Horse Trailer Towing and Gas Mileage

For many of us, the current high gas prices have put a real damper on our horse trailering plans. Pulling a horse trailer causes your tow vehicle to burn additional fuel. But don’t let soaring gas prices deter you from travel. There are ways to improve your gas mileage.

One key to economizing your fuel consumption is to keep your tow vehicle well-maintained. Besides routine maintenance, here are a few other tactics you should try to help ease the pain at the pump.

Keep your engine tuned up. A well-tuned engine runs efficiently and burns less gas. Stop ignoring the “check engine light” and take your vehicle in for a tune-up, especially if it’s overdue. Refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual for specific maintenance milestones. Proper tire alignment on your vehicle will increase your fuel efficiency.

Replace the air filter. The air filter protects the inside of the engine from impurities. Clogged air filters affect the engine’s performance so replace them as necessary. There are air filter manufacturers that specialize in high end performance filters such as K&N which will add greater mileage to your vehicle. Although the filter cost a little more, the added efficiency will more than pay for the additional cost of the filter.

Use the correct grade motor oil. Use the motor oil recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. In addition, to confirm it has friction-reducing additives, check for the words “energy conserving” on the API performance symbol.

Practice sensible driving. Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking decrease your fuel mileage considerably and do nothing to inspire your horse’s confidence while trailering. Simply reducing your speed by 5 mph will increase your gas mileage.

Avoid excessive idling. Idling engines get 0 miles per gallon. The larger your engine the more fuel you waste.

Use cruise control. Cruise control keeps you at a constant speed, which helps save fuel. Best when used during highway driving.

Use overdrive. Shifting into overdrive slows down the engine and decreases fuel consumption. It also reduces engine wear. However, check your owners manual for your specific vehicle as many vehicles will not tow in overdrive. The bands for the transmission for overdrive are very narrow and will burn out quickly if too much strain is put on the drive system. You do not want to replace a transmission.

Don’t let skyrocketing gas prices keep you from enjoying your horse. With regular vehicle maintenance and careful driving you can take a little bit of the sting out of filling up at the pump.

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