What size upgraded fuel tank recommended?

[boostin]

I know this is a fairly open ended question but I am wondering what size fuel tank people usually upgrade to?

I have the opportunity to purchase approx 24" x 48" cylindrical tank..the guy does not know but guesses 400l

Is this to big? I know I don't have to fill it all the way but would be nice if needed

 

[SkiFreak]

I don't know about your side of the planet, but a general rule of thumb here is that a 4x4 vehicle that is intended for extended off-road travel should have sufficient fuel to do at least 1000KM (620 miles).
Obviously, if you know your fuel consumption it is easy to work out how much fuel you need to meet that requirement.
Personally, I have a higher fuel capacity than that which gives me about 1500KM.

I am not a big fan of round tanks, as they are not very space efficient. A rectangular tank will normally give more fuel capacity in a smaller space.

 

[Pilat]

1500km, wow that's a lot!

 

[SkiFreak]

It is advantageous having a decent fuel capacity here.
In the middle of our country we have a whole lot of nothing. Fuel is normally available, but at highly inflated prices compared to buying fuel in a city or large town.
When designing my fuel system I worked on a worst case scenario of 20L/100KM, so my 300 litres (1 x 200L & 1 x 100L tanks) should give me a range of 1500KM, which allows me to travel where I want to go and still buy my fuel at a decent price.

 

[whatcharterboat]

I know this is a fairly open ended question but I am wondering what size fuel tank people usually upgrade to?

I have the opportunity to purchase approx 24" x 48" cylindrical tank..the guy does not know but guesses 400l

Is this to big? I know I don't have to fill it all the way but would be nice if needed

A 400l tank hanging off one side of a FG chassis. ...... Might be a bit ambitious I think. I saw a 320 litre square tank on a FG649 a few years back. It caused a severe list in the suspension and cracks all round the mounts. Remembering the 649's only have 4.5mm thick rails. Current FGs run slightly thicker rails but I still think that much weight concentrated in one spot would need extra special consideration.

Regards John

 

[boostin]

A 400l tank hanging off one side of a FG chassis. ...... Might be a bit ambitious I think. I saw a 320 litre square tank on a FG649 a few years back. It caused a severe list in the suspension and cracks all round the mounts. Remembering the 649's only have 4.5mm thick rails. Current FGs run slightly thicker rails but I still think that much weight concentrated in one spot would need extra special consideration.

Regards John

My truck is a 06 fe which is used for work with a flat deck so mostly high way

My plan was to actually mount it from the sub frame on the deck and not to the truck frame at all.

Maybe a 400l tank is being ambitious

 

[Alastair D(Aus)]

fuel tanks

I agree with Skifreak here (a worry) re the sizing of tanks.

I have always liked to have enough fuel so I can choose when to fill rather than have to. This is not just cost but also fuel quality. In Aus the distances are big and although the availability of fuel is now much better in remote regions due to the number of travellers, it is nice to have a safety margin. Sometimes you can arrive at a fuel point and find them without supplies due to a supplier failure or more usually prior weather events. I do often buy fuel in remote regions when I don't really need it just to support those living out there.

When I bought my NPS 300 it had the standard 125L round steel tank mounted on the chassis rail on the drivers (RH) side. This may be fine for the suburban environment but hopeless for any real travel. At best I would work on 15L/100km therefore say 800km full to dry. More likely 500 - 600km with a little left. I removed this tank and replaced it with two rectangular tanks ex FM 115 (I think) mounted on the chassis rails, one each side. I used the typical J type brackets but with some extra steel in the areas I thought were weak. I also added an extra brace to stop a slight springing I could induce by standing on the outside end of the brackets - given my weight this is a severe test. I had to have the senders rewound to match the fuel gauge and used an electric 2 way valve from the UK to select the fuel source.

I like the balanced weight and each tank is ~180L, so a total of about 360L. At 15L/~100km this equates to 2400km but I know from experience in my Landcruiser 4wd my fuel consumption can easily double due to conditions, so now down to 1200 -1500 in mixed conditions. I have yet to have experience in my truck when travelling long distances - still building, but this fuel range is my comfort range. The tanks do hang a little lower than the old one but are much more space efficient and give me more room for storage along the side. I know that Owen would prefer that I had hung them off the subframe and I agree in principle, but I am happy with the current setup. I do not plan to rock crawl and the clearance will improve when I upgrade the wheels to SS and perhaps go to the ATW parabolic suspension. I am waiting until I see what the ride is like with the finished weight.

