Opinion on auxilary fuel tank

[deltadude]

I found a used Taylor Wings toolbox/fuel tank combo for sale near me for a pretty good price. It's a 45 gallon tank. It's the type with a fuel hose and nozzle.
Aside from the fact that you have to exit the vehicle to fill the truck's tank, are there any other negatives to this type of setup?

[SteveC7010]

I found a used Taylor Wings toolbox/fuel tank combo for sale near me for a pretty good price. It's a 45 gallon tank. It's the type with a fuel hose and nozzle.
Aside from the fact that you have to exit the vehicle to fill the truck's tank, are there any other negatives to this type of setup?
You don't have your trailer listed in a signature so we don't know if you have a TT or 5er. If it is a fifth wheel, and the fuel hose, etc. sticks up above the bedrails, you may be creating a clearance issue. Same for the toolbox. Most of us with 5ers lean towards the in-bed boxes that don't protrude up above the bed rails, especially if we have short beds.

I live in the foothills of the Adirondacks where there are lots of loggers and other outdoor work types. About every third or fourth truck has a fuel tank with the nozzle and pump crank sticking up out of the bed. Seems like a pretty popular setup to me.

I'm tight for space between the fifth wheel and the in-bed tool box. If I could fit a similar tank and pump in there, I would.

[deltadude]

I guess I should update my profile. I have a bumper pull trailer and will most likely always have that style. The setup is a flush mount to the bed.

[bsmith0404]

The only negatives with that type that I can think of is the tool box portion is typically pretty small, but if you don't have a tool box now, it's still more than what you have. Personally, I'd pull the pump out and replace it with a cap and then run hoses and an electric pump to the OE tank overflow hose for filling. It's easy to do and much better for making the tank useful for you especially if you don't have any intentions to use it for fueling other vehicles.

[Campy]

I added a 37 gallon tank to my truck and when I bought the tank new I welded in a bung for a fitting to drain into the main tank. It has a small valve that I open and it refills the tank as I drive. Love it for long drives!

[hankpage]

I have a comfortable cruising range of 700/800mi solo and 300/400mi towing. My bladder has a comfort range of 250/300mi ..... never had the need to carry more weight and loose bed space. If I had to I would consider an over-sized replacement tank first. Truck stops are open 24/7/365. JM2¢, Hank

[bsmith0404]

I have a comfortable cruising range of 700/800mi solo and 300/400mi towing. My bladder has a comfort range of 250/300mi ..... never had the need to carry more weight and loose bed space. If I had to I would consider an over-sized replacement tank first. Truck stops are open 24/7/365. JM2¢, Hank

Oversized replacements for the OE tanks (65 gal) run in the $1500 range, about double to triple the price of an auxiliary tank to only gain 30 gallons. The bladder range is a constraint on driving range, but my bladder doesn't dictate the price I pay for fuel. Depends on how far and where a person goes on trips. With my 70 gal aux tank, I can plan a trip and fuel in locations with the cheapest prices. Many times saving 20-25 cents per gallon over bladder and OE tank range. I can go 2000 miles unloaded and 1000 loaded. I have easily paid for my tank 2-3 times over, but I put on a lot of miles so I'm an unusual situation. My break even point for my tank on fuel cost savings was about 22k miles.

[notanlines]

We added the 46 gallon aftermarket aluminum fuel tank and piped it in using the kit supplied with the tank. Makes for a total usable gallonage of 65-70 gallons. This is an RDS brand tank and total with shipping was about $450.00. We only buy fuel every other day if we want. :D

[deltadude]

Thanks for the replies. I called back and he had sold it about 15 minutes prior to my call. I'll keep looking but will keep an open mind. I did see a couple of the other types that connect in line. I also looked at the Northern Tool website and on You tube at a few different versions.

