Rvers who pull tour trailers or fifth-wheel trailers with their pickup trucks know that their range is somewhat limited. Maybe it's 300 miles; maybe even less.
They also know or will soon learn that they must think well ahead concerning that required fuel stop. How far before they will run empty should they stop to fill up? Where is there a station which they can get into and out of the pumps without damage? Where is a station of the desired brand or which will take the desired prestige card? What is the price, compared to other locations along the route? And so on.
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It's not a simple request to answer. Arrival up with the sass often requires needful reasoning power and creates stress. Stress which no Rver needs.
I'll use my F-350 Power Stroke as am example. The factory tank holds 38 gallons. That means that while towing my trailer I can almost all the time get 300 miles on a tank full, and under the most ideal conditions I might be able to get 400 miles.
Here in the Midwest, seeing stations at appropriate spots is not a problem. But how about more sparsely populated areas, where it can verily be 100 miles in the middle of towns? And do those towns have appropriate places to fuel? It can be a problem!
With my wife's encouragement, I added a combination toolbox/tank. It holds 45 gallons in the lower part while the upper seven inches or so is a toolbox. That's a great place for a pair of battery jumper cables, a tow chain, a supply of diesel fuel additive, spare oil and oil filter, a lug wrench, and tie-down straps.
This tank has been great for our marriage! Now planning fuel stops is a non-issue because we have sufficient range that we can verily plan to stop at our beloved places to fill up. With this setup, I tell citizen that I can run 400 miles, then must find a place to fuel up within the next 300 miles!
Now it is relatively easy to avoid buying fuel in cities or even whole states where the price is "too high."
The results of adding this auxiliary tank are simple: Now we buy fuel on our terms, not when we must. It makes a world of distinction in the expenditure of reasoning power concerning fueling.
There are several distinct approaches to aux tanks, from the rather sophisticated to the brutally simple.
The simplest version is just a tank with a pump and a hose. When you want to use fuel from the aux tank, you stop, take the end of the hose, stick it in the filler pipe of the main tank, and turn the pump on. This is simple, easy to install, and easy to understand. And potentially messy! Don't forget to turn the pump off!
The most sophisticated one of which I am aware is the law sold by transfer Flow. With this system, fuel is automatically transferred from the aux to the main tank. A "control panel" in the cab provides a digital readout of the whole of fuel in each tank. Because of the automation and facts provided, this law is considered by many to be the top of the line in auxiliary fuel tank systems.
I chose the middle ground and, as they say, "It works for me!"
The law I installed has a switch in the cab labeled "Main" or "Auxiliary." When in the "Auxiliary" position, fuel feeds from the aux tank directly to the engine. The appropriate fuel gauge indicates the whole of fuel in the aux tank.
When switched to the "Main" position, fuel flows from the main tank directly to the machine and the fuel gauge indicates the whole of fuel in the main tank.
For me, this law is great: Simple, not messy, simple fuel gauge readout. And simple fuel management. It serves us well.
There's an added advantage which no one mentions. It provides a back-up fuel pump! I've not heard of fuel pumps going bad in pickups, but I have supplanted fuel pumps in two cars. A failed fuel pump can leave you stranded and be high-priced to replace. With many auxiliary fuel tank systems, you have a second fuel pump! This creates a redundant system, just like many of the systems in airplanes where the results of a failure of the main law are plainly unacceptable.
If your spouse or you spend too much time inspecting fuel stops or if you plainly have to stop too often, you are a great candidate for an auxiliary fuel tank. It puts you in the drivers seat!
Copyright 2007 Keith A. Williams
install an Auxiliary Fuel Tank in Your Pickup, Then Buy Gas or Fuel on Your schedule