Aux fuel tank on tongue

[Steve77]

Originally Posted by McTrailer

I did a lot of research on carrying extra gas back when I had a 1500. Nearly all Titan tanks and Aux tanks are created in mind for transporting diesel. There is something not just about the container itself and its design but also the transfer method that works against it. I think you can do it though but its for some reason lacking officially for gas transfer use.

I think the best option is to carry real jerry cans, not chinese knockoff, designed to transport gasoline outdoors and have them mounted to your truck bed.

The gravity fed aux tanks are diesel only. The larger stock tank replacements are diesel only for venting / epa standards I believe. You can get a gas aux tank that transfers gas to the stock tank via pump as you drive. It's the gravity part that's diesel only. All this though is made for bed of truck. They also have make gas aux tanks but again... Just for bed of truck.

[Steve77]

Originally Posted by gabbyh

if you are talking gas , forget the weight , think of kaboom , i'd council against: that idea

Do you mean aux gas tanks in general or because it would be on the tounge... Or because of its proximity to the propane? Or all of the above?

[Steve77]

Originally Posted by bigb

I am seriously considering these: https://rotopax.com/rotopax/rotopax/

I saw those too... I think I like metal 5g better but not sure yet. I'm reconsidering the whole generator idea actually. We have two eu2000 and they are a lot louder than I remember.

[sduff]

My suggestion, avoid the extra weight and top off the tanks before arriving at your destination.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by Steve77

I saw those too... I think I like metal 5g better but not sure yet. I'm reconsidering the whole generator idea actually. We have two eu2000 and they are a lot louder than I remember.

What about converting the generators to propane?

[Steve77]

Originally Posted by sduff

My suggestion, avoid the extra weight and top off the tanks before arriving at your destination.

Tanks on gennys are 1 gallon each. We would like to be able to stay somewhere without power for 2-3 days.... That's minimum 10-15 gallons of gas. We'd like to be able to string a few sites like that together for a week trip. I only put non ethanol gas in them.

[Steve77]

Originally Posted by bigb

What about converting the generators to propane?

No problem doing that but then the issue is the propane. We would need probably 7gal of propane per night... So 30lbs. We'd not have enough for two nights. Then I'd have to refill propane on the road and move every night. Just trying to come up with some way to spend a few nights without electricity. Maybe two 40 lb propane would let us stay out two nights... Maybe that's a compromise I'll have to make.

[pobstlmo]

Last I checked, (20 years) those tanks are for diesel only, federal law stated you cannot put gasoline in them, I did find a company which sold aftermarket larger fuel replacement tanks for the truck.
If I remember you only need a 3500 watt generator to run a rooftop AC.

[Steve77]

Originally Posted by pobstlmo

Last I checked, (20 years) those tanks are for diesel only, federal law stated you cannot put gasoline in them, I did find a company which sold aftermarket larger fuel replacement tanks for the truck.
If I remember you only need a 3500 watt generator to run a rooftop AC.

They make DOT approved aux/transfer tanks for gasoline for sure. Most are made to go in the back of the truck bed, some under frame of trailer.

We have 2x 2000 watt generators that hook together for 4000 surge watts. They run one ac and pretty much everything else but oven/microwave. Problem is they burn a minimum of 5 gal of gas per night. More if we run them during the day.

Transporting this extra fuel is the issue.

[bigb]

Onan-Cummins is making a diesel inverter generator now, available on the Airstream Interstate. Information is hard to find but from what I have seen they are very quiet but very expensive, like over $4K. The one in the new AI is not huge though, I can't recall exactly but it was somewhere between 2.2 and 2.8 KW. Still a viable option for diesel users like us as we would only need to carry one type of fuel. Hoping the future brings more selection and lower prices on them.

[Rick 99037]

Many auto manufacturers put fuel tanks is places that were accepted, then later rejected for safety. Trucks used to have a fuel tank behind, or under the driver's seat. Saddle tanks on each side of the truck, outside of the frame were common. Gas tanks on cars, were commonly at the rear of the vehicle. but in each case, in the event of a collision; they turned out dangerous in practice.
The notorious Ford Pinto was especially bad because in efforts to keep the weight down, there was no frame structure on the back to protect the gas tank at the back. In a collision, even a mild impact; the tank ruptured, spraying gas.
Many point out the tongue is a poor place to add weight. I agree. But I would stress the importance of fuel tanks being inside the frame; and somewhat forward for safety. And incidentally then; better placed regards the center of gravity.

[trower]

I installed a 3500 watt generator under my travel trailer and mounted a 15 gallon tank on the tongue of the trailer. Works great and easy to fill. Much better than trying to stow 2 or more gas cans.

[Dynadave]

Google Tanks Inc., they are located in Iowa and sell a variety of aftermarket gasoline fuel tanks including universal ones for $255. You should be able to install a shutoff valve on the bottom of the tank to allow for a gravity transfer to another container used to fill the genies, however this probably wouldn’t be a quick process.

[reeman]

Originally Posted by Marine359

More tongue weight means having to redistribute weight at rear of trailer, and probably change ball height on hitch, and redo torsion bars on WDH. Most importantly, additional hitch weight translates directly to reduced tow vehicle load capacity. If you’re driving a 3/4 ton, it might not matter much, but 300lbs might put you over or near the top with a 1/2 ton. Impossible to do with my mid-size GMC. I’m already near max when I load up all my truck bed stuff. I had to take weight off the tongue by putting batteries in pass thru.

I have been considering putting the batteries into the pass through to make room for an eq hitch and a second propane tank behind the 20 lb single on our minnie drop. My guess is that you just need to splice directly into the shutoff which is located in the front pass through. The worry is having off gassing from batteries inside the trailer IMO. Might be a good idea to vent the pass through and improve the seals to the seating for the bench in my case.

[backtrack15]

Originally Posted by reeman

I have been considering putting the batteries into the pass through to make room for an eq hitch and a second propane tank behind the 20 lb single on our minnie drop. My guess is that you just need to splice directly into the shutoff which is located in the front pass through. The worry is having off gassing from batteries inside the trailer IMO. Might be a good idea to vent the pass through and improve the seals to the seating for the bench in my case.

Not to derail this thread, but if you’re using flooded cell batteries you’ll likely want to put them in a sealed box that is vented via hose to the outside. You might take a look at how others do this with fifth-wheel trailers (common there). My favorite designs have an inlet on the bottom and an outlet vent on the top... might as well let hydrogen move up and out as efficiently as possible.

[Marine359]

If you have LiFePo4 batteries in pass-thru, I don’t know anybody who vents those because they don’t outgas. They can catch fire if overcharged. So even if you have a good charger with a LiFePo4 charging profile, it’s probably best to turn off the charger at night. AGM batteries will only outgas if overcharged, or if charged at a rate (amps in) too high for the glass mats to absorb gas. So, if you want to put them in a pass-thru, the RVIA recommends venting the compartment. And of course, it’s very important to have a quality charger with the correct AGM charge profile.

[Bigbird65]

Originally Posted by bigb

I am seriously considering these: https://rotopax.com/rotopax/rotopax/

I carry a 3.5 gallon RotoPAX in my RAM as insurance against running out of gas.