9+ MPG Class 8 5 Axel Trucks with Trailers

There is also the drag of 4 bearings (most types) per axle lifted.

There are times when you get better braking with one axle being fully loaded then say 3 axles lightly loaded.This is due to the possible poor friction between the tires and road when to little weight is on an axle.

 

I know 3 guys that I work with that have lifting axles and not one of them can give me a definite answer on how much fuel it saves, because none of them can be bothered to keep close enough track of it. As is the case with most people that spend money to save fuel, I suspect. They've spent the money so it must work......bla bla bla. When in reality, their right foot just got a bit lighter.

That's really frustrating for me because if I couldn't see a ROI in one fiscal year, my motivation to do it really drops.

 

Look up threads by Dice1 , he posts on some message bored called my gauges or something where you can find some well documented results on many fuel saving items/practices.

 

You would have to run a lot of deadhead miles to justify a lift axle for the reason of saving fuel. I had a lift installed on my Mac flat. Never had a problem with the abs light not sure what system is on it but All the wheels have sensors. Braking, handling and the ride is better with the axle up but if you put a load on it even if its light it will beat you to death.
It would be pretty tough to say how much fuel it would save. I think a mile per gallon would be a big stretch. But there are other savings like less tire wear on both axles. one is obvious the other axle that is down wont have all the scrub with the lifted one up.
If you do much deadheading or running light in crappy weather like rain or snow there are big advantages there with having a lift on the trailer.

 

I've read through many of his threads and while I believe his numbers, I don't believe that what he does for work can be considered "typical" trucking.

For instance, he told me about two power only loads he took to Alberta and about his impressive milage on those trips. When I asked what his bobtail ratio was for the two trips, well let's just say I'm still waiting.



On the tire wear reduction aspect of lift axles, again it depends on what you do. If you operate in an area with an actual winter, you have no doubt noticed the large number of skid marks left around every frost heave since the lift axle became so popular in the last few years. Those are left by stationary tires briefly touching the road and leaving flat spots on the tire that's supposedly being saved from wear. Those flat spots will throw a tire off balance and destroy it while causing shocks to prematurely wear out.

I really like fuel saving ideas but can't get past the obvious shortcomings or negative side effects that so many either don't see or choose to ignore.

 

I agree with you on a couple of things; dice is certainly not a typical trucker, he certainly tries very hard to achieve results, he doesn't come across as talking rubbish and has the kind decency to let people know his findings, he has reported his misses aswell as successes. You wouldn't have to do everything he does to make a real difference but certainly it's a real education watching his posts!

As a European and lift axles are part and parcel of life in naziland there's no reason a lift axle should touch the ground while lifted, if that's happening something's wrong with the setup

 

Scania Man: you're in Alberta aren't you ? What are all those skid marks on every major highway in AB and SK? Everywhere.

 

Actually with a diff less you are talking an mpg on the tractor but much less on the trailer but still a saving , put single wheels on the lift and it's even more! Traction in snow and ice is massively increased believe it or not, some tandem tractors in Europe have the rear drive axle lifting for extra grip,

 

You're right, everywhere in fact, lots of tridem trailers in Alberta but have yet to see anybody actually lift the axles lol! lots of inexperienced drivers around the area too lol sshhh! That's a while different argument !

 

This is what I don't get. You and many others are saying 1 MPG when the manufacturers are saying .25 MPG. They want to sell this stuff and can only commit to .25 MPG.

You're saying it's less savings on a trailer but the manufacturers are saying the trailer is where the decreased rolling resistance really makes a difference.