Auxiliary gas tank

[mighty7sd]

I have a Chevy 2500 gasser with a 26-gal tank and get about 7 mpg towing my 35' 5er. As you can imagine, having to refuel every 150 miles is quite tedious, especially because I don't have a lot of experience backing a 5er in tight gas station lots and can't use the truck islands. I have a 5 gal gas can in my bed that I can use if I just can't maneuver in a station and am not comfortable driving to another one. I have not used it yet, but I imagine filling up with 4-5 loads would be tiresome and time consuming.

I think replacement gas tank may be too expensive and this is really a daily driver with camping every other weekend planned, so probably unnecessary. A removable can seems most appropriate.

I came across 14 and 25 gallon gas carts that seem to be DOT rated on AmazonAmazon (http://a.co/9u25OPk) and wondered what folks here thought of them?

Do they fit and hold up in your truck bed with 5er attached? How do you anchor them? I hear they take forever to empty and might have low quality valves. Maybe a couple 5 gal cans are the solution. Any other thoughts?

[RustyJC]

ikoolu wrote:
aero tank - in san Bernardino did mine its steel not plastic and they had a skid plate - too - the plastic ones i am was concerned about since i 4x4 and that saved bed space since my was short bed

Although I understand your preference for a steel tank if you're off-roading, for the rest of us steel is NOT necessarily your friend as a fuel tank material. Anyone who has ever restored an old car or motorcycle will understand why. Corrosion and weight are two reasons most OEMs have moved to non-metallic fuel tanks.

Rusty

[ikoolu]

aero tank - in san Bernardino did mine its steel not plastic and they had a skid plate - too - the plastic ones i am was concerned about since i 4x4 and that saved bed space since my was short bed

[tunatundra]

I have a F250 and a 5 wheel that has perfect specs for the truck but a heavy load (auxiliary tank} would hurt my weight. I plan to have two 5 gal cans of diesel to keep in the bed. Sooo, I bought a siphon today with two 52" hoses both ways. They had 2 to select from one was a bulb like a marine bulb and the one I bought has a pump that you "pump". Now I would hope that I will not have to pump the entire 5 gals into my truck and by pumping a few times would start and drain my 5 gal containers. Would either (Marine bulb or pump} do this????

[Rygar]

The original owner of my F350 diesel didn't like stopping for fuel a lot so he switched out tanks. Now I have a 90gal tank. It hurts the wallet to fill it up, but I can go for 3 days towing between fills. I love it.

[laknox]

Winnipeg wrote:
Small tanks are definitely a pain. I had a Chevy Duramax with a 26 gallon tank. You never want to run out, especially with a diesel, so it was less than 20 gallons usable. On long trips, where you didn't know where fuel stations would be, we ended up getting fuel about every 150 miles! VERY slow progress.

We always kept 2 plastic Jerry cans in the back for backup, not fun (diesel on your hands is very stinky stuff).

I thought the solution would be to add an auxiliary tank, or maybe replace the stock tank with a larger one. Both options were available. BUT, just one problem. The pickup was a 2500 (3/4 ton) and the fiver already had it maxed out for weight. A small increase in fuel tank wasn't worth the cost and a large one would put the truck over weight.

Not an easy fix.

Diesel is only 7.1 lbs/gal, so a 20 gal aux tank, full, should only weigh in about 160-170 lbs, max. Extra 200 miles, or 3 hours for a fairly small weight penalty.

Lyle

[mountainsam]

When I first started pulling trailers with a diesel pickup there were not many stations other than truck stops with diesel pumps. I was concerned with fuel management on the highway so I decided to have two 6 gallon containers with me full of diesel. I pulled with that truck 190,000 miles and never used the spare containers because of need. I would use them at the end of each trip and not refill until ready for the next trip. Always keeping fresh fuel in them. Great piece of mind and if I ever needed it. Small length of chain with a padlock secured them in the front corner of the pickup.

[RustyJC]

Veebyes wrote:
Ex airline pilot. They don't like taking chances. He had the bed tank installed from new. We can do 500 miles between fillups easy towing.

Old pilot's saying - the only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Rusty

[Veebyes]

The first owner of my 3500 did not mess around. Ex airline pilot. They don't like taking chances. He had the bed tank installed from new. We can do 500 miles between fillups easy towing.

Nice to be able to play the fuel price game & run right through an expensive fuel state without refuelling. Gives you the longer legs to make it to that better priced station too.

[avvidclif1]

mighty7sd wrote:
Thanks shepstone! I have confirmed that there is no OEM option for a larger repalcement tank, so in-bed is the only option. I like the atitank.com option for L-shaped or wedge tanks to accomdate the hitch.

Just make sure your truck can handle another 4-600 lbs in the bed. That's my problem now, no carrying capacity for an auxiliary tank.

[slarsen]

My 2012 gasser holds 35 gallons, which is OK given the 8 mpg considering the regular stops for human needs. I carry a 5-gallon tank, which I seldom (actually, never) use on the road. What it gives me is a good feeling of security. I've always got another 40 miles of emergency range, should I ever actually run out.

Knock on wood: I've never run out of gas in my whole life, although I've come close a few times. And then there is always that Good Sam Roadside Assistance . . .

[mighty7sd]

Thanks shepstone! I have confirmed that there is no OEM option for a larger repalcement tank, so in-bed is the only option. I like the atitank.com option for L-shaped or wedge tanks to accomdate the hitch.

[shepstone]

mighty7sd wrote:
I have a Chevy 2500 gasser with a 26-gal tank and get about 7 mpg towing my 35' 5er. As you can imagine, having to refuel every 150 miles is quite tedious, especially because I don't have a lot of experience backing a 5er in tight gas station lots and can't use the truck islands. I have a 5 gal gas can in my bed that I can use if I just can't maneuver in a station and am not comfortable driving to another one. I have not used it yet, but I imagine filling up with 4-5 loads would be tiresome and time consuming.

I think replacement gas tank may be too expensive and this is really a daily driver with camping every other weekend planned, so probably unnecessary. A removable can seems most appropriate.

I came across 14 and 25 gallon gas carts that seem to be DOT rated on AmazonAmazon (http://a.co/9u25OPk) and wondered what folks here thought of them?

Do they fit and hold up in your truck bed with 5er attached? How do you anchor them? I hear they take forever to empty and might have low quality valves. Maybe a couple 5 gal cans are the solution. Any other thoughts?

Get an auxiliary GAS tank I have a 65 gallon that is in my sig but they come smaller from the same manufacturer atitank.com

[Splashers3]

I also replaced my stinking small 26Gal OEM tank with a Titan 52Gal tank...what a difference, I don't have to sweat stopping every 250 miles....allows us to look for cheaper fuel, and go a full day without refueling....of course my DW and our Golden have to take breaks....allows us to stop at rest stops and not worry about fuel.

Makes me wonder whose idea it was to design a "hauling" type truck with such a small tank.

Mike

[Lantley]

My thoughts are invest in a OEM tank or trade the truck. The band aid approaches are a waste of time.
Consider the expense of the trade or the new tank as "It always cost more to get it right the 2nd time. Learn from the mistake and move on.