Originally Posted by jharkin

Well even a V nose trailer has a big flat back...

Tests have shown the flat back produces almost as much drag as the flat front. This is a major issue for over the road trucks. You can buy aerodynamic devices for small utility trailers like ours but most look strange and they are expensive.

Guys,

Thanks for your replies on the flat nose versus v-nose trailers. Definitely a lot of good info from guys who own them which makes choosing easier!

Jim

Originally Posted by Truckracer

What was the elevation changes going both directions? I've had wind greatly affect gas mileage on flat ground. My little 6x12 trailer tows like a much heavier trailer when I hit that 70MPH wind wall. My heavier boat and other low profile trailers tow much easier at speed.

prolly 3000 up to 4000 and back down to 3000 feet....

Funny, I just towed my 6x10 cross country and hardly noticed it back there

Originally Posted by scale only 4 me

Funny, I just towed my 6x10 cross country and hardly noticed it back there

Attachment 1797929

Considering the size of the camper in front of the trailer, I'm not surprised. All as it should be!

We towed a 6x12 behind a friend's Class A some years ago and you really couldn't tell it was behind the camper unless you looked at the rear facing camera.

Nose Cone for trailers,,, I don't have one yet. But have heard from a friend that installed one on his trailer and said that there was a small gas mileage gain and that it felt somewhat easier to pull while traveling down the freeways.

https://www.nosecone.com/

Its an option -

Using Simple Aerodynamics to Beat High Gas Prices (Home Improvement Store Edition) (10 min 6 sec)

Originally Posted by Truckracer

Tests have shown the flat back produces almost as much drag as the flat front. This is a major issue for over the road trucks. You can buy aerodynamic devices for small utility trailers like ours but most look strange and they are expensive.

That has been my experience. I have a 6x14 trailer with a V nose and 7' walls. At 68 mph you just feel the drag. I can tell that is is more of a suction drag vs wall drag. Pulling the trailer behind my motorhome is much easier (duh) but since the class A is much taller than the trailer I think it changes the drag on the whole setup because my mpg increases slightly towing the trailer. It's even better when we tow our car than when the coach is unloaded.

FYI, unused to tow a 6x12 flat nosed trailer with 6' walls. It was much easier to tow than the one I have now.

Originally Posted by stillkickin

I've been told the V nose has a little more room inside than a flat or curved nose trailer.

sherm

Like it was said before, depends on what size V you get. My 6x14 trailer is 14' to the "V". The "V" section adds 18". But obviously it is angled but I have a ton of usable space.


Please excuse the mess, this was taken just after opening it up from winter storage. A friend wanted a picture of the inside

I work in the class 8 truck industry and for trailers, it's more about the gap between the back of the towing vehicle and the front of the trailer, this disrupted air causes a lot of drag.

So, the benefits for the V nose (if there is any) isn't the V shape, its the fact that the front of the trailer is closer to the back of the towing vehicle - it's in the draft... it does also make more useful space and will help air go around the trailer to the sides.

The size of the towing vehicle vs the trailer is much more important than the shape of the front of the trailer - for example, my 2022 bronco pulls my trailer and i get about 17+ mpg towing it at highway speeds. By itself i only get 20-22. The trailer width and height is the same as the Bronco - meanwhile i have a Volvo V70R, that has the same HP/TQ as the Bronco, but is much lower roofline, about 1/2 the height - towing the trailer it gets 14-15 mpg - vs 29-31 mpg by itself. You can feel the drag behind the V70R towing.