Trailering

1320Fastback wrote:
I look for Shell stations. They usually have higher prices and are not crowded because of that.

Hahahahahaa.

valhalla360 wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
Skip stations that have islands arraigned so traffic heads toward the station..

The illustration below should be helpful..



Often that results in extremely tight turns to get around the islands without hitting the station store.. Not to mention there is often a lot of vehicles parked in front of the busier stations and high amount of traffic to dodge.

Something else to consider, you have to be aware of the steepness of the stations entrance and exits, longer trailers will bottom out much easier than short trailers.. So you need to watch for stations that have a gradual entrance and exit pitch.

I have run into a few that hit the tongue jack AND the rear drag bars, scrapping both times.. Don't want to high center the trailer and be stuck half in traffic..

I often find the ones you show as good...undesirable. That configuration is often used when the station has limited land to work with.

On the other hand, most modern stations with lots of space, use the style...you find undesirable.

Thoughts:
- Fill up before hooking up when possible.
- As others have said, look on Google Maps
- Truck stops and rural stations as opposed to stations in urban areas are often more wide open.
- Don't be afraid to wait for an end pump that's easier to get into.
- Don't be afraid to have the copilot get out and back you up to get out.

I have run into a lot of stations in crowded city area and small rural places that use the layout I "Xed" out..

Typically what I have noticed is they do not give enough space between the islands and station building, if there are no cars parked in front of the building it would be easily doable but as with my luck, every time I have encountered that layout the station is plug full busy..

The layout I prefer, I simply pull into the farthest island away from the station so typically I can just pull in without needing to backup due to folks parking in front of the station..

And yes, more than once I have been burned by the station layouts I don't like.. More than once I have had to back out with traffic piling up behind me..

Even had to deal with a station that had a DQ drive thru window on the side of the station that was packed and the only way to get out of that station was to sit there and wait for the drive thru traffic to go away so I could drive around the back of the building or back a 1/4 mile backwards back onto a busy highway.. Yeah, that station IS marked off on my maps to never stop at..

Wasn't much of a problem when I had a 20ft TT, but when I moved to a 26ft TT (which is actaully 29.5ft in length including tongue) that station quickly became an issue..

I now look for stations with my preferred layout that have wide access to the road and shallow light slope in and out access.. Longer trailers can make small busy stations a challenge and especially in high traffic areas or small rural stations where they don't have much space to work with.

Good luck with the new camper. We upgraded to one about that size two years ago. Overall, it has been great. It has reduced the number of campsite options a bit but we are still able to find a spot in most parks.

For fueling, here is what we try to do. We learned after a try or two that regular gas stations are often not a great option when towing a long trailer. As others have mentioned, fill the tanks before you hitch up if possible.

When on the road, stop at RV friendly stations rather than regular gas stations. For example, when we travel on I95, there are Flying J stations spaced out about every 200 miles. They have two RV pumps separate from the regular pumps. As a bonus, we get a 5 cent per gallon discount with our Good Sam card.

When a Flying J isn't available, we have sometimes used the truck pumps. Note that their pumps are a bit different but still work. If you are using diesel, that is an option to consider.

Hope that helps.

I tow 34' 5th wheel with a quad cab long bed

I pull in/fuel up and leave.
If that means backing out...BTDT
If that means having someone MOVE.....BTDT
If that means blocking the area.....BTDT

I get in/I can get back out

Folks make a lot of woo-hoo about fueling up


I have found CGs tougher then ANY fuel station

I find that if you can find a station that is configured as undesirable and the right end pump is open a very angled approach will get the tv close enough to the pump and still have maneuvering room between store parking and the pumps. I really do not care if I have to take a lot of room as it is only for a few minutes. I stay away from tandem pumps as I have been stuck behind people that filled up and went in to have lunch forcing me to alert drivers behind me that I have to back out because of an inconsiderate sob.

I prefer one that is easy in and easy out on the right hand side of the road. That said I've had times I had to back in or back out. Doesn't matter I can back as easy as go forward.

Fill up before hooking up and fill up again after arriving at destination while out exploring.

Gdetrailer wrote:
Skip stations that have islands arraigned so traffic heads toward the station..

The illustration below should be helpful..



Often that results in extremely tight turns to get around the islands without hitting the station store.. Not to mention there is often a lot of vehicles parked in front of the busier stations and high amount of traffic to dodge.

Something else to consider, you have to be aware of the steepness of the stations entrance and exits, longer trailers will bottom out much easier than short trailers.. So you need to watch for stations that have a gradual entrance and exit pitch.

I have run into a few that hit the tongue jack AND the rear drag bars, scrapping both times.. Don't want to high center the trailer and be stuck half in traffic..

I often find the ones you show as good...undesirable. That configuration is often used when the station has limited land to work with.

On the other hand, most modern stations with lots of space, use the style...you find undesirable.

Thoughts:
- Fill up before hooking up when possible.
- As others have said, look on Google Maps
- Truck stops and rural stations as opposed to stations in urban areas are often more wide open.
- Don't be afraid to wait for an end pump that's easier to get into.
- Don't be afraid to have the copilot get out and back you up to get out.

X3 for street view on Google Maps.

X2 for street view in Google maps!