mep1811
Gentleman Adventurer
20 gallons of gas in cans is probably well over $1,000.00 cheaper than an auxiliary fuel tank.
Gas can storage
- Thread starter nucktaco
- Start date
20 gallons of gas in cans is probably well over $1,000.00 cheaper than an auxiliary fuel tank.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
Just bolt in a 20 gallon transport tank and vent it to the outside.
Kevin108
Explorer
Could be. Or you could fab your own mount and use an $80 25-gallon 1986 K5 Blazer tank with a custom fill/transfer method.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
Price depends on how handy you are. You can easily mount a fuel tank from pick n pull where the spare tire is for less than the cost a 4 -5 gallon fuel cans.
billiebob
Well-known member
I'd do this.
There are dozens of choices, some auto fill your stock gas tank, pumping when you reach 1/3rd and stopping at 2/3rds full, until the transfer tank is empty.
www.tankandbarrel.com
There are dozens of choices, some auto fill your stock gas tank, pumping when you reach 1/3rd and stopping at 2/3rds full, until the transfer tank is empty.
ATI 30 Gallon Rectangle Gasoline Auxiliary Fuel Tank
The ATI 30 Gallon Rectangle Gasoline Auxiliary Fuel Tank is a necessity for serious truck owners. Our aluminum auxiliary fuel tanks for gas are built to meet and exceed Title 49 CFR 393.65 for fuel...
www.tankandbarrel.com
Louisd75
Adventurer
I think that's the beauty of fuel cans. Most of the time I don't need the extra fuel and the cans sit in my shed. I can scale the extra fuel that I take depending on where I'm going. I can also move it around within the bed of the truck to best minimize the impact of the extra weight.
An LRA fuel tank runs $1800ish USD for an extra eleven gallons of capacity. Two fuel cans at five gallons apiece will run between $150 to $200, depending on if you go Wavian or Scepter. So for less than $200 I have almost the same capacity as a LRA fuel tank with the ability of picking and choosing when I want to carry the extra weight around. It also easily gives me the ability to share my fuel if I come across someone in need. I won't get into the legality or crash safety of an aux tank, that's a whole 'nuther level of arguing
Yeah, the fuel cans do take up space in the bed of the truck (approx three cubic feet or so for two cans), so far this hasn't been an issue for me. I store my cans in the bed of the truck, forward passenger side for better weight distribution. They are under a canopy. One thing that I didn't see addressed in the road rage article is what kind of cans they were using. There's a huge difference in quality out there.
Can't speak for the OP, but I've been planning on a trip to Hell's Canyon for a couple weeks of exploring. I'm planning on four fuel cans. I'll be towing a trailer with me and plan on lots of side trips. It's also a mountainous area. At the most remote, I'll be about a four hour drive from the nearest gas station, but that would require back tracking to where I started from. I want to do a loop, which means that I need to plan on being able to go almost 300 miles with my Tacoma. I'm estimating 180 miles to the tank. I can probably get by with three cans, but a fourth will give me a reserve cushion for surprises. I will do the trip down with empty cans and fill up before we hit the dirt. I'd likely still need cans even if I had an LRA tank. It's all a compromise
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
No, I'm with the OP on fuel capacity WRT cans vs. a bigger tank.
The days when you could buy a 25 gallon aux tank off the back pages of "Four Wheeler" or "Pickup, Van and 4wd" magazine for $150 and bolt it in over the course of an afternoon are LONG gone. Nowadays it's tough to even FIND an aux tank that is made for a gasoline engine vehicle (because of pressurized fuel systems, emissions control equipment, safety and liability concerns.)
Making your own isn't really practical for most of use who don't full mechanic's shop at their fingertips (or the skills to use one) and undertaking a project like this can be both difficult, expensive and time consuming.
If all the OP needs is 20 extra gallons and he's got the room to carry the cans, that is cheaper, simpler, and requires no modification to the vehicle.
And I don't agree about 20 gallons not being necessary. I don't know about the 2nd gen Tacomas but the 1st gens had pitifully small gas tanks (18.5 gallons IIRC.) A heavily loaded truck pulling a trailer might get 8 MPG which would be maybe 150 miles range or less. Having 20 gallons of spare gas can mean the difference between being able to continue on vs. having to take a 100-mile round trip detour to fuel up.
