diesel fuel choice?

[charlie]

Getting ready to fill my tank and was wondering, whats the better of the two   regular service station or truck stop?? prices dosent differ that much on the price
                 

[bigjohnkub]

I prefer truck stops. It is easier to get a 40'bus in and the fuel is fresher due  to the amount they sell.
big john

[Sean]

It all comes from the same place.

You are almost always better off getting it from whichever station does a higher volume of business.  Fuel goes stale while it sits in their tanks.

Generally speaking, truck stops go through their diesel faster than auto stations, but that's not always true, so you really need to have a feel for it yourself in your area.

Other factors might include the fact that truck dispensers have larger nozzles and generally dispense product several times faster than auto nozzles, truck islands often have nozzles on both sides for simultaneous fueling, and there is never a question as to whether you will fit under the canopy at a truck island.  Annoyingly, many truck stops are now routinely charging a surcharge for credit cards at the truck islands that they do not asses at the auto islands.

FWIW, we shop by price.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[loosenut]

...Other factors might include the fact that truck dispensers have larger nozzles and generally dispense product several times faster than auto nozzles...

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

I agree with Sean about the speed.  It is way faster.  After reading posts of people who don't start their buses for months then head out, I never worry about freshness.  I worry more about getting the dregs from station's tank.  For a year now I've bought fuel from my local station to encourage them to continue offering diesel as I seldom see people at the pumps.   At 5 mile per gallon I don't want to drive very far to fill up.

Take my opinion with, a grain-of-salt as I'm new to diesels, but it must take fuel oil a lot longer than gasoline to age out. 

Mike

[edvanland]

In Arizona if you use the stations that offer light diesel it is 8 cents cheaper per gallon. Some turck stops will give you the same 8 cents off. Even though the bus weighs more than 26000 lbs since it is a motor home it falls under the light class diesel classifications.
ED

[buswarrior]

the local methods of taxation are key to a happy journey.

State and municipal governments all levy different tax rates, depending on different criteria of use.

There are some places, as noted, where the auto pump is significantly cheaper than the truck pump out back. Commonly, our conversions, as RV's, are eligible for auto fuel.

Filling an empty coach on the auto pump is a 20 minute marathon, so going inside to ask if you can get the auto tax rate out of the big hose might be worth your time.

Many of the trucker fuel stop books have the tax info detailed so you can make your best guess as to which jurisdictions will have the cheapest fuel for you.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[white-eagle]

i think we all look for inexpensive prices, but you need to make sure it's a busy station so you have less chance of getting water and better chance of fresh fuel.  i've found some circle k shell that are less than TA, Flying J or Pilot, and i think i even get better mileage.

add something to lube up your fuel, such as a quart of atf per 100 gal approximately.  that will help the lubricity.

try to keep your tank full as emptiness makes room for water condensing inside.

keep in mind most inexpensive stuff is still only a few cents one way or the other.  i caught myself getting ready to drive an extra 20 miles to save 4 cents a gallon.  wear and tear ain't worth the $4 savings.

just my opinions. 

[Sean]

In Arizona .... Even though the bus weighs more than 26000 lbs since it is a motor home it falls under the light class diesel classifications.

Sorry to burst your bubble, Ed, but there is no such exemption in the AZ law.  If your motorhome weighs more than 26,000 or has more than two axles, you owe the extra $0.08.  It's a hefty fine if you fuel at a dispenser that does not collect it.

That said, I see three-axle motor homes evade the tax all the time, so enforcement is lax, or maybe non-existent.

...
add something to lube up your fuel, such as a quart of atf per 100 gal approximately.  that will help the lubricity.

Tom, Detroit forbids ATF and many other additives in the fuel.  Also, there are plenty of lubricity improvers in the diesel you buy at the pump anyway.  Lastly, the fuel lubricity "problem" is really a non-issue with the sloppy injectors on the two-strokes; this is really much more of a concern for high-pressure common rail systems.

Save your money -- no additives are required in diesel fuel.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com