Fuel Choices

[richfaa]

i do not think we have ever Been in a FJ or any other truck stop bathroom as we pull our bathroom along with us.

[GreG L.]

We go back and forth from FL to CA every year. The first time we used truck stops exclusively. I only had 36Gal so had to fuel up multiple times per day (reason for using truck stops) and got 8+-MPG. When we arrived in CA I drove the 15 miles to have a 50 Gal. Transfer Flow tank put in (8 ft bed). Now with 86 Gal., on the trip back I got 10+- MPG and paid for the tank in a trip and a half by unhooking and getting fuel every night at a lower price and no Bio, now it's all savings. We usually stop in Reno for the night before entering CA and fill up. We leave 5 months later without buying fuel in CA and still have enough to make it to Reno to fill up. Have car and Harley in CA so no or very little truck use. Regular gas right now is $4.00 a gallon in CA. Thanks Governor Newsom

[Slow Hand]

Originally Posted by richfaa

We do not consider it a pleasurable experience to maneuver 53 feet of truck and Montana in and out of a Mom and Pop station although we have done it over the years. We remember a station owner running out yelling that we were blocking all of hs pumps, which we were.We also one time had to jackknife so hard coming out of a station that we activated the brake cable and locked the montana brakes up. We once had the local police in a city direct traffic so we could back out of a station. We drew a fairly good crowd on that one. There are many times when we are "ON the road" there are no truck stops nearby and you take what you can get. Whatever the individual does is the right thing to do. We are a simple person and we do things the simple way.

This is how we roll. I usually start looking when the tank gets to 1/2. if I like the price than I get some. it takes about 2 hours to get to that point. Get out and stretch my legs then hit it again. I do however love a challenge. Makes us a better driver. My outhouse is on the back of the truck. i never use gas station ones. LOL

[L0veless]

we try our best to avoid truck stops, with the 60 gallon aux. tank and gas buddy app. we can easily save 30 plus cents a gallon. plus the added convenience of fueling up unhooked most of the time. normally I will check out the gas prices where we are going to tie up at for the next 3-4 days then fill up or top her off. love the aux. tank and the app.

[jeffba]

Well I grew up pulling a 34' TT Truck stops were not an option. I learned the figure 8 and round-a-bout gas pump entry methods. First time going into a FJ/P was laughable, sort of. After staring at the pumps and hearing "not another newby of the CB", I realized I needed to go in and prepay. (prepay really!!) I prepaid. Took the long hike back to the pump and it had timed out. SOOOO back to prepay again. This time power walked back to pump and filled up.

Yup you guessed it. back to skills honed towing a TT. Getting less bio and attitude when filling up for less.

Rich you have lived my nightmares.

Jim since you are a fan of the what ifs-- What if a trucker doesn't think you belong in a "truck stop" and pulls your hitch locking bar and you drop your Monty on your truck bed?


And DW would rather use her OWN potty. She knows what has gone on there.

Back to writing my bug parting app to use my phone to keep the bugs off my windshield. Will call it "Moses does bugs too"

Gotta love these threads.

[JandC]

Since 2011 we have always used Pilot/Flying J. Our first diesel was a F350 and our current one certainly wasn't cheaper. I want fresh fuel so I have never considered small stations that don't sell a ton of it, no matter what the discount.

With the discount card plus the convenience of getting your receipt on your phone it is a breeze to get in and get out easily.

When we had our fiver and were full timing I never bought into the auxiliary tank clan. I guess from my boating days I learned that dragging around an extra 500 to 700 pounds of weight for a couple days to save $30.00 just wasn't worth it, so we never hauled an extra 60 to 100 gallons of fuel.

[richfaa]

We have never in our years of Rv'ing and fueling at truck stops have we met a disrespectful tucker.They have been helpful and friendly many have looked at the Montana's and asked questions. We fuel primarily at FJ's and with the RV plus card it is just like fueling at any fuel station.Insert card pay at the pump. The older Pilots can be a bit confusing but once you learn how to use the pump it is the same as FJ. We have not had to go in to pay for a very long time. The pilot stations are slowly upgrading their pumps to operate like the FJ pumps.

We have also not seen the huge difference in pricing of 30/40 cents as reported here.

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by BiggarView

Mtlakejim, there is one flaw in your logic. the planning and buying of fuel is a separate equation. The act of driving the rig in such a manner as to cause damage to it is quite another matter. That involves situational awareness on how to to get it safely, not figuring out where to get fuel at the best competitive price that is sufficiently convenient to make it worthwhile to get it there. Yes, you could have an accident and damage the rig but that is a separate problem that could happen anywhere not just at the pumps.

There is no flaw to the logic. You are adding ADDITIONAL risk if you go hunting for fuel in town as opposed to simply fueling up at a truck stop with easy on and off at the interstate. A truck stop that is DESIGNED for larger rigs as opposed to the local stores that are NOT designed for larger vehicles. There is no REASONABLE argument that supports adding additional risk that can be easily avoided!

