want a smaller trailer go for it, but don't do it for mileage. We, too, went the other way. Went from 3500# dry to 5100. Just completing a 5500 mile trip--almost all in the mountains, including three weeks in the Rockies. Difference in mileage? An honest .5 mpg! Our truck's computer keeps track of it so I'm not making it up! You will never make up the difference in gas prices. Just take a minute to figure the $1000's you will spend and see how much gas that will buy.
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Earl E
Klamath Falls, Oregon
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If you want a smaller trailer go for it, but don't do it for mileage. We, too, went the other way. Went from 3500# dry to 5100. Just completing a 5500 mile trip--almost all in the mountains, including three weeks in the Rockies. Difference in mileage? An honest .5 mpg! Our truck's computer keeps track of it so I'm not making it up! You will never make up the difference in gas prices. Just take a minute to figure the $1000's you will spend and see how much gas that will buy.
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