Towing Costs

[DRAGOONRANCH]

Due to the ever increasing cost of fuel nowdays, I posted up on tx4x4 and pbb asking how everyone figured 'charges' for towing somebody's rig to the trail. I don't like talking business with friends, so I was looking for a good way to get a formula together so everyone would know ahead of time what you would be expecting. I got some interesting responses for sure. Here is the starting post on there...


Ok, with the price of fuel, what are yall charging/paying to have a vehicle hauled on a trip. I am usually too laid back to outright tell somebody that it will cost x dollars for said trip, so if everybody knew I had a formula to calculate it by the mile it might help a bit. Here is how I figure my cost per mile now

(all number below are close estimates to my truck and price of diesel now)

1. Cost per Gallon ($4.00 for example) / Miles per Gallon (12 towing MPG) = $/mile ($0.33)

2. $/mile ($0.33) / Number of vehicles being hauled (2) = Cost per mile per rig on trailer ($0.165)

3. CPMPROT ($0.165) X Total trip mileage (540-round trip from College Station to Trees) =$89.10

These numbers don't take into account wear and tear on tires, maintenance, or insurance. They are just purely a fuel cost. Does that seem like a fair number? Is it too high, too low? What do you pay/expect someone to pay? How do you split the cost when you are only towing someone elses rig and just ride the trails with them?

Thanks for your input in advance.

What are yalls thoughts on this matter?

LINKS to the threads:
http://www.texas4x4.org/showthread.php?t=20876
http://www.texas4x4.org/showthread.php?t=20876

[BroncoJo]

I think its hard to charge friends wear on truck and trailer, but don't sell your self short on the fuel cost.

[AggieTJ2007]

I think you are guessing at fuel mileage a little high. I only got 9 or 10 in that truck with both foolsizes on it

[Doug Krebs]

Chadnutz? Did you steal Ed's login?:flipoff2:

[DRAGOONRANCH]

I think you are guessing at fuel mileage a little high. I only got 9 or 10 in that truck with both foolsizes on it

You are probably right, but I was just throwin up some numbers.


Chadnutz? Did you steal Ed's login?:flipoff2:


...no drippy dik here... ;)

[DRAGOONRANCH]

Update w/ some real world numbers from our Colorado trip:

Fuel Costs: At ~$2.40/gallon, I was running about $0.33/mile at an average of 7.3 mpg w/ the 40'er and 3 rigs (roughly 11 cents/mile/rig). I think Jerry and Creighton were probably doing about 5 to 8 cents per mile better with only two rigs, yet the cost per rig still being about the same. What that all works out to for future reference is ~$0.06 per mile per dollar of diesel (or .06 * total mileage * cost per gallon average or 0.06 * 2100 miles * $2.40 for a total of $302 per rig). The cost per rig was just under that, but it gets you pretty close to what it will be. $0.055 will get you right on the money pretty much, but it's better to judge a bit higher and come out cheaper in the end.

[DRAGOONRANCH]

What happened to Ass, gas, or grass? ;)


Oh, that policy is still valid, but I keep it as an option for only my 'closest' friends. You definitely fit that description. wink ;) wink...

[Graystroke]

if somebody tows my crap I always pay more than my share. If it's just me (or my stuff) they are towing then I pay all the gas.
on a trip as far as Colorado I would at least throw in an oil change.

[DRAGOONRANCH]

if somebody tows my crap I always pay more than my share. If it's just me (or my stuff) they are towing then I pay all the gas.
on a trip as far as Colorado I would at least throw in an oil change.

If the tower was using AMSOIL, you would be able to get about 6 colorado trips between oil changes. ;)

[Chadnutz]

hah. I never browse here anymore but this is still my homepage. I saw towing costs and had to check. Expect to be chastised for charging anything near the fair amount. General consensus from the forum when I wanted to do this was:

A: You're a dick for charging friends (more of a club member than friend)
B: It's not worth it because you'll tear up your vehicle towing at a loss.

I think a friend should be MORE than willing to pay the fair share or slightly higher due to risks, wear and tear, but I have so little credibility here than I'll be scrutinized no matter whose side I'm on. I'll accept B, but not A, however, the one I helped stayed up late with me to help me install the gooseneck hitch. And by staying up late, I mean Austin stayed up late and Jonathan looked more like this: :flipoff2:

Ah ****, in looking for the picture I found that this was actually taken while building Austin's steering, a feat that allowed us to see the sun rise the next morning. It's a funny picture nonetheless.

http://tamor.us/members-rigs/albums/album28/Jonathan.jpg

ANd P.S. drippy dik, So I saw blood on a condom and freaked out. Sorry my junk isn't large enough to tear up every woman I banged. Looking back, it should have been one of my prouder moments. Three tests later I'm still as clean as all of you virgins. :flipoff2:

[jerryg79]

haha you drive a beemer!:p

[JB]

Hotpocket, meet Chadnutz

[Seth]

pot/kettle? too soon?

[uglyota]

ANd P.S. drippy dik, So I saw blood on a condom and posted a thread on Pirate asking what you should do. Sorry my junk isn't large enough to tear up every woman I banged. Looking back, it should have been one of my prouder moments. Three tests later I'm still as clean as all of you virgins. :flipoff2:

I think it was one of your prouder moments, you just have a weird way of bragging :flipoff2:

[DRAGOONRANCH]

ANd P.S. drippy dik, So I saw blood on a condom and freaked out. Sorry my junk isn't large enough to tear up every woman I banged. Looking back, it should have been one of my prouder moments. Three tests later I'm still as clean as all of you virgins. :flipoff2:


I think it was one of your prouder moments, you just have a weird way of bragging :flipoff2:\

I think you are missing the big picture here hippie. If he saw blood ON the condom and not in it, why exaclty was he worried???

[DRAGOONRANCH]

Awwww great, now I am forking up a perfectly good thread. Jimmy, I need a good spanking...