Aux fuel tank

[wjpatton]

I'm researching the options for adding additional fuel capacity on my 07. 5 quadcab long bed dually. Trying to determine if any of the systems will allow the overhead to retain all it's normal functions. None of the manufacturers reps have been real forthcoming with info. So how about members who have actually added additional fuel capacity? I'm OK with either the replacement tank of the in-bed tank. Additionally, if I go with the in-bed tank, seems gravity feed is OK, and a lot less expensive. Am I missing something here as well? Thanks guys!

 

[n7gxz]

I have an in bed that gravity feeds the OEM and the EVIC (overhead) works with no problems.



Kevin

 

[CKelley1]

same here. i added a 2 micron filter and only fuel the aux tank. it still has the factory installed stock filter.

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[wjpatton]

Thanks guys! Good info... . How do you keep the aux from overfilling the oem tank? Is there a one way check valve in the fuel line, and does all this stuff come with the tank installation kit, or do I need to source it separately? One final question: Do I fill the oem tank first, then the aux? Sorry for so many questions, just trying to do this right the first time!



Mr. Bill

 

[BLNRAY]

gravity fed maybe cheap to install,and will work,but one day you will go out and there will be a very large puddle of fuel under your truck. if your lucky you're at home,but what if your at walmart and someone has called the fire dept,or hazmat crews are already there. not so cheap now.

 

[CKelley1]

blnray it will never happen. we run a fleet of trucks this way. many companys make the kits. wjpatton the ox tank keeps the main tank full through gravity. it can not overfill the tank. we make our own kits northern tool makes a kit if you are not that inclined. the tank in the pix is aluminum i welded a fitting to the bottom of the tank and drilled a hole in the tank next i drilled a hole in the bed for the fitting next a ball valve and then a sediment bowl to see if i got bad fuel next use wix24770 base and wix 33674 filter then to the filler neck

 

[Bill Stockard]

gravity fed maybe cheap to install,and will work,but one day you will go out and there will be a very large puddle of fuel under your truck. if your lucky you're at home,but what if your at walmart and someone has called the fire dept,or hazmat crews are already there. not so cheap now.

IIRC, there is a Federal Safety Regulation against gravity flow auxiliary fuel tanks for that reason. It's the reason there are no more factory installed bottom of the fuel tank cross over lines between multiple fuel tanks on commercial trucks any more.



Bill

 

[CKelley1]

bill you are wrong, the law reads you can not gravity feed the engine. nothing to do with the tank. this has been beat to death

 

[B.G. Smith]

Maybe some haven't heard of Murphys Law. "If anything can happen it will. " I installed a tank in the 99 I had, took suction from top of tank to a 12volt valve, into filter, then pump then into filler nozzle of tank. After installation I filled tank, pumped some diesel into main tank then parked truck. Next morning I had diesel on the ground, not a lot but too much. The valve was leaking through and the nut that held the fuel module in tank was not tight. System I have now is identical except I have a different brand of sol. valve and the pump power is run through a bathroom fan/heat type timer so if I forget to turn it off it times out. Just saying. bg

 

[CKelley1]

the KISS method is best. do not add anything not needed

 

[RMecum]

I've got an appointment next month to have a 58 gallon replacement tank installed in my mega cab at TransferFlow... that's over 700 miles towing my Airstream at 13 mpg and over 1000 miles empty at 17. 8 mpg... that's all I need.

 

[HBarlow]

I've got an appointment next month to have a 58 gallon replacement tank installed in my mega cab at TransferFlow... that's over 700 miles towing my Airstream at 13 mpg and over 1000 miles empty at 17. 8 mpg... that's all I need.

That's wishful thinking. Pulling the Rockies out west against the constant strong westerly winds you are much more likely to see 9 mpg than 13. I pulled two different Airstreams, a 31' and a 34' and an Avion with my '01 HO six speed. Yes, it could show as much a 13. 5 mpg slowly cruising across IL with the cruise set at 59 mph with no wind or a tail wind but not against a wind headed west.

My cab and chassis is factory equipped with a 52 gallon tank. 52 gallons is adequate for a full day of towing but not enough to allow me to skip states with high diesel taxes. I would not settle for only 58 gallons.

I bought a 70 gallon Transfer Flow in-bed auxilliary tank in 2002. I'm still using it on the third Ram.

 

[KB0OU]

I have a nice 100 gallon tank I would like to sell.

 

[HBarlow]

I have a nice 100 gallon tank I would like to sell.

Can you describe it - brand, contruction, fuel transfer method, etc. ?

