Some advice

[Tx River Rat]

After building several trailers , I am looking at a cargo conversion.
I have a few questions and would appreciate your .input
Trailer size
I am leaning toward a v nose 14 to 20 ft length 7ft wide
Pulling with a half ton pickup with a v8.
How much difference should I expect in the pulling and handling of these different lengths?
How much difference in mpg should I expect between the two.
Would a 8 ft wide make a huge difference in pulling.
Thanks
Ron

[Pyrofish]

I've got a 20 x 8'6 x 8' tall, pulling with a 1/2 ton V8, and it pulls OK. The trailer is a big sail though. I would have preferred 7' wide I think, just because I needed mirror extensions to see around it so I can back it up.

7' is probably a good ceiling height too.

And of course, it all depends on what you plan to put in there. I plan the bare minimum in mine because it will have a 1400 lb Rhino in it. I think an 18' V-nose, 7' wide, and 7' tall would have been ideal for my purposes. Just couldn't pass up the deal I got on this one.

With the size you're talking about, I'm guessing it's a toy hauler?

[Tx River Rat]

No this want be a toy hauler, I do a lot of hunting and kayaking fishing
but anything big I need to haul will be in the back of the truck. Most places I hunt no four wheelers are allowed.
I guess I need to give some background and what I will use this unit for.

I want to build this unit slowly taking my time , I will install ac, lights,and a fantastic fan as fast as I can ,then I can use it with my camping equipment
and build at my leisure
The trailer will be used for up to 4 month trips , and maybe longer. When completed I would like to be self contained ,gen set and solar.shower bathroom.
I lived in a 8 ft cab over pulling new rvs for a year so I know a 7 by 12 would work with no shower , but if the other 8 ft didnt make a tremendous amount of difference in mpg it would be nice .
Another question , do you think the v nose really helps?
Ron

[Wolfscout]

8 wide would be pushing it in many places that I've pulled various trailers.
Plus.. there's some back roads locally where 8 would be considered a wide load and perhaps hazardous in traffic if it could pass thru at all.

[8ball_99]

IME a little bit longer doesn't really effect pulling very much at all given the weight doesn't go up to much. Width and height on the other hand will effect towing at higher speeds. How much it matters is hard to say. I went from a 6x14 flat front trailer to a 7x24 V nose trailer. All though the new trailer is heavier it pulls about the same.. I get about the same MPGs if not better in some cases. Mind you I'm pulling with a 1/2 ton Tundra and the 7' wide trailer is about the same width as the truck. I think thats why going from the 6' to the 7' wide didn't effect me much..

I do not like pulling 8' or 8.5' wide trailers which is one of the reasons I went with a cargo trailer camper vs just buying a camper. If your truck can pull a 7x20 pretty easy I would think it could manage a 8x20 also. Would just be more of a load on the highway..

[pete42]

you want a toy hauler spending 4 months at a time go as big as you can afford to pull.

I don't need to do anything but carry my mobility scooter and stay in trailer for couple of months at a time.

my choice is a 7X12 not even a 14 footer but like I said you have a need for a larger trailer so go big.

pete

[David_L6]

Width and height will get you when it comes to pulling with a 1/2 ton gas motor. Length isn't exactly free, but almost. When I was looking at trailers I found that 2' in length equals about 200 pounds (7' wide, 6 1/2' tall).

Where you will be pulling it matters a lot. Mostly flat - go for the biggest you can afford. Throw some mountains in - go for the smallest you can get by with.

I have a 7' X 16' with a 3' V nose. The only time I've pulled it so far was about 175 miles on the way home with it from Dallas to Shreveport (I-20, very minor hills - FLAT). I pulled it with a 2008 Silverado with a 5.3 liter V 8. Got ~ 10 mpg.

[pilgrim]

I'd have to agree with David on this one. Living in the mountains makes one realize the need for torque when traveling. I've been to Yellowstone numerous times and more than once I've seen smaller (v eight) pickups laboring to pull a trailer that's just a little too big. My rule of thumb is to look at the rated towing capacity and then divide by 1/2 minimum. The lighter the better for me!

Also it's not just the pulling ability but the stopping power on the long descents that can matter. Trailer brakes are a must as far as I'm concerned but they are only a part of the whole system. Trucks that are somewhat unladen as far as the truck bed is concerned can get pushed around by a heavy trailer.

Hope this helps with your decision - It's just my observation from time spent on these mountain roads.

Pilgrim

[jwhite]

I have a friend that gave me the idea to build a trailer toy hauler and he had a car hauler which I think is 8x24 it was big.
He had a 1/2 ton pickup although he could pull it he said it was to much stress to pull very far so he sold the pick up and bought a diesel dually wheel truck.
I was following him on a 2 lane road and I was surprised how many times his rear tires ran off the road.?
He may be a bad driver but it looked very dangerous being behind him.
I have a 7x16 and it is all the trailer I want to pull with my suburban.
I went with the vnose and slant front roof because I like the look of the trailer and hoped it would save on gas milage but the only way I have found to get 10 mpg is to drive at 55-60 if I drive 65-70 I get 8mpg.
I built my vnose so I have plenty of storge area in the front.

[72FJ40]

10 mpg! Have not owned a Suburban in a few years but the last one I had didnt drop below 15 mpg towing any of my trailers---from 6'antique engine show trailer to 20' car hauler. Does your truck have the tow package? If so it should have 3.73 gears in rear end; if not, it may have 3.08 gears which is stressing the engine more and dropping mpg.

I pull a 8 x 20 car hauler with a Dodge 1500 ( has full tow package) and dont have any problems but dont load it to max. As far as your friend not keeping the rt tires on the road, when he blows a tire, he will pay more attention. Problem isnt the truck or trailer.

