Need diesel fuel stop info

We are getting all set for our annual snowmobile trip to West Forks. ME leaving tomorrow evening Mar 3.

Our intended route is leaving Allentown, PA via I 78E - 287 N - 87N - 84E - 90 E - 495 N - 95N to ME Rt. 201 to West Forks

We will be spending Wed. night in Chelmsford, MA to break up the route and a little shut eye. Then onward Thursday morning arriving in enough time to put about 70 miles or more on the trails. We will be returning Monday Mar 8th.

My brother is driving a 2000 F-250 SD w/ extended cab and 8' bed hauling a 4 place v nosed enclosed Worthington trailer. We need places to get diesel fuel that are easy in and out with a rig that size. Truck 18' , trailer 26' overall about 47'. Preferably right along the interstates.

Anyone have any local knowledge that you can pass along ???


Much appreciated.


Rick

Get all your fuel in NJ ... if you happen to pass through. If not, avoid CT & NY at all cost! Fuel up in NH .. or MA as a last resort (taxes).

If I were you, I'd spent the night in that little sliver of NH your passing through. MA isn't cheap for lodging. NH is tax free except for meals tax.


Forgot to mention that your not going to want to pull that rig into any stations off 495 ... waaaaay too crowded. IF someone is in your way, expect the deer-in-the-headlights look.

There are Fuel and food plaza's along the Mass turnpike I believe that is Rt 90 . They are e z to pull into and pull out of. We always stop there on our way to the Cape and when we visit our friends in Dover -Foxcroft Maine. The price may be a little higher, but I like the ez access.

Use truck stops. Usually called *travel centers*. Look for Flying J's, Love's, Pilot to name a few. They all have diesel pumps in with the gasoline pumps. Should not be a problem. Enjoy the trip.

If you can, definetly try not to fill up in Mass. It was good advice to top off in Jersey. I'm pretty sure portsmouth NH is reasonable too. If you need to stop sooner than chelmsford you can stay here if you have self contained camper type vehicles. There's plenty of room to camp out back but you probably are staying in a motel.
Good luck!
Steve

Yep, that's one of the joys of MA -- NO truckstops or travel centers!

And if you try to stay overnight at any rest stop in MA, you will be getting a knock on the door by a statie. And with todays economy & out-of-control spending in Boston, he'll probably have a "gift" for you.

But one good thing is they finally added bathrooms to rest stops on 495. Back just a few years ago you;d have to watch your step if you went behind the fence. The toilet paper piles were the warning ....

Haven't been down that way in 10 years or so but if you get off of 287N onto 17 South at the top of NJ there are a couple places both northbound and southbound that sell diesel. There is also a cloverleaf that allows you to change directions right in the area. Plenty big enough for a tractor trailer, you guys can probably squeeze through OK.

Here is my 2 cents.
I personally would go 287 over the Tappen Zee Bridge to 684 and pick up 84 in Brewster NY at the CT border. There is some construction in White Plains NY just over the TZ you'll encounter. I was recently thru there with a car trailer. You'll find the haul much better and less of a climb to CT. Climbing out of the Hudson valley is a haul, I do it quit a bit. Then I'd fuel at the first rest area on 90 the Mass Pike Sturbridge it's easy and about 312 miles give or take from where you are.
When you pass by exit 7 just into CT on 84 give a wave we're about 7 miles up from there. I'll PM my phone number to you should you ever need anything when you are in this area.
Charles

mr1precision wrote:If you need to stop sooner than chelmsford you can stay here if you have self contained camper type vehicles. There's plenty of room to camp out back but you probably are staying in a motel.

Thanks for the offer Steve. But we are just pulling the sled trailers w/o sleeping quarters. After working all day and then sitting behind the wheel for 6 hours we will want a motel. I'll toast Smitty after we get in our rooms. Maybe even 2 or 3 times....

North Candlewood wrote:Here is my 2 cents.
I personally would go 287 over the Tappen Zee Bridge to 684 and pick up 84 in Brewster NY at the CT border. There is some construction in White Plains NY just over the TZ you'll encounter. I was recently thru there with a car trailer. You'll find the haul much better and less of a climb to CT. Climbing out of the Hudson valley is a haul, I do it quit a bit. Then I'd fuel at the first rest area on 90 the Mass Pike Sturbridge it's easy and about 312 miles give or take from where you are.
When you pass by exit 7 just into CT on 84 give a wave we're about 7 miles up from there. I'll PM my phone number to you should you ever need anything when you are in this area.
Charles

We prefer to keep going north to Newburgh, NY to stay away from the city traffic. With the diesel in the F 250, it isn't really that much of a pull even with the 4 sled trailer. It's that damn Chevy gasser pulling only 3 sleds that slows us down waiting for him.

I found this site : http://www.findfuelstops.com Pretty neat. It lists all fuel stops on our route. we'll probably hit the first one in Sturbridge.

I got your number Charles. I hope we don't need it.


Is this a great community or what ?????


Now to mail out some checks and do a little more work before I leave.



Rick

If you run out, I have a stockpile I'd be happy to share with ya!

And if you happen to bust anything, I can repair it as an added bonus.

The Find fuel stops is nice...
Just for fun I punchedin the trip info...
http://www.findfuelstops.com/fuel-finder?results=ShowResults&resultsFile=fuelopt_A3zBWR&queryID=23012#ResTop
Nice stop near Portsmouth, NH
http://www.findfuelstops.com/truck-stop-000725
Hope you are having fun...

Well we got back last night. That fuel finder worked great. At least we knew where the stops could be had if we needed them.

Only problem is to make sure that you have the route planned to make every available stop. When you input starting and ending destination, it calculates the route for you. Not exactly the way we went. But the fuel stops were where we wanted them to be. We hit the Sturbridge, MA and Gray, ME stops on the way up.

A very tough trip. Enough snow but since that was the only area in Maine that had decent snow, it was where everyone went. And add to that it warmed up considerably, and that meant that the main ITS trails were shot by 10:00 AM.

We did make the trip up Coburn Mountain, traveled to Pittston Farms, and N.E. Carry, but suffered the rough trails on the way back. Never did the cross into Canada at Jackman as we knew how rough it would be on the way back. Doing the "Smitty" on Friday night, I met the local snowmobile trail club president who gave us some excellent suggestions for off trail and club trail info. That payed dividends on sweet riding for the rest of the trip. And having a GPS with the snowmobile trail maps preloaded helped alot.

All in all, it was OK but not what we had hoped for.

There is always next year..............



Rick