[bsmith0404]

Northern Tool has some nice tanks with good prices. I went with an ATTA (Aluminum Tank and Tank Accessories) tank. Theirs are a little more money, but they have a float and you can add a fuel gauge with them (I found mine on craigslist for about 1/2 price). They also have a kit which you can wire into your truck that will automatically turn the pump on when your tank gets down to 1/2 full and shuts the pump off when it gets to 3/4. If you ever drop below 1/2 you know the aux tank is empty. Personally, I just have mine set up through a Holley gravity pump ($45 at Autozone). I run the pump for about 15 seconds, it creates a siphon and then will continue to fill the tank through the siphon while I drive. Every now and then it'll break siphon so I turn the pump back on for a few seconds to get it going again. Real easy to set up. If you get a tank and want more info, PM me.

[theallde]

I replaced the stock 26 gallon fuel tank with a 50 gallon Titan Fuel Tank and could not be happier. I still have the full bed for storage "plus" a longer driving range.

[notanlines]

A short story and then a question. A friend is towing a super-lite 5th wheel and has a gasoline engine. He was told by the RV dealer that 11-14 should be his mileage. Now that he has gotten home he and momma did he REAL math and got 8.1 over 2600 miles. :eek: What he is sad mostly over is his truck only has a 26 gallon tank. Anybody have any experience with installing an upright auxiliary "gasoline" tank in the bed. Neither of them are thrilled with stopping every 160 miles to refuel. Many thanks to all.

[jsmith948]

Titan builds replacement under cab tanks. 45 gal, not cheap and will decrease available payload.

[Bob Landry]

A short story and then a question. A friend is towing a super-lite 5th wheel and has a gasoline engine. He was told by the RV dealer that 11-14 should be his mileage. Now that he has gotten home he and momma did he REAL math and got 8.1 over 2600 miles. :eek: What he is sad mostly over is his truck only has a 26 gallon tank. Anybody have any experience with installing an upright auxiliary "gasoline" tank in the bed. Neither of them are thrilled with stopping every 160 miles to refuel. Many thanks to all.

Your friend must have a Tundra. I also had one and traded it for a F250. I replaced the stock tank with an aftermarket tank from Transfer Flow and went from 26 to 47 gallon capacity. I never could why Tundra would build a truck advertised to pull 10K lbs, witch it does very well and put a 26 gallon gas tank on it. Go figure. But I also don'r understand why they don't put a capable suspension under it and get into the 3/4 ton truck market. It's got the power, just not the payload.

[deltadude]

I searched the site and thought there was a solution to my problem but I can't find it.
I did a test of my auxiliary tank by putting 10 gallons in it. When my stock tank got to about 1/2 a tank, I turned on the valve to drain the auxiliary into the main. Sure enough, it worked great. Problem now is my fuel gauge is no longer accurate. When it shows close to empty, I'm only getting about 18 gallons in my truck tank. I thought I had read somewhere about a fix for trucks that had computers that compile mileage data.

[notanlines]

Deltadude, I'm wondering why you leave your valve closed at all from your auxiliary tank.....I leave the valve open all the time, I fill the original tank first, then fill the big tank, obviously not opening the fuel cap on the original tank. When the big tank runs out the gauge starts then to move off the full mark towards empty.

[bsmith0404]

A short story and then a question. A friend is towing a super-lite 5th wheel and has a gasoline engine. He was told by the RV dealer that 11-14 should be his mileage. Now that he has gotten home he and momma did he REAL math and got 8.1 over 2600 miles. :eek: What he is sad mostly over is his truck only has a 26 gallon tank. Anybody have any experience with installing an upright auxiliary "gasoline" tank in the bed. Neither of them are thrilled with stopping every 160 miles to refuel. Many thanks to all.

In bed auxiliary gasoline tanks are not authorized for safety reasons. You will not find anyone who manufacturers them. Replacing the original tank with something like a Titan 60 gal is the only option.

Deltadude, I'm wondering why you leave your valve closed at all from your auxiliary tank.....I leave the valve open all the time, I fill the original tank first, then fill the big tank, obviously not opening the fuel cap on the original tank. When the big tank runs out the gauge starts then to move off the full mark towards empty.

Same here, but I don't use the gravity valve, I run mine through a gravity pump with a return line from the stock overflow line to the aux tank. After you run the pump for a few seconds, it will establish a siphon and drain the aux tank into the main as you drive.

[deltadude]

I figured I would just use the auxiliary when we would pull the trailer. I didn't really think of using it for daily use. I'll give that a try.

