Enclosed Trailers....

Smokey · #1 10-07-2011, 04:29 AM

Over the years I been getting bigger and bigger and bigger trailers. Started out with a Haulmark which was ok because I didn't know any better.

5 years ago I was short on space and picked up a 32 foot Team Spirit because of its size and it was twice as pretty and the same quality of a std Haulmark.

Since getting that I stepped up and go a decent diesel to pull it and was wondering about a Featherlite. I know some people here on the have them and was wondering since its all alumn and nicer yet on the quality level, do they get better mileage?? Or will I be stuck at going 59 mph if I want to get 15-17mpg??

**njsteve** · #2 10-07-2011, 01:59 PM

15 hauling? I can only dream of that with my 95 6.5 diesel K2500 Suburban and 24 foot Pace trailer. I get more like 9 mpg towing. What are you pulling with?

**Alss** · #3 10-07-2011, 02:53 PM

my 07 Duramax get almost 12 running 60-65..anything over that down to 10.5..pulling a 26 ft Pace, and thats alsmost the same running with the trailer empty. I looked into the featherlites..and went with Pace...the savings in price bought alot of fuel!

**kwhizz** · #4 10-07-2011, 04:43 PM

Duramax Diesels are the best general purpose vehicles ever developed for towing.......IMHO.....

**PxTx** · #5 10-07-2011, 05:08 PM

I've never owned a diesel. When comparing my 2001 Chevy w/ 8100 gas to a co-worker's 2006 Duramax I beleive the gas truck is much less expensive to own. My purchase price was significantly lower too. Talking stock for stock here and I admit that there are some diesel mods which really bring on the power.

I don't seem to see much difference in pulling my 28' enclosed loaded or empty. I would suspect at best that would be a fair comparison to the difference in a FL trailer. I get 13 mpg in my truck and 9-10 mpg pulling the trailer empty or loaded.

For the purpose of talking about economy and the cost to go X amount of miles, it seems diesel fuel is generally more expensive- pretty much making the few extra mpg towing a wash. It also seems like diesel loose mpg in the cold much more than my gas which is pretty consistant.

I also like the fact that I am not searching for diesel fuel when I'm out and about in PA. Now when it comes time to replace my truck, I'm not sure what options I'll have since the 8100 is NLA. I'll probaby end up with a Duramax, but I'm loving my gas truck for now.

Sorry for the rant, I think I did kinda throw my thoughts on the difference in mpg from the weight savings on the FL trailer vs what you have above. Just to repeat, I would expect the FL at best to bring you whatever economy you get when pulling what you have empty. The FL might be able to do the same, but loaded. Is that enough for you? What do you think that is on a 32' trailer?

**njsteve** · #6 10-07-2011, 06:11 PM

I bought the diesel back in 1995 when diesel fuel was around 35 cents cheaper than regular gas. Back then it made sense to pay the extra few grand for the diesel option as you would recover the money in fuel mpg savngs in around a year.

These days it doesnt make any sense, since diesel costs so much more than premium gas and you never recover your costs.

Chevy454 · #7 10-07-2011, 06:18 PM

We've had a couple 8.1L rigs and 3 generations of Duramax trucks, and here are the general numbers I use when people ask about cost differences...

I've driven the same route to/from work (55mph speed limit, open highway) for 3+ years now, with 3 different 4x4 trucks...and I've kept nearly every fuel receipt I've ever gotten in this time. The 8.1L was a ccsb, and generally got 11-12mpg as a daily driver, and would *occasionally* slip in a 13mpg if I ran over to West Plains (25 miles of 65mph 4-lane)...and this was with an ecm tuned for mileage (Wait4Me). My LB7 Duramax was a cc/drw, and it would see 16-18mpg, but was a chronic injector eater as are all LB7s (unfortunately). My current truck is an LLY ccsb, and sees 15-17mpg, but will slip in an 18mpg if I see the 4-lane...dad's '06 gets nearly identical to my truck. Having said that, here are some numbers I use when people ask about cost to drive...

