Trailering

[tomman58]

After several years of visiting this site I have to ask.... Why are so many interesting in such odd setups to their trailering????

I travel across the US from Michigan to Maryland to Las Vegas to Tucson to Florida every year pretty much. I have a Dmax and a 36' Jayco TT. I am wondering just how many of you really need or want items like 55 gallon diesel tanks, or worry about MPG or a reasonable speed to travel at.
Unless you spend weeks and months on the road like we do annually then why would you sweat these items??
I am not a full timer but would guess our travels that takes several weeks never needed answers to these items listed above. I mean why sweat a 55 gallon fuel tank?? You only go out while on vacation a few weeks a year and your roan time is but a few days not weeks. Your speed is derived from knowing your set up and you experience again a few days on the road doesn't make you a hauler.
I don't know but most inquires seem like not of much value to most.

[wowens79]

I start looking for fuel at about 175 miles, which is about the time I need to pee, and I want to get up and walk around, so that works out pretty well. We travel around the southeast, and we rarely are more than 15-20 miles from a gas station.

[JIMNLIN]

I don't need or want a bigger fuel tank in my old '03 Dodge/Cummins 305/555. It has a OEM 34 gallon tank and will run down the road for 300-340 miles pulling a 11200-11400 lb 5er before a refuel. I refuel around 1/4 tank.
I've never felt the need to worry/wander what others do....or if someone wants a 50-100 gallon tank in their trucks or do anything different than I do thats fine with me.

[Tvov]

tomman58 wrote:
....
I don't know but most inquires seem like not of much value to most.

That is just because you happen to know the answer / solution to someone's question.

Everyone, at some point, is a "newbie" who knows nothing. Asking questions on a forum like this can save a lot of time and money for a new person.

There are also many times more than one "correct" answer to a problem. One solution may work great for one person, but another other person may have better results doing something different.

How about a question such as "What kind of hitch / brand of hitch should I use?" - there are a LOT of different "correct" answers to that!

Asking that question on a forum like this can educate someone, and potentially save them a lot of headaches and possibly, well, save them on the highway.

What about camping at a Walmart? Lots of different answers for that!

[hornet28]

tomman58 wrote:
After several years of visiting this site I have to ask.... Why are so many interesting in such odd setups to their trailering????

I travel across the US from Michigan to Maryland to Las Vegas to Tucson to Florida every year pretty much. I have a Dmax and a 36' Jayco TT. I am wondering just how many of you really need or want items like 55 gallon diesel tanks, or worry about MPG or a reasonable speed to travel at.
Unless you spend weeks and months on the road like we do annually then why would you sweat these items??
I am not a full timer but would guess our travels that takes several weeks never needed answers to these items listed above. I mean why sweat a 55 gallon fuel tank?? You only go out while on vacation a few weeks a year and your roan time is but a few days not weeks. Your speed is derived from knowing your set up and you experience again a few days on the road doesn't make you a hauler.
I don't know but most inquires seem like not of much value to most.

If you can't understand after all this time I doubt anyone will be able to explain satisfactorily

[Gdetrailer]

Grit dog wrote:
Well, some folks never get outta cell range or out of sight of the next fuel stop.
Others shoot for that exact location where there’s no service and no towns.
To each their own.
Just hope they continue upping the fuel tank sizes on pickups.
Until recently with the newer super duty’s and Rams, my 35 year old pickup had more fuel capacity than anything made after that era.
Pathetic to have a big diesel pickup (even worse with a gasser) with a puny little 26 gal tank like our old Dmax had.

Yep.

I remember the days of 25 gallon or even smaller tanks in gas pickups..

Typically had to start looking for gas stations every 150-175 miles because it might take 50 or 75 miles to find the next station depending on the roads and you had to hope you could wrangle your way in and out safely..

Now, I am much more relaxed and can easily skip a lot of old fuel stops.. Besides most gas stations don't have all that great of "restrooms", more than once run into ones that had just a single restroom and a line of folks stacked out the door waiting to use it..

With my RV, I can pull off pretty much anywhere if a restroom stop is needed..

[toedtoes]

My clupper had two 36 gallon tanks that held 30 gallons of fuel each. When the front tank sprung a leak, I replaced it with a 40 gallon tank that holds 40 gallons. That extra 10 gallons goes a long way.

