extra fuel

will i keep looking at tanks for added fuel.
what do people out there use? how are you set up in the bed of your truck?

i am leaning toward a low psi, low flow, 12 volt pump, over a drain valve. about 40 gal cap, diesel of course.

can get a steel tank for about $300 USA, shipped to my door. alu is just over the top pricey.
ford factory tank i can get a good 400 miles (not towing) never checked while towing. so up front this is a not really needed deal. just insurance, better pricing, stock up thing.
i have not been anyplace that i can think of in the past 10's of years that diesel was not available. cost??
and not recall having to look for fuel, as my body needs to stop more often than the tank needs filling. but in the next number of years i plan on doing some much longer trips.
yes more weight does hurt millage. heck just look at the Saturn 5 moon rockets. all that ship and only a very tinny place for the "load" rest was 99% fuel. a very poor mpg ratio.

400 miles is about 8 hours on the road.  Even if you only get 200 miles (4 hours) towing (Reasonable by the way to loose half your MPG when towing) It is time to stop for lunch at the first FLying-J you come across (Go in and sit down to eat) and you can refuel the Horse while you Refuel the Rider.

It seems to me the whole question is how much fuel do you need as a reserve? For most people, the answer is "None" because fuel is readily available most everywhere.  If you feel you really need to carry some extra, how much?  A 5-8 gallon emergency reserve, or enough to extend your travel by 3-4 hours (20 gallons or more).  The emergency reserve is relatively inexpensive because it is smaller and can be a manual transfer system; heck, maybe even a 5 gallon jerry can.  However, if you want a larger system with semi or automatic transfer to the main tank, it gets more pricey.

You seem to be of two minds - suggesting a big 40 gallon pumped transfer tank, yet noting that you always have fueling stations available and thus don't need one at all. 

I think conservative habbits and good planning alleviate the need for most RVers to carry reserve fuel. I'm one of those drivers who can go for hours without a break, and often do, but when traveling on unfamiliar highways, I (almost) always take a few minutes and look at my Gas Buddy and truck stop apps to confirm that there's a suitable place to fuel on my route.

Getting low on fuel in a big RV, in an area you're unfamiliar with is stressful - especially when towing. The reduction in maneuverability and mileage add a few points to the ol' stress meter. After twice getting down to 1/8th of a tank (both due to poor planning on my part) I've adopted the practice of fueling up at the first suitable station when I get down to half a tank in unfamiliar areas. Yeah, with a 150 gallon tank, I could go a lot further on the 75 remaining gallons, but I consider that to be my reserve. That practice has reduced my stress level significantly.

Kev

There are only two scenarios I can think of where having an auxiliary fuel tank might be helpful.  The first is for travel to Alaska and to Mexico.  In the case of Alaska from what I understand there can be long stretches without fuel which would require careful planning.  It is not uncommon to hear stories of folks reaching the last fuel stop for 200 or more miles after closing time and having to spend the night at the gas station.  Careful planning of course can prevent this from happening, but things happen.  In the case of Mexico as I understand it, one has to be very careful where you buy diesel fuel because some of it can be so bad as to cause engine problems and some manufactures will not cover repairs in such cases.  So if a planned stop turns out to be one to not risk, an auxiliary tank would provide the extra mileage to get to a better station.  How often these examples would play out and whether it is worth the considerable expense, I guess depends. As we are planning for future trips to both Alaska and Mexico, I thought about adding an auxiliary fuel tank, but have decided the cost is simply not worth it, so I have decided when the time comes to fill up a couple 5-gallon fuel jugs to have on board for some piece of mind.

The other possible reason came from a fellow I met who full-times but travels extensively for his work and found the auxiliary tank to help cut fuel costs because it gave him the ability to fill up in a lower fuel cost state before entering a high fuel cost state.  For us when crunching the numbers the added fuel cost would not pay for an auxiliary tank, perhaps in his case, I don't know. 

So other than possibly these two scenarios in general I am not sure it is a wise or necessary investment.

this why i am on the fence about this. sure great to not "worry" about how much in the tank or how much longer to get to fuel. or the price. as i have seen a huge as in $3.00USD difference in price, within 15-20 miles of each station. (tourist trap, or we got's you, ver in a city with many stations to choose from.
as i boon-dock. i do get way off the beaten path. and a 40 gallon extra tank is about the smallest i have found (yes seen smaller.. but cost is much more). forget the brand but a 15 gallon pork-chop tank is selling for over $400,usd.

if price were not a issue i would build my own, it would be 20 gallons diesel, and 10 gasoline (gen, motor bike fuel). and no problem fitting the eu3000 in there. (all in front of the 5er hitch with room to clear).

just having carry away cans is something i do not like. sure can be locked up. but then lifting a full can over the bed rails, i am old, hurt, and lazy.
i see a "built in" as more a convince than anything else. and maybe not spill as much doing the transfer.

but that brings me back to cost. no i never expect to see a "break even point", just a use value.

like in jan if i do go to quartzsite, i would bring back as much fuel as i could carry.  as it is over $4.usd a gallon for diesel here.

i was just asking how others are hooking up there tanks.

