How much does travel trailer width affect towing?

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Fritz

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I’ve got eibach shocks in the rear(couldn’t find bilstiens in stock). Also have sumo springs in the rear. I’ve hooked up 8,000lb trailers just for fun and it doesn’t squat.
I think I need a different hitch though, the aftermarket one on my truck is rated for just 6000lbs.
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hope this clears that question up for those who seek the answer.
its the area exposed to wind resistance

1654786905290.png
So is that total front area of the trailer? That would be over 80sq ft. It can’t be.
55sq ft would be something like a teardrop.
 

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So is that total front area of the trailer? That would be over 80sq ft. It can’t be.
55sq ft would be something like a teardrop.
Don't go nuts over this, trying to figure it out. Between the frontal area of the Ranger, and the exposed frontal area of the trailer it's over 55 sq feet.
The minute you hook up a full size frontal area travel trailer, 8 feet wide x 10 feet high, your going to be over that 55 sq feet.
 

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Most likely you are not 10 feet high. My trailer is about 9' high, with an A/C on the roof that pushes the overall height to 10.5 feet.
 

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Comparing something narrower like a R-pod at about 7 foot wide vs a 8 or 8.5 wide trailer.

I know Ford says to take frontal area of the trailer into consideration but I don't know how that is actually calculated.

I've got a 16' scamp right now, its narrow and I get about 15 mpg with it. It's too small though, looking at going a bit bigger.
I didn't peruse all the previous posts; I apologize if this link has been posted:
FORD TOWING GUIDES free downloads.
 


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its hard to find pics like this.
sorry for it being a chebby

the area in red is whats supposed to be below 55sqft

1654793164208.png
If that’s the case a trailer the same width as the truck could be almost eight feet taller than the truck or approximately 14’ tall.
 

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If that’s the case a trailer the same width as the truck could be almost eight feet taller than the truck or approximately 14’ tall.
10-4. Frontal area is generally expressed as total including the tow vehicle.
 

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its hard to find pics like this.
sorry for it being a chebby

the area in red is whats supposed to be below 55sqft

1654793164208.png
I looked all over the damn place to try to identify from an official source of any kind (not just Ford) if this was how trailer frontal area should be calculated or not, and I found nothing. Plenty of sources claiming a max frontal area spec for a given tow vehicle. But nothing about how to calculate that number.

Lots of various forum posts and whatnot of people saying that they searched, too, and found nothing...so they just did height x width of the trailer.

And to be clear, it would be easy in the Ford manual to specify how this is to be calculated. If your method was the right way, Ford could say to calculate the total frontal area of the trailer and subtract the frontal area of the truck (which they supply). They just aren't specific enough in the manual.
 
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10-4. Frontal area is generally expressed as total including the tow vehicle.
It is best for calculating purposes to use the total frontal area of the towed trailer. The towing vehicle is either within the trailer's silhouette (travel trailer, enclosed car hauler etc.) or not (open power sports trailer, 16' boat & trailer).
The frontal area specs are assuming Gross Cargo Weight Rating (GCWR): the truck, full payload in the box and max trailer weight. I'd be OK pulling an empty trailer that is outside the frontal area spec with no payload in the my truck, but you do you.
 

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We tow a Winnebago Micro Minnie. Nice thing about its seven foot width is that the Ranger factory mirrors are sufficient when teamed with a rear looking camera system on the back of the trailer.
 

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Post 13 picture. I’m like 7x9 plus 6” just at he A/C. So

i am 56 sq ft basically. The awning sticks out a bit, but essentially I’m pretty close to the max and have no issues.

I personally feel the stock mirrors are barely adequate, and I have significantly better, faster sight lines with towing mirrors, and they also make backing much easier. Essentially, in traffic I like to make better, faster decisions, and make backing easier.
 

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I tow a Shasta 26DB, it's 96" and I've not had any issues with towing... Besides the milage drop.

I did upgrade my mirrors... Which is always helpful!




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I think others have addressed the frontal area specifications and calcs, so I'll just relay our experience and enhancements:

1) We tow a Black Series HQ15 which is 87" (7'3") wide, and 10.5' tall. Fully loaded weight is just under 6,000 lbs. It tows quite well behind the Ranger both on and off road (let me know if you want further details).

2) Wind resistance is a big factor on fuel mileage with the Ranger. At speeds below 50 mph (average speed in Baja, which we have travelled quite a bit is between 60-80 kmph, or 40-50 mph) is 12-14 mpg, depending on terrain. At California highway speeds of 55-60 mph we get 10-12 mpg, again depending on terrain. That turbo really pulls in the fuel when spun up going up mountain passes. Similarly, when we try to keep up with the flow of traffic in the interstates outside of California (70-80 mph), mileage drops to 8-10 mpg. This is mostly increased wind resistance. By comparison, our last rig was a 27' Wilderness behind a SD 250 with the 7.3 Navistar Diesel. Towing mileage on that beast was constant between 12-14 at pretty much any speed compared to 14-15 on its own. I think the larger frontal area of the 250, combined with the larger torque of the Diesel, made the difference in that case.

3) Visibility is another big factor with the Ranger, as you won't be able to see "around" pretty much any travel trailer without adding towing mirrors. We were very happy with these: https://www.etrailer.com/Mirrors/Wh...IFCiYPNGC_U8kCno-xFZM75c1YP8hK4EaAq8kEALw_wcB , but no longer use them since installing a camera system covering the front and sides of the truck (we go off-road quite a bit) and the rear of the trailer (let me know if you want deets on the camera system, or if you are near to the Bay Area, I'll sell you my towing mirrors for a good price).

Best of luck whatever you decide.
 

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I tow a Shasta 26DB, it's 96" and I've not had any issues with towing... Besides the milage drop.

I did upgrade my mirrors... Which is always helpful!




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God Bless You! I pray that all is well with you and your family! ? Will you please provide additional information on your upgraded tow mirrors?
Thank you! ?
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