Auxiliary Fuel Tank

[Sasquatch]

Transfer Flo and Aero Tank are just two of the outfits that make auxiliary fuel tanks; there are probably more.



I am trying to decide whether to get a larger capacity tank to replace my plastic oem unit.



I am in western-central colorado, near Glenwood Springs, which is about 3. 5 hours from Denver and maybe 1. 5 hours from Grand Junction; we live about 35 miles from interstate I-70.



Any input from tank owners would be appreciated, and especially any ideas about where I could source a tank manufactured in the Colorado area. Both Aero Tank and Transfer Flo are in California, and the shipping prices are very steep.



It would be great if I could drive to the manufacturer and have the tank installed while I wait -- even if it's a half-day job -- saving the shipping costs and being confident that the installation would be done right, and warranteed by the tank manufacturer, itself, instead of a local mechanic who does installs on the side.



Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Arctic Taco]

I think KHS does good stuff but they are all bed mounted. What about Titan?

 

[HBarlow]

I've owned a Transfer Flow 70 gallon UFS tank about six years. I have used it in three different Dodge-Cummins trucks and a total of about 500,000 miles. I wouldn't leave home without it to use an old advertising phrase. Each time I have transferred it to another truck I buy a new control module and pump from TF to update and refresh the tank.

Their products are top notch, customer service is excellent, installation instructions are clear, easily understood, and accurate. Installation is a very easy do-it-yourself project for anyone with basic tools and skills.

The TF engineer who designed the tank I have is proud of his work and will exchange e-mails with his customers to provide additional information or answer questions.

My tank paid for itself years ago with the savings I have received by driving straight through states with high fuel taxes and fueling in states with low fuel taxes.

I strongly recommend Transfer Flow products.

 

[DAN V]

Titan Tank

I love my TITAN tank. I can go 250 miles before it even comes of of the full mark. If I really push it I can get 800 miles out of one fill up. I have only done that once or twice though. I usually get 750 miles per tank. This tank is 55 gallons and replaces the stock tank and I love it.

 

[JGrammatico]

I wish someone would make a replacement tank for a shortbed non-megacab ram.

 

[Sasquatch]

Thanks, guys,

I've talked to the guys at Titan in Idaho Falls, and I liked the fact that the tank is made of polyethylene and weighs less than 50 pounds. The Transfer Flow tanks, while of excellent quality, weigh over 200 pounds.

Also, I spend a lot of time on gravel/dirt roads, and the Colorado Department of Transportation puts down a lot of road salt in the winter time. Mag wheels get destroyed in this environment -- just as an example -- and the underside of a truck's frame and metalwork see a lot of corrosive abuse. The first thing I did when I bought my new 2007. 5 was take it and have the bed, frame rails, and rocker panels treated with Linex.

COST:

The Transfer Flow tank for this application is $830, while the Titan tank is $1013 + $139 shipping. Transfer Flow, Inc. doesn't advertise the shipping cost -- in fact doesn't mention it anywhere on their site -- which leads me to believe it's expensive.

There are installers for both tanks in Grand Junction, which is about a two hour drive west of me. Transfer Flow's company install price (in CA) is about $200. 00, so the Grand Junction installer's price is likely to be about the same, plus shipping costs.

It looks like I can get the TF tank, installed, for about the same money that it costs to buy the Titan tank, alone, excluding shipping costs. If it costs several hundred more to ship the TF tank, that'd be a deal-breaker, and I'd opt for the poly tank that will hold up indefinitely in these harsh conditions.

The final question I'm asking myself is whether or not it's worth it to spend upwards of $1700 (travel/fuel costs, plus tank, plus taxes, and install) in order to net 20 additional gallons of fuel.

The smarter (more cost-effective) solution -- "more bang for the buck" -- would be to install a cross-bed tank with a much larger capacity. The problem with that is that I have a Leer camper shell (fiberglass) on my truck, so that'd add complicated fueling issues. Anybody know how to get around that problem?

The ideal solution would be to have a cross bed tank installed (the non-toolbox variety), have a fueling door installed in my Leer topper, and have the topper dropped back on the bed, the connections made, and have me on my way.

If that's doable, at all, it's probably a very expensive, all day job, and it probably involves multiple sending units, etc.

The bigger the tank, obviously, the lower the installed cost-per-gallon of fuel. On the other hand, a fully-loaded Transfer Flow (98 gallon) tank would add about 950 pounds of dead weight in the bed of the truck. That's fine, I guess, for highway "up to speed" RV'ers, but -- in these mountains, where you're either going uphill or down, continually -- I'm afraid it'd be very bad for fuel mileage.

Lot to think about...

 

[steved]

I was going to add a fuel tank under my canopy at one point... I was simply going to use a fill stem for marine use and mount it through the canopy... basically you end up with a fuel door in the cap.

