Auxiliary fuel tank ideas?

JustDandee

JustDandee

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I was traversing Southern Oregon from Idaho to Talent, OR to see my brother the other week. I will take the F150 as it has a bladder challenging 700+ mile range on a single fill just for the reason shown in the image. No need to stop until I get there and still have fuel to run errands... In these lonely stretches of road you have time to think, "what if I had brought the Jeep?


44YsRI2.jpg


  1. I would probably have to stop -three times maybe four each way.
  2. I would probably have to pay the ridiculous "no mans land" pricing.
So while the miles clicked off- the mind contemplates how could one carry extra fuel and not have to stop to pour it in. Actually have extended range. How did the pioneers ever make it across this- back to topic. Well for a chunk of change you could buy a bigger tank- but if you were creative... So in the spirit of bench racing, noodling what if scenarios and not being to worried about becoming a flaming comet rolling down highway. What are some thoughts on how to rig up an auxiliary fuel source?

Having given it a little thought to start, could one build a gravity feed system of a spare tire mounted fuel can--

Rough outline of the crazy idea is think a 1/4" tube hose plumbed out and running to the filler cap- crack a valve and let it drip feed into the tank. Jeep runs about 4-5 gallons an hour down the road so it could back fill consumption on a slow drip

Now for those crazy enough to entertain the idea... how to engineer/build that better- small engine, marine out board parts, etc. I see kits for running aux diesel tanks in pick-up beds. Anyway just table toping an idea for discussion, parts sourcing and maybe implemetation ;)
 
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Roof top tank with a hose down into the filler neck weld a fitting so the gas cap can stay on. In-line electric shut off valve to turn on when factory tank gets low.
 
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I live in Oregon.

I contemplated a saddle tank too...couple of 6" tubes strapped to the chassis rails.

Then someone pointed me to Rock Slide Engineering's ratchet strap a couple of rotopax gas cans to the spare tire kit.

Gets me two 3 gallon tanks.

We started driving offroad to Montana via Washington and Idaho and had enough weight in the back we blew both Black Max shocks. Then the relatively new rear end grenaded in Prineville.


Not getting out to refill would be nice. But not Genright extra large gas tank for around $2k nice.

-Mac
 
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Look to racing. Smokey Yunik comes to mind. It seems like had used a little extra fuel line once. ;) Internet sources say it was 2" x 11', which netted around 5 gallons extra capacity. Also, it seems like someone ran fuel bladders inside their roll cage, which our Jeeps conveniently have.
 
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macleanflood said:
I live in Oregon.

I contemplated a saddle tank too...couple of 6" tubes strapped to the chassis rails.

Then someone pointed me to Rock Slide Engineering's ratchet strap a couple of rotopax gas cans to the spare tire kit.

Gets me two 3 gallon tanks.

We started driving offroad to Montana via Washington and Idaho and had enough weight in the back we blew both Black Max shocks. Then the relatively new rear end grenaded in Prineville.


Not getting out to refill would be nice. But not Genright extra large gas tank for around $2k nice.

-Mac
Click to expand...

I am thinking this as a start point but it would need a way to tap with a fitting that would not leak and could use a quick disconnect hose
1674101253148.jpeg


rock-slide-engineering-ac-tr-102s-ez-rack-main_0.jpg


12202_2008.jpg
 
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It's too easy to just pour into the regular tank. KISS. That and it's good to stretch the legs every couple hundred miles.

Eastern Oregon up until recently was hazardous to drive...with it being mandatory in Oregon for an attendant to fill your vehicle...a lot of rural stations were closed at night, on Sundays or just randomly closed because someone didn't come to work. They changed the law and allowed self service in low population counties...that helps.

-Mac
 
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macleanflood said:
It's too easy to just pour into the regular tank. KISS. That and it's good to stretch the legs every couple hundred miles.
Click to expand...

LOL-don’t quit on me now! Although simple - the objective is extended range without stopping- think of a world where you could get reliably over 300 miles between fill-ups😂

ps: going to try watch the whole video- that looks like it was memorable drive.
 
Some of the motorcycle guys I've met over the years usually had a fuel bottle. They're small, maybe 28-32oz (you can find a 50oz though), but they're also meant for a saddle bag. You'd need a few to get at least a gallon. But they might get you a little bit closer to the station if you wanted to save space.
 
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JustDandee said:
LOL-don’t quit on me now! Although simple - the objective is extended range without stopping- think of a world where you could get reliably over 300 miles between fill-ups😂

ps: going to try watch the whole video- that looks like it was memorable drive.
Click to expand...

I'm getting "Hold my beer and watch this." vibes.:LOL:
 
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JustDandee said:
I am thinking this as a start point but it would need a way to tap with a fitting that would not leak and could use a quick disconnect hose
Click to expand...

So in the real world, that and anything like it are very bad ideas, unless of course going out in a ball of flames is the goal. If you want to extend range without stopping, a larger fuel cell/tank is the only safe way. Otherwise, carry a 5gal can on the outside so you can stop and refill.
 
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JustDandee said:
LOL-don’t quit on me now! Although simple - the objective is extended range without stopping- think of a world where you could get reliably over 300 miles between fill-ups😂

ps: going to try watch the whole video- that looks like it was memorable drive.
Click to expand...

Epic trip!

So I'll double down on your insanity...

Here's my evil plan...ditch the 4.0, AX15 and 231. Gas tank out.

Replace the skid plate with a custom cradle for two electric Netgain 120 HP motors with 1310 yokes. Might not even need new driveshafts. Fill the engine bay and gas tank area with batteries.

Last calculations and estimates I could do this for less than $15k and up with 400 to 500 mile range.

-Mac
 
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macleanflood said:
Replace the skid plate with a custom cradle for two electric Netgain 120 HP motors with 1310 yokes. Might not even need new driveshafts. Fill the engine bay and gas tank area with batteries.

Last calculations and estimates I could do this for less than $15k and up with 400 to 500 mile range.
Click to expand...

I think in the real world doing that would cost double doing it your self, 4x+ if paying someone else, and range would be 1/2 at best.
 
I don't know man. Seems like a cool idea, but it always comes down to the question of how many fuel pumps have you seen fail that need to be replaced on the trial? Might be a lot of work and $$ for a non-existent issue? Maybe for a full time offroad rig?
 
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Not sure I would spend the time and effort cutting a hole in my floor for "easier fuel pump replacement even though it would make life so much nicer. That said, We replaced the fuel pump (that quit) on my sons 94 XJ and about two months later (after he went up to NAU!) the new pump quit and he had to change it on the ground in the snow LOL. Lucky for him it's the XJ tank with the pump in the top side of the tank.
If I ever actually LJ my TJ, I might make an access panel at that time, kinda like "why not" at that point.
I will fab a panel tho vs buying a GR kit,
 
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The other day I was looking at Zorba's air tank install underneath and it gave me the idea that an aluminum cylindrical fuel tank (or even a rectangular) might fit there. It could be set up with a 12 volt fuel pump and a line tee'd into the filler neck. I have considered doing this to my Sprinter motorhome which only holds 26 gallons of diesel. Amazon has dozens of options for small tanks of every size, some quite affordable. A filler neck of some sort would need to be fabbed. Years ago I had a small aux tank on my 3/4 ton GMC that I filled from the wheel well.
https://www.amazon.com/aluminum-gas-tank/s?k=aluminum+gas+tank
 
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