Refuelling - Motorway service stations
Hi
Most motorway filling staions are a bit tight to manoeuvre in if you have a large caravan. Does any one know if it is OK to refuel at the HGV pumps? (Plenty of room !!)
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No, the fuel pumps deliver at least twice the volume of fuel. It will at best just keep cutting off or at worst cover you and the immediate area in the sweet aroma of diesel.
They are specifically designed for large volume tanks. not recommended and I think not allowed.
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I often use the HGV pump at my local filling station if there are queues at the 'normal' pumps. Just be careful because the delivery rate can be very fast. Also, the nozzle may be too large for some modern cars.
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What size van do you have? Ours is a twin axle towed by a Touareg, so total outfit length is around 12.75 metres, not seen a M/W station where we could not have filled up.
However, in UK we avoid filling on motorways due to the cost! It would be a last resort.
There are often supermarkets selling fuel near motorway junctions, easy to find using the sat nav. Otherwise, we make sure to fill before we leave home, or current site.
We rarely travel so far in one day that we need more than one tankful these days.
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I have never met with problem of room at the usual pumps on M-way service stations, or perhaps I have been lucky in visiting the more spacious ones.
Regarding the HGV pumps, years ago they used to be referred to as "Derv" which, if my memory serves me correctly, was a form of slug black oil. Have things changed, and by how much?
Most of the pumps for cars have a cleaner type of diesel (e.g., at non-M-way fuel stations I usually visit the Sainsbury's ones, where Citi-diesel is supplied.
My most common pattern for filling up (UK or France) is to do so when the van is not hitched up, - i.e., still on the campsite pitch.
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I always research supermarket fuel in the areas I'm visiting. Mostly when I was towing the van, I did refuelling whilst solo but I'd have to be desperate to fill up at motorway services.
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I rarely fill up when towing. If 200 miles or more then I fill on a motorway. I'm good for 300+ miles but like plenty in hand.
Only one service station that I found tight. Either the last or penultimate one before I turn for Dumfries when heasing North on M6. Not sure which that is
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I thin you may use the l.g.v. pumps (h.g.v. ceased to be in 1991 by the E.U.) but unless you have an old car the nozzle wont go inn,
When we go to Cornwall in the summer I take 2x 10ltr cans, that will get us their
But it is time these services put a small nozzle pump near the L.G.V. for caravans
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Why carry cans of fuel? It seems unnecessary and, possibly, hazardous. There are plenty of filling stations en route - even in Cornwall.
Can you really see forecourt operators installing special pumps for caravan towers?
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My only mid-journey top ups have been at Sutton Scotney services on the A34, when we have been travelling to catch the Portsmouth - St Malo ferry to France. I could probably get away without topping up, as my actual driving distance from home to where we stay in France is only about 195 miles in total, but I always aim to be carrying ample fuel when towing.
Our longest trip in the UK is from home to Cornwall, and is about 330 miles. For this we do a one-night stop over at Cadeside C C campsite near Wellington in Somerset, and do the top up whilst the car is unhitched from the caravan.
When staying at a campsite at Martragny in France, we met a UK family who had stopped at a supermarket service station whilst still hitched up. These places usually have a high kerb which extends from the pumps to the pay kiosk, and he had badly crumpled the lower side of his caravan on the kerb.
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DERV is just an acronym for Diesel for Road Vehicles, by law all DERV or Diesel or GASoil has to comply with EN 590. Same for trucks or cars. This is the cleaner Diesel, same recipe for all road vehicles.
The issue is the speed of delivery. The average car Diesel pump runs at about 30l/min, the truck equivalent runs at 110L/Min. Your tank can not vent at that speed, it will just cut off or blow back out of the hole, messy.
The neck size and venting of some vehicles may cope but could be very messy finding out.
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I very rarely fill up after hitching up. I can do 300 miles when towing on a tank of diesel and tend not to do more miles than this in one journey so generally not an issue. I always make sure I am fully tanked up before the journey. I usually go out and fill up while Carol is going the last few jobs in the van before we hitch up.
I have indeed used the HVG pumps in the past. Providing you are careful with the flow it should be OK, although it could depend on the vehicle you are filling up. My Disco is OK.
David
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If you are able to afford the hyped up cost then go for it but be prepared for a long wait, when I fill my Truck it takes twice as long as a Car or MH as the average Truck will take 500ltrs, when i'm towing I drive off the M/way and usually you can find a station plus you can select them as a POI on the Sat nav.
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We all know fuel will be cheaper away from motorway services but for the sake of a couple of quid difference on a tank of fuel we use them for the convenience. And obviously it depends how far you're going. When towing, I've a range of sub 400 miles & if going to France for example, the extra cost more than makes up for the extra time driving round a town looking for a super market where there's even less chance being able to manoeuvre 43 ft of car & caravan.
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In the UK I dont worry too much about checking before a journey as our longest ones are to family on familiar routes and if not already topped up we know where to fill up that is convenient and cost effective.
If it was a new route/destination we use a mix of Google maps and www.petrolprices.com to seek out the best balance as above.
Petrol prices now has a route planner which should make it even more useful but we have not used that yet but get weekly updates on the lowest prices, at locations that we have chosen, by email.
When travelling abroad we still use Google maps and refer to the French websites offering the same sort of service-prixalapompe.com and prix-carurants.gouv.fr.
Using Google maps I look for places that are convenient for our 2 hourly stops, have adequate parking and the street view feature is a great way to avoid those places that are awkward to access/leave
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In the UK I can usually get to where I want to go without topping up, if not and including 'over there' I'm not interested in price. When I need it I stop wherever and never go looking for a particular one, also never as yet come across a fuel station that is difficult for my 11.5 metre unit.
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When we used to tow with a 2L petrol Mondeo we did occasionally fill up on route. I don't recall any major problems, you just needed to be careful what pump you selected and perhaps wait a bit for one with easier access. Our current Diesel tow car easily achieves 300 miles with a 60/70 mile reserve. To date we have not had the need to go further in a day, and it is unlikely we ever will.😀
We also tended to fill up where most convienient while towing and not be too concerned about the price. I don't know if it applies now we have a tag, but leaving a French Motorway to look for fuel, used to cost more than just continuing. Unless of couse you missed a few junctions.
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I'm with you David. From brink to brink in the past I seem to get 27mpg towing ..... so I work on 25mpg
Fuel tank 60 litres - just over 13 gals and so I work on 12 gals. I don't like to get below quarter tank and so 9x25 = 225 miles.
Generally if I am towing around 200 miles I tend to fill up en route. By then I am ready to stop as arthritis pain killers start to wear off after 3 hours
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With a surcharge of about £9 per fill up rubbish overpriced food indifferent ambience and aggressive parking rules and overstay charges why does anyone visit, let alone fuel up on a (UK) motorway.
I certainly go a long way (sic) to avoid them.
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For years, one habit that I have religiously kept to, is to treat my quarter-full mark as empty, and the fuel gauge never drops below this mark. When towing, I never go below the half-full mark. You can never be sure of not being caught out by a lengthy, delaying crawl, or some circuitous diversion.
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Unless I have known refuelling points, I tend to refill when between quarter and half full. If I'm local, I drive until the red light comes on.
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Made a simple mistake in France - drove from Yorkshire straight onto Eurotunnel knowing there is a filling station as soon as you get off the train. Went to the empty pumps - yes the ones with the oversized nozzles and had to reverse (and it was major busy!) to access the normal pumps. Wont make that mistake again!
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