How far is too far?
- Thread starter Rickxr2
- Start date
jassson007
Founding Louisiana Chapter Leaders-Retired
Like so many others have said it depends. Some days we go daylight to dark other days it will be 2 or 3 hours. We did trip home from national rally in urbanna va last year in two days and pulled into our home park early afternoon.
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Jim.Allison
Well-known member
I think it is a personal thing, but to me every edge counts.
The number one thing is that the driver of the TV, must make sure that EVERYONE knows that he/she is serious about ,the departure time. 6:00 does not mean 6:05. Getting stuck in traffic on the interstate is the worst possible, gas guzzling, time wasting, frustrating thing one can get involved in. For some of us, rolling toward our destination at 6 will put us way ahead of the traffic, but when 6 am turns to 7 am then 8 am, then a lot of time is wasted.
If you drive 65 and average 55 mph over 10 hours, that is excellent, but if you drive 65 and average 45, you could have driven 100 miles for that inefficiency.
Your task management skills are the secret. Everything you have to accomplish to pull 1000 miles is like herding cats. Pilots call this "cockpit management" and "pilot fatigue." You must manage your cockpit to limit pilot fatigue. Ultimately fatigue is what is going to make you "call it quits." not miles driven.
The number one thing is that the driver of the TV, must make sure that EVERYONE knows that he/she is serious about ,the departure time. 6:00 does not mean 6:05. Getting stuck in traffic on the interstate is the worst possible, gas guzzling, time wasting, frustrating thing one can get involved in. For some of us, rolling toward our destination at 6 will put us way ahead of the traffic, but when 6 am turns to 7 am then 8 am, then a lot of time is wasted.
If you drive 65 and average 55 mph over 10 hours, that is excellent, but if you drive 65 and average 45, you could have driven 100 miles for that inefficiency.
Your task management skills are the secret. Everything you have to accomplish to pull 1000 miles is like herding cats. Pilots call this "cockpit management" and "pilot fatigue." You must manage your cockpit to limit pilot fatigue. Ultimately fatigue is what is going to make you "call it quits." not miles driven.
I'd like to thank everyone for the replies. It's really appreciated. We had ideas but this being our first long distance trip with the fifth wheel had me a little unsure. Lots of tips and helpful information posted here. We mapped out the trip and 375 +- miles will be our longest day, which fits in with most others here. Oh, we may have some extra days, 16 rather than the original 10 days posted, that will help a lot.
Thanks again,
Rick & Linda
Thanks again,
Rick & Linda
TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
I can tell you, don't go Las Vegas to Albuquerque in one trip. Took us about 12 hours with stops for fuel, rest and food. Have the repair bill from the "encounter" with a pole in the RV park to show for it.
We typically have to put the miles on to get somewhere and back due to the fact we are still working with limited vacation time, so 7-9 hours is not uncommon... But we found we prefer about 6. We go 62-65mph.
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We typically have to put the miles on to get somewhere and back due to the fact we are still working with limited vacation time, so 7-9 hours is not uncommon... But we found we prefer about 6. We go 62-65mph.
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Jim.Allison
Well-known member
Don't go chasing fuel prices off your route, the 10 cents per gallon is not worth it. You will burn that much looking for the fuel and you could have filled up and been 25 miles down the road by the time you complete the task. Bite the bullet and fill your tank. Top off for diversion if you need a diversion. If you intend on having a meal, accomplish both a fuel stop and a meal at the same time. In other words; every time you exit the highway, perform all the task at hand during that stop. Pulling "off and on" takes time and fuel. Next time you are driving note how much time it takes to go through the intersections, accomplish a task, go back through the intersections and get back on the highway. Less exits equal more forward progress.
Say no to foods that have carbohydrates. Carbohydrates will make you tired even if you are not a diabetic. Carbs are for hiking not driving. They make you feel good, until your insulin spikes then your eyes get heavy. You do not have to be diabetic to experience this.
Get a nice thermal coffee cup, I have a Yeti, it keeps cold, cold and Hot, hot. Its stainless steel, and easy to clean, I keep something caffeinated in it all the time. Coke Zero is good for me, it taste like a cola and has 0 carbs and it is caffeinated. If you drink coffee with creamer put real cream in it, rather than creamer, creamer is sugar with whitener. Sugar is a carbohydrate and makes you sluggish. The Yeti holds three cups and will keep coffee hot all day and will keep a soda with ice all day.
Say no to foods that have carbohydrates. Carbohydrates will make you tired even if you are not a diabetic. Carbs are for hiking not driving. They make you feel good, until your insulin spikes then your eyes get heavy. You do not have to be diabetic to experience this.
Get a nice thermal coffee cup, I have a Yeti, it keeps cold, cold and Hot, hot. Its stainless steel, and easy to clean, I keep something caffeinated in it all the time. Coke Zero is good for me, it taste like a cola and has 0 carbs and it is caffeinated. If you drink coffee with creamer put real cream in it, rather than creamer, creamer is sugar with whitener. Sugar is a carbohydrate and makes you sluggish. The Yeti holds three cups and will keep coffee hot all day and will keep a soda with ice all day.
