Transfer Flow vs. Titan aux fuel tanks

[jgillott]

I'm casually considering adding a 50 gal aux in bed tank. If you were to choose one today, which brand would it be and why? There was quite a bit of discussion years ago on these things but nothing recent.

 

[Tuesdak]

Because modern ULSD diesel and mixtures of Biodiesel hold more water then diesel we are used to I suggest the Titan being made of the same materiel new OEM tanks are and have been made of now for a decade. After dealing with bugs in diesel fuel I would absolutely go with the plastic, cross-linked polyethylene, Titan. Titan: "They don't get corroded by biodiesel." Transfer Flow has their head in the sand over the mandated biodiesel and no way to deal with a bug problem: you replace the tank! I spent $200 on cleaning a Transfer Flow tank only to find it was rusted and pitted. You can't just replace the tank: you have to replace the entire aux tank system as TransferFlow doesn't make just replacement tanks. The cleaned Transfer Flow was nothing I would put near a HPCR engine. The plastic OEM tank I just washed out. The older metal fuel tanks on my other rides I also had to replace.

I did enjoy the trip planning with the gal remaining Transferflow readout so we could plan where to get fuel. Some savings there combined with online fuel prices.

Here is a Transferflow after a bad bug infection and the plastic OEM tank. The OEM tank I just washed out and put it back in.

OEM Plastic:

Pic of the TransferFlow after cleaning by a radiator shop:

 

[jgillott]

This is exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[MichaelOverfield]

That transfer flow has a steel tank? Odd. My 45 Gallon Aux tank is aluminum. I've not as yet had issues, other than having a too small solenoid valve to transfer to main tank.. I don't trust ball check valves alone. I put a larger valve in and it works fine now. Got my tank from Northern Tool. RDS was the manufacturer.

 

[Kirwin]

I have been using a 98 gallon aluminum Transfer Flow since 2005 and have had no issues. When I traded for my 2013, I had to purchase a recalibrated control module, that up dated my system capacities, but other than that, and a few worn out level senders, the system works as designed. My tank does not look like the one above and I've never had to clean it. I do occasionally add Power Kleen Fuel supplement as preventive maintenance but I have not had any fuel issues.

 

[Tuesdak]

I posted more in depth about what happened aka ULSD's love of water and biodiesel making it adsorb and suspend even more water here: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/248698-ULSD-and-Biodiesel-Exposed!

I'd love some good luck for a change as the only luck I get is Bad!

 

[MichaelOverfield]

I posted more in depth about what happened aka ULSD's love of water and biodiesel making it adsorb and suspend even more water here: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/248698-ULSD-and-Biodiesel-Exposed!

I'd love some good luck for a change as the only luck I get is Bad!

Yes, I've dealt with similar issues at work with hydraulic systems, and marine Diesel, even before ULSD. Some are in denial, but ULSD has created issues. Try the addition of a desicant breather for your vent, keeping all moisture out is critical. Additional filtration is a must as well, even OEMs are making 2 filters the standard on trucks.

 

[BLNRAY]

installed a transfer flow 74 gal aluminum tank in 2004 400,000 mi later my operating cost has been 1 level sensor

 

[BIGNASTY]

Not to burst anyones bubble about what tank is best, but some might look into fuel filtration more than worry about the tank. This is what a fuel tank fill from a MAJOR fuel company in Downtown Indy on 38th Street looks like. The sad thing THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON!!!!

Under that rusted out & missing grate is water and ????????? the top of the tank is covered with at least 3ft of that stuff, just to fill you in. They at some point have to get rid of that xxxx do you think they hire a hazmat disposal company to remove and deal with it???? HELL no they start pulling the drain and that puts it back in the tank for the unsuspecting.

 

[RamCummins70]

I too am looking for a aux tank for my 2018 RAM 3500 SRW. Transfer Flow uses aluminized steel. Although hearing about the rusting I am worried about the durability of aluminized steel. Titan looks like a good choice as well to eliminate any rusting issues at all. Being this is my 3rd year of owning a diesel, I have heard about bacteria growth. What steps are needed to control bacteria. My next question. Is it smart to run the aux tank empty considering the possibility of bacteria, or do I need to keep the aux tank full all the time. Here in Minnesota I worry about gelling before I get a chance to use all the fuel.

 

[Kirwin]

My Transfer Flow is made from diamond plate aluminum. No rust. I use the white bottle Diesel Kleen with centane boost occasionally. For gelling, I would keep a bottle of anti gel on the truck for fall but after the fuel changes to winter blend, I haven't had an issue. It's only the tank you have left from the summer that would be a problem.

