himandher818
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2017
DW and I are getting ready for our trip in late August, and it will be our first trip towing our TT down to Disney. So I am seeking some advice on planning the trip there and back from all y’all here with experience towing, trip prep, things needed, and the routes to the Fort.
First off, it’s not our first trip Disney, not even our first trip in August, and it’s not even our first trip to the Fort, just our first trip in the TT. This will also be the first time towing more than 60 miles one way.
These are some of things we are thinking about in our planning. Any advice, comments, criticism is welcome.
We are leaving from a campground NE of Atlanta and the trip will be 480-520 miles depending on the route. We are thinking of either taking two days for this and stopping for the night around the GA/FL line, or just going straight through all in one go like we do without towing. I figure more stops for gas, and going 60-65 mph instead of 70-75 mph it will take us longer than we are used to. I am estimating this to take us 10 hours towing, and budgeting for 12 hours. It normally takes us less than 8 hours without towing, but I always budget 10 hours. Would the 10 hours, but budget for 12 hours, from a bit north of Atlanta be correct, and is that something I should even be thinking of doing all at once?
We are considering both a route that takes us through Atlanta, and one that is about 40 miles longer that takes us around Atlanta, but we go through small towns, county roads and state highways until Macon. If we take two days to do this we will be leaving about 10-11am on a Friday, if we do it in one then we will be leaving at about 8-9am on Saturday. I am familiar with Atlanta and its traffic. The way around it is new to me. So when towing a TT is it generally better to stay on the freeway and deal with any traffic, or to use smaller roads and go through the small towns?
When not towing we usually take I-75 to the turnpike just south of Ocala, then get off at Hwy 27, down to 192, and take 192 to World Drive. Google maps is suggesting turnpike to 429, to Western Way, to Buena Vista, to World Drive. I am thinking the 429 route would be better even with the extra tolls because of the construction on 27 (assuming it is still ongoing) and the crazy tourist traffic 192. But the crazy tourist traffic on Buena Vista is going to be just as bad.Which way does everyone tend to go?
I am also planning the fuel stops for the first time on Disney trip. I am planning on at least 8 mpg on 23 gallon tank, so stops about every 160 miles or less. I am partial to Pilot/Flying J since I get a 5-cent discount with Sam Club, and they tend to be more trailer friendly than a lot of other small gas stations. Love’s and TA’s also may not be as tight as small gas stations. How should I determine a good place to stop? Is 8 mpg a good minimum or should I be estimating higher? The trips I have been on are short and I have not paid much attention to mpg, and probably would not be very relevant to a long trip anyway.
Oh, I am towing a 5000lb 19ft hybrid with a 5.0L F-150.
First off, it’s not our first trip Disney, not even our first trip in August, and it’s not even our first trip to the Fort, just our first trip in the TT. This will also be the first time towing more than 60 miles one way.
These are some of things we are thinking about in our planning. Any advice, comments, criticism is welcome.
We are leaving from a campground NE of Atlanta and the trip will be 480-520 miles depending on the route. We are thinking of either taking two days for this and stopping for the night around the GA/FL line, or just going straight through all in one go like we do without towing. I figure more stops for gas, and going 60-65 mph instead of 70-75 mph it will take us longer than we are used to. I am estimating this to take us 10 hours towing, and budgeting for 12 hours. It normally takes us less than 8 hours without towing, but I always budget 10 hours. Would the 10 hours, but budget for 12 hours, from a bit north of Atlanta be correct, and is that something I should even be thinking of doing all at once?
We are considering both a route that takes us through Atlanta, and one that is about 40 miles longer that takes us around Atlanta, but we go through small towns, county roads and state highways until Macon. If we take two days to do this we will be leaving about 10-11am on a Friday, if we do it in one then we will be leaving at about 8-9am on Saturday. I am familiar with Atlanta and its traffic. The way around it is new to me. So when towing a TT is it generally better to stay on the freeway and deal with any traffic, or to use smaller roads and go through the small towns?
When not towing we usually take I-75 to the turnpike just south of Ocala, then get off at Hwy 27, down to 192, and take 192 to World Drive. Google maps is suggesting turnpike to 429, to Western Way, to Buena Vista, to World Drive. I am thinking the 429 route would be better even with the extra tolls because of the construction on 27 (assuming it is still ongoing) and the crazy tourist traffic 192. But the crazy tourist traffic on Buena Vista is going to be just as bad.Which way does everyone tend to go?
I am also planning the fuel stops for the first time on Disney trip. I am planning on at least 8 mpg on 23 gallon tank, so stops about every 160 miles or less. I am partial to Pilot/Flying J since I get a 5-cent discount with Sam Club, and they tend to be more trailer friendly than a lot of other small gas stations. Love’s and TA’s also may not be as tight as small gas stations. How should I determine a good place to stop? Is 8 mpg a good minimum or should I be estimating higher? The trips I have been on are short and I have not paid much attention to mpg, and probably would not be very relevant to a long trip anyway.
Oh, I am towing a 5000lb 19ft hybrid with a 5.0L F-150.