[bsmith0404]

Now that I'm no longer transporting, I fill my aux tank whenever I find a great price on diesel or we are going on a trip. Other than that, I just use the main tank for around town stuff. Hard to justify 2000 miles worth of diesel sitting in a tank if it's going to take several months to burn through it.

[Cyncwby]

Retired cop here....one other thing to consider that most folks don't think about with the big aux tank and pump/hose showing. No good chicken sh-- thieves, I had 2 calls that I can remember where guys got there diesel tanks emptied and one even got the hose stolen along with it. Both trucks were sitting in thier driveways at night. Point is....doesn't pay to advertise.

[gearhead]

A short story and then a question. A friend is towing a super-lite 5th wheel and has a gasoline engine. He was told by the RV dealer that 11-14 should be his mileage. Now that he has gotten home he and momma did he REAL math and got 8.1 over 2600 miles. :eek: What he is sad mostly over is his truck only has a 26 gallon tank. Anybody have any experience with installing an upright auxiliary "gasoline" tank in the bed. Neither of them are thrilled with stopping every 160 miles to refuel. Many thanks to all.
I replaced the factory 35? gallon frame mounted under body gas tank on our Class C with a 55? gallon in the same location. I did it by myself with jacks and cribbing. In a barn in July in Texas.
That was in the 1980's and I was a bit younger.
It wasn't a bad job, just some other time of the year would have been smarter.

[bsmith0404]

Retired cop here....one other thing to consider that most folks don't think about with the big aux tank and pump/hose showing. No good chicken sh-- thieves, I had 2 calls that I can remember where guys got there diesel tanks emptied and one even got the hose stolen along with it. Both trucks were sitting in thier driveways at night. Point is....doesn't pay to advertise.

I agree. I don't have the hose and transfer pump on mine, just a locking cap. The pump I use to move fuel from the tank to the main tank is a small electric, controlled from a toggle on the dash. I keep it hidden down near the floor inside the bed. My setup sits low enough in the truck that I'm probably going to add a tonneau cover as well.

[flybynight]

I just traded in my 2011 F350 SRW for a 2016 F350 DRW. It has 35 gallon tank, but I've been considering an aux tank. I pull a TT Toy Hauler but I also have a cap on the bed.

I've been looking at how to get an aux tank on but the only real option seems to be the spare tire replacement tank, but I still have a problem: it requires putting a 2nd filler cap in the side of the bed, where I would like to not have to do this. I guess there's an option to have the filler on the inside of the bed, but I'm having a difficult time imagining how I would need to drop the rear gate (with a trailer attached) in order to fill the tank while on the road.

I think what I would really want is a tank in the front of the bed and somehow be able to fill it through the slide window of the cap or mount the filler on the cap (but that presents problems if I want to remove the cap).

Anybody ever seen any other alternatives for a P/U with a cap on it and still have an aux tank?

I would like to keep the OEM tank on the truck itself. (It's a brand new truck afterall and I don't want to void any warranty, if possible).

Thanks,
FBN

[JRTJH]

An inbed auxillary fuel tank would probably give you more "total fuel" as you can install most any size ahead of your fifth wheel hitch. But, the cap (you didn't indicate if it was a tonneau cover or a full size cap) will interfere with adding fuel whether you're towing or solo as long as the cap is in place. Most of the "spare tire tanks" are 26 gallons and, as you said, you'll be faced with where to locate the fuel fill access.

Have you considered Titan's "direct replacement tank"?? It is a 67 gallon total capacity, that's 31 gallons more than your current tank and 5 gallons more than your current tank and the "spare tire tank". Granted, it's a "pricey" option, but then it's also a "one time install and done with it" with none of the "plumbing issues or fuel transfer issues" that you'd have with two tanks.

Something to consider, and it's almost double your current 36 gallons. Not an easy option to spend that kind of money, but...... Good Luck :)

[bsmith0404]

I assume you are talking about a regular topper type bed cap since you said you might be able to fill the tank through a side window.

