Fuel can idea - does anybody know of such a thing?

[Martinjmpr]

I was looking at a thread on the Tiregate a few weeks ago, and I thought to myself "if I had a Tiregate, I could stop carrying my spare under the truck. Which would leave that space open for cargo..."

Then I looked at my RotoPax can, which has a hole in the center for a mounting bracket and I thought about this:

Since most vehicles that carry the spare under the rear use a simple chain or cable with a collar, that can then be cranked up or down (usually with the jack handle) somebody should make a plastic, roto-pax style of can with a hole in the center that would mimic the size and shape of a spare tire and would be hoisted up into place using the stock spare tire hanger.

That way, you could put the spare on the tailgate (with a custom bumper or tiregate-type of carrier) or on the roof of your vehicle and use the space that was vacated for extra fuel.

Weight would not be an issue since most spare tires for big SUVs weigh in the neighborhood of 60-80 lbs. Gas weighs about 7 lbs/gallon so there's no reason why you couldn't have up to 10 gallons of gas, which would weigh about the same.

It would be well protected against road damage (if it was made out of the same heavy-duty roto-formed plastic as RotoPax cans) and out-of-sight. It would also be out of the sun which would reduce expansion caused by heat.

When you need gas, get the jack handle out and crank the cans down, fill your tank and crank the empty cans back up.

The only thing I can think of that might be an issue would be trying to fill the tank with weight of a 10 gallon can. Probably two 5 gallon cans that stack on top of each other would be easier to use.

I've heard of people mounting spare gas tanks where the tire used to sit, but the problems with that, IMO, are (a) spare gas tanks are expensive due to the R&D and all the safety and emissions plumbing. Also (b) They would also have to be tailored to each specific vehicle and finally (c) they would have to be installed, plumbed into the existing fuel system, etc.

So is this idea crazy or what? I know there's only a limited number of people who this would appeal to but I think it's an idea that's worth merit.

 

[evldave]

I was looking at a thread on the Tiregate a few weeks ago, and I thought to myself "if I had a Tiregate, I could stop carrying my spare under the truck. Which would leave that space open for cargo..."

Then I looked at my RotoPax can, which has a hole in the center for a mounting bracket and I thought about this:

Since most vehicles that carry the spare under the rear use a simple chain or cable with a collar, that can then be cranked up or down (usually with the jack handle) somebody should make a plastic, roto-pax style of can with a hole in the center that would mimic the size and shape of a spare tire and would be hoisted up into place using the stock spare tire hanger.

That way, you could put the spare on the tailgate (with a custom bumper or tiregate-type of carrier) or on the roof of your vehicle and use the space that was vacated for extra fuel.

Weight would not be an issue since most spare tires for big SUVs weigh in the neighborhood of 60-80 lbs. Gas weighs about 7 lbs/gallon so there's no reason why you couldn't have up to 10 gallons of gas, which would weigh about the same.

It would be well protected against road damage (if it was made out of the same heavy-duty roto-formed plastic as RotoPax cans) and out-of-sight. It would also be out of the sun which would reduce expansion caused by heat.

When you need gas, get the jack handle out and crank the cans down, fill your tank and crank the empty cans back up.

The only thing I can think of that might be an issue would be trying to fill the tank with weight of a 10 gallon can. Probably two 5 gallon cans that stack on top of each other would be easier to use.

I've heard of people mounting spare gas tanks where the tire used to sit, but the problems with that, IMO, are (a) spare gas tanks are expensive due to the R&D and all the safety and emissions plumbing. Also (b) They would also have to be tailored to each specific vehicle and finally (c) they would have to be installed, plumbed into the existing fuel system, etc.

So is this idea crazy or what? I know there's only a limited number of people who this would appeal to but I think it's an idea that's worth merit.

That would be a great idea! I think it was Mercedes Benz who had a spare tire gas tank many years ago.

Not sure the size of the rotopax, but couldn't you just build a 'sling' that holds a couple rotopax and then hoist up the sling?

