Extra Fuel Tank

I have been looking at a 40 gal. fuel tank/tool box combo. You don't get far with a 26 gal oem tank at 11mpg. I was wondering other peoples views either pro or con besides the obvious of the weight issue. I hope to take off 3 weeks from work to dive to Yellowstone in 2009 and it looks like it would help out a lot. :king: :queen:

We just had a 50 gal tank installed a couple weeks ago. We haven't pulled the trailer yet with the new tank. The truck seems to ride more comfortably with the extra weight.

We'll find out how it handles with the 'Cat in a few days, and can post a report if we remember. :)

Bob,

I have this one:
http://www.kshmarine.com/toolbox_tank_combos.htm

Its been installed for almost 2 years now and works great. It holds 45 gallons with 10 inches of tool box on the top. There is a switch on the dash board that I flip to change over from the main to the AUX. It has its own fuel pump and when you flip the switch, the gauge inside the truck shows how much is in the aux tank.

You can call them and they will custom make any size you want.

Scruffy reminded me that he picked the 'Cat up at Camping World (Dometic recall, new slide covers) after the auxiliary tank was installed. It towed/rode very well.

When our main tank gets down to about 1/2, the auxiliary tank automatically releases enough fuel to get the main tank back to full. There is a separate guage for the auxilary tank mounted at the bottom of the dash. Ours has a tool box, and the top of the tank/tool box combo is about even with the sides of the truck bed.

Tater

Tater,
Do you recall what brand of tank you bought? Did you install it yourself or have it installed by a shop?

Bob

Our tank is AttaTank, made in Mansfield, TX - which is 15-20 miles from where we live. They did the installation.

I don't know if they have any other locations. Scruffy says the tanks come with complete installation instructions, and you can do it or have someone else do it.

Their website shows all their tanks, and you can order a catalog.
http://attatank.com/atta/index.html

If you order from them, if they ask where you heard about them, mention wildcatcamperforum.com.

If we can get together at Fort Wilderness, you can look at ours, and maybe I'll even remember to bring our catalog.

Tater

We purchased the 74 gallon tank/tool box combo. I wanted to be able to remove the tank when not in use, so our tank is not plumbed into the system. It has a gas station type nozzle, so I just fill up the main 38 gallon tank when it gets below 1/2. The main reason we purchased the tank was for convenience. Sometimes when you need fuel, the station is full of vehicles, or hard to get into. It is nice to just drive by, and refuel when it is convenient for you.

robertz675 wrote:I have been looking at a 40 gal. fuel tank/tool box combo. You don't get far with a 26 gal oem tank at 11mpg.

Bob, the 26 gal tank on the short beds was one reason I went with a long bed. They come with 34 gal tanks. By the time the truck is in need of fuel, most of the family is in need of some leg stretching. Of course a larger tank is always nice, but hate to give up the bed space, in my case. There are companies that make replacement factory tanks that are larger.

Here is a link for a replacement fuel tank which is 45 gal:
Details:
45 gallons
Diesel with LLY, LBZ, or LMM engine
2004-08
080-01-12755
Truck/191 lb
2500 & 3500 HD crew cab & ext. cab with 6 1/2 foot bed
N, O
$821.57
Link: http://www.transferflow.com/gm_tanks_0.html
It's a little pricey, though. I looked at them for my gasser, but I couldn't see spending $1105.00

The one that I was looking at was from the same company, Transfer Flow. It was a bed mounted 40 gal for 949.00

Here is a picture of our aux. tank/tool box combo. Also the bed saver. Hopefully it never gets used, but it is there just in case.

There are companies that make replacement factory tanks that are larger.

Thats what I'd like to have.

My dad and me built one for my truck. We fabbed it up to fit under my existing tool box. Holds ~47 gallons. On the trip out west this spring, never had to stop for fuel in California, I figure I saved enough right there to pay for the material to build the tank. Northern Tool has a system that automatically keeps your truck tank topped off until the aux. tank is empty. Installed very easy, but you do have to cut your existing fill tube. Install took me about 30 minutes.

Diesel install kit

I have been using the system for 2.5 years now with no trouble.

Brad,

I looked at the link you posted. Help me get my hands around this. How does the aux tank fill the factory tank w/o overflowing? Is there an automated/gravity operated gate valve that opens when the tank starts emptying and closes when the tank is full? I know my factory gauge would not like the idea of using fuel and not seeing the gauge going down. Not a biggy, just shut down and restart to clear the gauge confusion.

Thanks...

From what I have read, when your fuel gauge drops to about 1/2 full the auxiliary tank will pump fuel in until it is about 3/4 full. This is all automatic and doesn't need any manual switch to be used. It is a pump and not a gravity feed.

That's how ours works. Must be sensors or something that keeps the main tank from overflowing when the fuel transfers from the auxiliary tank to the main tank.

Sorry I have not answered yet. The system is gravity fed and there is a floating ball valve on the fill neck of the truck tank. When the truck tank gets full, it shuts off the flow of fuel from the aux tank. The only problem I have ever had with mine is if I try to top off the truck tank to the very brim of the fill neck, the little ball will get stuck in the closed position. Usually a few bumps in the road will break it loose or just a tap or two on the ball area with a steel bar will do it. I just fill the truck until the pump handle shuts off and then I fill the aux tank. No problems that way.

As far as the gauge goes, it stays on full until the aux tank is empty, then it follows the level of the truck tank. My computer has never had an issue with it. I just watch miles traveled and I know how much is left in the aux tank. I usually get 6-700 miles out of the aux tank and then another 600 out of the truck tank. It is amazing how when the gauge starts moving, you feel like you need to get some fuel soon, I guess it is just a mental thing, because you can still go 600 miles.

