SunPass

Discussion in 'Trip Planning and Travel Concerns' started by garmp, May 25, 2017.

  1. garmp

    garmp
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    Heading to Pinellas county Ft De Soto Park and realize they have toll roads and charge autos by the axle. Where would my 22' C with two axles (front & rear) and dual rear wheels fall into their categories? Still under 2 axles? Or higher?

    thanks
     
  2. BankShot

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    I would have to believe that when they charge "by the axle" they are meaning "drive axles" and unless your Class C is full time 4 wheel drive or an all wheel drive unit which I doubt it is, then you should be charged for just the one rear drive axle, dual wheels or not. That's my take on it........... :rolleyes:

    Safe travels, enjoy your trip, BankShot.............(aka Terry)
     
  3. Vicki K

    Vicki K
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    We have a Sun Pass, and our Class A even though it has dual wheels in the rear is still only 2 axles. When we tow, we still cruise through, using the SunPass, and they take a photo and deduct the toad from our account.
     
  4. NYDutch

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    Charging by axle count typically means exactly that, how many axles in total. There's no reasonable way for an automated sensor system to differentiate between a drive axle and any other axle. When we travel the NYS Thruway with our coach and toad for example, our tolls are charged at the 4-axle rate, just as they would be if we were towing a 2-axle trailer instead of the toad. If you look at the Florida Sun Pass Toll Rate Calculator, the axle count setting starts at 2.
     
  5. BankShot

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    Hey Dutch - I think I'd be riding on a unicycle if that's how they charge. Wonder what happens when a motorcycle passes thru? Do they charge for both the front wheel and the back wheel on those.. :D

    Ride on, BankShot............(aka Terry)
     
  6. NYDutch

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    A motorcycle has two axles... :rolleyes::D

    Notice at the toll calculator above, that Florida does not differentiate by vehicle type.
     
    #6 NYDutch, May 25, 2017
    Last edited: May 25, 2017
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  7. BankShot

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    Boy, what a rip off those toll roads are back there. Sure glad we don't have them out this way..... :p

    Pay as you go Dutch, Bankshot...........(aka Terry)
     
  8. NYDutch

    NYDutch
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    I've never paid a toll in Florida, but I sure paid a lot of them in Oklahoma! :eek:
     
  9. BankShot

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    Bet those semis really get it stuck to them. I've seen them with five or more axles when running tandem trailers. That's got to get costly when running them on toll roads that charge by the axle. And of course that has to figure into the cost the trucking companies charge to haul the goods and in turn that gets passed on to us the end customer. And the music goes round and round..................

    BankShot.............(aka Terry)
     
  10. NYDutch

    NYDutch
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    Well, considering the high weights of large trucks, and the extra costs that causes on the roadways for both construction and maintenance, I think higher tolls are justified, although I may not agree with how much higher they should be on a given toll road. The NY Thruway charges by both axle count and vehicle height. Vehicles over 7'6" pay a little more than double the under 7'6" per axle rate. Fortunately for some RV'ers, they have the "Motorhome Plan" for NY EZ-Pass holders where we pay the same per axle rates as passenger cars. There's also a discount plan for 5'vers, but nothing for TT'ers.

    Getting back to the Florida Sun Pass though, the per axle rate triples going from 2 axles to 4 axles. It would be cheaper for us to unhook the toad and drive it separately.
     
  11. BankShot

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    Hmm, seems tho garmp hasn't responded to our posts. Wonder if he got anything good from them or is simply more confused than he was when he first posted his question? Hey garmp, are you catching all of this stuff or have you just winged it and driven off down the turnpike with your wallet open wide and ready to shell out whatever the toll booths decide you need to pay. Pay'em with rolls of pennies, they should really like that......... :D

    All the best in your travels, BankShot...............(aka Terry)
     
  12. BankShot

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    You're right, big trucks and heavy multi-axle vehicles really do more damage to the roadways than a regular passenger car or small truck does and I guess it's only right they pay a bit more to help maintain those roads because our normal tax dollars sure don't. Out here in CA we are awaiting a 12 cent per gallon gas tax to be implemented. It's supposed to be used to fix and repair our badly deteriorating roadways. Funny thing is the last gas tax we had some years back was supposed to do the same thing and the roads since then have gotten worse instead of better. Go figure where that gas tax money went. It sure didn't get used to do that............. :mad:

    BankShot............(aka Terry)
     
  13. NYDutch

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    Yep, politicians seem to be pretty good at that sort of thing. I wonder if there's a training course they take for it... o_O
     
  14. BankShot

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    I'm fairly certain they do go to special classes to learn this. And they most certainly all pass with flying colors and a keen sense of how to screw us out of our last buck any way they can............ :mad:

    BankShot............(aka Terry)
     
  15. momdoc

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    That tax money probably went to supplement a loan from the social security account, so as to not totally bleed out SS..

    momdoc
     
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  16. BankShot

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    Good guess momdoc - No doubt there is a lot of that going on behind our backs that's for sure. I know one thing for sure, whenever our taxes get raised and we are told the increase is to be used to repair our roads, you can toss it out the window as it simply going to happen in our lifetimes........

    Time for a margarita and some chips and salsa me thinks.......... :D BankShot.........(aka Terry)
     
  17. momdoc

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    Just picked 6 fresh avocados from the tree this morning getting ready to make some fresh Guacamole for the chips and margaritas this afternoon :)

    momdoc
     
  18. BankShot

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    Hey momdoc - Just got up a short while ago, put on the old pot and settled down with my first cup and decided to check out the RVPR's forum. Lo and behold I read your post above from earlier this morning talking about mixing up some fresh "Gwak" to go with the chips and Magees later on today. All of a sudden my breakfast bagel and cream cheese ain't sounding so good anymore........... :oops: Shame on you momdoc for making my mouth water so early in the morning. But I did have a cold beer and some chips and salsa just a couple of days ago after I got through cleaning out three storage bays on the coach and then washing and scraping 11,423 bugs and various flying critters off the front windshield............ :D

    Enjoy your day to the max. Now I am forced to mix up some Magees today myself it appears....... :D

    All the best, BankShot...............(aka Terry)
     
  19. garmp

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    Thank you all for the replies. Been busy getting things ready for our trek south from the midwest. Looks like the SunPass would be our best option. For one thing, we tend to wander about, even after settling in to a camp/RV site. I just know us and we'll be on and off the island many times. And a savings is a savings and as BankShot would say, a couple of quarters and a couple there means another beer!
    Thanks again!
     
  20. BankShot

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    Hey garmp - Too bad they don't offer a frequent flyer type of pass that you could use on those back and forth trips. A free round trip with five sounds like a okay deal to me. Enjoy your trip, let us know how much you end up spending for tolls that could have been spent on cold beers.......... :D

    Travel safe, BankShot...............(aka Terry)
     

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