Gas stations for Class A gassers with space

[Skyfarmer]

Generally speaking, I know the Love's and Pilots and Flying J's have just diesel pumps in the semi area. But for a gasser with a toad, what stations have large enough areas?

[rgatijnet1]

Actually I have run across gas prices varying $.30 and more when you get near state lines. I know it is much cheaper to fill up in Virginia than to drive 50 miles or so on in to Pennsylvania. In the town of Moab, UT, I saw gas prices varying close to $.40/gallon from one end of town to the other end of town. I understand it has something to do with whether the station was owned by a Mormon or not. Don't know and don't care. That is why it is important to use a service like GasBuddy to check along your route and fill up before you cross the border in to a state with higher taxes, even if you are not close to empty.

[wolfe10]

soren,

Agree, price WITHIN A MARKET usually doesn't vary that much, but it certainly can from market to market/state to state along our route.

So, yes, it is my decision to fill up a little earlier or run tank a little lower than my normal refill point (just under 1/2 tank on our diesels, as fuel is used to cool and lubricate injection components) to save money. No reason others should do the same.

As an example, I just did this on one of our common routes in the summer-- from S Texas to N New Mexico. Regular ran from $2.29 to $2.79 a gallon. And, yes, the $2.79 was the least expensive in that market.

[soren]

wolfe10 wrote:
Actually, my search is TWO FOLD:

Gasbuddy map to scroll along my route for the least expensive fuel on that day's route. Takes about 2 minutes to scroll a full day's drive. Choose stations with cheap fuel where I will need it. I know some prefer a particular brand, but over the years I have found that the places with the best prices seem to move the most fuel so it is fresh.

Copy and paste address from Gasbuddy in to Googlearth to look at both overhead and street view.

Works every time.

And, often there is $.30 difference in price per gallon. That is $15-$25 a tank difference. Got other places to go with that $$.

By using Gas Buddy and Google apps. I find it common to see a variation of a few cents between stations in a market area. Absent occasional outliers, I have yet to see any place where gas prices "often" vary by $0.30 a gallon. At no point have I ever been trapped into paying that much over market, as there is some other option, nearby. Bottom line, if your gasser is getting less that 10MPG, there is little incentive to travel very far off of your intended path, to save, what is typically a few pennies per gallon, since the time and fuel used to find the "savings" means that it can actually cost more.

[Dog_Trainer]

I have found Kroger and Sams to have large lanes in many cases. Some think I am nuts to travel the eastern turnpikes but I can fuel at the rest areas very easily. I have no problem in most cases finding a fuel lane that I can get into and out of.

[wolfe10]

Actually, my search is TWO FOLD:

Gasbuddy map to scroll along my route for the least expensive fuel on that day's route. Takes about 2 minutes to scroll a full day's drive. Choose stations with cheap fuel where I will need it. I know some prefer a particular brand, but over the years I have found that the places with the best prices seem to move the most fuel so it is fresh.

Copy and paste address from Gasbuddy in to Googlearth to look at both overhead and street view.

Works every time.

And, often there is $.30 difference in price per gallon. That is $15-$25 a tank difference. Got other places to go with that $$.

[irishtom29]

I use Google Earth to find suitable stations along likely routes. I then take screen shots of both overhead and street views of the stations and save them in a folder by state. Yeah, I have time to kill.

I have a 34 foot Tiffin with a 228” wheelbase and a short rear overhang and pull a Ford Fiesta and I’ve found I can get around pretty well in many stations where the pumps are perpendicular to the building.

[Johno02]

One word of caution. The Walmart in Natchez, MS is almost impossible for a rig of any size at all. Limited access, and very busy. o not even think about it. However, just a few miles away, over in Vidilia, LA., the walmart there is easy access, not too busy, and should be accessable by just about anything. I recommend it if you are going that direction.

[rgatijnet1]

JaxDad wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
The trick is to set a tank level, say down to 1/4 tank, and then stop at the first station that has room for you to pull in.

Unfortunately though that also means you’re fueling up about 1/3rd more often too.

Modern fuel systems don’t have the same problems with running to empty, not dry, but empty, as they did decades ago. They have sizeable reserves, especially in gad hogs like A’s, so when the gauge reads empty there’s still quite a bit of gas left. Based on what Ford and Winnie says my tank capacity is, and what it takes to fill it from well below empty on the gauge there’s at least a 6 gallon reserve past empty.

Since the OP wanted to know how he could find stations large enough for his coach, why does it matter if he has the opportunity to fill up more often or not? In other words, when the fuel tank level gets low, stop at the first station where you can fit, period.

[JaxDad]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
The trick is to set a tank level, say down to 1/4 tank, and then stop at the first station that has room for you to pull in.

Unfortunately though that also means you’re fueling up about 1/3rd more often too.

