adding an after market fuel tank

[troyw]

Im looking for an after market fuel tank. would like to stay with the aluminum in the bed style. called aero tans who advertize in the back of tdr mag and they wated 861. 00 plus tax for the 64 gallon tank, ouchhhh. have any of you come up with your own ideas or do you know of another maker that is more reasonable?

 

[Whitmore]

Troy, I had one built to my measurments and installed it under my alum toolbox, the combo is great ,I love it and would'nt be without it, I put a solinoid valve a pump and a spin on filter and when I need fuel I flip a switch and pump to my main tank, I can hold a total of 98 gallons of fuel and it smothed the ride of the truck too ... ... ... ... ... . Kevin

 

[rrausch]

Try Transfer tanks. They ship UPS and so shipping is reasonable.



http://www.transfertanks.com/upright-liquid-transfer-tanks.htm



They also make L style tanks:



http://www.transfertanks.com/l_style_tanks.htm



Northern Tool also sells tanks, but the quoted (truck) shipping price is about 5 times higher for me, in Ca. than UPS.



http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDisplay?cgrfnbr=1478&cgmenbr=6970&PHOTOS=on

 

[Diese1nut]

Tanks

My personal opinion is to stay away from Areo Tanks. I bought one from them and I think the quality is very poor and the customer service is even worse.

On the up side I hear nothing but good things about Transfer flow.

No affiliation witheither one.

If I were to do it agian. I would go to a used truck parts yard and buy a saddle tank that fits for you and put a pump on the frame rail and pump into a wye in the vent tube of your filler neck and your done.

 

[CJBoggs]

Question

Kevin,



I went a similar route as you with my tank, and am about to hook it up (start transferring), but I have a question or two...



Background: I had one of the guys at work fab up and weld an aluminum tank, 88 gal, to fit in the bed and be removable. I'm running a spin on filter and transfer pump, plumbed into a welded in barb in the filler neck. The pump is capable of 5 gal/min, so it seems to pressurize the stock tank a bit while pumping (if the fuel cap is tight).



Questions: Do you have a similar capacity transfer pump, and if so do you have any problems with exhausting the air out of the tank (I can hear the hissing under the truck where it is exhausting thru the sending unit assembly while filling). I just want to make sure that I'm not hurting anything in the tank if I let the pump go full flow. Should I put an output valve in and choke the pump flow down some?



Thanks in advance,



Chris

 

[Whitmore]

Chris, I dont know what the flow is on my transfer pump is but it sure aint 5 gpm, it takes me aprox 15 minutes to fill a half a tank, the one problem I have had is forgetting that I am transfering and overfilling the tank, I think I have a solution though, I was looking at a ram on the dealer lot that had no bed on it and on the top of the tank where all the fittings and connections are there is a blank one that I think would work as a return or an overfill , so if I took a line from there back up to my aux tank than if overfilled you would just circulate it back . The one thing I have done to prevent another overfill is to hook the pump up to hot all the time, that way I only transfer when I am 15 minutes from the house and if I forget than when I shut down the all mighty CUMMINS than I hear the trans pump running and shut it off... ... ... ... ... . Kevin

 

[rrausch]

What kind of spin-on filter do you guys use? How is it plumbed into the tank?

I haven't bought my tank yet, and am still in the planning stage.

 

[CJBoggs]

Kevin,



I may try the return line approach also. I finally transferred a full tank last night without spillage, but it really has the air pressure relief hissing on the tank when i'm filling. The return would at least return fuel to the aux tank in case my flow was too great. I also put in an output valve to choke down the flow if necessary. That's a good idea about the power routing. Thanks for the info.



rrausch,



I'm running a Dutton-Lainson filter head and filter on the tank. It filters down to 15 microns. Racor makes a nice filter but it cost several times more than the D-L. The filter is plumbed to the transfer pump and they are both mounted to the side of the tank. The pump output goes to high pressure hydraulic quick disconnects and fuel hose so that the whole assembly can move or be removed. I've been meaning to take a few pics of the tank anyway, so I'll try to take a few and post them.



Chris

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Transfer Flow at www.transferflow.com or 800-442-0056 does not try to be the "low price leader" but their tanks are high value. Very well engineered, fabricated, and finished. In the next TDR should be the article on their aluminum 98 gallon tank installation. The May issue should have one on the 38 gallon aft axle tank that replaces the spare tire. Each of these tanks has all the fittings, lines, wiring harnesses, accessories needed for correct, easy installation. The welds are first rate, and the tank has been cleaned 2-3 times so you won't find all the junk in it that many cheap tanks have left inside. I have tried cheap tanks, and there was a great cost in fuel filters, fuel leaks, aggravation, and ultimately abandoning the tank.



Each Rammer has a budget, and I know not everyone will want to pay the admittedly higher price for excellence-right-out-of-the-box. Just be ready to do more of the work, fitment, parts chasing, and possibly reengineering or rewelding if you tip the scales in the favor of lowest initital cost.