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Second Gas Tank

15K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  bduvall 
#1 ·
I am looking for some information on getting a second Gas tank for my truck to install in the truck bed to extend the range of my truck. How possible is this? I have read around the internet that you can simply buy a kit that has a hose that feeds into the fuel neck of your orginal gas tank and it is fed by gravity. Does anyone have any experience in this?
 
#2 ·
Many ways to do this.

I added two saddle tanks to a pickup. The tanks fit under the side of the bed in front of the tire. The tank filler was accessed through the wheel well.

Added electric valves with returns and even switched over the fuel gage to read the level in the current tank.
 
#6 ·
most of the stuff I am finding on the internet like the toolbox gas tanks and the aux pump that goes with it says it is only intended for disel. Would I still be able to use this stuff with unleaded gasoline. I know it is not approved to have a gasoline tank stored in the bed of my truck due to epa regulations etc.
 
#7 ·
Most of it is the regulations, they don't have any sort of vapor recovery. Sitting in the direct sun they are going to have to vent somewhere. Patching into your existing system would make problems. Next thing check engine light would be on.

I have seen them in off road vehicles so the tank isn't hanging under the truck, but again not exactly something street legal.

Probably better off finding one you can put under the truck.
 
#8 ·
Depends on your truck btw, check the connection styles on the gas pump, filter, fuel rail. Easy work if there all hose and clamp style but most newer cars have goofy connections youll need to replicate and be able to safetly pump, in general up to 60 psi thru to make it all work out.

Never though about it i guess but easiest way i could see doing it on modern cars would be add a tank and aux. pump to just transfer into the main tank, maybe thru fill neck overflow or maybe the return line w/ motor off?

Maybe its work looking for a kit for your car if its newer. Maybe easier. Good luck, keep us posted
 
#12 ·
check out JC whitney and LMC Truck.

FWIW, i have two pickups. they both have in-bed tanks. each 60 gallons. one is a steel "L" tank that came with a hand pump for $300.00. not too bad of a deal.

my other one is an aluminum tank and toolbox combo. it was in need of repair and needs a pump. after the repair I will buy a diesel transfer pump from harbor freight for 129.00. the tank was 50.00.

BTW, gasoline requires an "intrinsically safe" fuel pump. to avoid blowing up the neighborhood.
 
#11 ·
I saw in a later post that you acknowledged that many of the truck bed tanks were for diesel - - - so I assume that your truck runs on gasoline (although I don't see where you ever said what fuel you run on). But it would have been helpful if you would have included that information.

The trucks that are sold with duel fuel tanks for gasoline powered trucks are typically factory installed. The tanks are welded to the frame of the truck, and then there is a switch to change between tank 1 to tank 2. Most folks would not want to install this feature as an after-market item, as the expense of removing the existing fuel tank and ALL residual fuel to allow the welding in place and proper wiring and plumbing between the two tanks. This is not an easy, NOR safe task for the unskilled. I wouldn't want someone doing this to my truck unless they were experienced installing the 2nd tank, and since it isn't done much, you won't find the experienced installer (what came first, the chicken or the egg scenario).

OK, how about thinking of this issue in a different way. A friend of mine recently dropped by my place after he added a propane tank in his truck bed. A gasoline truck can be made to run on either gasoline or propane fairly easily. He paid about $800 for a 100 gallon propane tank that takes up a little less than 1/2 the truck bed. In the cab of the truck, he has a switch to move between gasoline to propane. He gets less MPG on propane (about 80% of the gasoline MPG), but he can go about 1,000 miles on propane, and another 400 miles on his gasoline tank. The real benefit is that he has two different type of fuels that he can run on. Doubles the options if SHTF and gas stations are out of gas.

Option 2, is to get a diesel truck and put the truck bed tank in. I have a friend in the construction business who fills up his 100 gallon tank in his truck bed, and there is a hand crank pump to transfer the diesel to his bobcat or other equipment on the jobsite. Or if needed, he can simply put the hose into his own truck tank and transfer the diesel from his truck bed tank into his factory installed fuel tank.

I hope this helps.

Good luck - - - would like to know what you ultimately decide and if you come up with another alternative for your additional fuel tank desire.
 
#17 ·
The trucks that are sold with duel fuel tanks for gasoline powered trucks are typically factory installed. The tanks are welded to the frame of the truck, and then there is a switch to change between tank 1 to tank 2. Most folks would not want to install this feature as an after-market item, as the expense of removing the existing fuel tank and ALL residual fuel to allow the welding in place and proper wiring and plumbing between the two tanks. This is not an easy, NOR safe task for the unskilled. I wouldn't want someone doing this to my truck unless they were experienced installing the 2nd tank, and since it isn't done much, you won't find the experienced installer (what came first, the chicken or the egg scenario).
Just a little correction on this.In over 20 yrs as a mechanic I've never seen a fuel tank welded to a frame.Fuel tanks are all held to the vehicle with straps for the most part with the odd one actually having holes in the seam for bolts to fit through to bolt to the frame.Tanks can't be welded to the frame as the constant flexing of the frame will break the welds and the tank will land on the ground in short order.Welding anything to the frame is bad from a structural point of view.Drilling holes and bolting on brackets is much better.That's why crossmembers,spring hangers,cab mounts etc are bolted/riveted in place.

The only welding involving the actual tank itself might be in soldering in a new pipe nipple to attach a hose to transfer fuel between tanks and even that is usually not necessary.
Soldering in a pipe on a tank that has already contained gas is not for the faint of heart or the uninformed.I've done it more times than I want to think about but I worked in a shop that sold gas tanks back when we used to have to solder the fill pipe in the tanks for every chevy car we did. If you screwed up the soldering job on the new fill pipe and it leaked then you had to fix it with fuel in the tank.There was a process involved,and it can be done, but if you don't know what you're doing it's something you shouldn't even consider trying on your own.
 
#13 ·
Unless you have a transfer license most of the time it is illegal to do so..... I would talk to a dealership for your vehicle and find out if it is an option for your vehicle from the factory and if it is have it installed by the dealer --- that way it will be an automatic transfer should you run out of fuel....... an in bed tank would/could be easily robbed
 
#14 ·
A Suburban or Tahoe factory tank will fit between the frame rails in place of the spare tire on most full size pickups. If your pickup is a Chevy it is darn near bolt in. If I remember correctly Suburban tanks are 30 gallons and Tahoes are 22. You will also need to move your spare into the pickup bed, however there are upright mounts that carry the spare against the bed side and more or less out of the way.
 
#16 ·
sorry for not clarifying guys, but I have a 2009 chevy silverado crew cab short bed. I called a dealer for transfer flow today and they said that transfer flow does not make a transfer tank for chevys yet, but I can get a external tank with a handpump from transfer flow
 
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