Filling Up at Gas Station--Class A Gasser

bigbaddad wrote:
My gas filler is on back about 2 ft. in on Bounder. I got a Rand Mcnally GPS that has an input for a video so I put a camera ( a cheap one) on bottom of the rear facing out so now I can see the pumps up close and precisely place the MH for filling. No need to guess or back up with toad. Works great for me and it was pretty simple to do.

That's a great idea. We have the Garmin RV GPS and has that same option of adding a camera. I will have to look into this. Thanks!

John

My gas filler is on back about 2 ft. in on Bounder. I got a Rand Mcnally GPS that has an input for a video so I put a camera ( a cheap one) on bottom of the rear facing out so now I can see the pumps up close and precisely place the MH for filling. No need to guess or back up with toad. Works great for me and it was pretty simple to do.

I try to fill up at Costco's when I can - lots of space, cheap gas, and can do a quick shop if needed. If a gas station looks too tight, or too busy, I go to the next one.

Had a Southwind on a WorkHorse Chassis for 8 years, 100K miles. The filler was on the back about 2 or 3 feet in from the sidewall. Whoever was in the nav seat would jump down and check position for fueling. By year 3 either of us could spot the coach alone if necessary. Nice thing was we could use tail swing to bring the backend in close when necessary. The major annoyance was in small stations we might have the front end almost back on the highway before we had the back in position to fuel :)

We changed to a diesel for many other reasons and now have to adjust to the fuel doors being on both sides by the driver.

We never worry about $75 or $200 cutoffs. In FJ we use the RV card and there is no limit. In other outlets we go in with the card and tell them to hold it while we fill or ask them to put a $300 (now $200) hold on the card until we finish pumping. Yeah it does mean two trips in from the pump to the fuel desk, but what's the hurry? We can use the walk :)

rreichar wrote:
I do find getting gas for my 2014 Tiffin 36LA to be a huge hassle. Partly because of that we have been shopping for DPs lately. There are a several reasons why it bothers us so much. Our Tiffin has the filler on the back of the coach a couple of feet in toward the middle. This is 30+ feet from where I am sitting. Because the actual filler is not on the side a pump with short hoses won't reach unless you stop very close. Either DW or my 15 year old son need to get out and check and neither one of them does that in a timely manner or with good humor. Often I get tired of waiting for them so I have to get out to look. Then get back in and repeat the process. If our fuel filler were on the side it would not be as much of an issue. Some people with 36LAs use the generator exhaust as a cue for when to stop. That does not work for me in most cases.

Just finding a useable station can be a hassle. It depends heavily upon your navigator. My DW is terrible at that. I usually ask her to look ahead on Google maps but she she just does not seem to be able to do it. She does not want to drive the motorhome so I end up using the nav system to look ahead. This is a total******shoot as I don't get to see what the layout is before arriving. there have been many times I have exited a highway to fill up but had to get back on because there wasn't a suitable place to fill up.

The next issue is that gas pumps almost always stop at a predetermined price. Then you have to stop and reswipe the card and, in many cases, use a different card. Sometimes I have had to swipe 3 times to fill up. This adds more time and takes more energy. I have only once been able to fill up without a reswipe in 11,000+ miles. That was 65 gallons in north Texas last June for $233. Cheap gas has made that less of an issue. My last refill required one reswipe at $100. It took $109 to fill it up. That leads to another issue. Gas pumps at gas stations are slow. Diesel pumps at truck stops pump at a much higher rate than gas pumps. It you haver their credit card most truck stops do not require a reswipe.

Another issue is that DPs carry more fuel than gassers. Because we are based in Texas and travel mostly during the summer we use our generator a lot. It won't work below about a quarter tank of gas so my 80 gallon tank has to be filled after 60 gallons or the generator won't work. Plus I get nervous when it gets low since it can be difficult to find places to fill up. Most DPs have tanks in the 100 gallon range and in many cases the fuel economy is better which means that you can go further between fill ups. We have to start looking after about 300 miles and actually find a place to fill up after 400 miles.

My son is a sponsored RC helicopter pilot. We use our motorhome to go to events all over the country. This means that for us time is a factor. We usually have a schedule we need to stick to. If time was not an issue for us I think the gas fill up hassle would not be quite as annoying for us.

I asked a question similar to yours in a couple of forums before buying our Tiffin. All of the replies indicated that it was not a significant issue. For us it has been a huge PITA. Enough so that I regret buying the 36LA and am shopping for a similar DP. Filling up is not the only issue driving that decision but it one of is the biggest factors. We usually dry camp at events so the larger fuel and holding tanks tanks offered by most DPs would be welcome as well.

