Fuel tank in place of my spare tire???

jaross

Member
Like a round Rotapax would be perfect. I have found a few options which are way too expensive. I don't need anything fancy, just a doughnut shaped tank I can lower and use to fill my vehicles tank in an emergency. 5-10 gallons would probably be okay. My van is a ford transit. I have a set of 5 oversized tires so I can no longer fit my spare in the spare spot anyway. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
Last edited:

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
If you have a 2" receiver hitch you could get Wilco hitch mounted spare tire carrier that can accommodate two 5 gallon gas cans.
 

jaross

Member
I do have a 2" hitch mount, but im trying to make use of the no longer used space from the spare underneath. I also have other uses for my hitch. I know that the Wilco can have another hitch receiver installed on it too. I might consider that, but a company called Owl Vans is supposed to be coming out with a nice spare mount which installs on the rear hinges of one of the rear doors, leaving my hitch open for other things
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
I do have a 2" hitch mount, but im trying to make use of the no longer used space from the spare underneath. I also have other uses for my hitch. I know that the Wilco can have another hitch receiver installed on it too. I might consider that, but a company called Owl Vans is supposed to be coming out with a nice spare mount which installs on the rear hinges of one of the rear doors, leaving my hitch open for other things

The Wilco has a second hitch built into the carrier so there is nothing to add. I'd rather have all that weight on a frame mounted hitch than on body mounted door hinges.
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
You can see if a spare tire well gas tank from the Sprinter Store fits or put in a Worthington spare tire propane tank. The Internet is full of options.
 

jaross

Member
I googled before posting for sure.. most of these options are way more expensive then I could justify. I feel like a plastic, doughnut-shaped tank shouldn't be more then $200. I don't need a system to feed the fuel. It would just be for emergency. If I need it, I would lower it like a spare and then use a spout to empty it into my vehicle fuel tank. I may go with another option (such as that fuel caddy) but the point in posting this question was to figure out something to do with the empty space where my stock spare tire was. In all likelihood, I will probably just do two 3.5g Fuelpax in that spot and call it good

That spare wheel replacement propane fuel tank is pretty neat, (although pretty pricey). I wish I had known about that before I mounted my manchester underneath, although I still may have gone with the manchester. I also wonder how you get it filled. Do you have to figure out some sort of remote fill port?
 

jaross

Member
The Wilco has a second hitch built into the carrier so there is nothing to add. I'd rather have all that weight on a frame mounted hitch than on body mounted door hinges.
This might be a good option. One hesitation I have is sticking out too far interfering with approach angles but I understand you can get an adapter to raise the hitch point
 

jaross

Member
If you are not cycling your spare fuel, that fuel will spoil at some point.. sooner or later...keep that in mind when considering the cheap option workload to maintain spare fuel that actually is useful when you need it...

As well, the moment impact of the weight of fuel increases the farther you place the arm rear of the axle... adds up fast... check tires, wheels, and axle rating as you go along

What is your current range of fuel on board?

I realize that about spare fuel, thanks.

Current range is about 400mi, conservatively. Its not a huge tank..
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
This might be a good option. One hesitation I have is sticking out too far interfering with approach angles but I understand you can get an adapter to raise the hitch point

Rock crawling ? I doubt you will hit it with a van unless you are where you might not want to be in the first place.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,533
Messages
2,875,605
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top