Will it Tow?! (or kill me/the Mav!)

[Swami37]

I wouldn’t worry. I towed my 6x12 enclosed trailer loaded with no issues.

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[Tscottok]

Thanks for the help everyone!

The trailer is a Serro Scotty trailer S188RBR. It's 8'11" x 8' exterior dimensions. Assuming it's 1' off the ground, that's ~62.5' of surface area (definitely over the 40' rating).

Is the main concern here fuel economy? Or is there additional safety risks with that much drag?

 

[Blinky]

I think the main concern is the drag adding to the load the transmission will see.

 

[Tscottok]

Ah, that makes sense.

But the Maverick is advertised everywhere pulling the airstream Basecamp. That thing is 7x9, with a surface area of 56' (assuming 1' off the ground)...

Seems a bit misleading....

 

[realshelby]

Frontal area as Ford determines it is area of trailer....minus frontal area of Maverick. So, what the trailer ADDS to frontal area is the important part.

Even that is ambiguous. An "aerodynamic" front on a trailer will have a very positive effect on how much drag it has at speed.....

Frontal area is not looked at as closely as most other towing standards. Its main reason to be considered is the added load on tow vehicle drivetrain at speed. Wind resistance can actually cause more load on drivetrain than a substantial amount of weight.

 

[The Real Maverick]

And you can tow MORE at 55 mph than you can tow at 65 mph.

Force on the truck is force on the truck.
Horsepower is the same no matter what you tow, but horsepower is work divided by time.

So doing the work spread out over more time (by driving slower) means the truck will stay happy towing more.

Are you willing to drive more slowly with a larger trailer? Or if not, go with a smaller trailer if you intend to drive fast.

 

[Tscottok]

Thanks for the help.

I'm about to start by renting a few trailers and see what works best for my needs. Great advice to drive slow.

Also looking at some early replacement of the PTU/RDU fluids from some other threads.

Cheers!

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