They claim better fuel mileage, but I am not seeing it. I am on a dedicated run between CA and WA right now. I have about the same stops and weights. This week I have one of our older trailers without skirts and I do not see worse fuel mileage. One thing I have experienced is with side winds there is a lot bigger surface for the wind to catch. That has caused me almost to have to change my underwear earlier in the year. I came out of Yuma in a sand storm with only a couple of palettes in the trailer and I was caught by the side wind and it shifted my trailer over by half a lane into the left lane. For a second there I thought my goose was cooked and I was going over. The lesson learned was 45mph+ winds with a light trailer and side skirts not a good mix.
Trailer aprons/skirts?
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by road_runner, Jun 25, 2013.
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One caution about driving a skirted trailer is to watch your clearance going over railroad track rises, very large speed bumps, etc. I've had a few instances where they've dragged pretty heavily and can imagine they can be damaged if you don't take care.
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I routinely average .5 mpg more when I'm pulling my usual skirted trailer over the standard non skirted company trailer. The type of skirts, speed and wind direction do make a difference.
Last edited: Jun 25, 2013
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Idk...I am pulling my reefer with those aeroskirts for like two years...never saw those 7% improvement in mpg...I think I wated 1800 $ for that bs...and they are bad when u have side wind and also utility made a very poor design of those aero bs skirts....
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Good point on the speed difference. Fuel mileage goes down the toilet anyway when you run 75mph going EAST. Usually when we go East we use the older trailers since the new ones have to stay out West for CARB. I always like the beer loads out od WI when I hit the winds in WY. -
WTF?!?!?!?! How the hell does that even happen? Thanks for all the other responses though folks! Stuff makes more sense to me now! -
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I never thought the skirts made much of a difference with catching wind. Then again, when you're used to pulling empty drop frame trailers around most of the time a straight frame with skirts isn't too bad in the wind.
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Well I just wish they were around years ago--ona counta I thought they were surfboard racks--and that woulda come in handy 35years ago or so--at least in my world!LOL
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