Lynn1130
Well-known member
52 gal tank and GasBuddy. I don't chase fuel prices. And 5 cents a gallon on 50 gallons amounts to $2.50. Not worth the search or stop. I too try to combine several tasks in one stop. Mainly because I don't like stopping but there are times when potty breaks and food breaks do not coordinate or the body just tells you that it is time to take a break. Don't ignore that feeling because you want to combine tasks. Take a break when you need it. Even if it means pulling off 30 minutes after the last stop.
jmgratz
Original Owners Club Member
We will go anywhere from 300-500 per day depending on the importance and time involved of the reason for the travel. If going from one 'job' to another one 450-500 is not out of the question. Just think if you can average 50 mph (mostly interstates) for 10 hours then 500 is not too hard to do. We travel at about 65 mph on the interstates but since we mostly travel in Texas where the speed limit is 75 mph we are traveling way below the speed limit.
wdk450
Well-known member
I made the trip (alone) to the 2013 Heartland National Rally in Goshen, Indiana from Northern California in 6 8 hour driving days each way. I limit my speed to 55 mph (about 440 miles), and this was about a 36 gallon tank of diesel fuel each day, allowing me to unhitch (if I wanted to) each evening and make an easier fuel stop. I made minimal pitstops at rest areas, going back into the trailer to use my own "facilities", and maybe grab some stuff out of the refrigerator. This was in early June with longer solar days. Almost all of the trip was on I-80, where I could use cruise control and listen to the satellite radio entertainment all day. I had my stops and reservations planned out and made before I departed California using RVParkReviews.com
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
Not to mention that once you get away from the highway, most stations are not very RV friendly as far as getting around their pumps.
Gaffer
Well-known member
300 is far enough for a day. We will go 400 sometimes if there is nowhere to stop. We once did 630 miles in a day from Florence, Az to Fort Stockton, Texas because we didn't want to camp in the dust storm that chased us all the way across New Mexico and into Texas. That was a very long day!
Jim.Allison
Well-known member
Get a book on tape. You will want to keep driving just to hear the next chapter of the story. Talk to the DW this will oxygenate your blood system. Roll down the window from time to time.
Know what your low fuel light means. Are you empty? Or do you have another 30 miles before being in danger of running out of fuel. At 10 miles per gallon, I would rather put in 36 having burned it in forward motion than 33. Make the most of every tank full. I know when towing that you can eat up your reserve, I'm not suggesting that you get to the point where you only have 1 gallon left, I'm saying that you need to make the most out of every tank full. But at the same time you should top off anytime you exit considering you need any substantial amount of fuel.
Check your speedometer. Use milepost or landmarks, or better yet a GPS to determine if you really are doing 65 instead of 63, or 63 instead of 60. most speedos are not all that accurate, especially if you have changed the tires. It does not take very much to change your speedometer. A tire that is 1 inch in diameter larger or smaller than nominal can put your odometer and speedometer off by as much as 4 percent. A tire that is 1 inch less than OEM can be as much as 1.5 inches less because of wear, and still have good tread on it. A slightly smaller tire will read 63 but you will only be traveling 60.5.
Know what your low fuel light means. Are you empty? Or do you have another 30 miles before being in danger of running out of fuel. At 10 miles per gallon, I would rather put in 36 having burned it in forward motion than 33. Make the most of every tank full. I know when towing that you can eat up your reserve, I'm not suggesting that you get to the point where you only have 1 gallon left, I'm saying that you need to make the most out of every tank full. But at the same time you should top off anytime you exit considering you need any substantial amount of fuel.
Check your speedometer. Use milepost or landmarks, or better yet a GPS to determine if you really are doing 65 instead of 63, or 63 instead of 60. most speedos are not all that accurate, especially if you have changed the tires. It does not take very much to change your speedometer. A tire that is 1 inch in diameter larger or smaller than nominal can put your odometer and speedometer off by as much as 4 percent. A tire that is 1 inch less than OEM can be as much as 1.5 inches less because of wear, and still have good tread on it. A slightly smaller tire will read 63 but you will only be traveling 60.5.
We only drive until we decide to stop. When going across the great plains we will push a little harder, but we don't have a schedule. Our fuel range is well over 2,000 miles, so we're never pressed that way. I like to cruise around 60-65 mph (9.5 mpg), but have cruised at 75 mph (all tires are commercial and not even close to overload). The most we pushed was last September when we went 2,800 miles in four days (all daylight) from Polson, MT to Elizabeth City, NC for a family emergency. We we're tired.
I never understood pushing on what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation.
I never understood pushing on what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation.
Jim.Allison
Well-known member
You have to push if you ever want to get out of Texas.
Grey Ghost
Well-known member
We pull from Phoenix, AZ to Ventura, CA all the time and do it in one day there and one day back, about 450 miles or so. Not to bad, but I'm shot after that many hours on the road, but it can be done and you will kill yourself doing it. Once tried to pull about 600 miles and just could NOT do it, got to be dangerous and therefore we stopped for the night!
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