Filling up a gasser can be stressful. The stress can be mitigated by other factors. How much of a hurry are you in? How good is your navigator? Are you driving 800 miles a day or 200? It may just bother you less than it does me. Just be aware of it when making your decisions. For us the extra noise and rougher ride of a gasser have not been problematic. Are longer range and less hassle filling up worth the $40,000-70,000 more a DP would have cost us? Hard to say....

I agree with nearly every point on this post.

Having recently switched from a gasser to a DP with a 200 gallon tank, I appreciate the differences at the pump greatly. The only minor nit I have is that the generator will probably not quit at 20% full. You'll have to give it a try, but I think it's more likely to end up around 5% full.

When I first got my gasser, I was very stressed at the pumps, but after a few years, I was pumping like a pro and rarely shied away from any gas station.

rreichar wrote:
I do find getting gas for my 2014 Tiffin 36LA to be a huge hassle. Partly because of that we have been shopping for DPs lately. There are a several reasons why it bothers us so much. Our Tiffin has the filler on the back of the coach a couple of feet in toward the middle. This is 30+ feet from where I am sitting. Because the actual filler is not on the side a pump with short hoses won't reach unless you stop very close. Either DW or my 15 year old son need to get out and check and neither one of them does that in a timely manner or with good humor. Often I get tired of waiting for them so I have to get out to look. Then get back in and repeat the process. If our fuel filler were on the side it would not be as much of an issue. Some people with 36LAs use the generator exhaust as a cue for when to stop. That does not work for me in most cases.

Just finding a useable station can be a hassle. It depends heavily upon your navigator. My DW is terrible at that. I usually ask her to look ahead on Google maps but she she just does not seem to be able to do it. She does not want to drive the motorhome so I end up using the nav system to look ahead. This is a total******shoot as I don't get to see what the layout is before arriving. there have been many times I have exited a highway to fill up but had to get back on because there wasn't a suitable place to fill up.

The next issue is that gas pumps almost always stop at a predetermined price. Then you have to stop and reswipe the card and, in many cases, use a different card. Sometimes I have had to swipe 3 times to fill up. This adds more time and takes more energy. I have only once been able to fill up without a reswipe in 11,000+ miles. That was 65 gallons in north Texas last June for $233. Cheap gas has made that less of an issue. My last refill required one reswipe at $100. It took $109 to fill it up. That leads to another issue. Gas pumps at gas stations are slow. Diesel pumps at truck stops pump at a much higher rate than gas pumps. It you haver their credit card most truck stops do not require a reswipe.

Another issue is that DPs carry more fuel than gassers. Because we are based in Texas and travel mostly during the summer we use our generator a lot. It won't work below about a quarter tank of gas so my 80 gallon tank has to be filled after 60 gallons or the generator won't work. Plus I get nervous when it gets low since it can be difficult to find places to fill up. Most DPs have tanks in the 100 gallon range and in many cases the fuel economy is better which means that you can go further between fill ups. We have to start looking after about 300 miles and actually find a place to fill up after 400 miles.

My son is a sponsored RC helicopter pilot. We use our motorhome to go to events all over the country. This means that for us time is a factor. We usually have a schedule we need to stick to. If time was not an issue for us I think the gas fill up hassle would not be quite as annoying for us.

I asked a question similar to yours in a couple of forums before buying our Tiffin. All of the replies indicated that it was not a significant issue. For us it has been a huge PITA. Enough so that I regret buying the 36LA and am shopping for a similar DP. Filling up is not the only issue driving that decision but it one of is the biggest factors. We usually dry camp at events so the larger fuel and holding tanks tanks offered by most DPs would be welcome as well.

Filling up a gasser can be stressful. The stress can be mitigated by other factors. How much of a hurry are you in? How good is your navigator? Are you driving 800 miles a day or 200? It may just bother you less than it does me. Just be aware of it when making your decisions. For us the extra noise and rougher ride of a gasser have not been problematic. Are longer range and less hassle filling up worth the $40,000-70,000 more a DP would have cost us? Hard to say....

What a load of BS. I have never considered it APITA to fill mine. same rig Filled my motorhome, CRV and jetski one after the other at station's outside pumps which were parallel to the road. One time I found hose too short.

afrescop wrote:
Use Flying J stations wherever possible because of the dedicated RV islands. I use my Good Sam/Flying J credit card. Not only do I get a $.07 per gallon gas discount. I can pump gas until I reach my credit limit.

To trade in a perfectly good RV because of the location of the gas filler is probably a first for many of us on this forum.

Thanks for saying exactly what I do also, so far works great for me. Jim.

rreichar will have a great coach available very soon.

Avoid stations that position the pumps with traffic facing the office/cashier.

Fred

Use Flying J stations wherever possible because of the dedicated RV islands. I use my Good Sam/Flying J credit card. Not only do I get a $.07 per gallon gas discount. I can pump gas until I reach my credit limit.

To trade in a perfectly good RV because of the location of the gas filler is probably a first for many of us on this forum.