Reporting on the Atta-Tank we had installed in September - this story DOES have a happy ending (photos follow):

We didn't have much time to check it out before our trip to Florida, but it seemed to be working fine. We left on our trip confident that the tank would do just what we wanted. Well, our first day out, our main tank got down to 1/2, then down to 1/4 and the auxilliary tank didn't pump any fuel down to the main. The guage for the aux. was jumping all over the place. So, we stopped to fill the main tank.... about twice a day. Scruffy called Atta-tank and they couldn't be of much help over the phone, but said bring it in after vacation. When we got to my brother's in Leesburg, FL, Scruffy and my brother went shopping and came back with a siphon pump. They siphoned some of the fuel down to the main tank, which would help lighten our load. There wasn't much sense in hauling around all that extra weight. Scruffy did this one more time during the trip.

When we got home, Scruffy couldn't take the truck in for the repair because the very day we got home, Scruffy wound up in the emergency room. He came back home 6 days later minus his gall bladder. When he recovered enough to drive, he took the truck to Atta-tank.

There was a short in the wiring, which was fixed. Then Scruffy took the truck to the gas station and filled the aux. tank. The guage still wasn't working properly, so it was back to Atta-tank. The float was stuck, so they replaced it.

Now Scruffy and the aux. tank are well, and in good working condition. We decided that as a reward for both of us for the week he was in the hospital, we should take a day trip to Shreveport, LA. Well, the day before we were going, we were sitting in the living room wondering what to do next, and Scruffy said, "Let's see if Sam's Town has a room available for tonight." They did, and we were comped. Much to our total surprise and extreme pleasure, we were put in a two room suite. We had TVs in both the living room and HUGE bedroom, telephones in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom, a doorbell and lighted "Do Not Disturb" sign, and a pretty nice view of downtown Shreveport.

Even with our troubles with our aux. fuel tank, we would still recommend Atta-tank. They were happy to stand behind their product. The tank performed exactly as it was intended to do on the trip to Shreveport.

Scruffy did well on the slots, I didn't. But between the two of us, we didn't lose a lot, and came pretty close to breaking even.

Glad Scruffy is better!! We love to go to Shreveport for the day. We typically start at the Boardwalk, hit the little Irish Pub so the wife can have a Pink Bitch (their own homemade drink named after the owners ex-wife) and head over to Sam's. Since times are getting tight, we haven't been able to make the trip very often, but we still try.

I have a 33 gal. aux fuel/tool box that I had to have manufactured by a copmpany in Florida. I actually could have gotten a larger one already made up for less money, but I opted for this because it leaves me a little more storage room in the bed of the truck. But whatever tank you decide on, insist on a good quality aluminum tank. My first aux tank was steel, and someone advised me against it when I purchased it, due to rust problems. Diesel fuel has a certain amount of moisture in it, and moisture + steel = rust. I had a inline filter on it, and it began to clog up with rust particles after just a couple of years.

ezrider,

Thanks for the heads up. I am geting ready to buy or build one and didn`t know which way to go (metal or alum.) Metal would be easer to weld and I have heard that if you keep them full they will not rust ,but you say yours did maybe I should go alu??

Thanks
Danny

jeepingjason wrote:ezrider,

Thanks for the heads up. I am geting ready to buy or build one and didn`t know which way to go (metal or alum.) Metal would be easer to weld and I have heard that if you keep them full they will not rust ,but you say yours did maybe I should go alu??

Thanks
Danny

I think that if you kept the tank full most of the time, rust would not be a problem. However, I would still recommend the aluminum over steel. Unless you have the materials already on hand, plus the type welder you need, plus the know how (none of which I have), I would also recommend purchase over build. If you are somewhat flexible on size (I wasn't), check all of the available resources such as Northern Tool, RDS (they manufactured mine), and others posted by others, and you can probably purchase one right. I could actually have gotten a larger one than my 33 gal IF I had been more flexible for a couple of hundred bucks less.

check out this place : http://www.titanfueltanks.com/Ford_Fuel_Tank.htm

i bought a 60 gallon and didn't give up any box storage area. bolts in place of the existing tank.

As I reported after our fall trip, the extra fuel tank didn't work properly. It wouldn't release fuel when the main tank started getting low.

We've been out traveling and camping for about 3 weeks, and we're very happy to report that the tank is working perfectly. The company found a worn wire and a faulty guage, and both were fixed/replaced immediately, and, of course, at no charge.

Glad it's working right now.

isimar wrote:check out this place : http://www.titanfueltanks.com/Ford_Fuel_Tank.htm

i bought a 60 gallon and didn't give up any box storage area. bolts in place of the existing tank.

That's a nice setup and the direction I would go in if I was going to upgrade...until I saw the price of over $1600 for my truck! Granted it would increase my fuel carrying capacity from 34 gallons to 62, but typically by the time my truck is in need of fuel, either my wife or daughter is in need of a rest stop so it works out. But I will say I do like the design! Maybe if I hit the lottery!!!!

have to give this tank a shot. sometimes we can go for 4-5 hrs without stopping and that's gonna make up some time. the reason i got the tank was because every time i needed fuel, i had to pull into a small gas station where there's traffic and hard to manuver. this allows me to utilize rest areas and get fresher fuel at the truckstops.

If I lived near Mexico I'd have one to take advantage of cheap fuel.

We filled up at WDW (near Orlando) and didn't have to fill again until we got to Bay Saint Louis, MS. Actually, we got to BSL, set-up camp, then drove back to Biloxi, then back to Gulfport, where we filled up at Love's, then back to Hollywood.

I really like being able to go for a fill-up without the trailer on our back. Seems like every time we would stop at a truck stop with the trailer on, we'd wind up waiting behind a big@$$ motorhome for 20-30 minutes.

Tater