If lifting Jerry cans of fuel would be difficult for you and you have concern about securing them, then it appears an auxiliary tank is the best option.  Since you indicated some physical concerns and said being "lazy" you might look into models that auto fill your main tank or a larger replacement for your OEM tank.  Frankly, though I think your concerns about running out of fuel are largely un-warranted.  We have traveled all over the US and in some remote places to boot and have never come close to a nail-biter will we have enough situation, much less running out of fuel. 

yes with my bad back, broken neck,(my head has been reattached with a part from a dead body) and a pinched nerve.  at times lifting most anything with my rt arm is very painful.
feels like a ice pick has just been jabbed deep into my arm. and then my constant companion, mr arthritis. (been with me for 30 years now).

but in having extra fuel on board is not a "must have", but a convenience.
and my question is, was, and still is. how are people out there hooking up there extra fuel supply tanks.

I agree with Kevin, I have never had a hard time finding fuel. I also start looking at 1/2 tank. Yes I have been to every one of the lower 48 in the last 6 years. If you are going to boondock I would fill up before heading off the grid. This is where a couple 5 gal cans might be useful. You can get a small pump to refill your generator. Just use a cable to lock the cans in so they don't leave.
Gasbuddy is your friend in finding places with good prices. It will also help you plan where you stop, an example if you are headed for a state line you can see if you want to fill up before or after you cross the line.
Bill

and my question is, was, and still is. how are people out there hooking up there extra fuel supply tanks.

Click to expand...

Since I've never done it, I can't answer your question, but thought I'd highlight it for people who overlooked the main thrust of your posts.

Here is a rather long post in the Jeep Cpmmander forum about how I added a second fuel tank to my "Go to the end of the trail and come back Vehicle".  I have also done the same modification to two of my motorhomes in the past.

My reason was not necessarily for cost savings as it takes a lot of fuel to recover the cost of the second tank.

I did it for peace of mind and extended range.

The installation is much the same for either a tow vehicle or a Motorhome.

Another warning that the thread is long but is does have lots of information.

I tend to post links rather than retype the same information and you can read as much or as litttle as you choose.


http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7769

well thank you Larry. Apparently you missed the part where the Op said "having extra fuel on board is not a "must have", but a convenience."
Bill

this thread has gotten out of hand. how about a mod just shut it down.

Larry is on point!

I am watching this thread as I will be doing the same.

I am not ready to shut it down just yet. Lets just address ideas and constructive comments. Ridiculing a poster is not allowed, period.

I'm considering carrying separate fuel for an intended motorbike purchase, one that requires higher octane than just regular gas. I have plenty of room under my motorhome and between the major frame rails but I need to work out how to fill it at the station. There's lots of ways to pump it out.

Here is the setup that I have in my truck.....
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200623792_200623792

And then I purchased a 12V electric pump to install on the tank.....
https://www.fillrite.com/index.cfm/products/productdetail/?p=2&ps=80

I also bought an inline fuel filter and installed it between the pump outlet and the hose.  My preference was to be able to stop at a convenient location and pump fuel from the Aux. tank into the truck's tank....vs....just letting it flow to keep the truck tank full.  We like or need to stop somewhat frequently because we are getting old and I need to stretch outside the vehicle.  We also have a dog that does require stops, so I try to time things so that those things take place at the same time.  Of course adding an aux. tank to the bed of the truck will eat up some of the available payload of your truck.  The tank that I posted a link too (above), weighs in at around 100 lbs, full of diesel adds another 300 lbs, and then the pump/hose/filter stuff adds about 30 lbs.  So total that up and you are adding approx 425-430 lbs to the bed of your truck.....which counts against your available payload.  I've got an F350 CrewCab Dually, so the added weight really didn't have any impact on my situation, but to those thinking about adding an aux tank to the bed, it's certainly something to consider.  And remember, this is about the exact size that you were/are looking for, so weights should be about the same with any of those tank/pump setups....unless you buy an aluminum tank, and then you might reduce that total by 50 lbs or so.

In my truck, the tank is mounted so that the vertical part of the tank is towards the rear of the truck, which works well for me.  1.  It gives me easy access to fill the aux. tank from the bed of the truck.  2.  I have a rail to rail toolbox in the truck and it sits in the area between the vertical part of the tank and the front of the truck bed....right behind the truck cab rear window.  Hope this helps.

Nice set up! I like the "L" shape of the tank, it doesn't take up as much room in the bed.

My concern for you is weight.  A 40 gal tank of diesel will weigh nearly 300# plus the weight of the tank.  Make sure the truck has enough payload to carry your pin wt PLUS the hitch, passengers and cargo with 400# left to support the aux fuel tank.

The problem with a transfer tank that pumps into the main tank is you have to keep track of the main tank level and shut off the transfer pump before it gets full.

I had one of those systems a previous owner built into a Class C - the aux tank took up all of the largest underfloor storage compartment.  One time when my main tank ran low I turned on the transfer pump while driving down the road and forgot about it ... until I looked in my side mirror and saw gas spewing out of the main tank's filler neck.

I turned off the transfer pump and fortunately, nothing happened while the fuel level in the main tank dropped enough to stop overflowing.