[Lwiddis]

"I don't know but most inquires seem like not of much value to most."

Some recent new posts are like this also.

[Grit_dog]

Well, some folks never get outta cell range or out of sight of the next fuel stop.
Others shoot for that exact location where there’s no service and no towns.
To each their own.
Just hope they continue upping the fuel tank sizes on pickups.
Until recently with the newer super duty’s and Rams, my 35 year old pickup had more fuel capacity than anything made after that era.
Pathetic to have a big diesel pickup (even worse with a gasser) with a puny little 26 gal tank like our old Dmax had.

[Gdetrailer]

Fisherman wrote:
On the other hand, dragging around another tank that weighs something along with 55 gals of fuel, about 500lbs, definitely doesn't increase your fuel mileage.

But then again, considering the weight of a truck (6K lbs-8K lbs) plus dragging a 10K lb trailer for 16K lbs, 500 lbs in extra fuel will never be noticeable in any measurable amount of mileage loss..

I carry an extra 15 gallons of gas and combine that with the factory tank of 34 gallons I have 49 gallons of fuel to work with.

Average of 10 MPG towing and I have about 490 miles of "range".

My trips are typically 800 miles each way and having 490 miles of range means I can eliminate one fuel stop each way.. It also means I can drive past several states with super high road taxes saving some money.

Without the extra 15 gallons I had to "short stop" at half tank adding extra drive time and hassle finding a station in a couple places. If I didn't short stop, I would be on fumes by the time I found the next station..

[Fisherman]

On the other hand, dragging around another tank that weighs something along with 55 gals of fuel, about 500lbs, definitely doesn't increase your fuel mileage.

[lane_hog]

tomman58 wrote:
I am wondering just how many of you really need or want items like 55 gallon diesel tanks, or worry about MPG or a reasonable speed to travel at.

I don't sweat any of those, but I do suspect we camp differently from you. We almost exclusively are in state or national parks, not resorts.

Having a larger tank gives me peace of mind. Pure and simple.

I can go 3-4 hours between fuel stops. That lets me skip fueling up in a city at higher prices and get a little further down the road to a truck stop where I know there's less concern about getting in and out.

When I'm not towing, I have the option to fill up once every three or four weeks. That helps me wait out a panic-spike at the pump like when a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast or the Suez Canal gets blocked for a week...

Most important... it gives me the freedom to never have to worry about falling below a quarter tank in places like Big Bend NP or the desert Southwest, and the next gas station that's open might be 40 miles away.

[Mickeyfan0805]

As others have said, people don't post because it would be a value to 'most,' they post because they have a particular question to be answered. Fuel economy and capacity make a big difference for those who travel distances.

We are still actively working parents with kids, but the vast majority of our trips are more than one tank of gas away (anywhere from 400-1,300 miles one way). When replacing our TV, I absolutely cared about these things when considering a new vehicle.

[Mike134]

Grit dog wrote:
Tom man, it’s spring time. Get away from the computer. You’re making excuses to not go outside if you’re posting threads like this!

X2!! to answer your question Tom, your post is of little value.

[valhalla360]

tomman58 wrote:
I don't know but most inquires seem like not of much value to most.

Kind of like this thread? :h

[MarkTwain]

tomman58 wrote:
After several years of visiting this site I have to ask.... Why are so many interesting in such odd setups to their trailering????

I travel across the US from Michigan to Maryland to Las Vegas to Tucson to Florida every year pretty much. I have a Dmax and a 36' Jayco TT. I am wondering just how many of you really need or want items like 55 gallon diesel tanks, or worry about MPG or a reasonable speed to travel at.
Unless you spend weeks and months on the road like we do annually then why would you sweat these items??
I am not a full timer but would guess our travels that takes several weeks never needed answers to these items listed above. I mean why sweat a 55 gallon fuel tank?? You only go out while on vacation a few weeks a year and your roan time is but a few days not weeks. Your speed is derived from knowing your set up and you experience again a few days on the road doesn't make you a hauler.
I don't know but most inquires seem like not of much value to most.

I have a Transfer Flow 55 gal. diesel tank. Does not affect my milage. When travling I want to have the option of stopping for fuel when I want and do not have to wonder if the diesel station is open or closed. It also gives me the chance to find the best fuel price.