MPG.... TAG or 5er how much of a diff

[V10nacuda]

Well my truck just traveled round trip PA to Commerce GA & back. Towing a 24" tag that probably weighs close to 10k. The weather was windy & rainy, the truck got about 9mpg on the display. I have a tonneau cover on the truck & there is no wind deflector on the trailer.

Whats your fellas experience in towing your 5er's as apposed to a similar weight tag. I see alot of 5er mpg figures 11-12 that weight alot more.



Is there really that much of a difference????



Thanks

V10

 

[terrywerm]

I used to pull a 27' TT that weighed about 8000 lbs fully loaded, but now pull a 10000 lb fiver. Even though the fiver is taller, I think it slips through the air much more cleanly than the same truck w/tonneau cover pulling a TT. With a TT, the air comes over the cab, starts to move back down over the tailgate, then slams into the front of the trailer. With the fiver, the front of the truck starts the air going upward ahead of the trailer, allowing the front of the trailer to break the wind a little easier. With my TT I used to see 9 to 10 MPG, and I typically see 10 to 11 with the fiver, sometimes a little better. No scientific study involved, just my seat of the pants experience, so others may have different results.

 

[GAmes]

Weight is a factor, but the biggest mileage drain is drag. After pulling more than a hundred of each I can say with confidence the TT will give you worse mileage every time. I'll get as good or better mileage pulling a 12,000 lb 34 ft Alpenlite 5er than a 5000 lb 30 ft FEMA TT. However, the difference is about 1 to 2 miles per gallon, so unless you drag it around more than the average RVer don't worry about it. A 1000 mile trip will cost you $35 to $75 more with a TT. It would take a lot of trips to offset the cost of trading trailers.

 

[SnoKing]

I went from a square cornered 9k 5er to a 11+K 5er with an aero/round cornered front cap and get better mileage with the heavier 5er. 11. 5 to 12. 5 at 18-19K combined weight. SNOKING

 

[EricBu12]

I have a 15K 5th and I see 11 mpg. . I do also have 19. 5" 12 ply tires but I used to have A 10K TT and got the same as I do now with regular AT tires. . Air slipstream, weight, rolling resistance, speed and weather will all play a roll in milage.

 

[MasterChief]

I'm pulling a 14. 5K 5er avarage speed about 65mph and get around 11. 5mpg

 

[georgej]

When I pulled a 26' trailer my mileage would be 11-13 mpg this was with a cab high truck cap so the wind saw one long vehicle. My current rig is a fiver that sits 5ft or so above the bed and the mileage is about 1-2 mpg less. This is my experience on approximately 50000 towing miles.

 

[dcoffman]

George, That's what my question was going to be, If you had a shell(cap) on your truck wouldn't you get better mileage? To me the shell would act as a wind deflector.

 

[RJOL]

I'm at the Oregon Coast and towed my 32' HitchHiker 5th wheel over freeway and then the Coastal roads. It weighs about 12K and the truck is stock . There are some hills to cross, but no mountain passes. I tow at about 62mph on the freeway and 55-60 on the secondary roads. The overhead said 11. 4mpg average, and hand calc said 10. 5. This is about the same that I see every time I travel with the 5th wheel.

 

[klenger]

The big variable is speed. Many of us that are getting 10-12 mpg towing a 5er are towing at speeds between 60-65 mph. If you're towing at around 75 mph, you're going to get bad milage no matter what kind of trailer you have.

 

[Grizzly]

More important to me then the small difference in mileage gained with a 5er is the big gain in stability and maneuverability of the 5er.

 

[johncameron]

The big variable is speed. Many of us that are getting 10-12 mpg towing a 5er are towing at speeds between 60-65 mph. If you're towing at around 75 mph, you're going to get bad milage no matter what kind of trailer you have.

Yes sir, you are right. I go from the low 11's to the mid 13'sMPG just by slowing form 75 ot 65MPH. Speed does kill

 

[tgrfan2]

Well my truck just traveled round trip PA to Commerce GA & back. Towing a 24" tag that probably weighs close to 10k. The weather was windy & rainy, the truck got about 9mpg on the display. I have a tonneau cover on the truck & there is no wind deflector on the trailer.

Whats your fellas experience in towing your 5er's as apposed to a similar weight tag. I see alot of 5er mpg figures 11-12 that weight alot more.



Is there really that much of a difference????



Thanks

V10

I didn't find any noticeable difference in mileage towing my 9k TT and my 13. 5K fiver at the same speed. I find I tend to tow the fiver faster though which does hurt mileage. On a recent trip, I got 10. 5 going and 12. 2 returning because I slowed down in the rain.