I'd don't see why you couldn't add a piece of hose from the aux tank fill neck and run it to the side of the topper. You could then install a filler neck in the side of the topper and connect the hose. That would only require disconnecting the hose to remove the topper and reinstalling the aux tank fuel cap. I'm sure any quality machine shop could weld a filler neck to a mounting plate that would allow you to install it in the side of the topper and would accept a standard locking fuel cap. A nice aluminum mounting ring on each side of the topper would allow a sandwich type installation and would look very nice. Hope this makes sense.

[flybynight]

Thank you Brent and John.

Yes, the cap is full cap (is the same vertial height as the cab). I think putting in a filler cap in the fiberglass cap is preferable to drilling a hole in the side of the bed.

Re: only additional 26 gallons from a spare tire tank. That amount would be sufficient for me. What I'm looking for is to get the same range on 1 fill-up when I'm towing as when I'm not - maybe ~500 miles. There are some pretty long stretches in the Mid-West (like through Nebraska) that I get pretty nervous about running out of fuel, especially since I travel mostly at night - and sometimes there aren't many options for refueling late night/early morning. My GPS was a real life-saver on my last trip since I could locate stations fairly easily.

Now I just have to solve one additional "requirement". The truck also does normal truck duties as well and that means occassionally hauling 4x8 sheets of material. With an in-bed tank, I've seen tanks that "rest" on the bed sides and are suspended from (i.e. don't rest on) the bottom of the bed, but in my case with a Cap, resting on the bed sides in not an option. But doing this would allow me to slide a full 4x8 sheet under the tank when needed. It's normally only a couple of sheets so I only need maybe 4" max.

I have until the Spring to figure this out. That's when my next long trip is going to be.

Thanks,
Jim

[JRTJH]

If money is not a "critical factor", check this out: https://titanfueltanks.com/shop/ford-crew-cab-long-bed-super-series-2011-2012/

[bsmith0404]

You could weld a cross beam into the side of the bed and support the tank on that leaving a few inches underneath for plywood. As for locations for fuel, I always planned my trips using the Pilot/Flying J website. It shows station locations by state, highway, and exit. Also shows fuel prices at each. Even out west there weren't many spots where you didn't have a station every 100 miles or so. I planned the entire trip prior to leaving, knew exactly where I was stopping and what exit it was at.

[Larry1013]

I just traded in my 2011 F350 SRW for a 2016 F350 DRW. It has 35 gallon tank, but I've been considering an aux tank. I pull a TT Toy Hauler but I also have a cap on the bed.

I've been looking at how to get an aux tank on but the only real option seems to be the spare tire replacement tank, but I still have a problem: it requires putting a 2nd filler cap in the side of the bed, where I would like to not have to do this. I guess there's an option to have the filler on the inside of the bed, but I'm having a difficult time imagining how I would need to drop the rear gate (with a trailer attached) in order to fill the tank while on the road.

I think what I would really want is a tank in the front of the bed and somehow be able to fill it through the slide window of the cap or mount the filler on the cap (but that presents problems if I want to remove the cap).

Anybody ever seen any other alternatives for a P/U with a cap on it and still have an aux tank?

I would like to keep the OEM tank on the truck itself. (It's a brand new truck afterall and I don't want to void any warranty, if possible).

Thanks,
FBN

I have the Titan 65 gallon replacement tank on my truck. The tank won't void the warranty of your truck. The only expense you might incur would be additional charge to replace the fuel tank pump assembly due to increase size of tank and maybe extra time to perform the work. But, personally, I don't see why it should cost more. There are some dealers that have been known to do the replacement work for their customers.

[dcg9381]

Magnison Moss makes sure that aftermarket parts that aren't causing problems don't "void" the rest of the warranty... If they do cause a direct issue, that's different.

Why would a larger tank necessitate a fuel pump replacement? The pump does have to come out, but why replace it?

[bsmith0404]

Magnison Moss makes sure that aftermarket parts that aren't causing problems don't "void" the rest of the warranty... If they do cause a direct issue, that's different.

Why would a larger tank necessitate a fuel pump replacement? The pump does have to come out, but why replace it?