[vtx1029]

Plan out your trailer on sketchup or on the garage floor. Its really easy to eat up floor space. I've only had 8.5' trailers but I don't have much problem towing with it. Its kind of all what your use to and what will fit your needs. I will suggest a V nose or wedge trailer. IMO they pull much nicer then the flat nose trailers but it can be difficult dealing with the odd shape inside. We have a front ramp door in the V as well as in the rear and we love it for cross flow ventilation when camped! Once you've had a 8.5' wide trailer 7' wide ones look cramped IMO, but I can see why people like the 7' wide trailers for various reasons.


No matter what you get think about adding equalizer bars and sway control. This is what I use and love it! http://www.equalizerhitch.com/

[Tx River Rat]

A lot of good advice. Thanks.
I am settling down to a 7 bye 18 or 20 in size. I want to keep it where I am able to pull it with a half ton but figure it will be pulled by a 3/4 most of the time.
V nose for sure , brakes on both axles.
I want be using this as a toy hauler but a drop down ramp with a little tarp and screen sides sure would make a easy addition.
Pulling wide long trailer I have done a lot ,so that isnt a problem,I am retired so I dont have to be in a hurry, diesal trucks are out with me after owning a few , I can replace a gas engine for what a injecter pump cost.
There is a add on you can get for towing ,a splitter that is an over drive or underdrive ,might be good for pulling in the mountains , with enough gears you can turn the world over.
Keep the thoughts coming.
Ron

[proformance]

I've towed a 8 1/2 x 20ft flat front trailer tens of thousands of miles with a 99' F-150 truck. My longest trip was So Cal to North Carolina and back, carrying a race car in both directions (6-days round trip.)

The truck is rated to 8500lbs with a weight distribution hitch, and the trailer weighed in at approx 6500Lbs loaded. I later purchase a 8 1/2 by 24ft that weighed about 9000lbs fully loaded, this was undoubtedly too much for this truck.

In addition, I have towed a 8 x 20ft camper with my Tacoma V-6. (Towed round-trip, SLC Utah to Yellowstone.) The trailer weighed in at approx 5000 lbs loaded (for camping) and the Tacoma is rated to tow 5500lbs. Fuel mileage was approx 10-11mpg. No problem on the flat land and gentle hills, but the more severe inclines significantly reduced my speeds. Also, I did not use mirror extensions as I am so accustom to towing and backing up trailers, I find them unnecessary.

The trick to towing is using the engine in it's proper power band and not straining the transmission. When towing on hills, drop a gear and use more RPM. This will help put the engine in a higher power band and reduce the heat in the transmission caused from torque converter slippage. Also, don't tow on any up-hill grades and/or headwinds in overdrive. On most vehicles, overdrive reduces the amount of trans oil passing through the cooler and increases trans temps. Also, make sure your tow vehicle is outfitted with a class-III hitch or greater and a secondary trans cooler to keep the trans from experiencing premature failure. (Here is a link that covers actual hitch class vs. weight capacity. http://www.etrailer.com/faq-hitchclasses.aspx ) My F-150 currently has over 80K miles towing and 180K total miles. And, I am still on the original engine and transmission.

Fuel mileage is is not only effected by the frontal area of your trailer, but also with how efficient your engine is. You will obtain greater fuel mileage keeping the engine in its optimum power curve over lugging the engine up a hill. It takes the same amount of horsepower regardless of rpm's. So, if your engine is stressing to tow the load up a grade at low rpm's, drop a gear and bring the rpm's up to a more efficient power band. This will reduce stress on the engine and increase efficiency based on the given load.

Also, keep the load distributed properly. I have seen more accidents on the highway related to improper loading more than any other cause. (Second greatest cause outside of lack of driver talent/experience is trailer brake related (improper adjustment and/or failure to properly control brakes based on braking force requirement at the time.) And, as mentioned above, an anti-sway (sway controller) is recommended for any trailers of this size.

Regarding trailer brakes, as others have pointed out, it is a must have item. But admittedly, I totally dislike all the inertia activated brake controllers. They are slow to respond, they are in consistent and greatly effected by road incline. I have a brake controller that unfortunately is no longer manufactured. It was designed and patented by a retired engineer and when he passed, the family sold the patent to one of the inertia style manufacturers. Unfortunately the new company has chosen to no-longer manufacture this controller. I think they just wanted it off the market as it was less profitable to sell. Rather than use inertia to activate the brakes, this controller used brake pedal position to control the trailer braking force. This method insures proper braking force regardless of terrain and/or incline. Knowing this device is no longer available, if I was to have to replace the unit, I would only purchase a controller that works through monitoring of actual tow vehicle brake pressure. TV brake pressure is the most accurate method of determining the braking force requirement for any given trailer.

Also, I believe somewhere on this website is a link that shows the difference in coefficient of drag for the differing frontal configurations. Very informative numbers and I will consider them in purchasing my next trailer.

[Tx River Rat]

Now there is a lot of good information in the above post.
I wont be pulling that much weight so that answered my question . I should add that whatever I pull with will have a standard transmission and if I feel like I need more gears I will add the splitter.
I will use a brake control ,I also hate the brakes mounted on the trailer.
One other thing I have learned in a lot of miles towing , tire pressure on the back tires has a tremendous effect on how a vehicle controls a trailer,at least 6 ply tires will be on the back of my tow vehicle,our procedure when I was pulling rvs ,run thirty miles then check your air pressure , keeping tires inflated to close to max also greatly improved handling and gas mileage.
Ron