Gas station navigation

[tpennington70]

I picked up my new White Hawk last weekend and went on our first trip. We went to a campground that was close by so I did not need to fuel up while in tow. We have some much longer trips coming up this summer and I will have to refuel several times. Any tips / advice on safely navigating gas stations while refueling? Thanks.

[Bookemdanno]

What is your TV? If a diesel like mine, I try to look for Flying J's with RV fuel fill up. Most have both diesel and regular. When I towed with the family SUV and fueled up with regular fuel, I always tried to look for a gas station that had the pumps at an angle when pulling up...made life much easier!!


Good Luck! Dan

[tpennington70]

'12 Nissan Armada Platinum. Gas. Thanks for the advice.

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by tpennington70

'12 Nissan Armada Platinum. Gas. Thanks for the advice.

Your vehicle is very close to what I used as TV previously, just the Infiniti version. Very good and capable TV.

[tpennington70]

Yep. No issues in my first tow with it. Of course the roads were really flat in Central Florida where I was towing. We'll see how it does when I go up in the North Georgia this summer. 95 and 75 seem to be full of Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J's so I'll definitely be looking for those stations.

[Bookemdanno]

I'm very familiar with the area. I grew up in South FL. When I was in college I had a pop up and I would go up to Jekyll Island (spelling??) all the time....being young and stupid, I towed back then with my Camaro! LOL.

[tpennington70]

We will be headed to Vogel SP near Blairesville. Curvy roads and steep inclines/declines. I hope the Armada is up to it.....

[usmc616]

I always ensure I have a full tank of gas before heading out on a trip. Getting 8mpg and having a 44 gallon gas tank that gives me 352 miles before I run out of fuel. I can never go that far before I need to stop to stretch or for one of my kids to use the bathroom. If on the highway I only stop at rest areas and I take that oppertunity to re fuel. If I am traveling on side roads I am usually at my CG within 200 miles from home.
The summer we drove from NY to Disney we developed a system, as soon as we got the TV unhooked from the TT, DW headed to the nearest Wally World and would gas up on her way back. In the mean time the kids and I finished setting up the TT and walking the dogs. This way I minimized fuel stops while travling.

[Skaling]

I plan my trip/route and then use google maps(street view) to look at gas stations where I want to stop. The ones on angles are easier, but I always look at the entrance and exits to make sure I will be able to get in and out with ease. It gets easier as you become more comfortable towing

[UPCamper]

- Take your time (don't get in a rush, and be willing to wait at a station. Go slow and always leave yourself an out.) People that aren't hauling RVs generally are very selfish.

-Fill up often and keep notes for next time you drive the same roads. Do not wait until you are under 1/4 to start looking. You may have to bypass a station or two to find and RV friendly one. I always recommend stations where the lanes run parallel or at an angle to the station so you don't have to make the sharp turn before the building. Don't be afraid to block multiple pumps if necessary but fill and move if possible if you need to go inside for bathrooms.

- Most importantly, use Google Earth or something. Estimate how far you think you will make it on one tank, then at roughly two thirds that distance on the map, look for large stations. On the overhead map and street view, visualize yourself getting in and out of the station and make notes of where this station is so you can stop.

This is what I always recommend to new towers. Once you get more comfortable this stuff won't be quite as necessary. But it never hurts with unfamiliar ground.

[tugboat95]

FYI, if you join Good Sam's you get a 10% discount at Flying J. Headed from NC to Florida next week and used their app to map my route as I have the same concerns.

[Quahog]

When we're traveling, I don't do a lot of forward planning for gas pump direction, etc. though I can see where it would be a good thing to do. What I do, do though is eyeball the station before I even attempt to enter the lot. I look for escape routes, height of the overhead, width of the lanes, and access to adjacent roads, etc. This is all done at lightning speed

Down here in Texas, we have Buc-ees and that's where I prefer to fuel up. They have a ton of pumps and they're well planned out.

[tpennington70]

Great advice. Thanks.

[bumbles75]

If you are blocking multiple pumps at a busy time it is good to move out of the way as soon as you can. If you move before paying it's a good idea to have somebody with you tell the cashier. Sometimes it freaks them out and they think you are driving away without paying. I've scared a couple on the motorcycle because I would pull it up to the front of the building so it wouldn't get run over at the pump.

I've never had an issues fueling up with the camper. One time I had my 28' race car trailer behind me and the only gas station near was packed. Instead of trying to push my way in and trying to figure out how to get out, I dropped the trailer in a movie theater parking lot across the street. I fueled then hooked back up. Yes it was a hassle but much easier than trying to get the whole rig into the gas station.

[slabat]

I feel you can access most gas stations today as they all or most have semis making deliveries to them. Some stations are difficult, if you are not confident that you can get in and out easily go to the next station. Just be careful when making your turns and make sure you can comfortably get in and out. But as someone else said I would start looking at or above 1/4 tank.

[okieinalaska]

I plan ahead and check out google earth gas stations along my route.

I have a new toy hauler that is bigger than my last trailer so I am still getting used to it. After driving it home from St. Louis and our first camping trip last weekend I already have more confidence.

[RSerendipity]

Google Maps/Google Earth & Gas Buddy are your best tools. I'm a Planner so I am researching Maps before longer trips to ease the stress of looking for Fuel. Since fuel consumption in somewhat static I tend to look xx miles ahead so I know approximately where to look online. DW is more 'Serendipity' (hence our name ) so I have DW on her smart Phone verifying ahead when we get to 1/2 tank. Tends to work for us. Multiple Apps for Android, IPhone can also help.
Old School but someone gave us a book called "The Next Exit" which lists RV friendly Stations in red along Major Highways only.

Rented a Class C in Alaska in 2013. Best advice came from the Driver taking us to the Rental place. He said always fill when you get to 1/2 or 1/3 because you do not always know if the station is still there or possibly closed. Alaska is more extreme but I believe it also holds true in the Lower 48

[Paintinfool3]

well I have 2 18 gallon tanks on my truck an I will not run either under 1/4 tank but most of the time I will run one down then switch to the second and maybe run it to half then start looking ... that way I have basically 3/4 of a tank left between the 2 tanks... 4 gallons of fuel or a 1/4 of a tank on mine at 8.0 mpg only equals 32 miles to empty which I don't want to be

[MPH9]

Put the Gas buddy app on your phone gives you gas prices by zip code

[Jagiven]

I start looking when I am approaching a 1/4 tank, unless I am somewhere very remote. As I am picking a pump, I am planning my way out. I would rather make it difficult for myself to get in, then leave an opportunity for a car to block my exit. So plan your escape.

Only place I had an issue was at a Pilot station, it looked good going in, but I could not get out as I could not turn around, as the forced you into a parking lot, as it was full of cars, and it was surrounded by K-rail.