Community Forums

Webetravelin · 07-05-2012, 01:52 PM

Am I safe only having a half tank of gas in my jeep begin towed on my maiden journey from Naples Fl to Austin Tx. I plan to travel I75 and I10 so I am thinking I would have access to more gas if needed. Trying to keep my over all weight down. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
The Gals

Steve N Sal · 07-05-2012, 01:56 PM

I travel with only a 1/4 tank in my pt. Unless I was traveling some very remote area would I ever carry more. JMHO

Bryan H · 07-05-2012, 02:25 PM

Half a tank is roughly 10 gallons which is about 80 lb. IMO, not a huge difference either way.

Cousin Ed · 07-05-2012, 02:29 PM

If I was trying to keep my weight as low as possible I would not have more than 1/4 tank in the toad. That would be 75 to 100 miles, if you needed it.

Cat320 · 07-05-2012, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve N Sal

I travel with only a 1/4 tank in my pt. Unless I was traveling some very remote area would I ever carry more. JMHO

Same here, I carry as little as possible.

TAZ · 07-05-2012, 05:57 PM

I keep mine filled up when traveling. I don't notice a differnce with half tanks. I normaly top off my jeep when filling up the HM. That way I don't have to look for gas at my next destination and if we have an emergency we have one less thing to worry about.

There is no right or wrong option. Just your personal preference.

SarahW · 07-05-2012, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan H

Half a tank is roughly 10 gallons which is about 80 lb. IMO, not a huge difference either way.

Agree. We just leave with whatever's in the tank; we certainly aren't going to syphon any out.

TXiceman · 07-05-2012, 06:09 PM

You won't be able to measure the difference in performance for 1/2 tank of fuel.

Ken

Wanabee FTer · 07-05-2012, 06:20 PM

This sounds similar to the 1/4 tank of FW vs. full FW tank debate.

I always tow my vehicle with a full tank of gas because I never know how much gas I might need in an emergency.

Full tank in the toad, full tank propane and 3/4 tank FW in the MH. No way I can tell if there is any difference in power up and down hills or any gas mileage advantage/disadvantage.

The advantage of dropping 300-500 lbs will be minimal at best vs. convenience and piece of mind... unless you are over the GCVW of your rig.

jfran304 · 07-05-2012, 06:55 PM

I try not to let any of my fuel tanks get below half. You never know what is over the next hill and you might need the extra fuel to find more. I have traveled through areas that were hit by storms and lost all power to the fuel pumps. It also gives me the benefit of being able to shop for fuel instead of being held captive at a station that gouges because of the location.

If you need to cut down on the weight I would look for other items to get rid of.

Jon

Libero · 07-06-2012, 07:27 AM

Agree with having as much fuel and water as you can carry. I usually never let my fuel tank get less than 1/2 and like to travel with empty Black and Grey tanks when I can, but with full FW and full Propane. My generator will not run if my fuel tank is less than 1/4. My toad is usually topped up with fuel also thus giving extra flexibility.

I did a milage test with tanks low and full as noted above and there was not a noticable difference and even if there was a difference, I would much rather be equiped for most contingences even if I have to spend a few more dollars in doing so. As one poster noted, one can be selective where fuel is purchased if you can bypass the expensive places because of not needing to buy there. You never know what is facing you over the next hill and being prepared to go into a holding pattern (traffic delays etc) or to push on to another destination because of power outages is always a possibiltiy. I have been is situations where weather and traffic made me sit for hours and I was glad I was prepared. I helped others who were not as fortunate as I was in those circumstances.

I never exceed weight limits with all tanks full.

Just wondered how many others operate the way I do.

jzick · 07-06-2012, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Just wondered how many others operate the way I do

We do - fuel and water full (at least 2/3), black and grey empty, towd fuel at least 3/4 and enough food/water to last a while. Not only traveling but also when parked, even when wintering in the stick and bricks. Even if mpg decreased a bit it would not matter to us. If I am running that close on weight I am not going anyway.

Libero · 07-06-2012, 06:05 PM

Right on - I imagine a lot of people do as we do in addition to fuel and water contingency planning, I also carry several days worth of food with me just in case. We were stranded on a highway for 16 hours during a snow blizzard. The road was closed with bumper to bumper traffic with many trucks and cars syranded.

Libero · 07-06-2012, 06:17 PM

oops - typing on my phone again typos are frequent on this small keyboard. further to my previous post - Vehicles were "stranded" in freezing temperatures. We were fine, with heated tanks and lines, plenty of gas, propane, water and food and good communications. Others were not so fortunate but we helped a lot of people that night. As I said before, one never knows what is over the next hill and being prepared just makes life easier.