Cheap Bed tank idea! Less than $300

Cheap Bend tank idea! Less than $300

I recently installed a new 36 gallon bed tank, and it gravity feeds into my main tank. I know that there may be better ways to do this, but it is doubtful that it can be done any cheaper. Please tell me what you think after you follow the link to my reader rigs page.



Scot



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?&userid=15271&albumid=1302

 

I like it. Apparently your not supposed to do it that way. Something about laws and overfilling.







Dennis

 

I got a saddle tank off a GMC dump truck at a local metal salvage yard for $37. 50. It holds 50 gallons. A pump and other hardware plus a fuel level gauge from Westach added a little over $150. The tank has a fuel level sending unit that works but has some problems so I will have to replace that. I rigged it so that it is fairly easy to remove if I want to haul something like rocks or top soil. I painted it black because I could not stand the old color which was Cat yellow.

 

You know I have a '93 GMC with a 6. 5 turbo in it, and have a 70 gallon gravity feed in it. Made it myself, I know it is illegal, but it jut looks like a tool box and is. Has the 2 lift doors on top, and to top it all off, a topper on the box. I never had a problem with it over filling the tank. Although I didn't like the room it took up in the box, and it is not fastened down, so that I can remove it easily. It is nice to carry 105 gallons with ya on a trip.

 

A family member did a similar setup and had an electric valve (solenoid) get stuck open and overfill the main tank by 6 gallons . Your manual valves should be okay except for the legal part.



This brings up a question for our Northern Neighbors - Does Canada care about added fuel tanks ?

 

I'll see your gravity feed....

And raise you an electric solenoid and a pump!



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Mine used to be strictly gravity feed, but I got a load of bad diesel that had a lot of crap in it, and the tank got plugged up. Can't get all the crap outta the tank (got most of it) so I put the filter in (no filter before, as the electric valve acted as one) and put a pump on. This is finally what I came up with for mounting the stuff the second time around. As you can see on my cross member, I drilled a bunch of holes before i got something that worked good for me.



Now I can flip my in-cab switch when my tank gets to 3/4 full, and be back to full in about 5 minutes. I only use this setup on my 900 mile journey home or when I drive to San Diego to see my sister. It works like a charm.



Oh, and the first time I used the pump setup, I didn't realize that the fuel gage lags so bad... All of a sudden I was running 18 PSI fuel pressure at 90 MPH cruising the highway. Finally realized that I was overfilling the main tank, and had pressurized it! Good fuel pressure though! Lost about 10 gallons on the highway and STILL got 14 MPG (when using the total 85 gallons that I can carry) on that 900 mile journey, pulling a U-Haul in a 40 MPH headwind!



My tank is in the bed, filler cap through my canopy, and vented to the outside via a "jimmy-rigged" setup. The fuel cap isn't vented, so I tapped into the filler neck and ran a hose and then a 90* hose barb out the front of the canopy... worked like a charm!



Josh

 

I am not real happy to find out that my system is illegal. But I guess I have chosen to live life on the edge.



I was thinking of adding a solenoid to the system, and placing it near the filter. This way I would have to open a valve and flip a switch inside the cab. That would keep someone from reaching in and overfilling my tank. I am not sure if I have room with the current configuration.



Scot







P. S. Is the system in the Previous post legal? And if so, is that because it is not just a simple gravity feed?

 

Mine is anything but legal!!! Not saying that it's illegal though.



There is plenty of room for you to add an electric valve, but you'd have to get rid of your hardline and make it out of fuel line instead... that will give you the bending capability you need.



As you can see in my pic, my valve is nothing more then a two-to-one switch. I just plug off the one input and then it becomes an on/off valve.



Josh



P. S. I believe to be legal it has to be checked and certified by the DOT of the state you're pickup is registered in. Yeah, like that's gonna happen in farm country!

 

I am all the government I need.

 

The government needs to stay out of our "beds".



Scot

 

Edited because other posts are now gone

 

I would like to install the fuel tank tool box combo that is offered by Northern Parts. I still haven't made up my mind how I want to plumb the system...



... might just pull off the road and siphon it



Seriously though, would closing off the main tank, adding a vent to the bed mounted tank and gravity feeding work?

 

I think the problem is the potential to overflow fuel all over the road, but you can do that even with a fancy system.

Scott's tank is no big worry as far a legality is concerned. I met a guy filling up a while back that had two 50 gallon hot water heaters laying on their side in is his bed with a couple of bricks to keep them from rolling. Had them plumbed together with what looked like garden hose to gravity feed into his tank. Said he could go 1500 miles between fillups.

 

Not to brag, but running the open highway at 85 MPH w/ my 80 gallons usable, I drive my 932 mile trip to school in one day, and then drive around at school for a week (200 miles) and when I fill I usually have 1/4 tank left, with the 50 gallon aux being empty. I like filling for $0. 70/gallon and getting 1200 miles out of it. Sure makes for a cheaper trip back to school.

 

Don't like to pee on anyones fire but if you get caught with that $0. 70 fuel your schooling is going to get alot more expensive.



Ron

 

Ron,



You can try and pee on my fire all you like... . it's not illegal fuel.



You could dip both my tanks any time you want while I am at home and you'd never find a drop of dyed diesel. When farmers buy in bulk (25,000 gallons, 3 times a year is what the guys I get it from buy) they can get un-died farm fuel for $0. 02 more per gallon then the died stuff. Then every rig on the farm can run it and you never have to worry about getting checked.



As a gratitude to the guys I get it from, I pay $1/gallon... he makes some money, and I get cheap diesel... win/win situation. And when they move that much diesel in a year, it's not like the 500 gallons I use over the summer is even noticed.



Josh

 

Let me describe this fuel set up. In '80 my dad bought a brand new crew cab chevy dually from a dealership out in lousiania. It had a dealer installed 150 gal seat type bet tank. The way they hooked it up was, the truck orginally had 2 20 gallon under bed factory tanks, the filler neck on the right side of the truck that went to the fuel door on the outside of the truck no longer went there instead they just cut a hole in the bed and attached the filler neck hose to the main tank in the bed through the hole in the bed. So in order to get fuel into the factory tank and the bed tank you would just fill through the top of the large tank. The other left hand tank was left alone so you could switch between the one 20 gallon factory tank and the right factory 20 gallon tank and the 150 in bed tank. Was this fuel setup illegal