I am not going to take on the ADDITIONAL risk of going thru town while HITCHED to a 42' 5th wheel if I can avoid it. Have I parked the rig at a park and then went back to town and fueled up at the cheapest place in town? YES absolutely and as such the risk was reduce (we usually need to make a Wal Mart run anyway).

Lets be honest here. Putting ourselves, other drivers and property at risk to save a few cents is not a wise move! If your running interstate on a long haul and have to fuel be smart and do it somewhere that was designed to handle what you are pulling. Don't go looking for trouble, it will find you. If you are so tight you can't afford the extra few dollars to be safe then I don't know what else to say.

My mention of the larger tank was intended as a positive comment. If you spent the cash on an auxiliary tank so you could fuel safely and save money then hats off to you.

[waynemoore]

Nobody said anything about wandering around a strange town with a 40 foot RV looking for fuel.
That’s the reason for the addd tank.
This is just personal but we like to travel on secondary roads as opposed to the freeways. I forget who said the interstate highway system is 50 thousand miles of road with nothing to see. That said yes we do use the interstate when we are in a hurry.

My preference is to drop the rig at the RV Park then go get fuel. But many times when crushing though a town I spot a station with good in and out and a high awning with good prices.

We use Gas buddy and I do plan the trip from one park to the next so I have a good idea where the fuel is better priced.

I am not putting myself or anybody else at additional risk buy going in and out of a fuel stop that I know can accommodate my rig. More times that not the diesel pumps are separate from the gas pumps with no awning. A lot of times I don’t need fuel as the main tank is full but the back tank is empty so I like to top of that empty tank. 40 gals at say .60 per gal savings is $24.00 pays for a good bit of my RV Park stay. Plus it’s now my money as a posed to the truck stops money.

No we are not too tight or can’t afford to pay more for fuel it’s my money and want to spend it on other than truck stop fuel. I just like to have choices and designed my rig so I have those choices.

[richfaa]

To each their own.We use TPKs, we use interstates, we use back roads. We fuel at FJ/pilot most of the time when in tow. When not in tow we fuel wherever we can. It works for us.

[mtlakejim]

[QUOTE=jeffba;1145104]Well I grew up pulling a 34' TT Truck stops were not an option. I learned the figure 8 and round-a-bout gas pump entry methods. First time going into a FJ/P was laughable, sort of. After staring at the pumps and hearing "not another newby of the CB", I realized I needed to go in and prepay. (prepay really!!) I prepaid. Took the long hike back to the pump and it had timed out. SOOOO back to prepay again. This time power walked back to pump and filled up.

Yup you guessed it. back to skills honed towing a TT. Getting less bio and attitude when filling up for less.

Rich you have lived my nightmares.

Jim since you are a fan of the what ifs-- What if a trucker doesn't think you belong in a "truck stop" and pulls your hitch locking bar and you drop your Monty on your truck bed?


And DW would rather use her OWN potty. She knows what has gone on there.

Back to writing my bug parting app to use my phone to keep the bugs off my windshield. Will call it "Moses does bugs too"

Gotta love these threads.[/QUOTE

I haven't met a trucker yet that thought I didn't belong in a truck stop with the 42' rig. Maybe because I drove a truck and still work for a living and most importantly show the truckers some respect as fellow tax paying workers.......BUT I do check my rig over including the hitch EVERY time I stop. If a trucker did pull the pin I suspect it would be of someone who cut them off in traffic not just because your pulling a camper. In fact, most truckers are curious to what my rig looks like on the inside and I have had more than one want to check it out. You might want to make sure you understand the rules of the road when it comes to truck stops. There are right and wrong ways to maneuver around and fuel up at one for sure. Ask a professional truck driver how to do it right.

However, I will say I have seen at least 4 rigs get dinged up pretty good at regular stations. I have myself had a few issues relating to getting stuck because folks driving cars are usually clueless that they are blocking you in or they just don't care and think you shouldn't be at a regular gas station with such a big rig.........never had a trucker block me in at a truck stop!

[CaptnJohn]

I have never seen 60 cents difference. On my last trip Pilot was 1 cent less with my 9 cent discount. I certainly don't mind 8-10 cents more as I rarely get more than 55 gallons at a time. I'll pay the rate for convenience at truck stops no matter what it is.

[DebNJim B]

Originally Posted by richfaa

We have never in our years of Rv'ing and fueling at truck stops have we met a disrespectful tucker.They have been helpful and friendly many have looked at the Montana's and asked questions. We fuel primarily at FJ's and with the RV plus card it is just like fueling at any fuel station.Insert card pay at the pump. The older Pilots can be a bit confusing but once you learn how to use the pump it is the same as FJ. We have not had to go in to pay for a very long time. The pilot stations are slowly upgrading their pumps to operate like the FJ pumps.

