[Fot] Fot Digest, Vol 66, Issue 42 - towing

[George Harmuth]

I was using my "new" mini motorhome for the first time going to this event.
For years I've been towing my open 3500LB trailer with a 1985 35 foot Class
A (16,000 Lbs) motorhome with a 454 (gas) engine. No matter where I went
with it, if I kept it under 70, I'd get 5.5 -6 MPG. After doing some rough
guesses on the amount of gas to get to the Mitty and back to NY, I started
looking for a smaller rig.

I eventually found a 96 Chevy 1 ton van based Class B motorhome. It has a
fuel injected 350 gas engine, 29K miles and everything inside with the
exception of a shower that the old behemoth had, just on a smaller scale
(17' vs 35'). Since it was the first trip in it, I was checking milage just
about every stop on the way down (Up and down hill almost all the way
there). I got a worst of 8 MPG in PA and a best of almost 13 when we got
closer to GA. Over all on the trip it came out to just under 10 MPG, so I
"saved" almost $600 with the new rig. My 1st run in the thing, a 2 hour
trip home, when I bought it last month, nothing in tow, at 65-70 MPH,
averaged ~20 MPG so I think it's a keeper. I'll lay off the twinkies (does
Light beer weigh less too?) and see what stuff I don't really need in the
trailer , and maybe get it up to 12 MPG for my local events (with fewer
hills) at Limerock, Watkins Glen, NJMP and Pocono.

63 Spitfire #7

G. Michael Harmuth