Long panels below trailers reduce windrag?

The problem isn't so much when they are running at the same time, it is when one is running and the other isn't and the exhaust from one engine migrates into the other. That wouldn't be terribly hard to overcome though; a check valve on the APU exhaust and a tailpipe inside the truck exhaust should fix it.

In my case the horizontal tailpipe runs to the forward drive axle and points out the back. This considerably lessens both the noise and exhaust issues. A lot of APUs exhaust to the side and that is what really creates problems.

 

They should just plumb them straight up, have a motorcycle-type muffler like what's on one of them japanese Harley wannabes, about halfway up, then continue on to the top and have one of those old style flappers to keep rain out. It's probably not "legal" with the Commiefornia CARB nazi's to tamper with the truck's exhaust by t-ing the APU exhaust into it. And if you look at ANY truck (other than this stupid KW I've got that has no vertical stack at all) you can see that it would be relatively easy to piggy-back a smaller, 2" pipe alongside it for the APU.

 

true...

no more mountain grades either.

 

Well, you can't fly THROUGH a mountain, .. you'll have to get several thousand feet above it to be safe from turbulent winds, ... so I guess your climb would be worse. But that's ok, the view is great.

 

ever hear of a skyscrane????? HUGE helicopter can pickup a fully loaded truck and trailer and haul az$ with it!




American Trucker

 

I feel that its just another gimmick. I mean, where does the wind go in a strong cross-wind?

 

I didn't believe it till I pulled one, but having driven through near storm force crosswinds with it, those panels do help a lot. That trailer didn't lean or wobble near as much as one without. And my is currently sitting at 5.2mpg average pulling containers. It'd be nearer to 5.5 if I wasn't idling to keep cool. With a new trailer with skirts and super singles, same loads, same roads, it averages 7.1mpg.

 

start watching schnieder's trucks they've gone batty over there, in addition to trailer skirts (they have alot of them) they now have some trucks with Wheel covers ONLY on the drive axles of the tractor, think hubcaps for semi's. thats serious dedication to useless areodynamics

 

Useless? They did a large test that showed them it saved about 1% in fuel consumption. That's huge considering the size of their fleet.

 

There's another thread talking about those wheel covers. Apparently they don't last very long and the replacement cost negates the fuel savings.