7 wide vs. 8 wide

[Coldfinger]

I heard summer blends get better mileage.
I believe thinner air creates less drag. Maybe thats why jets fly above 35k.
Frontal area acts like a sail.

 

[eyefish123]

Mafesto certainly has a point, I get better mileage in the summer but I have always found that I get better mileage with summer fuel versus winter blend. I usually pull both trailers about the same speed, 65-70 mph. Heck, I am getting old, got nowhere to be in a big hurry.

 

[szotty]

Winter diesel is always less mpg from how they blend it and I pull a deckover tilt deck trailer with compact track loader in summer and get better Milage than the 8.5 4 place snowmobile trailer in winter at same speeds has to be due to fuel blend or air temps

 

[Betterview]

The wider trailer helps for a couple reasons. The wheel wells inside the trailer allows the floor to be lower and keep wind from going under the trailer, plus you can keep a normal height side wall and not have the extra height that can get caught in the wind. The other thing that helps a bunch is that the tire track of the trailer matches the tow vehicle. if the trailer tires can follow the truck tire paths it helps when driving in snow. Eric

All the inline trailers I have seen have the wide axle set, (the wheels 8.5 foot outside to outside) with the wheels on the outside of the box leaving the bed very low. Even the 8.5 wide deck overs still have the trailer wheels wider apart than those on the tow vehicle.

If it comes to stability in a strong side wind a trailer with the wheels fully on the outside of an inline would have to be more difficult to tip than a wider trailer with the wheels partially inside or under a wider trailer.

 

[Mafesto]

I agree with your theory.
But it does set up a great debate of physics/geometry.

Your argument uses the obvious lower cg of the in-lines.
The counter debate would argue that a wide body trailer can be 5' shorter (and still hold same amount of snowmobiles), thus less surface for side wind to affect, unless the wide body is also taller.(which they tend to be)

Either way, if it is that windy, I'm not traveling with an enclosed trailer.