 

[proper4wd]

Whats the advantage over leaving the spare in the stock location, and using the gate for fuel cans? You still have the same amount of stuff in the same places.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Ya, that's my thought too. What's the point? You're more likely to need the fuel than the spare. Why make the fuel more difficult to get at and possibly more vulnerable to damage?

 

[IKE2013]

The idea is sound, but I would rather pop a spare on a rock that a gas can. Looks and design ingenuity is really the only benefit I could see. I would get the can carriers for the rear. It is a neat thought!

 

[cwsqbm]

Whats the advantage over leaving the spare in the stock location, and using the gate for fuel cans? You still have the same amount of stuff in the same places.

With a lifted truck having bigger tires, the spare tire might not fit in the stock location.

By the way, this sort of already exists - Titan showed it at SEMA last month.

 

[Dazrin]

"Whats the advantage over leaving the spare in the stock location, and using the gate for fuel cans? You still have the same amount of stuff in the same places. "

Larger than stock tires may not fit in the stock spare location so you need to put it elsewhere.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Whats the advantage over leaving the spare in the stock location, and using the gate for fuel cans? You still have the same amount of stuff in the same places.

Ya, that's my thought too. What's the point? You're more likely to need the fuel than the spare. Why make the fuel more difficult to get at and possibly more vulnerable to damage?

Other guys beat me to it. My oversized spare won't fit in the stock location.

 

[Jr_Explorer]

By the way, this sort of already exists - Titan showed it at SEMA last month.

View attachment 197086

Well Martinjmpr another million dollar idea that some big conglomerate beat you too! I hate when that happens. Seriously though that Titan tank looks like a great implementation of your idea Martin. Looks like one could easily use this on their diesel rig as a gas tank for motorcycles or ATV's al la the "fuel stations" on toy haulers.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Well Martinjmpr another million dollar idea that some big conglomerate beat you too! I hate when that happens. Seriously though that Titan tank looks like a great implementation of your idea Martin. Looks like one could easily use this on their diesel rig as a gas tank for motorcycles or ATV's al la the "fuel stations" on toy haulers.

I didn't see a price but given that this is a permanent-mount and that it has an electronic transfer pump, I'd guess it would be quite expensive (somewhere north of $500 would be my WAG.)

I'm thinking my idea using a RotoPax style can shouldn't cost more than maybe $100 with a 5 gallon capacity and stacking 2 on top of each other (which should be about equal to the thickness of a stock spare tire) would add 10 gallons of fuel and really no increase in weight over the stock spare.

Of course, $100 is still quite a bit more than most generic 5 gallon cans, but for the ease and convenience of being able to store it in an SUV safely and securely, it would be worth it to me, at least. FWIW I paid $80/each for two THREE gallon RotoPax cans just to have the convenience of a rugged, flat storage can I could put on the roof.

 

[fishEH]

I'm all for maximizing storage space but I'm not a fan of this idea. Why put the fuel in a place that's inaccessible and is subject to road debris, salt, and mud? Why not just mount it on the spare tire that's mounted to the swing away carrier??

 

[mep1811]

How about doing some plumbing and fit a water tank in there. You can plumb in a filler from the bumper and put in a 12 volt water pump or use a foot pump.

 

[Jr_Explorer]

I didn't see a price but given that this is a permanent-mount and that it has an electronic transfer pump, I'd guess it would be quite expensive (somewhere north of $500 would be my WAG.)

I'm thinking my idea using a RotoPax style can shouldn't cost more than maybe $100 with a 5 gallon capacity and stacking 2 on top of each other (which should be about equal to the thickness of a stock spare tire) would add 10 gallons of fuel and really no increase in weight over the stock spare.

Of course, $100 is still quite a bit more than most generic 5 gallon cans, but for the ease and convenience of being able to store it in an SUV safely and securely, it would be worth it to me, at least. FWIW I paid $80/each for two THREE gallon RotoPax cans just to have the convenience of a rugged, flat storage can I could put on the roof.

True... Your idea (and it looks like a good one to me) addresses a slightly different market. Get on it!

How about doing some plumbing and fit a water tank in there. You can plumb in a filler from the bumper and put in a 12 volt water pump or use a foot pump.

Also a good idea!