Wings

[24vcummins]

Are cab wings benificial? I pull a 30 ft. 5th wheel. Very tall. Do the cab wings help at all? Are they worth the money to reduce some of the drag from the trailer?

 

[Fireman]

Hi Chris,



Longtime no see. I know several people who have them, and the general consesus is that they add to the rigs stability. Fuel economy is still hotly debated, some say1-2 others say none at all. Considering the price, I am wingless at the moment because all of my trips are usually short < 500 mi.



I'll be at the Breakfast House Aug 2, try and come. Can't make it this weekend.



Fireman

 

[Prairie Dog]

My father in law put one on his truck and said that other than the lightening of his wallet, he felt no difference at all.

 

[Forrest]

When I had the 78 Ford Bronco & 20' Aristocrat, I put a wing as far back on the roof of the Bronco as I could. It only stood 2' tall or so. Consistently between 1. 5 and 1. 8mpg difference. Never broke 2mpg improvement.



Another difference was truck or bus "wash" when getting passed. Helped there too ... noticeably.





One big side benefit is you don't have to clean bugs off the trailer / 5'er. We just did Nevada, Utah, Wyoming & Idaho. I haven't scrubbed that much to get bugs off the front of the 5'er that much ... ever.



I've got to get one for my setup. Unfortunately, in order to duct air & bugs over a tall 5'er, a big wing is needed ... spendy, but nice. I tried the small one off the Bronco & it only keeps about 1/2 of the front of the 5'er clean.



BTW, with the small wing on, there is one heck of a suction on the bed of the truck. As soon as you get to 60mph, beer cans don't stand a chance. Sucked right out.

 

[Dkevdog]

I've run with one for almost two years. I have a Taylor Stainless and a 13 foot block wall (AKA high profile fifth wheel) behind it.



Handling and stability is greatly improved with the wing. Suicide insect remains are much, much less. Mileage..... :-{} . Little to no gain in my experience. Adjustment angle is CRUCIAL to both the performance and effectiveness of the wing. Experiementation with angle of the wing is necessary to achieve optimum results.



Also, be cautious of the bed mount rack that Taylor Wings sells- I had some major problems with metal fatigue . The rack is not sufficient (IMO) to really hold the wing steady. I modifiied the rack and am much happier with the way it mounts and performs.



Kev

 

[Steve Campbell]

Perhaps I should say nothing....

but, you also might want to consider some Air Tabs for the back of the 5th wheel trailer. They are good for a small increase in mileage (4%) but make a large difference in the handling of the unit in high wind or when meeting 18 wheelers.



Cost... . way less than a wing!!!



However, it does nothing for the bugs on the front

 

[Midnight]

Air tabs for the back of the 5th wheel? Any pics? I suppose this would also keep the back of the trailer cleaner(dust).

 

[Wally]

I tow a 32ft 5er. With a taylor wing can feel the difference towing and the bug problem is not at all a concern towed 3000 miles and maybe 5 bugs,without wing front of trailer clean-up is PITA also head wind not as bad as without

 

[Turbo Thom]

I have to agree with Steve, a lot less bugs. At my age scrubbing bugs off the front cap is not my favorite passtime. Matter of fact it kinda get the shoulders hurting. The way I see it, I had rather price the Traileze for bug replacement damage than the front cap of a $70K fiver. Plus everything else that could hit it like stones, small pieces of rubber. Like I said I'd had rather replace the deflector than the cap. For me, cheap insurance.



. . Preston. .

 

[Shooter]

I have been using a Taylor for over 3 years. Fuel mileage ? some but what I save in fuel I use to do the speed limit. The only trip I have taken with out the wing was to central Tx. in May. Boy was I sorry. 60 mph , 35# boost 1200* and foot to the floor 6-7 mph for 1800 mi. Have made the same trip numerious times at 70-75, 10-20#, 900* and 10-11 mpg.

If I had to do it again I would have opted for the aluminum wing. Not as pretty but it is lighter and easier to handle.



Could I justify the cost in pockets full of cash saved at the fuel pump ???? For me yes, for you ???? I tow in excess of 25k/ yr. If I towed one or two short vacations a year It would be a waste: unless towing stability in high winds and heavy truck traffic is important.

I do not have trouble with trucks passing me, I run with 'em or ahead of 'em. Oo.

 

[dkosheba]

Airtab Pictures

You can get Airtab pictures at www.airtabs.com or look in readers rigs under dkosheba or Airtabs Test Rig to get the idea of how the look and function on the back end of vehicle or trailer. They really do improve handling and build up of dirt on back end. Mileage improvements vary as with the wing. You will use up any savings in driving faster with more confidence usually.



Don

 

[Steve M]

Dang Shooter! What are you pulling? A parachute?

I don't have a wing. I prefer to remove the tailgate and allow some airflow down to help reduce drag. We tow 68-70mph with about 15-18psi boost and 550-650* EGT in the elbow. Highest I've seen is 850* and 23psi boost on a long uphill. We consistantly get 10. 5-11mpg. Our 5th wheel is a high profile flat front with some lean to it. I would imagine the rounded fiberglass caps help in the mpg dept. We don't have any stability problems with wind. I can't even feel when trucks pass. For me there's nothing that needs improvement. On 18-wheelers the front of the trailer is like a wall so the angle of the wing that's as wide and tall as the trailer offers some benefit. On mine I can only imagine it being another wind catcher since the front of our trailer is already angled.

 

[BatMan01]

To Wing or Not To Wing ??

I have also had a Taylor wing for about 4 years first used on my 96 and know on my 01. My experience has been postive. I usually see about 1 MPG gain and improved handleing in wind. As stated already this is not for someone who tows short trips or only tows once in a while. It is a pain to pull on and off and really hurts my MPG when running solo with wing still on. Would I buy one again? Yes.

 

[Casey Balvert]

Drag coefficient

For you guys that like to run without a tailgate here is an interesting site for you. It sure suprised me.



I too found a slight increase in mileage and better stability when towing and a huge penalty solo. Not sure what effect it will have on the new fiver which has a more aerodynamic front end. Will have to experiment. A lot depends on the shape of the front of the trailer. FWIW



http://mars.wnec.edu/~ehaffner/did.htm



Casey

 

[Steve M]

I only run without the tailgate on long trips with the 5th wheel. Otherwise the tailgate stays on to hide my hitch and make my toolbox less obvious. That and the truck just looks better. I thought it odd that lowering the tailgate gives 4. 1% less drag but removing increased drag by 3. 5%. I'd like to see a wind tunnel test done on the wing. That would answer that question.

 

[SWC]

I will add my 2 cents to this discussion. I started hauling 5th wheels RV's and travel trailers this last January. I bought a Taylor Wing before I started and have not run without the wing except when towing a Titanium by Glendale Mfg. (This is the one that extends over the cab. ) I could tell if I did not have the wing high enough by the 5th wheel rocking in some situations.

The interesting thing I found since the bugs are out is that the wing keeps the bugs off a bumper hitch trailer even when I have the wing down! I thought the air flow would back down by the back of the deck of the truck.

I have no way of determining the fuel savings while towing. Empty I found about 1 psi less without the wing.

Stan