Fuel Puzzles

[RUSSELL5000]

I am puzzled by two things regarding fuel.



When I run on the highway with no trailer I have observed around 18 mpg. When I tow my small boat (4k trailer) or the boy scout troop cargo trailer (5k trailer) I have observed around 13. 5 mpg. When I tow the travel trailer (9k trailer) I have observed around 11. 5 mpg. I didn’t expect such a mileage drop from empty to the smaller trailers, and I didn’t expect such a mileage drop from the small trailers to the travel trailer. Do these observations seem about right?



I have been buying my fuel at a Citgo gas station right next to the interstate. There is only one pump for diesel, and I often have to wait a turn to fuel. I figured since it was right next to the interstate and usually busy that the fuel would be fresh. I have been paying around $3. 80 per gallon. Right close by is a Pilot truck stop as well as a TravelAmerica truck stop. The fuel there has been running at $4. 20 to $4. 25 per gallon. I don’t understand the difference. Is there something superior about fuel at the truck stops that would make the price difference worthwhile?



Thanks!

 

[Killgore]

Russell, I pull roughly the same weight 5th-wheel and my mileage on the 2006 is about the same as yours, 18 and about 12.



I suspect most large trucking companies are getting a fleet discount from T/A, Pilot, Loves', etc. Having been a gypsy trucker years ago, it was always nice to be able to pull into a first-class truckstop and enjoy the amenities even though I had to pay a premium.



Ed

 

[AH64ID]

Russell, I agree that your mileage sounds normal. I see between 9. 5-12 mpgs towing my 8. 5K TT depending on terrain and wind, and 17-19 on the highway empty as well.

As for the fuel prices it doesn't seem that far off from what I see around here and other places in the PNW.

 

[jhenderson]

The mileage drop probably has to do with wind resistance. Almost any trailer catches wind like a sail. Look at what 18 wheelers do to try to overcome parasitic drag. The newest thing is side curtains to keep the wind out from in under the trailer running gear. As for fuel prices, most truck stops are higher priced because they offer extras. A place to park, showers, check cashing etc.

 

[sag2]

I made a 600 mile round trip with a new 13 3500. Truck had 700 miles on it when I left. Down at 78 mph most of the way I got 18. 3. Coming home with 4k travel trailer I got 11. 3 at 62. I was speed control on all the way home. I was a bit surprised that the economy dropped that far with such a light load, so I must contribute it to the frontal area.

 

[Newt]

I made a 600 mile round trip with a new 13 3500. Truck had 700 miles on it when I left. Down at 78 mph most of the way I got 18. 3. Coming home with 4k travel trailer I got 11. 3 at 62. I was speed control on all the way home. I was a bit surprised that the economy dropped that far with such a light load, so I must contribute it to the frontal area.

Try a 5th wheel.

I managed 12 MPG today at 65 MPH. There was a little tail wind. That's with 15,500# on I-10 in West Texas.

Newt

 

[Bill Stockard]

As for fuel prices, most truck stops are higher priced because they offer extras. A place to park, showers, check cashing etc.

And they usually give discounts from the posted price to large fleets who purchase large quantities of fuel daily and are set up for the truck stop to be able to automatically withdraw funds for the purchase of that fuel from truck fleet's bank account on a daily basis.

Bill

 

[JR]

Hey Russell, is that the Citgo on old Perry Highway? I stopped in there for fuel last week on my way back from Buffalo hauling an oil seperater for a friend. I noticed too that the fuel prices were lower there compared to the T/A nearby. Strange because if you go about 30 miles west into Ohio the fuel prices along the free way are generally cheaper than the local stations. But then again, we are a lot more rural here than Erie is.

 

[Newt]

Hey Russell, is that the Citgo on old Perry Highway? I stopped in there for fuel last week on my way back from Buffalo hauling an oil seperater for a friend. I noticed too that the fuel prices were lower there compared to the T/A nearby. Strange because if you go about 30 miles west into Ohio the fuel prices along the free way are generally cheaper than the local stations. But then again, we are a lot more rural here than Erie is.

Citgo/Alon is Hugo Chavez. They have to have lower prices before people will buy their stuff.



Newt

 

[JR]

Citgo/Alon is Hugo Chavez. They have to have lower prices before people will buy their stuff.

Newt

Didn't he recently die of cancer?

 

[AH64ID]

Try a 5th wheel.

I wish sometimes. Honestly if I could find a floorplan that worked I would probably switch over, and wind resistance is just 1 reason.

