belfert

I'm looking at getting an enclosed trailer, something like 8x30'. I have the option of gooseneck or bumper pull.

Which trailer would get better MPG assuming same height, similiar length and very close weight?

Brian Elfert

pappyman

MPG would be better controlled by your throttle foot......its not so much a bumper pull or gooseneck that effects MPG then the trailer weight and size that effect it......if you tow in your power band your MPG will be better then towing at 75-80 MPH

belfert

If I had two trailers basically identical, except one was gooseneck and the other was bumper pull, would the mileage be different if I drove the same MPH over the same stretch of road?

I currently have a bumper pull RV with a very high profile. The weight is only 8,500lbs, yet I only get 9MPG or less due to the wind resistance. I've talked to others with much heavier and longer trailers in 5th wheels that get the same or better mileage.

I'm wondering if the air would flow better over the gooseneck and give less wind resistance.

Brian Elfert

Scotty

The gooseneck will pull nicer and should give better mileage since the truck has sliced most of the wind and there just the top part of the trailer hitting the wind.

A bumper pull will be a big wall 11-12ft behind the cab...I pulled a bumper pull across Canada for 22,000 kilometers...2 mpg worse then the enclosed GN and was more of a task to tow.

Scotty

belfert

I figured a gooseneck should get better mileage with the better aerodynamics, but I wanted to verify it. Thanks for the info.


I tow a 28' travel trailer now and it isn't hard to tow at all, but I do have a $2500 Hensley hitch.

I would love to get 2MPG more. That would be like a 20% increase in MPG.

Brian Elfert

Scotty

The bumper pull I was pulling was 20ft inside and it was a massive wall with a load of strongman gear inside. It was probably the trailer itself that gave the BouNCinG and hOpPiNG all over the roads.

I had the delightful experience of a defective recvr from the factory too. Cracks pulled apart and the trailer hit the pavement. Good thing I noticed it was looking lower then normal before I got up to speed.

That was on my 01 Ram..a few had bad hitch assemblies.
No equalizer or anything.

xyzer

hmmmm..... I think my gooseneck does a little worse..It weighs more for the same open area. The neck area has a bit of steel in it. My bumper pull trailer has a pointed nose so it cuts the wind fairly well. I guess it depends on the design of either. I always worry about a breakdown! anyone can get my bumper pull off the road...but the gooseneck narrows the field a bit. BUT they sure pull nice!

belfert

Everything I've read is that less wind resistance makes for better towing. Your gooseneck gets 13 MPG while my bumper pull travel trailer gets 9MPG on a good day. My travel trailer is at least 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide in the front. It weighs from 8,000 to 9,000 pounds depending on the amount of cargo loaded.

I've read of people towing 50% more weight and still getting better gas mileage than I do.

Brian Elfert

bulabula

Brian, I get over 13 pulling my boat, and it weighs as much as your trailer. Then again, its a LOT more aerodynamic than your travel trailer. And I don't drag race with it when hooked up either.

Towing or not towing, the biggest factor in getting decent fuel mileage, is just as pappyman said: How deep is your foot into the throttle?

Be careful comparing some other guys trucks, pulling yet another set of trailers. Its that apples and oranges thing; and eggs (for those that drive with one under their right foot).

Given two identical (weight/frontal area) trailers, a bumper pull and Fiver, the difference in fuel mileage should be negligible; but I would expect the Fiver/GN to be a much more comfortable pull.

belfert

Of course, speed affects MPG. I tow at 70MPH and get around 9MPG. We tried 65MPH for an entire tank once and didn't see any change. When I talk to people on the road about MPG, I also ask about speed so the comparision is fair.

If I bought a 24' bumper pull enclosed trailer and a 28' gooseneck enclosed trailer and towed both on the same road, would the gooseneck get mileage at the same speed?

Brian Elfert

induchman

Empty truck, no trailers: at 65mph-20, at 60mph-21mpg

At 65mph: w/the four horse GN 12mpg
At 60mph: same rig GN 13mpg

Dufrain

it will for sure make a difference on the height and shape of your trailer and how you drive it.I have a 34 ft airstream and they claim to have 10 or 20 % less wind resistance,i cant remeber the exact claim.I just pulled it to florida at 70mph.I got 14mpg and I still have the stock exhaust.

belfert

I don't get much more than 14 MPG on the highway not towing at 70 MPH!

Your Airstream probably weighs as much or more than my travel trailer, but it is much more aerodynamic.

Brian Elfert

induchman

I had a 30ft Airstream that I pulled for years. Never got better than 12 mpg towing it. I ended up putting on a drop deck GN and then I got better mileage.

supr

I think the Fiver is better for handling, the weight sits on the rear axle, so wind, etc. does not bother you as much. Bumper pull requires equalizers, levers, etc. to get close, at some expense. My 5er weighs 14k, stands 12', has an aero front cap, gets 11-12 mpg at 55-60mph. Again, with the 5er right behind the truck, it seems more aerodynamic.