We have also not seen the huge difference in pricing of 30/40 cents as reported here.

Agree. On the east coast I generally see a dime or so difference and the discount card wipes most of that out. I will use GasBuddy when I'm unhooked and find it's usually cheaper when you get a couple miles from the interstates. I do find a big difference from state to state. NY, PA and NJ high...VA, GA, SC much better. It's all in the taxes as the CA guys will attest. Once going north I missed the last FJ in VA and stopped at the next exit in WV, wow 50 cents more. I should have turned back the five miles. I generally top off and that last VA exit and can make it home in NY with the aux tank full. I use the truck stops when haulin' and shop around when not.

[wecker1]

Jim - you're absolutely correct regarding the fuel tax effecting overall price per gallon. As of 2018 PA had the highest tax in the country at $.64 per gallon. Twice as much as most other states. NY was $.3775 per gal. The Motor Carriers Road Atlas has a state by state listing (page A6) which is worth being familiar with.

[waynemoore]

I can show you much more pricing differences in less that 100 miles from my home.
I never pay cash so these numbers are credit.

US 95 at I-40 I. In AZ. 19 miles from home. Loves $ 3.54 and FJ $3.41.
Maverick in town 3.07.

.34 difference using FJ times 55 gal that’s $18.70.
.47 difference using Loves times 55 gals that’s $25.85
I didn’t use Discounts as I get them at all these locations .9 at FJ and .11 at Maverick.

Worst case Needles CA just about 57 miles from home all stations are $4.99 per gal
That’s a whopping $1.92 per gal or for the same 55 gal $105.66.

Go east to Kingman that’s about 75 miles from home. FJ 3.39 .32 more or $17.60 for the same 55 gals. In town Maverick 3.15 per gal that’s .24 or $13.20. Buy the way this station is big rig friendly.

The reason I added the extra 40 gal tank was, on a return trip from Northern CA I miss calculated my fuel use and had to buy fuel in Needles. Needless to say I only bought 5 gals to get me home but that 5 gals cost me $25.00 I payed about $10.00 more because I messed up. That’s when I decided it was not going to happen again.

So my point is I am not paying a premium to fuel at a truck stop if I do not have to.
As for restaurants and rest rooms I have the best following me just a few feet back.
Also and most importantly it’s my money and again each late summer we take trips between 4000 and 9500 miles.
So even a .34 per gal savings adds up not to mention truck stop bio diesel that may be costing me as much as 2 mpg.

My experience is on trips as described above I can save on average .43 per gal. We have taken these trips every year since 2008 that’s lots of miles and a lot of money.

[DebNJim B]

Wow, that's some pretty big spreads. A check on Gas Buddy shows a spread from $3.02 to $3.29 of the stations within 20 miles of me. I'm in upstate NY. There are three truck stops off I90 about 25 mi S. but none have reported prices. I'm guessing because they are usually somewhat high and there are cheaper places within blocks so you usually only see trucks at the truck stops.

[STIHLNTIME]

My most important reason to buy fuel at a Flying J/Pilot or truck stop is I know I am getting fresh high quality fuel. With these CP4 pumps most of these late model trucks are utilizing you had better try to run the best quality fuel you can, as there is very little tolerance for substandard fuel in trucks using them. 11-14k to replace a fuel system is not cheap, it's not worth me trying to save a few bucks hunting the cheapest fuel. I run Hotshots ED fuel additive in every tank of fuel for extra lubricity. Just the ease of access and getting in and out of a station that was designed for long vehicles is worth something to me. I've had to fuel in some tight places before adding an aux tank, it's just a pain in the butt

[richfaa]

We have never seen the huge spread in fuel prices posted here California excluded. We have never taken the Montana into Calif but have been there many times by car. We see a 8 to 14 cent difference in price at FJ near us compared to the local stations and we do fuel at the local stations when not in tow.The RV plus card gets us 9 cents off a FJ/Pilot so we do pay a bit more at truck stops most of the time.We pay for the convenience and it is not breaking the bank.

[Creeker]

Purchased auxiliary tank two trucks back. Its paid for itself several times over by never buying fuel near the interstate. Its paid for itself a Thousand times over by keeping my blood pressure down not looking for a fuel station every 200 miles. lol

In nearly 15 years of towing 5ers, I can only think of a handful of times we have used a FJ or Pilot. Those being the times we over-nighted in their RV parking lanes. We certainly have no use for a truck stop restroom when our clean one is in tow just behind us. I've found a .20 to .30 difference very common between truck stops and stations just a mile or so off the interstate.

I've said it many times - If I could not replace our auxiliary tank, I wouldn't take $5K for it.

[Stan and Linda]

We use the truck stops only when needed. We carry to 5 gallon cans diesel and use the little battery operated pump from harbor freight, which will get me an extra 100 miles. Hopefully we will get to our destination and then unhook and seek out cheaper fuel.