On my TT I do run an 18" shank, and that extra space between the truck/trailer makes a big difference. I have never towed it with a shorter shank to know the exact difference, but on a previous Tacoma with a 1500lb pop-up a 12" vs standard shank cost me about 1. 5 mpg at 65.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

There was a thread on yellow bullet a while back, and those with V nose trailers said they gave worse mpg and stability than flat nose trailers. I have a 24' box trailer, 8. 5' wide, flat nose, that weighs about 3800 lb. Mileage with my 2004 drops from 18-19 to 12 with it, whether it is empty or has 3500 lb. in it. I tow at 72 mph.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

diesel4life, the Citgo I am referring to is the one on the Old Perry Highway exit - exit to the casino. That is my exit from the interstate to home and it seems quite busy so I have gotten all of my fuel at that station.



The nose of my travel trailer has a small slant about 3/4 of the way up; it is really pretty much a flat rectangle going into the wind. I did not know anything at all about trailering when I bought it. I gather from these conversations that a trailer with some kind of a rounded, bullet shaped front would work better. I note that the new travel trailers all appear to be built that way - at least none are as flat as mine.



AH64ID - I am a newbie to trailering - I associated shank length with teh amount of droo or rise there is in the shank that goes into the hitch receiver. That doesn;t seem right to me in the context of your comment. Would you mind explaining your comment some more - I don't understand.



I gather the issue here is that it takes as much force to overcome the wind resistance due to the big box-like object behind your truck as it does to pull the mass of the trailer aorund. Is that correct?



Thanks!

 

[Newt]

Didn't he recently die of cancer?

Details, details! :-laf



He and his successor lead a communist country. Which hates the U. S. A. And, that's where the oil comes from.



Newt

 

[JR]

Details, details! :-laf



He and his successor lead a communist country. Which hates the U. S. A.

Them and the 194 other countries in this world... :-laf

 

[Wingate]

Y'all are gonna think Im crazy, but my 06 model gets better fuel efficiency with a 13K 5er on it vs the 9k tt we had before. I didnt have the Roadmaster suspension on it then, maybe thats the difference.

 

[AH64ID]

Y'all are gonna think Im crazy, but my 06 model gets better fuel efficiency with a 13K 5er on it vs the 9k tt we had before. I didnt have the Roadmaster suspension on it then, maybe thats the difference.

I have a friend whose old truck was a 02 Auto with a small Banks chip. It got the same mileage with a 5K TT as a 10K 5er, it's amazing what wind resistance does.

 

[TFucili]

Yup, it's amazing. I towed a single axle landscape trailer with a mesh ramp/gate, holding just one non-faired motorcycle, from AZ to MO and back with my former, much missed '05. As I recall, it average a bit under 13 MPG round-trip. I was seriously bummed. Pulling my two axle box trailer it would get about 11. As mentioned previously, it's all about the frontal area and drag.

 

[BIGNASTY]

As for fuel prices, most truck stops are higher priced because they offer extras. A place to park, showers, check cashing etc.

They get fleet pricing and YES!!!!! they get FREE SHOWERS!!!!!!!! with a purchase of over 50gal or 50 dollars I cant remember which it is. The part that always puzzled me was, either or its not hard to do getting 50gal or spending 50 dollars, even when I was trucking MANY YEARS AGO!!!!!!! and EVERY truck needs fuel EVERY DAY AT LEAST ONCE!!!



So why then do at least 50% of TRUCK DRIVERS LOOK AND SMELL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN DUMPSTER DIVING!!!!! FOR THE LAST MONTH!!! When trucking I used card lock to avoid the lines and truck stop BS, lot lizards, refrigerated trucks running ALL NIGHT LONG! and JUST WHEN YA GET TO SLEEP!!!! A BULL WAGON PULLS IN AND PARKS NEXT TO YA!!!! But I ALWAYS found a way to take a shower at LEAST ONCE A DAY!!! even if it was a garden hose, or a road side rest area with a stream or river next to it, and put on some CLEAN CLOTHES. Some of the truckers are a disgrace to the human race.

 

[Killgore]

Hah! I think you asked a question, BIG. Excuse me for throwing a different wrinkle in the thread:



I still maintain that there is a sub-culture that exists on the road made up of individuals who are socially unacceptable, non-conformists, those that don't interact well with others, and of course those trying to elude the law. It's a good place to hide!



There are also some wonderful people out there who work mighty hard, take pride in what and how they do their job, and would give you the shirt off their back if you asked for it.



As a deputy sheriff years ago, I personally worked with dispatchers and corporate security to interdict drivers with warrants outstanding when they passed through our jurisdiction. As a federal security officer on the Anniston Army Depot, I have had to inspect trucks driven by Middle Eastern drivers that both cooked and crapped in their cabs. And finally, my neighbor who was a recruiter for a mid-size trucking company, said that their new drivers on an average lasted only 41 days.



What's my point? It's just a different world, with sometimes little supervision, or at least supervision that chooses to overlook personnel issues due to an imbalance in good jobs verses enough good drivers.



Ed