Fueling Towing Vehicle

[sadiemack]

Getting in and out of fuel stops, gas, is getting more difficult it seems. Very hard to pull thru due to location of pumps and store, just not enough room. Any suggestions as to making this easier? Are some brand of fuel stops easier than others,

[babock]

Originally Posted by sadiemack

Getting in and out of fuel stops, gas, is getting more difficult it seems. Very hard to pull thru due to location of pumps and store, just not enough room. Any suggestions as to making this easier? Are some brand of fuel stops easier than others,

Have your navigator do a google satellite view of potential fuel stops. We usually plan our fuel stops way in advance and prepare ourselves by looking at potential gas stations with satellite views if we are new to an area. We often do that before we leave our camping spot or if we are currently at a gas stop and planning out next one.

[rsdata]

Certainly the larger interstate gas stations, Pilot and Loves here in the mid-west and truck fuel sales ( truck stops) places have larger islands and more room to navigate. I stay wide away from the pump which allows me some room to navigate or even back out if I have to. Sometimes just be patient and let other cars in the way to move before trying to pull out. I have had to pass up stations that were too tight, or too busy and go another exit... so plan ahead before you get close to running out.

[frank4711]

Here in FL 90% of stations and all they are building are really big ... Ractrac WaWa circle K and in competition to see who can build the most stations ...14' clearance and 24-30 pumps and they are easy in and out .... when we travel Loves is our first choice then Pilot or Racetrac ... recent trip with my brother in law both of us pulling 32' 5th wheels we stopped same station with no problems ... Loves almost always have RV parking on the side so we can pull away from pumps and go inside ...

[Native Texan]

I learned on our first trip bringing our trailer home to start looking for fuel at half a tank. From here on out I will pre-plan all fueling stops. Of course, if you have a diesel, truck stops make it easy....

[frank4711]

Originally Posted by Native Texan

I learned on our first trip bringing our trailer home to start looking for fuel at half a tank. From here on out I will pre-plan all fueling stops. Of course, if you have a diesel, truck stops make it easy....

Yep ... we start looking with 75 miles left in tank ... Cindy just grabs the phone and starts calling off what's coming up .... easy on the interstate if we are on state roads we look sooner most of the time it means next town...

[timfromma]

One of the key reasons I upgraded to a diesel truck and can now fuel up in the truck lanes.

[Cabinfever97]

As a last resort if the fuel tank is getting close to empty, you could always drop.the trailer and just take the truck to the pump. We did this once while traveling. Gas station was tight and crazy busy. I was able to pull in lot across the front. Dropped trailer got gas. Took an extra.20 mins but better than hitting something. I was.told.this solution by a fellow camper, not sure I would have thought to do this. He actually dropped his camper in a Wal Mart lot across from gas station. Again, just a thought.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by sadiemack

Getting in and out of fuel stops, gas, is getting more difficult it seems. Very hard to pull thru due to location of pumps and store, just not enough room. Any suggestions as to making this easier? Are some brand of fuel stops easier than others,

Do you have a gas engine or a diesel engine tow rig? For a diesel engine tow rig, which I have, I use a booklet called the NEXT EXIT also an RVER'S Friend. The NEXT EXIT cover's the interstate truck stops, with the RVER'S Friend covering the non-interstate highways. These stops are all listed by cities in the state you are traveling through.

For gas stations un-hook fill up and then re-hookup this will be the easiest way to fill a gas rig. In my humble opinion. This is why I stop towing with a gas engine rig back in 2007. Could not get in and out of gas stations with my small 5th wheel and truck!

[frank4711]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

Do you have a gas engine or a diesel engine tow rig? For a diesel engine tow rig, which I have, I use a booklet called the NEXT EXIT also an RVER'S Friend. The NEXT EXIT cover's the interstate truck stops, with the RVER'S Friend covering the non-interstate highways. These stops are all listed by cities in the state you are traveling through.

For gas stations un-hook fill up and then re-hookup this will be the easiest way to fill a gas rig. In my humble opinion. This is why I stop towing with a gas engine rig back in 2007. Could not get in and out of gas stations with my small 5th wheel and truck!

I find the number of new "big" stations it is just not a problem ... my limited experience is FL GA TENN and SC ....

[tomkatb]

Having diesel it is easier to get fuel. We are smaller than 18 wheelers.

Body damage from bumping anything costs a fortune to repair. We are beginners. Been lucky so far. Yes, I refuel anytime we drop the fiver.

The local credit union had their drive up system destroyed twice in a year.

Not so far fetched as one might think.

Most folks prefer to fuel their cars at the easiest pumps for rv’s.

[llr]

Most stations have room to back out if you can't pull around, have someone spot you if you don't have a camera. I back out more then pull through.

I found it much harder to find station when I had a MH with a toad as you can't back up without disconnecting although the 75 gallon tanks helped

[Greg in michigan]

Is my answer.
Depending on far were going I'll bring two 5 gal diesel cans and ratchet strap them in the bed of the truck. Then when we stop for lunch I'll dump them in. We do this if the 2 cans will take us to the campground without a gas station stop.
Greg in Michigan

[Teetime]

Originally Posted by babock

Have your navigator do a google satellite view of potential fuel stops. We usually plan our fuel stops way in advance and prepare ourselves by looking at potential gas stations with satellite views if we are new to an area. We often do that before we leave our camping spot or if we are currently at a gas stop and planning out next one.

Great advise, with TV and TT, we are about 56ft. We look ahead at fuel stops in satellite view and make plans well in advance. If more stations had pumps parallel with the road it would be easier to get in and out of.

I am sure there are many threads in this forum about this subject.

Now that we have gone diesel, it's mostly pulling in with the big boys for fuel. There is a protocol to get along with the truckers, but we don't hold them up and get along fine.

While at a local Loves truck stop recently, there was a 2500 with a fifth wheel, and a Jeep as a toad, pulling into a gasser pump. I was really impressed that the guy could get in and out of there, so it can be done...

[The Evil Twin]

I will hit a truck stop if I have to but man is their Diesel expensive. On the plus side, I can drop 40 gallons in half the time of a regular station thanks to the high volume pumps.
Most times, I just block whatever I need to block in order to make sure I can pull out. Most folks do not seem to mind much and just go out a different way. Those people that give me the stink eye can go on with their miserable little lives. I won't pull 62' of rig into a spot I am not sure I can get out of.

[BandJCarm]

Trax3 extra tank, auto-magic filling.

Great stuff, Maynard.

[tonyz1]

When towing on Interstate highways we too use the NEXT EXIT book. It shows RV friendly stations in red. Before we got that book, we would have to look up truck stops on the web, which is not always feasible when traveling in areas of low cell coverage. And we have learned to try to plan our stops ahead of time, before we get on the road, to lessen the stress a little. Guess I'm learning with age! Ha!

[W5CI]

if you are in Texas there is Buckee's, you could fuel a 747 at their fuel island

[str8t six]

fueling with a trailer sucks. makes me want to get a 40 gal aux tank!

but i still whip my truck and trailer in a regular gas station, dont bother me none. ill block off half the parking lot if i have to get to the only diesel pump.

[DavidBo]

If I'm needing gas and I'm in a town rather than the open road, I'll either use the good ol' Google Maps satellite view or just head down a main road and do a visual check of the gas stations available as I drive by, circling the block if I see a likely candidate. I concentrate on the ones at intersections because they often have the option of entering on one street and exiting out the other, avoiding any dreaded sharp turns.
Those at the edge of town are also better candidates as they tend to have more space, and big-box stores with pump stations in large parking lots are also likely to have more turning room.