Aluminum frame trailers

[eamarquardt]

Wind resistance goes up with the square of your "flight path relative wind" speed.

When I tow my dump trailer, see album, which is not very aerodynamic and weighs a ton (really) my highway mileage drops from about 20 to 17.

Unless you're doing a lot of driving on really mountainous terrain,
I think, and I admit I'm guessing, that you'd do better maximizing the aerodynamic efficiency of a trailer rather as opposed to trimming a few pounds.

There you have it again, the "world according to Gus". You, of course, are free to disagree.

Cheers,

Gus

[Prem]

Considerations:

1) Big gas V-8 full-size PU truck or van, not much difference in MPG. V-8 diesel in same, virtually no difference towing smallish bumper-pull trailers. V-6 gas engines in any PU truck or mini-van equals big difference towing light vs. 700-1,000 pounds heavier trailers. A little V-6 towing a 3,000 pound cargo trailer is going to suck gasoline like a 454 Big Block.

2) With a full-size van with an inline 6 gas motor, I got 1 more MPG towing a 2,000 pound (6 x 12 ft.) teardrop than not towing it. It was the shape on the rear that helped. Towing a cargo trailer the same size I got 2 MPG worse under the same open road conditions. Hence, AirTabs for cargo trailer to try to help the airflow a bit on the rear.

Hope that helps.

[pete42]

one of the reasons I sold my 22 foot travel trailer was the 8 foot high front.
when pulling it I went from 16 MPG to 9 MPG.
up hills were a real milage killer.
It was great once set up on a campsite lots of room and stuff.
I would like to modify a cargo trailer I have found from 50 years of camping that I don't need a whole lot of things like a full bath, slide outs, ect.
I found a featherlite dealer close and if rain holds off I will head over there tomorrow I am also looking at a 17 foot HI LO.

[Prem]

Check out the total weight of the Hi-Lo vs. a cargo trailer of the same length / same number of axles. Also, calculate the pounds for the cubic foot volume (upright) and compare to a cargo trailer. Check out what the walls are made of behind the vinyl. Is there fiberglass insulation or rigid foam? And does the seal mate tightly when in the upright position? Will it last? Just things you'd discover after you bought anyway. Might as well know them up front, eh? No surprises.

That wide, black aluminum trailer with the extra height and the little tires is probably the most extreme example one could find of minimal weight to maximum interior volume. An old Boles Aero travel trailer is probably the extreme example in the other direction. I personally would not want either because of those extremes. "Danger Will Robinson!" But you have to find the balance for the tow vehicle, width, height, length and fuel budget that suits you.

I currently tow a 7-wide, 12-foot aluminum, single-axle trailer with a 1-ton truck with a V-8 in it. I load the truck up with spare tires, food and water, not the trailer. I don't want the tail wagging the dog. It's hard to feel the trailer is even being towed. I like that balance.

Prem

[pete42]

I know all the pluses and minus of the hi-lo.
but I'm 68 and handicapped so doing a full blown conversion just isn't in the books.
A minor conversion is something I think I can handle.
I'm not a complete novice I repaired airplanes in the past and built two of my own one fiberglass one aluminum.
but that was last century this century for me sucks, I have had to take a disability retirement been in the hospital to many times to count back in monday and twice next month.
I just enjoy looking at and reading about all the builds here on this site lots of great builds.
You guys keep building and I will keep reading and maybe someday I have my own build.

[Shadow Catcher]

We went to an "RV show" at Cabella's today, read some of the local dealers brought their mostly 3,000+Lb (ultra lite) trailers. Many exceeded 5,000 lbs.
What happens when gas again hits $3.00+ this summer. talked with one couple who gave up their fifth wheel because the fuel cost got too high.
We plan on towing in the mountains out west and I am Using an H6 Subaru Outback. I expect the new Mega-Mini will tip the scale at 1250 to 1300 lbs. and is 11' X 6'.
This is the key, when you are towing with a truck it will not be a big deal to have a heavier trailer but I have no use for a truck that I can not fulfill with a small utility trailer.

[Prem]

This week regular gas (87 octane) hit $3.05 per gallon here in southern Oregon.

The sociopaths on Wall Street are speculating on oil futures again.

[8ball_99]

I pretty much have to have a big truck because of the weight I pull or carry sometimes.. We did kick around getting a midsize V6 truck when we replaced our 06 Titan with our 08 Tundra.. But really the V6s didn't offer much better MPG and their tow ratings were much less then the 11k of our full size. Glad we went with the truck we did cause I've pulled trailers very close to its rated limit once or twice lol. Most of the time 6000Lb or less would cover what we pull. Its nice to have a truck rated much more then you need though just because it doesn't work much with lighter loads.. I also have a Nissan Murano with a V6 but I just couldn't see pulling much with it. I Haven't even bothered putting a hitch on it.

[Prem]

Its nice to have a truck rated much more then you need though just because it doesn't work much with lighter loads.

Precisely!

It's the MPG, the speed maintained uphill, the lesser wear on the drive train and the overall enhanced safety (no tail wagging the dog and bigger brakes on bigger tow vehicles).

[Shadow Catcher]

That is kind of the point of the thread, unless you have or need a behemoth TV...
One of my work partners always had to have a truck because he might want to haul somthin. He did not in the six years we worked together and my observation is the vast majority of those that own a truck run around with an empty bed 90+% of the time. If you have a reason to have one and genuinely need one that makes a heavy duty TV great.

The point of the thread was to save weight for those of us not blessed/cursed with the need for a truck. Proper design (wheel placement, frame design, brakes) means a well mannered tear that tows easily behind a TV that is not over taxed.

[8ball_99]

With a tear they can be pulled with most anything. But even a 6x12 cargo is a pretty decent load. Not so much the weight but the size makes it a load for smaller TVs on the interstate. My neighbor has a Half ton chevy with a 350. He bought a 6x14 Tandem with a V nose. He drove several hours each way to pick it up.. First thing he said when he got it home was I'm glad I didn't go any bigger. There was a lot of wind gusts on his way back and he said that was a Load for his truck.. This guy is a truck driver and for atleast 13 years he has drove a 18 wheeler.
Thats sorta my point.. A lot of the people pulling cargo trailers have decent sized TVs. And with these trailers its not the weight its the wind resistance. So shaving a few Lbs on the trailer probably wont help.. I know my neighbors truck is rated for much more then his 6x14 thats around 2000LB But it still fought him on the road.. If that trailer weighed 1500 I dont' think it would have mattered at all..

[Prem]

My tow vehicle is a one ton Dodge extended van. It seats 5 (rarely). It hauls full sheets of plywood and lumber up to 12 ft. long out of the weather. I haul all kinds of stuff in it, including landscaping block, bags of cement, fencing and furniture. I've slept in it and camped in it. The ride, even unloaded, is like a big Lincoln or Caddie. It's the best.

My other vehicle is a 3-cylinder Geo Metro.

[8ball_99]

I drive a motorcycle when ever I can. It gets over 50MPG even being hard on the throttle. I figure that helps off set my 15-16MPG truck or a 21-22MPG suv

[Scott Hightower]

Welding an aluminum frame is OK and a great way to save weight. You can even weld it with a MIG using straight Argon as the shielding gas. It takes some practice though. To beef up the critical joints you can add some fish plates over the weld for added strength.

Scott
Fab Manager
http://www.welders360.com/

[Camper]

Hello shadowcatcher
our trailer looks great.I was curious as to what the materials are that you used to skin the outside and inside of your trailer.
Camper