Thread: Fuel consumption test over 2,700km towing

At an indicated 110kmh - about 105

The speed limit when towing a trailer in WA is 100kpa

Yes I'm aware of that, but it was a judgement call - I'd rather risk going a few kays above that than on or just below it and have triple trailer road trains overtaking me, which happened two or three times early on in the trip. And if we got up behind a road train, I sat behind it till one of us turned off or stopped for a break.

Mine gets around 16.5 towing my Kimberley Karavan at about 100 actual speed, which is where we normally sit. So far no problems with being overtaken by a road train in thousands of km of driving so you must have been unlucky.

I was sitting behind a road train on the Menzies to Kalgoorlie road two months ago with the KK on the back, like you, happy to sit there doing 100kph, and he actually called me around with his blinkers and started slowing down. I got on the radio and told him I was happy to sit there and not to slow down because I could easily overtake any time I liked if I wanted to.

Yeah I must have been unlucky, I've never been overtaken on previous trips Bob. Those wildly wagging third trailers put the wind up me for a while. Most trucks are governed to 100, but I'm not sure if that's 100 actual or 100 indicated. In any case, we weren't sitting on 105 for the whole trip, just every so often when a train was behind us. Your trailer would be a bit heavier and higher than ours, which might explain the higher consumption.

That's great consumption for driving upside-down

Originally Posted by gofish

That's great consumption for driving upside-down

it's how they drive in Australia

Originally Posted by gofish

That's great consumption for driving upside-down

No wind noise though

Bearing in mind the towing limit of 100 I usually sit at 95 and this gives a bit more room for the over takers. Given the "speed is the only thing that kills" mindset of the cops and pollies, I think that's a reasonable thing to do but if I spy a road train coming up fast I try to make it easier for them by either slowing down or pulling as far to the left as I safely can. Plus chatting to them and saying what I'll do.
Whenever travelling to Broome I find those easterlies on the stretch from Port Hedland the worst and all previous consumption figures go out the window! I used 105 ltrs with our Td5 Deafener years ago while pulling a van. Old chap in the Cable Beach CP reckoned his old petrol Tojo chewed it's way through 180......
Have a good trip Greg.
AlanH.