Getting gas with long trailer?

[Mondooker]

Hi guys, I looked on Utube and found diesel videos but no gas. Diesel is easy in that you can go to any truck stop, get in line and pump diesel. However, truck stops don’t have gas lanes so how do you fuel a gas truck? Certainly not unhook every time?

I don’t ever remember being at a gas station and see a guy pulling a long trailer getting gas. So what’s the answer? And if you know of a video I’d love to see it.

Thanks guys

[msmith1_wa]

I recently added an in bed auxiliary gas tank, but before that I never traveled without at least one five gallon gas can. When my current truck was two or three years old we were on a trip and the truck was struggling to maintain 60mph on a flat interstate. Pulled over, nothing was obviously wrong. Gas gauge was showing 1/4 tank DIC was showing somewhere around 60 miles of range. Get back on the interstate and now 50mph is max and the it dies. Luckily we were close to a rest area, coasted into there. No change in gas gauge reading. I pour the gas from the can into the tank. Truck fires up and runs like it should. Something must have caused the gauge to hang up at a 1/4 tank. Hasn't happened again since.

[Lantley]

mlight wrote:
This reminds me of the time i mis-calculated my range when coming into the metro DC area. I pull a 43ft triple axle and thought i could make it outside the city where easier accessible fuel stations exist. Ended up running down to almost empty before i had to drop the trailer off at a walmart with the wife and get diesel at a low canopy fuel station. Now i start looking for fuel around half a tank and plan my route to pilot's, TA's ect.

I live just north of DC metro area. One of the reasons I have my Enduraplas 26 gallon aux. tank is it ensures I have enoufh fuel to clear the DC metro area when traveling from the south.
Getting fuel in the DC metro area is a hassle.

[Mondooker]

Hi mlight and I hear that. I’ll do that as well… Almost out of gas with no place in sight with a large 5’er is no fun!

[mlight]

This reminds me of the time i mis-calculated my range when coming into the metro DC area. I pull a 43ft triple axle and thought i could make it outside the city where easier accessible fuel stations exist. Ended up running down to almost empty before i had to drop the trailer off at a walmart with the wife and get diesel at a low canopy fuel station. Now i start looking for fuel around half a tank and plan my route to pilot's, TA's ect.

[Mondooker]

Hi ol Bombero-JC, I’m sure there’s something in there somewhere I can use. 🙂
One of them is get gas (not diesel) well before you need it! See how I paraphrased there? Yah I got the 7.3 Godzilla engine. That is one fantastic engine but it does requiring refueling and that’s for sure!

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Execute: "Plan Ahead!" when you're down to 1/4 tank of fuel.

Never found a station I "needed" for diesel -with 5th hitched- if I 'executed' properly.

*If* you can't do the Boy Scout thing - carry a 5gal can of diesel.
*If* you can't remember to do either one - practice backing (a lot).

:W

.

[BarneyS]

I would not even attempt to back up with two trailers- especially the kind we have. I used to drive truck and still marvel at the ability of some of these drivers pulling and backing two gravel or dirt trailers.

Had one the other day pull in to a new homesite near us so I stopped to watch what he was going to do. Instead of dropping the 2nd one like I, and most others would probably do, he proceeded to back the thing up around the corner and into the lot. I could not do that in a million years! Quite impressive.
Barney

[Hammerboy]

BarneyS wrote:
In over 35 years of towing a large travel trailer, i only had to back out of a station twice _ both times back into a busy street. Had no problem with my wife stopping traffic and me slowly backing up. Cars stopped and no one honked.

We always gassed up or fueled up at local gas stations that had diesel fuel. Never a problem.

My advice, learn to back your rig, use the outside pumps, and don’t worry about it.:)
Barney

Thats always my fear, having to back out of a station with our fifth wheel. I did the other day have to pull into a local station the other day with the fifth wheel which also had our kayak trailer behind it. I scoped it out first before I pulled in, hard to back out with two trailers 😞

Dan

[Curly2001]

Just watch the distance between the front of the store and with the space to the first set of pumps. Often times you can go to the right of the first set of pumps, past the front of the store and then pull to the last set of pumps for fuel on your left. Did it alot on the way to Oregon from Arizona. Also at Love's truck stops, often there is quite a bit of space from the front of the store to the pumps which really helps position for fuel, especially gas pumps.

[johndeerefarmer]

In Texas the new Toot n Tootems has RV gas pumps that are away from the other pumps and easy in, easy out. I now use them because of this feature..

[joebedford]

Go to a Flying J and use the gas pump at the RV island. Can usually get propane there too (and diesel). I've had to get diesel (truck), gasoline (toy hauler fuel station and generator) and propane at the same stop.

[ReneeG]

Talking about desperately needing fuel. It happened to us - once. We were towing a 32' long Komfort TT with an F250 V10 . . . 7.5mpg, yup. We were traveling through the Denver, CO, area and could not find a gas station off the interstate we were on, GPS said there was a gas station off an exit, so we took it. The gas station turned out to be one of those with gas pumps vertical to a convenience store. Hubby didn't care. He drove in, we filled up, I got out and spotted him as he backed all the way up into the grocery store parking lot, turned around and off we went. Walkie talkies are invaluable in cases like this.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Thermoguy wrote:

Lantley wrote:

Thermoguy wrote:
Wow, so many people overthink this !!

......you can tell before you try to pull in if it is a good gas station or not. Along the interstate I would venture to guess 90% of gas stations can accommodate a larger rig. Not at the Diesel island, at all islands. I drive a diesel but always use the standard islands, don't like the dedicated truck islands and I'm not one to get in the way of a commercial trucker. I have never planned ahead other than to only stop for gas when I can see that there are multiple choices or that the station can accommodate me, this is easy to see before you take the exit. Also, if there is a Love's or other truck stop, I have found the gas islands are wide and easy to get in and out of.

The OP - thread starter - is making (fueling) mountains out of mole (ant?) hills!

I'm 55' long (truck & 5th wheel) & TTs before that. NEVER had a problem with various crew-cab gas & diesel tow vehicles.

The OP shouldn't either.... if he simply pays attention to his options (as above)...and doesn't decide he "desperately" needs fuel when the gauge is on "E"..:S

~

[tomman58]

I always believed in the 3 "Ps"
PLANNING
PREVENTS
PANIC.
Case closed