 

[RamCummins70]

The 50 gal low profile one I am looking at is aluminized steel. I am leaning towards the Titan now. So if I run it empty before winter or after my last trip I should be good? No worries of bacteria? As dirty as this ULSD is I have been running silver Diesel Keen every tank in an amount just below what is suggested on the bottle. 8oz per 30 gal. I may bump it up to 10 oz. in the winter I switch to the white bottle. Here in Minnesota I try and but form reputable chain locations that are selling high volumes of diesel and are on a winter blend schedule.

 

[Tuesdak]

The 50 gal low profile one I am looking at is aluminized steel. I am leaning towards the Titan now. So if I run it empty before winter or after my last trip I should be good? No worries of bacteria? As dirty as this ULSD is I have been running silver Diesel Keen every tank in an amount just below what is suggested on the bottle. 8oz per 30 gal. I may bump it up to 10 oz. in the winter I switch to the white bottle. Here in Minnesota I try and but form reputable chain locations that are selling high volumes of diesel and are on a winter blend schedule.

Silver Diesel Keen doesn't have anything in it to kill bugs in fuel. Bottom line is to run a fuel soluble biocide like Power Service Bio Kleen and switch Biocides now and then: http://powerservice.com/psp_product/bio-kleen-diesel-fuel-biocide/ If you do run into bugs in the fuel you need to get the fuel tested to make sure you are using a biocide that will kill whatever is growing in the fuel. I run both the biocide, Bio Kleen, and the silver bottle Diesel Kleen because they do different things. Switching the biocide up means looking at the active ingredient as different brands can be the same thing.

I am not sure why you would run the aux tank down and leave it near empty: Do you park the truck all winter? If not I suggest you put 10 gal in the main tank and the other 20 gal in the Aux tank - keep fresh fuel moving through it. Today's diesel will go "bad" just like gasoline - takes longer. Some of the best info is from boating forums where the boats sit for long periods of time making "storage" the biggest concern.

 

[RamCummins70]

I only planned on using the Aux tank when hauling our 5th wheel a half dozen times a year. I figured it would be a bad idea to leave it empty for long periods of time, so adding 10 to the truck and 20 to the Aux tank sounds tedious but a good idea. Here in Minnesota air temps get well below freezing and in the negatives for long periods of time. I’d hate to have the Aux tank gel. That’s why I concidered running it empty. I was wondering when it got that cold if bacteria would actually grow. I can see switching up biocides. That makes sense. I’ve heard about how bad this ULSD can get so I’ve tried to be proactive.

 

[Tuesdak]

You do have the "refrigerator" factor in your favor. The hot temps here and in boating, well, stuff grows faster when warm. If you keep enough fuel moving through the aux tank it will become winterized Diesel. If the aux tank gels - it's not the main tank and won't stop the engine. Any filters between the aux and main tank?

Regardless when we weren't hauling RV's we ran fuel through the aux tank all the time. We would fill it when we found a low price and then run over a month without filling up. Sometimes we would force the transfer pump to run if our short trips in town didn't allow the system to kick on. We really found the feature useful at the end of the fuel tank range - we would run the last of the fuel out of the aux tank by forcing the pump on and make it to the cheaper fuel station. (Didn't happen often.) If you know what fuel is at the pump you can run the aux tank as low as possible and then fill/add winterized diesel. The forced running of the aux pump is a hidden menu on the Transfer Flow we had - YMMV.

 

[RamCummins70]

Thank you very much! You have been very helpful. I may run the Titan tank, it’s $300 cheaper. As far as filtering, where would you suggest I have a filter installed between the aux tank and my first fuel filter under the cab.

 

[Tuesdak]

IMO a filter between the aux and main tank is asking for trouble with gelling unless it's heated. And the possibility of gelling that filter clogged is why I asked about one there. The main filters before the stuff that matters is what counts. Bad fuel can go in both tanks during a fill up so the aux filter really doesn't do anything.

 

[RamCummins70]

That’s what I thought. These new trucks are running two fuel filter. I have been doing my own filter changes and upgrading to a Rancor filter for my cab filter to eliminate as much water as I can.

 

[Globecruiser]

When I was considering this Titan told me the the large replacement tank will not ft on trucks with DEF tanks. Is this not true? If true aux tank is the only option if you don’t want to stop for fill up every 200 miles when towing heavy loads, correct?

 

[S.Morris]

I have run a water separator and 2 micron filter between my aux tank 340L which pumps into main tank for years. I never fill main tank and all fuel is filtered from aux into main.
-35C has not been an issue . Only run fuel additive below -20C as precaution.