 

[KB0OU]

HBarlow,

The tank is a RDS, 100 Gallon, in good shape, has fill ports on both sides (Right and Left side of truck), hieght is even with the PU sides, it is not as wide as the PU bed by about 6-8 inches, Has Supply, Return, Vent ports. It has a fuel level sender. It has a bottom port on the back side of the tank (drain or hookup to keep OEM tank full).



When I was running to Alaska all the time I ran the engine off the RDS tank and had a electric pump on my OEM 35 gallon tank and pumped the OEM to the RDS when the RDS got about 1/2 tank or so. It was really handy then so I could run the Alcan without buying fuel, saved a lot of money as fuel was always higher on the Alcan than we could buy it at Edmonton, AB or Tok, Alaska etc. .



I just in the last year unhooked the RDS and plumbed the OEM tank back to the engine as I am only driving the PU 3000 to 5000 mile per year now. The tank still resides in the bed of my PU where it has been for years. It will probably stay there until I sell it.

I just did a mod to my fuel level sender in the OEM tank to make it work and used the RDS to hold the fuel in the OEM tank while I dropped it to fix the sender.



I can send pics if ya want.

John

 

[HBarlow]

r

HBarlow,
The tank is a RDS, 100 Gallon, in good shape, has fill ports on both sides (Right and Left side of truck), hieght is even with the PU sides, it is not as wide as the PU bed by about 6-8 inches, Has Supply, Return, Vent ports. It has a fuel level sender. It has a bottom port on the back side of the tank (drain or hookup to keep OEM tank full).

When I was running to Alaska all the time I ran the engine off the RDS tank and had a electric pump on my OEM 35 gallon tank and pumped the OEM to the RDS when the RDS got about 1/2 tank or so. It was really handy then so I could run the Alcan without buying fuel, saved a lot of money as fuel was always higher on the Alcan than we could buy it at Edmonton, AB or Tok, Alaska etc. .

I just in the last year unhooked the RDS and plumbed the OEM tank back to the engine as I am only driving the PU 3000 to 5000 mile per year now. The tank still resides in the bed of my PU where it has been for years. It will probably stay there until I sell it.
I just did a mod to my fuel level sender in the OEM tank to make it work and used the RDS to hold the fuel in the OEM tank while I dropped it to fix the sender.

I can send pics if ya want.
John

John,

I don't need one but I wanted you to describe it and price it because if it is in good shape and the price is right another TDR member should jump on it.

Your tank sounds like the ones that were sold at Dan's and Dually Depot, the shops in Elkhart, IN that supported the RV transporters working out of northern IN.

Does your tank still have a transfer pump and plumbing to transfer fuel to the main tank? Does it have a screw on filter installed in the output line? Is it constructed of diamond plate aluminum or painted steel? Does it have baffles to prevent excessive fuel sloshing?

What do you want for it?

Thousands of RV transporters have bought and used tanks like that over the years. They are good tanks.

 

[KB0OU]

Harvey,

I have a correction, the model number is 70071, they don't make that model any more but it is 278 Litre or 71 to 73 gallon in capacity. I am home now and looking at my records. I got it in March of 2001.

The tank is aluminum that is smooth, not diamond plate, HR 32 . 125 inch thick or so.

They still sell tanks like it they just changed them some and changed the model numbers.

New they sell for about $600. 00 or so. I could sell mine for around $400. 00.

I will try to get some pics etc. in the for sale part of the forum.



Thanks

John kb0ou

 

[HBarlow]

My Transfer Flow tank is nominally a 70 gallon tank but I can squeeze 75 gallons in if I work at it. An additional 70+ gallons is plenty for most users.

 

[KB0OU]

I purchased the tank at the Jet maintenance shop at Jaco in Middlebury, another hauler had got it and decided not to install it and I got it from him. Not sure where he got it but you are probably correct. I had a load going to Alaska and thought ... why not as he had discounted it some...

I never used the tank to transfere to the OEM tank, Yes, I put a filter on the frame to filter the fuel before the fuel pump on the side of the Cummins. I still use that filter, I always thought extra filtering never hurt anything. Never have plugged the regular filter.



One of the reasons I keep calling it 100 gallons is I almost always figured 100 when planning fuel stops at the extreme, I guess I always had about 105 or so gallons to run on. I would usually pick 3 places to stop for fuel when planning so if I got really good mileage or something happened I had backups to my plan. Just a trip planning thing I always did.



I hauled some of those Hitchhikers from Chanute, nice RVs for sure. .

John

 

[HBarlow]

I never had the opportunity to pull trailers out of NuWa @ Chanute. What transport company hauled for them?