The days when you could buy a 25 gallon aux tank off the back pages of "Four Wheeler" or "Pickup, Van and 4wd" magazine for $150 and bolt it in over the course of an afternoon are LONG gone. Nowadays it's tough to even FIND an aux tank that is made for a gasoline engine vehicle (because of pressurized fuel systems, emissions control equipment, safety and liability concerns.)
Making your own isn't really practical for most of use who don't full mechanic's shop at their fingertips (or the skills to use one) and undertaking a project like this can be both difficult, expensive and time consuming.
If all the OP needs is 20 extra gallons and he's got the room to carry the cans, that is cheaper, simpler, and requires no modification to the vehicle.
And I don't agree about 20 gallons not being necessary. I don't know about the 2nd gen Tacomas but the 1st gens had pitifully small gas tanks (18.5 gallons IIRC.) A heavily loaded truck pulling a trailer might get 8 MPG which would be maybe 150 miles range or less. Having 20 gallons of spare gas can mean the difference between being able to continue on vs. having to take a 100-mile round trip detour to fuel up.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Having said the above, I would say that when it comes to carrying spare gas, it comes down to a calculated risk so you have to balance the risk of carrying fuel cans vs the risk of not carrying them.
Yes, carrying gas cans is more risky than just relying on the stock fuel tank. If you know you are likely to NEED 4 cans, then carry 4 cans but I wouldn't carry that many cans "just because", I would carry the bare minimum necessary.
On my old 4runners (a 1999 with an 18.5 gallon tank and a 2007 with a 23 gallon tank) I carried 2 x 3 gallon RotoPax cans strapped flat to the roof. That way they were outside so I didn't have to worry about fumes. In my 1st gen (04) Tacoma (which also had the 18.5 gallon tank) I carried a single 5 gallon can in the bed which I kept it in a heavy plastic bag to try and contain any fumes (since I slept in the bed of the Tacoma) but always removed it when I camped. and placed it a good distance away from my camp and campfire.
Yes, carrying gas cans is more risky than just relying on the stock fuel tank. If you know you are likely to NEED 4 cans, then carry 4 cans but I wouldn't carry that many cans "just because", I would carry the bare minimum necessary.
On my old 4runners (a 1999 with an 18.5 gallon tank and a 2007 with a 23 gallon tank) I carried 2 x 3 gallon RotoPax cans strapped flat to the roof. That way they were outside so I didn't have to worry about fumes. In my 1st gen (04) Tacoma (which also had the 18.5 gallon tank) I carried a single 5 gallon can in the bed which I kept it in a heavy plastic bag to try and contain any fumes (since I slept in the bed of the Tacoma) but always removed it when I camped. and placed it a good distance away from my camp and campfire.
85_Ranger4x4
Well-known member
Not that easily.
Around here yards drain fuel tanks with a hammer and a chisel.
Otherwise yeah, I could pop a 23gal BII tank in mine. But you can't get them new and you can't get them from a yard which kinda limits the options to either buying a complete truck for the tank or happen upon somebody parting out a truck that has a good fuel tank.
And you would need to add a fuel door and the valve/plumbing/electrical. For my application I would also need a crossmember (either from the donor or fabbed), skiplate and straps to secure the tank.
I have thought about it...
krick3tt
Adventurer
I carry two Nato cans under my LR in the space that held the spare tire. I fabbed a holder (3/16 plate) and with the help of gas can mock ups from cardboard was able to fit the two cans smoothly into the space. Land Rovers are sometimes more thirsty than others and the two 20 liter cans are quite enough to get me back. The weight of the two full cans is equal to the spare tire weight and they are low to not interfere with the COG. Not going to carry them on the roof rack. The spare is now on a swing away mounted on the bumper from Technical 4X out of CA. They have great customer service.
The cans have been under there for three years and are doing very well.
The cans have been under there for three years and are doing very well.
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nucktaco
Adventurer
Well looks like a missed a ton of replies here. I thought about doing an aux tank where my spare tire used to go. But am not 100% sold on the idea of needing thst much gas all the time.