 

[Sasquatch]

Steved,

Good thought.

I just found out that Transfer Flow has a camper shell "fill-kit" that includes all the necessary hardware, including the locking gas cap for under $100. 00

That's pretty cool.

I'm going to call them this morning.

 

[Arctic Taco]

I would give KHS a good look. They have a nice range of tanks and they have both a low profile and regular hieght tank that end up either at or below the edge of the bed. I am planning to get the low profile 100gal tank and mount it up on some 3" channel so I can still haul some full sheets of plywood. The low profile tank is 24" wide so i won't loose but about 2 feet. and will still allow for easy shell removal, etc...

I believe that they also have the whole camper shell connection fill spout and they have 2 options for fuel tarnsfer either the kind that trans flow does or a regular solenoid switch over for the tanks. They are down in Lake Havasu, Az.

Good luck, with your choices. Oo.

 

[Sasquatch]

smikel,

I couldn't find KHS online. Do you have contact information for them?

 

[HBarlow]

Sasquatch,

I lifted my steel 70 gallon Transfer Flow into my truck bed and installed it by myself in the first truck I used it in. The entire tank assembly doesn't weigh anywhere close to 200 pounds unless full. My guess is it weighs 50-60 lbs. dry.

I had a Leer Camper shell on my '01 Dodge Ram when I bought the TF tank and also bought and installed their "through the shell" kit. It was inexpensive, easily installed, and had a nice professional look when completed.

I don't remember what transportation cost but it was not a deal breaker.

I suggest calling Transfer Flow and ask them for shipping costs by the cheapest method. You might also ask them to fax or email you a copy of their installation instructions. Tell them a fellow TDR member sent you. You will quickly realize that anyone who can operate a wire cutter, drill motor, and basic open/box end wrenches can install their tank with ease.

You carefully locate the tank where you want it to go, mark the holes, pull the tank back and drill the holes, mount the tank. Then cut the rubber vent line on your factory tank fill, insert the "Y" fitting, and route the transfer line through the bed up to the tank pump fitting. Tap into the truck's 12v supply on the wire the instructions tell you to cut (their instructions are accurate), route 12v to the tank pump, cut the fuel gauge wire under the driver's seat (again, their instructions tell you exactly which wire to cut), and route that wire to the tank module. It is a very simple do-it-yourself install. Even I can do it without error!

 

[Sasquatch]

HBarlow,

Thanks for your reply.

I contacted a local installer of Transfer FLow tanks, today, "Five R Trucks and Trailers," in Golden, CO.

I'm going to do the TF "midships" replacement tank that mounts to the bottom of the truck, and weighs in at (shipping weight) 205 pounds.

I'm going to have the tank installed by Five-R, because A) I'm too old/lazy to do the install myself and B) I want the tank installation to be warranteed, since I spend a fair amount of time bouncing around on gravel roads and construction sites.

I decided on this option, because it's the most affordable, too. The combination toolbox model that fits cross-bed was going to be almost $3,000. 00 installed, plus it would've resulted in my not being able to fit 4x8 sheets of plywood in the bed with the tailgate up -- a "must" for me in this winter environment.

Finally, I figured that the extra 22 gallons of fuel would give me plenty of extended range, with a decent compromise in the added weight to the truck: The extra fuel capacity (plus added weight of TF tank) will mean the truck will gain an additional 350 pounds of dead weight (with tank full) vs. the installation of the 98 gallon cross-bed tank which would've added 970 pounds of dead weight.

I know that you can always choose to fill the larger tank with less fuel to reduce that weight, but that sort of defeats the purpose of buying the larger tank.

Given my driving needs, the TF 56 gal tank seems to offer the best compromise of extended range, fuel efficiency, and purchase/installation price.

Thanks to everybody for the helpful advice.

 

[pullya]

After the installation let us know how it works out. If it's mounted under the truck how much ground clearance did you lose?

Jay

 

[HBarlow]

Sasquatch,

You'll be happy with your TF replacement tank. All their products are excellent. I think our own Joe Donnelly wrote a report for the TDR magazine detailing a TF replacement tank installation in one of his Rams several years ago.

I understand your preference for having someone else do the installation. I too am not as young as I was just a few years ago.

 

[cj hall]

fuel tank for sale

hello to all



I just saw this post and thought hey maybe I can sale the fuel tank I have

its a T/F 50 plus gallon midship tank for a 2004 dodge quad cab long box

its new and never been installed. I would think it the same tank from 2003 to 2008 might need a different install kit?



I got it the same day as the two titan tanks I bought 4 months before.

I have 1050. 00 in to the tank with freight and will sell it for 800. 00 cash.

Its in Billings, Montana



Email me, if you would like a deal on a new tank.



Thanks



cj hall