I like 2 tanks for some redundancy in case of damage and fuel loss and also contamination. I am not having propane so the diesel is my engine and heating fuel. I am going electric for cooking inside with induction hot plate, microwave and toaster, so more fuel charging batteries as well as the solar. Outside I have a gas bbq which will typically be where we cook and also backup if inside fails.

sorry if I have strayed wide of the question.

 

[Pilat]

I know it's a big country, but 1500 and 2400km seems like you guys are preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Fuel in Australia can't be that bad out in the sticks. Do you often drive between 750 and 1200kms from a decent fuel peddler (i.e. the midpoint between two decent fuel stops spaced between 1500kms and 2400kms apart)?

I also don't get the idea of two fuel tanks in an attempt to stop bad fuel from stopping you, unless you also have filters and a clean switchover, as well as only go as far as one tank will allow you to get back to buy decent fuel.

 

[SkiFreak]

I also don't get the idea of two fuel tanks in an attempt to stop bad fuel from stopping you

You would understand if you lived in Australia.
Bad fuel is all too common here, especially for areas in the outback and those prone to flooding.
Many common rail diesels have been destroyed here by contaminated fuel and/or poor filtration. As much as you would like to think that the fuel you are buying is clean, you cannot always make that assumption. Better filtration and dual tank setups are just ways of improving your chances of getting from A to B.

 

[Pilat]

No, I'm saying, that unless you also do the other things I mentioned, two tanks will not save you, and that in case of a rupture as you also mention, for that to be effective redundancy, you can only use what amounts to what a single tank amounts to in your particular vehicle, otherwise it won't be actual redundancy.

Btw, I have been to Australia, bought a car and travelled for 8 months. Didn't have a problem with a far smaller fuel tank, although I did have to carry a couple of extra jerry cans for some of the journey. It was a petrol car, though. However, even if you did have two tanks, the size of them are still way up there, when you recommend to size them for 2400kms.

 

[Pilat]

I would think a smaller header tank to feed the engine and a filtration system between the header tank and the "storage" tank (i.e. fuel polishing) would be far better towards meeting your goals, and you would not need to carry around twice as much fuel as you would if you wanted true redundancy as in your setup.

Also, it would end the need for you from having to fill one tank up at one place and the other at some other place* (i.e. if you want two tanks to actually make a difference in and of themselves) all to take all the horrendous fuel into account.



*you do do that, right? Otherwise you're just dividing up the batch of (perhaps) bad fuel.

 

[pugslyyy]

I have 2 rectangular aluminum 50 gallon tanks which gives me a theoretical 1000 mile range but realistically i fill up every 700-800 miles. Its nice not having to worry about running low on fuel.

On trips it allows me to fill up where fuel is cheapest.

 

[SkiFreak]

I do not have a fully redundant fuel system, but Alastair does.
I upgraded my filtration system, but chose not to make each tank independent.

 

[boostin]

I have 2 rectangular aluminum 50 gallon tanks which gives me a theoretical 1000 mile range but realistically i fill up every 700-800 miles. Its nice not having to worry about running low on fuel.

On trips it allows me to fill up where fuel is cheapest.

Do you know what your tanks are from?

 

[Alastair D(Aus)]

No, I'm saying, that unless you also do the other things I mentioned, two tanks will not save you, and that in case of a rupture as you also mention, for that to be effective redundancy, you can only use what amounts to what a single tank amounts to in your particular vehicle, otherwise it won't be actual redundancy.

Btw, I have been to Australia, bought a car and travelled for 8 months. Didn't have a problem with a far smaller fuel tank, although I did have to carry a couple of extra jerry cans for some of the journey. It was a petrol car, though. However, even if you did have two tanks, the size of them are still way up there, when you recommend to size them for 2400kms.

Pilat,
In my response I did not recommended 2400km as a target range. I bought the 2 tanks because they were the right size and shape and gave me a capacity that was over 300L which was my aim. I calculated the range at 2400 at the best economy I expect to ever get but then said in the real world of mix travel conditions I expected to often get half that.

Re redundancy - my habit is to endeavour to keep one tank full of known good fuel and use and refill the other normally. I use the reserve tank either when needed for range, bad fuel or when it has been unused for say 3 months. I do the same for drinking water so I always have a good reserve. I also carry 20L of water in 2 x 10L plastic containers for emergency.

If you travel on the main routes in Australia fuel is readily available and a range such as mine is not needed. If you travel in remote regions, on hundreds of km of sandy tracks which is often what I do, then this sort of capacity is necessary.