Me and a few buddies are running the Alexander Mackenzie trail in Bc this summer. Last time we ran it (last week of August 2016) I brought 50 litres of extra fuel with me and i coasted Into Anaheim lake on fumes and put I think 78 litres into the truck. Don’t want to cut it so close this time.
The road from Quesnel to the stsrt
Me and a few buddies are running the Alexander Mackenzie trail in Bc this summer. Last time we ran it (last week of August 2016) I brought 50 litres of extra fuel with me and i coasted Into Anaheim lake on fumes and put I think 78 litres into the truck. Don’t want to cut it so close this time.
The road from Quesnel to the stsrt
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Carrying spare gas when you are in areas where gas stations are few and far between is smart. All it takes is one "closed" sign to put a big crimp in your plans!
I learned that the hard way in 2012.
Long story time: Wife and I were on our first long trip with our home built teardrop trailer "Bubbles." We were on our way to a Teardrop gathering in Grants Pass, OR. Along the way we wanted to pass through central Oregon and Crater Lake (neither one of us had been to either place.) So we drove US 26 between Vale and Redmond (which is a GORGEOUS road, BTW.) My vehicle was a 1999 4runner with the tiny 18.5 gallon tank, and even though the trailer "only" weighed 1100lbs, it was doing a number on my fuel economy (which wasn't all that great anyway with the 3.4 and the slushbox.) We passed through the medium-sized town of John Day and I had maybe a quarter of a tank left, so I decided not to refuel, since I knew we'd be passing through several other little towns before we got to Prineville. About 30 miles up the road is a town called Dayville, and I figured I'd fuel up there.
For some reason (not sure why), I decided not to fuel up in Dayville. It may have been that I thought gas was too expensive there. So I look at the map - AAA says there is a town just up the road, Mitchell, about another 40 miles up the road and according to the map, there's a gas station there. 40 miles is cutting it close but I figured if AAA said there was a station there, there must be one. It was getting late in the afternoon at this point, about 4:30 or so.
So I didn't say anything to the wife, just kept on cruising. We get to Mitchell and I'm getting nervous because the fuel gauge is at about 1/8 tank and I know there are no towns between us and Prineville. I turn off of US 26 to get the to gas station. It was 5:15.
Sign on the door of the gas station: CLOSED. Turns out their hours are 7 - 5. Now in 48 states, this would be a non-issue. Pull up to the pump, slide the credit card and pump gas, right? Oh, but this is OREGON, one of the two states in the union (New Jersey is the other one) where it is ILLEGAL to pump your own gas. So no attendant = no gas.
This put me in a quandary: If I turned back to Dayville (37 miles back), not only would it mean a minimum of an hour and a half added to an already long day, but given that the Dayville gas station was ALSO a "mom and pop" type store, it seemed likely to me that it was probably closed, too. And the next closest gas at a station I KNEW would be open in that direction would have been at Mount Vernon, 60 miles behind me.
But Prineville was "only" 47 miles ahead of me. So even though the Scangauge was indicating I had about 30 miles to empty, I decided to head West towards Prineville, hoping I'd make it. I watched the "distance to empty" tick all the way down to zero, the "low fuel" light came on and then started flashing angrily as I descended down the mountain pass (one of these days I'd like to go back there and actually SEE that pass because I think I was fixated on the road and the gas gauge!)
Then, just 5.7 miles from Prineville, as we were passing by the beautiful Ochoco Reserrvoir, I felt the truck begin to cough and buck and I figured I'd pushed my luck as far as I needed to and I certainly did not need to have a "dead" truck and trailer in the middle of a narrow highway. So I coasted onto a wide section of the shoulder, turned off the engine and called Roadside Assistance. It was a very nice late spring day, so we got out the folding chairs, made sandwiches for dinner and waited for a service truck to come in from Prineville, which took about an hour.
I took some good natured ribbing from the wife, but it really wasn't a bad time. Even now, though, if we're on a road trip my wife will sometimes glance at the gas gauge and say "do you need to fuel up? Remember that time in Oregon?"
My take from all this is that if you are traveling in an unknown area, especially a remote, sparsely populated area, ALWAYS fuel up LONG before you have to. And (getting back to the OP's first post), carrying extra fuel when traveling in such areas is rarely a bad idea.