Modern fuel systems don’t have the same problems with running to empty, not dry, but empty, as they did decades ago. They have sizeable reserves, especially in gad hogs like A’s, so when the gauge reads empty there’s still quite a bit of gas left. Based on what Ford and Winnie says my tank capacity is, and what it takes to fill it from well below empty on the gauge there’s at least a 6 gallon reserve past empty.

[wa8yxm]

When I'm "on the road" I normally look for the Truck Stops. Flying-J, Pilot, Loves, T/A The reason, they also have very large AUTO islands (And J's have special RV lanes with both gas and diesel often for less (Tax difference) than the commercial lanes).

When I'm in an area for a while I use the towed to inspect stations and look for Easy IN/Out stations for my Gasser. Lots of 'em around

Also lots you can't get in and out of towing.

[rgatijnet1]

soren wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
The trick is to set a tank level, say down to 1/4 tank, and then stop at the first station that has room for you to pull in. Usually this is an end pump but depending on the stations layout, sometimes we have used an inner pump.
If you wait until you are close to empty, not only could you damage your "in tank" fuel pump, but you could also minimize your chances of finding a station to fill up. Flying J and the other major truck stops are usually the most expensive places to refuel while some of the outlying stations may be quite a bit less expensive. We very seldom will fill up at a major truck stop unless we have other things that we need there, that we cannot get elsewhere.

I see the claim the FJ is "the most expensive", many times here. On a recent return from snowbird season (FL to PA), I decided to see if I was failing to pay attention to high prices, since I typically refuel at FJ. I used a smartphone app to look ahead at current pricing, several stops down the road, when deciding to fuel at FJ, or find another nearby location that was, according to forum members, going to be "dramatically cheaper". Bottom line, in a 1200 mile trip? I found ONE example of an overpriced FJ. It was alone at an exit, and dozens of miles away from the competition. As for any significant savings at all from nearby competitors, it just didn't exist.

Now, I did have the opportunity to head into a town off the exit, deal with the chance of trying to get a 34' Gas class A and toad into a tight old, urban station, and save a few pennies a gallon. Once you calculate the frustration, good chance of failure, and no real savings involved when driving a few miles off the highway in a rig that gets 6-7MPG, it is almost never worth the effort.

You may have a totally different experience, but for me, I just don't see the big payday, avoiding FJ, or most other large, easily accessible highway interchange stations.

I usually average 20,000 miles a year in my coach, mostly out West, and I found many places less expensive than the large truck stops along the interstate. Since I travel a lot of the back roads, it is not going out of my way to stop at a smaller station that I can get in to without any hassle.

[soren]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
The trick is to set a tank level, say down to 1/4 tank, and then stop at the first station that has room for you to pull in. Usually this is an end pump but depending on the stations layout, sometimes we have used an inner pump.
If you wait until you are close to empty, not only could you damage your "in tank" fuel pump, but you could also minimize your chances of finding a station to fill up. Flying J and the other major truck stops are usually the most expensive places to refuel while some of the outlying stations may be quite a bit less expensive. We very seldom will fill up at a major truck stop unless we have other things that we need there, that we cannot get elsewhere.

I see the claim the FJ is "the most expensive", many times here. On a recent return from snowbird season (FL to PA), I decided to see if I was failing to pay attention to high prices, since I typically refuel at FJ. I used a smartphone app to look ahead at current pricing, several stops down the road, when deciding to fuel at FJ, or find another nearby location that was, according to forum members, going to be "dramatically cheaper". Bottom line, in a 1200 mile trip? I found ONE example of an overpriced FJ. It was alone at an exit, and dozens of miles away from the competition. As for any significant savings at all from nearby competitors, it just didn't exist.

Now, I did have the opportunity to head into a town off the exit, deal with the chance of trying to get a 34' Gas class A and toad into a tight old, urban station, and save a few pennies a gallon. Once you calculate the frustration, good chance of failure, and no real savings involved when driving a few miles off the highway in a rig that gets 6-7MPG, it is almost never worth the effort.

You may have a totally different experience, but for me, I just don't see the big payday, avoiding FJ, or most other large, easily accessible highway interchange stations.

[rgatijnet1]

The trick is to set a tank level, say down to 1/4 tank, and then stop at the first station that has room for you to pull in. Usually this is an end pump but depending on the stations layout, sometimes we have used an inner pump.
If you wait until you are close to empty, not only could you damage your "in tank" fuel pump, but you could also minimize your chances of finding a station to fill up. Flying J and the other major truck stops are usually the most expensive places to refuel while some of the outlying stations may be quite a bit less expensive. We very seldom will fill up at a major truck stop unless we have other things that we need there, that we cannot get elsewhere.

[doxiemom11]

We use regular stations 98% of the time and we are 36' pulling a trailer so about 48' overall. Not too much of a problem if you use the end pumps. Do make sure there is an exit you can use before pulling in. We take a look on google satelite or street view many times before going as we also check prices with gas buddy to find the lower prices.