How much will a heavy trailer hurt MPG's

[BobG_in_VA]

Not sure about anyone else...I've got a '99 F350 PS (SRW 3.73 gear) and a 24ft 14K gooseneck that weighs 4500lbs...I get right around 19-20mpg on the truck, and around 13.5 mpg w/trailer loaded with 6000lb tractor,etc. BobG in VA

 

[Gary Fowler]

I need a trailer 25' long primarily to haul a couple UTV's on. Will be pulling it with a duramax dually.

I know these needs could be served by a light trailer even a bumper pull but I am considering buying a tandem dual gooseneck just because I could use it for other things. These trailers weigh around around 6k by themselves empty. How much would one of these hurt my fuel economy vs a light trailer? I often haul the UTV's all over the US for work.

it is a bit silly to be pulling a 6000#trailer to haul a couple of UTVs. Get a lightweight bumper pull trailer that is more suited for just the UTV hauling and save the extra money in gas reduction to buy your second trailer for heavy hauling IF you really need it.

 

[kd0nfq]

So your saying this may be a bit execessive to haul my mower?

 

[LD1]

View attachment 465632

So your saying this may be a bit execessive to haul my mower?

Have done that with my ZTR on my 25' Dual tandem as well.

You work with what you have. And when I only haul small stuff maybe once or twice a year, hard to justify another trailer and yearly tags.

 

[Handloader109]

Two experiences. My old f250SD 7.3l diesel would get 19 empty, pulling my little single axle 3k gross trailer loaded I would drop a couple of mpg, pulling my15k 35ft rv, it would drop to 10mpg.
My f150 gets 18 in warm weather unloaded, and pulling my small trailer it goes down to about 12-13. Empty trailer doesn't hurt at all.

 

[Copperhead]

It has as much to do with aerodynamics as anything else. Typical trailering with a pickup is an aerodynamic disaster, and it shows in the numbers. When I can haul 25,000 lb of freight in a 12.7L, 70 ft, 13.5 foot tall, 32,000 lb semi truck and trailer and bust 10 mpg (which I did the other day... 10.4 mpg for the trip), It shows that aerodynamics are so bad with pickup/trailer combinations that it probably accounts for more than most people realize. It just a matter of what you have behind the pickup and how rotten the aerodynamics are.