For that matter I've always believed in the old Aviator/boater saying that "the only time you ever have 'too much fuel' is when you're on fire."
I learned that the hard way in 2012.
Long story time: Wife and I were on our first long trip with our home built teardrop trailer "Bubbles." We were on our way to a Teardrop gathering in Grants Pass, OR. Along the way we wanted to pass through central Oregon and Crater Lake (neither one of us had been to either place.) So we drove US 26 between Vale and Redmond (which is a GORGEOUS road, BTW.) My vehicle was a 1999 4runner with the tiny 18.5 gallon tank, and even though the trailer "only" weighed 1100lbs, it was doing a number on my fuel economy (which wasn't all that great anyway with the 3.4 and the slushbox.) We passed through the medium-sized town of John Day and I had maybe a quarter of a tank left, so I decided not to refuel, since I knew we'd be passing through several other little towns before we got to Prineville. About 30 miles up the road is a town called Dayville, and I figured I'd fuel up there.
For some reason (not sure why), I decided not to fuel up in Dayville. It may have been that I thought gas was too expensive there. So I look at the map - AAA says there is a town just up the road, Mitchell, about another 40 miles up the road and according to the map, there's a gas station there. 40 miles is cutting it close but I figured if AAA said there was a station there, there must be one. It was getting late in the afternoon at this point, about 4:30 or so.
So I didn't say anything to the wife, just kept on cruising. We get to Mitchell and I'm getting nervous because the fuel gauge is at about 1/8 tank and I know there are no towns between us and Prineville. I turn off of US 26 to get the to gas station. It was 5:15.
Sign on the door of the gas station: CLOSED. Turns out their hours are 7 - 5. Now in 48 states, this would be a non-issue. Pull up to the pump, slide the credit card and pump gas, right? Oh, but this is OREGON, one of the two states in the union (New Jersey is the other one) where it is ILLEGAL to pump your own gas. So no attendant = no gas.
This put me in a quandary: If I turned back to Dayville (37 miles back), not only would it mean a minimum of an hour and a half added to an already long day, but given that the Dayville gas station was ALSO a "mom and pop" type store, it seemed likely to me that it was probably closed, too. And the next closest gas at a station I KNEW would be open in that direction would have been at Mount Vernon, 60 miles behind me.
But Prineville was "only" 47 miles ahead of me. So even though the Scangauge was indicating I had about 30 miles to empty, I decided to head West towards Prineville, hoping I'd make it. I watched the "distance to empty" tick all the way down to zero, the "low fuel" light came on and then started flashing angrily as I descended down the mountain pass (one of these days I'd like to go back there and actually SEE that pass because I think I was fixated on the road and the gas gauge!)
Then, just 5.7 miles from Prineville, as we were passing by the beautiful Ochoco Reserrvoir, I felt the truck begin to cough and buck and I figured I'd pushed my luck as far as I needed to and I certainly did not need to have a "dead" truck and trailer in the middle of a narrow highway. So I coasted onto a wide section of the shoulder, turned off the engine and called Roadside Assistance. It was a very nice late spring day, so we got out the folding chairs, made sandwiches for dinner and waited for a service truck to come in from Prineville, which took about an hour.
I took some good natured ribbing from the wife, but it really wasn't a bad time. Even now, though, if we're on a road trip my wife will sometimes glance at the gas gauge and say "do you need to fuel up? Remember that time in Oregon?"
My take from all this is that if you are traveling in an unknown area, especially a remote, sparsely populated area, ALWAYS fuel up LONG before you have to. And (getting back to the OP's first post), carrying extra fuel when traveling in such areas is rarely a bad idea.
For that matter I've always believed in the old Aviator/boater saying that "the only time you ever have 'too much fuel' is when you're on fire."
rayra
Expedition Leader
Speaking of gas cans and seals, it took a few weeks but I was able to wrangle a couple replacement seals from Scepter for their CARB-capped 'civilian' 20L jugs. I'd managed to pinch and damage one and was looking for alternate methods then decided to give them a shot and they came thru after a bit of playing '20 questions'
