Dreaming about my future trailer and I got to wondering if it's possible to put a fuel cell in an open trailer under the boards for storage. I normally carry a couple of 5 gallon jugs for sprint races and refill them almost daily. It would be nice to just fill a 20 gallon cell once and forget about it. I'm unsure how feasible this would be.
Thoughts?
Would you then have to put fuel into a secondary container to get it to the car or would you have some kind of pump? Plenty of guys with diesel trucks put a tank in the bed, I don't see why it couldn't be done.
Under the boards? I see plenty of cells mounted in trailers around here for Jetskis and small boats. Usually though they're 50+ gallon.
one of the truck bed tanks with a transfer pump mounted on the a-frame seems like the easy button
Boat tank is probably the cheapest way that won't piss off Johnny Law. I personally just shove a bunch of gas cans in the bed of my truck.
The problem with putting the race fuel tank in the trailer is that it means you have to take the trailer to the gas station to fill it up. I try as hard as I can to avoid doing that, it's just a PITA to maneuver it in the tight spaces that most of the gas stations around here have.
I use 5 gallon jugs right now but one of these days I'm going to put a transfer tank in the bed of the truck to solve this problem.
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:The problem with putting the race fuel tank in the trailer is that it means you have to take the trailer to the gas station to fill it up. I try as hard as I can to avoid doing that, it's just a PITA to maneuver it in the tight spaces that most of the gas stations around here have.
I use 5 gallon jugs right now but one of these days I'm going to put a transfer tank in the bed of the truck to solve this problem.
But the flipside is for those of us with SUV's you dont have to get high as a kite to get some spare fuel for the racecar!
On second thought, add that to the plus column for putting the tank in the cabin of the SUV.
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:The problem with putting the race fuel tank in the trailer is that it means you have to take the trailer to the gas station to fill it up. I try as hard as I can to avoid doing that, it's just a PITA to maneuver it in the tight spaces that most of the gas stations around here have.
I use 5 gallon jugs right now but one of these days I'm going to put a transfer tank in the bed of the truck to solve this problem.
You also don't really want that stuff sitting around much. Better to buy enough for what you need without having to store a lot.
Not sure what you are running, but I found that C16 can go stale in only one or two months unless stored in a well sealed metal container. I don't see a trailer tank being well-sealed like a 55 gallon drum or 5 gallon metal pail.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:You also don't really want that stuff sitting around much. Better to buy enough for what you need without having to store a lot.
Not sure what you are running, but I found that C16 can go stale in only one or two months unless stored in a well sealed metal container. I don't see a trailer tank being well-sealed like a 55 gallon drum or 5 gallon metal pail.
I run normal pump gas in my car, it's just easier and cheaper to bring it with me than to stand in line for the pump at the track (especially when the credit card machines are broken like they have been a lot lately). Anything left at the end of the weekend goes in the street car if it's going to be too long before the next event.
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:one of the truck bed tanks with a transfer pump mounted on the a-frame seems like the easy button
This is a very good idea I think...long ago I had a toolbox on the forward frame but I found the giant box to be a pain for tools. Whatever I wanted seemed to be at the bottom. For fuel, this sounds great. I have an open trailer and haul with a bus so gas storage has been a problem for a while.
How about a gas caddy like this one, this is 14 gallons but apparently they make 30 gallon ones too.
I honestly haven't figured out the best way to transfer the fuel yet. I figured building a fuel cell gives you the added benefit of safety since these are designed for race cars after all. It would also be kinda hidden under the car when the trailer is loaded which has the added security benefit. I've had a gas jug stolen out of my car once before an event which was kinda of a pita.
Having the gas stored for too long is one of my concerns. All though is it really that different from the gas tank/fuel cell in the car? What are the enduro guys doing with the fuel drums and bed tanks they run?
What about this...
Tucked behind this...
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:The problem with putting the race fuel tank in the trailer is that it means you have to take the trailer to the gas station to fill it up. I try as hard as I can to avoid doing that, it's just a PITA to maneuver it in the tight spaces that most of the gas stations around here have.
I use 5 gallon jugs right now but one of these days I'm going to put a transfer tank in the bed of the truck to solve this problem.
Unless your race fuel is diesel, check your state regs. Many states allow diesel aux tanks, but not gasoline.
The truck bed tanks are big and bulky and won't easily fit under anything. They're also fairly expensive when it's all said and done.
What about a junkyard fuel tank? That gives you a tank with a fuel pump already inside, and you can even hook up the sending unit to a fuel gauge. The options for shapes and sizes are huge, and most SUV/truck applications have tanks that fit between the frame rails that should be easily adaptable.
Another option would be to scour Craigslist for old RV's being scrapped. They have the typical rectangular steel truck tanks that could work well on the nose of the trailer.
edit: older Wranglers have rectangular tanks that fit between the frame rails behind the rear axle. I think about 13 gallons. Ford cutaway box vans and ambulances have a 50ish gallon tank in the same spot.
maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:Unless your race fuel is diesel, check your state regs. Many states allow diesel aux tanks, but not gasoline.
I believe "auxiliary fuel tanks" are those that are plumbed into the vehicle's fuel system (and thus have to meet evaporative emissions requirements) while "transfer tanks" are those that are intended for transporting fuel as cargo and are completely separate from the main fuel system of the truck.
So here is my thought:
Simply fabricate a pair of lockable enclosures (the mesh type like on landscape trailers) that ride on the fenders. You can then put your fuel cans in them and be done with it.
In reply to WillG80 :
Wranglers do have really swappable fuel tanks.
And IIRC the difference between a 13 gallon and a 16 gallon is how far the filler tube extends into the tank, or something.
Have you looked at Titan's offerings? I love their Sidekick tank in the bed of my truck:
I have also thought about defeating the antisiphon on my tow rig and using some sort of transfer pump to siphon off 12 or 14 gallons at a time using my tow rig as a sort of gasoline transfer truck
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
I'm talking about separate tanks in the bed of a truck. Can't be gasoline. Has nothing to do with the environment (in Florida, they DGAD) but safety. In an accident, it's a potential bomb.
maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
I'm talking about separate tanks in the bed of a truck. Can't be gasoline. Has nothing to do with the environment (in Florida, they DGAD) but safety. In an accident, it's a potential bomb.
Yes. The DOT is real sticky about placards being required for gasoline transport. Those guys have zero sense of humor when it comes to stuff like this.
Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
I'm talking about separate tanks in the bed of a truck. Can't be gasoline. Has nothing to do with the environment (in Florida, they DGAD) but safety. In an accident, it's a potential bomb.
Yes. The DOT is real sticky about placards being required for gasoline transport. Those guys have zero sense of humor when it comes to stuff like this.
A number of vendors sell tanks advertised as DOT-approved and 50-state legal for transporting gasoline. Here's one example: https://www.transferflow.com/shop/product/0800109417
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