Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Don, With your refrigerator setup using the inverter, does the inverter draw power the entire time it is powered on or only when the compressor kicks on in the refrigerator and creates a load?

The inverter will draw some power in standby mode (sometimes stated as NL for No Load) with nothing drawing from it. It is very minimal, but still some power used.

A typical 1500W inverter will draw near 0.5A (500mA) in standby which is about 6 watts @ 12VDC. My 1500W pure sine inverter draws about that in standby. It is specified at NL <.8A which is about 10Watts but I measure less than that. The NL draw may vary between brands, but your user manual should state the "standby power or No Load' drain.

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Installed the Airlift bags on my F150. . Airlift Customer Service was friendly and very courteous. They shipped my missing parts overnight via UPS.

Installation took about 3 hours. I could do it in about 2 hours if I had to do again... always a learning process. This should help with the bounce I get pulling the CTC when there were dips in the road and etc.. .







Looks like with ~ 30 lbs in the bags, it jacks the truck about an inch in the back with no load. Probably will just run ~20lbs. with nothing in the truck or not pulling.







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flboy, Howdy;

Always enjoyed the smoooth ride in the big truck. I once accidentally left my coffee mug
in the trailer (about 2/3 full), when I left Plymouth Rock, Mass and not a drop had spilled
when I got to it in Southern Indiana. Both tractor and trailer had air bags.

hank

Cleaning up the KTM's. Just spent some time doing maintenance on the offroad machines. Getting ready for the fall/winter camping season.

1st priority..make sure the bikes are ready to ride.




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The EcoFins Vortex Generators came in early. I was not expecting them until Monday. I will try to get them installed this weekend. They are a decent size. I put a quarter in the pic for a size reference.

The issue I am going to have is on the 2ft. of trim tread plate at the bottom of the trailer. Somehow going to have to get adhesive tape that can compress and absorb the raised treads and adhere well. I can see that the self adhesive on these fins is not thick enough to accommodate that. I may just be able to buy a 1" wide roll of Gorilla double sided mounting tape and add it to the existing tape to give a little more cushion to absorb the raised surface and adhere 100%.

Installed pics later this weekend, hopefully.



They came with a tool to ensure proper spacing. Nice.





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flboy, Howdy;

Had to go back a few pages to see a pic of the trailer, Looks like you've had some
experience with cutting the diamond pattern stuff. Is there some way you can
separate it from the skin of the trailer then cut it for the air-tabs? Just a thought.
Or, perhaps just leave those off while you check-out if they truly are working for ya.


hank

You may need to run a bead around the outer edge of those fins on the ATP to absorb and fill the valley/peak? I like the looks of the product so far, and they shouldn't detract from the looks of you unit at all. I know that you are sensitive enough to the "feel" of your rig to tell us what is going on as a result of the upgrade. Good Luck, I am hoping to see 2 MPG gain

McDave

I'm looking forward to your review. How many did you need to order for your ct?

Thanks McDave and Hank for some ideas. I bought some thicker 2 sided Gorilla mounting tape. It should compress in the pattern. If not, I will seal the leading edge as McDave suggested. I just got done prepping the roof and sides with acetone... will adhere them tomorrow... weather approaching.

Rainier70 wrote:I'm looking forward to your review. How many did you need to order for your ct?

Rainier... I calculated that I needed 61. I bought 66 to have a few spares.

Got a start, but it was getting dark. Will finish up tomorrow. I had to unevenly space by the diagonal chrome strip the way it ended up. You can space them further apart if needed, but not closer according to directions. In any case, got the tread plate area and other side to do tomorrow.

Cleaned and touched up some seams with dicor. Next weekend, I will wipe the bare metal areas on the roof and paint on the Henrys 885 Tropi-cool white coating. Going to take care of these things while motivated.

I still need to finish paint the interior. Probably over the holidays. :-)






I think they look okay. Most folks will wonder what they heck they are for and probably think they are aesthetics...





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Good, bad, right, or wrong, it is done. Only a good long trip down the Interstate will reveal whether or not it was good money spent. The first trip will most likely be over Thanksgiving and if not, the weekend after I have a trip to ONF planned with Tommy.

In any case, I think they look nice. Final count was 63. I bought 66.












If nothing else... the trailer looks more aerodynamic and hi-tech.









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flboy, Howdy;

Don, Looks good, ... I think, ...maybe, ... Ok, yea it does.
Those 3 will come in handy should any 'pop-off' doin' a low altitude
zoomy flight up or down the "Green Stamp". Lookin' forward to your
fuel efficiency report.

hank

Don , I look forward to seeing your results with vortex generators. I wonder if you or anyone else here has tried to duplicate the rear tail fairings, or trailer tails that the big semi trucks are using on their trailers, seems like that may work hand in hand with the EcoFins.


Dan

I'm diggin' the look of the fins on the verticals. Something kinda' "Trek"ey about them. Certainly didn't hurt the looks any. So I assume the fin maker gave you the measurement to mount them from the rear edge? Is that a constant value or does it depend on the vehicle size, shape, speed etc.?
So, have you taken up the "3D printing" hobby yet? Just thinking out loud here. I really don't know anything about it, but these kind of projects it could be handy to replicate and or modify the design if needed. Anyway, I am looking forward to some data as well. I am starting to become more aware of the parasitic drag we all have introduced to one degree or another while we were busy bolting stuff to the trailer. Unfortunately it seems to be in close proximity to the fin zone. Probably doesn't matter as far as the ability to generate vortices and prevent the low pressure air from attaching the ramp, it's just busy in that region.
Hey, I'm liking the awning cover you got there as well. If I didn't know better I'd think it was a stock item that came with the Aleko RV unit. It has got to be helpful to extending the lifespan of the fabric. Do you transport with it in place or just when parked and retracted? I was able to mount the cover to the awning mounts so it can travel at speed, but that is the type of added drag I was referring to before. I have been tossing around the idea of replicating the design seen at the rear of the Teardrop2, could be tricky but I like the concept.


McDave