I believe he was stating that the pump MAY have to come out due to the different tank size. The pump is part of the pick up so if the depth of the tank is different it would require a longer pick up tube/assembly. If I remember correctly from when I looked at them Titan kits come with everything that is required for installation, they're just too expensive for my pockets.

[Laredo291OH]

Hi Jim,

I was looking around on the Titan fuel tank website and found this in the scratch and dent area, seems exactly what you were looking for.

https://titanfueltanks.com/shop/riser-for-60-gallon-in-bed-tank/

[HDCVO]

I have the Titan 65 gallon tank. It replaces the OEM tank. Uses OEM fuel pump. My dealer installed and reprogramed computer for 65 gallon. Works flawlessly. I have traveled over 30K miles since install, and not a single issue. My next truck will have the same setup. Yes, a little pricey, however I have saved a lot on fuel cost due to being able to bypass some areas where diesel is higher. Also like the convenience of fewer fuel stops and stopping at rest areas as opposed to stopping at truck stops.

Ken

[dcg9381]

I believe he was stating that the pump MAY have to come out due to the different tank size. The pump is part of the pick up so if the depth of the tank is different it would require a longer pick up tube/assembly. If I remember correctly from when I looked at them Titan kits come with everything that is required for installation, they're just too expensive for my pockets.

Ahh.. gotcha. On many of the fuel pumps I've messed with the pickup depth is adjustable at one place or another, but I understand that might not be true for all pumps. As an OEM pump can run well into big bucks, probably good to figure out up front.

An extended tank is on my list and I don't want to sacrifice bed space, so that likely means $$.

[Larry1013]

Magnison Moss makes sure that aftermarket parts that aren't causing problems don't "void" the rest of the warranty... If they do cause a direct issue, that's different.

Why would a larger tank necessitate a fuel pump replacement? The pump does have to come out, but why replace it?

The "fuel pump replacement" reference pertained to "should the pump fail" and the dealer had to replace it under warranty, they might try to charge the owner a fee due to the extra fuel that might be in the tank at repair time and the time to drain the tank.

[Tinman97423]

I have been using a KSH fuel/tool combo for more than 7 years. It has it's own pump and is FLAT on top. Nothing above the bed rail. It holds 65 gals along with the main tank I can get about 1000 mile range. I am retired so no need for very much tool space. When I have a need I just use a "A" frame set up that spans the width of the bed and lift it out. I like the pump system because I have use it in three different trucks. For power to the pump motor I wired direct from the battery under the truck to the bed with a trailer 4 way plug (use just two wires 1 hot 1 ground) (ground just from frame under tank)that I just plug in when needed. That way I just refill main tank when needed.

[dcg9381]

So I've started shopping for one.. Busted out the measuring tape today and surprisingly there are not a lot of options for a short bed pickup (megacab) with a 5th wheel sliding hitch installed. I've got about 17" from the front of that hitch setup to front of the bed...

I may go with one of the "sidekick" tanks from Titan, but they're only 15 gallons.

Looking under the truck, there's a good 12-16" where the fuel tank should be expanded, but if I replace the whole thing, I start losing ground clearance and a plastic fuel thank hanging down isn't on my desirable list...

[Drew Waller]

I got mine from Northern Tool on line in 2013. It's been on with gravity feed ever since. At 55' long I pick out truck stops that are easy to get in and out of easily. 97 gallons on board when I'm full. Use to hurt when fuel was almost $5.00 per gal.

[darrylwt]

I was going to add a tank in the bed under the bed locker roll up box area and it was going to be 30 Gal and my stock tank is 36 and it was going to be $1900 but I found a OEM replacement for $1400 installed and it will have 70 Gal. and I keep the room in the truck bed for my junk. LOL

[darrylwt]

If money is not a "critical factor", check this out: https://titanfueltanks.com/shop/ford-crew-cab-long-bed-super-series-2011-2012/

I had a Titan 52 gal. gas tank in my old truck it was a 2006 Chevy 2500HD crew cab short bed and it was a great tank. I think I paid around $1250.00 installed with the skid plate added.

I am looking at a place in So. Cal. called Aero Tanks for $1400 installed and it's a 70 Gal. tank for a long bed Chevy.

http://www.aerotanks.com/inventory/c70.html