8.1L = $3.25/gallon, 12mpg = 83.3 gallons per 1,000 miles = $270.72 (regular)
8.1L = $3.55/gallon, 12mpg = 83.3 gallons per 1,000 miles = $295.71 (premium)
LLY = $3.75/gallon, 17mpg = 58.8 gallons per 1,000 miles = $220.50

The higher the fuel prices are, the more savings you'll see from the Dmax...plus, you can easily add a tuner that will gain mileage/power at the push of a button on the Dmax, versus the gas truck which will only see marginal gains. But, aside from the higher initial buy in price (you can really tighten it up if you buy used), you have the additional cost of 2 more quarts of oil at service time plus the price of a fuel filter every 15k miles with the Dmax. I loved my 8.1L, but my Dmax just does pretty much everything better...

**PxTx** · #8 10-07-2011, 08:11 PM

This is a real helpful post. Seems like my gas engine has cost me $2,652 more in fuel to drive the 156k that I have on it now. Maybe I have more confidence and certainly more experience in my oil changes. I've only changed the oil every 10k in my truck, but it uses a quart (since new) about every 4-5k. Seems like my buddy with the 06 D is 2x as many oil changes as I am doing. I'm sure I would like a Duramax if I owned one.

Just to clarify, what kind of milage would you expect out of a Duramax pulling an enclosed trailer?

Are there any confirmed aero mods with measurable gains on mpg? Even if there were, for the few times a year I pull my trailer, I don't know if there would be a positive ROI.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chevy454</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We've had a couple 8.1L rigs and 3 generations of Duramax trucks, and here are the general numbers I use when people ask about cost differences...

I've driven the same route to/from work (55mph speed limit, open highway) for 3+ years now, with 3 different 4x4 trucks...and I've kept nearly every fuel receipt I've ever gotten in this time. The 8.1L was a ccsb, and generally got 11-12mpg as a daily driver, and would *occasionally* slip in a 13mpg if I ran over to West Plains (25 miles of 65mph 4-lane)...and this was with an ecm tuned for mileage (Wait4Me). My LB7 Duramax was a cc/drw, and it would see 16-18mpg, but was a chronic injector eater as are all LB7s (unfortunately). My current truck is an LLY ccsb, and sees 15-17mpg, but will slip in an 18mpg if I see the 4-lane...dad's '06 gets nearly identical to my truck. Having said that, here are some numbers I use when people ask about cost to drive...

8.1L = $3.25/gallon, 12mpg = 83.3 gallons per 1,000 miles = $270.72 (regular)
8.1L = $3.55/gallon, 12mpg = 83.3 gallons per 1,000 miles = $295.71 (premium)
LLY = $3.75/gallon, 17mpg = 58.8 gallons per 1,000 miles = $220.50

The higher the fuel prices are, the more savings you'll see from the Dmax...plus, you can easily add a tuner that will gain mileage/power at the push of a button on the Dmax, versus the gas truck which will only see marginal gains. But, aside from the higher initial buy in price (you can really tighten it up if you buy used), you have the additional cost of 2 more quarts of oil at service time plus the price of a fuel filter every 15k miles with the Dmax. I loved my 8.1L, but my Dmax just does pretty much everything better... </div></div>

ORIGLS6 · #9 10-07-2011, 08:23 PM

My son has an '02 D'max/allison 4WD Crew cab Dually. He has the tune-on-the-fly programmer, 5" exhaust and an upgraded air box. He runs right at or over 20 mpg on the highway. I hooked my 20' enclosed trailer to it and it pulled the mileage down to 19! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] He pulled a 40' open gooseneck with two mud trucks (full size 1/2 ton p/u), and still got 15 mpg on the open road.
The DuraMax engine is one of GMs best products, and like Rob said above, you can get pretty good pricing on them if you're looking to buy used.

RAIIIT/A · #10 10-08-2011, 01:44 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ORIGLS6</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My son has an '02 D'max/allison 4WD Crew cab Dually. He has the tune-on-the-fly programmer, 5" exhaust and an upgraded air box. He runs right at or over 20 mpg on the highway. I hooked my 20' enclosed trailer to it and it pulled the mileage down to 19! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] He pulled a 40' open gooseneck with two mud trucks (full size 1/2 ton p/u), and still got 15 mpg on the open road.
The DuraMax engine is one of GMs best products, and like Rob said above, you can get pretty good pricing on them if you're looking to buy used. </div></div>

The Duramax engine is technically an Isuzu product..

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