Weight isn’t Everything

The supply chain issues the last 2 years have been challenging. This year as the RV manufactures regained their manufacturing capacity, we ran into RV transport problems. Thousands of travel trailers and 5th wheels ready to ship and no trucks to deliver them. Normally Trailblazer RV uses transport companies to pick up units in Indiana and bring them to the dealership. A round trip of 6000km. Due to transport issues, Trailblazer RV purchased 5 1-ton trucks and began hauling units. In the first 200,000km of towing we have quantified many things we already knew about towing trailers and 5th wheels.

I have been in the RV industry for 40 years now and setup thousands of tow vehicle and trailer combinations. I have also tried many different combinations of trailer and tow vehicles in my own travels. I have also researched some of the testing that has been done by the trucking industry. Unfortunately, the RV and Auto industries have not provided much research into towing trailers and 5th wheels.

The trucking industry research says 66% of the fuel consumption to move a tractor trailer down the highway at 100 Km/hr. is wind resistance. The trucking industry spends a lot of money on making tractors and trailers more aerodynamic. Given the lightweight construction of a RV trailer it is likely the aerodynamic forces have an even higher impact on fuel economy. Given the price of fuel it is important to be fuel efficient. Fuel efficiency is a key indicator of vehicle performance. A tow vehicle pulling too much load burns more fuel than it should. This can result in the tow vehicle wearing out more quickly.

The data on our 1-ton trucks towing from Indiana tells us the fuel consumption on the trucks is generally within 10% whether towing a full-size travel trailer 6000 to 9000 lbs or a fifth wheel 12,000 to 15,000 lbs. Weather conditions having some impact. Some of the trucks running into strong winds through North Dakota and Saskatchewan. There are some surprises. Our largest mid profile 5th wheel averaged better economy that any other unit over 35 feet and a large travel trailer recorded the highest fuel consumption for a unit over 35 feet (partly due to high winds). The mid-profile fifth wheel has aerodynamic advantages over other towable RV’s.

We also have one ½ ton truck on our fleet. It is used exclusively to haul Sonic and Sonic Lite units. It averages 20-23 L/100km pulling. About 15% better than the diesels pulling bigger units. Due to the lower cost of gasoline vs diesel/DEF in the Midwest the ½ ton costs $500 less per trip to Indiana and back. On a personal note, I tow with a mid-size SUV and typically get 17-19 L/100km pulling a Sonic Lite but if I am going into a strong wind uphill that can be as high as 25 L/100km.

Recently Motor Trend conducted towing tests with the new Ford Lightning pickup. They tested the truck with 3 different size of travel trailers. With a 7200lb travel trailer the truck went 90 miles. A 5300lb travel trailer 100 miles. A 3100lb travel trailer 115 miles. What the article doesn’t mention is that the 5300lb travel trailer is slightly lower profile and the 3100lb travel trailer was narrower and lower. So very clearly the weight of the trailers didn’t have much impact on the range of the truck.

What is the takeaway on all this information? Weight of a towable RV isn’t as important as it’s aerodynamic characteristics. This does change on a steep mountain grade. Weight will make a vehicle work hard on a steep grade but typically there is less aerodynamic load as you are going slower. Vehicle and RV manufacturers put too much emphasis on weight when there is much more than that involved. In my experience the payload of the tow vehicle has a significant impact on towing performance as many of today’s tow vehicles have very large tow ratings with sometimes low payload capability. Tow vehicles are available with a very wide range of payload capacities. Payload is an important consideration that is often overlooked. A tow vehicle that is overloaded will not handle as well as it should.

Don’t let the information overwhelm you. We will help you sort the details out. The most valuable advice I can give is to test tow a unit before deciding on a purchase. Everyone has different expectations of the performance they want. The age and condition of the tow vehicle are important. As well as how much towing you do and where. There is so much to consider besides the weight of the trailer and vehicle tow rating. We are here to help find the ideal combination for you.