Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Options for carry extra fuel

Charlie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
895
Country Flag
indonesia
I have been looking into various ways of carrying extra fuel.
The cheapest option bay far is a couple of jerry cans, filled as and when required and stored on the roof rack. However I do not want to carry fuel or water due to their weight on the roof rack, nor do I want to carry fuel cans inside the vehicle.

So basically my only option is either fit an auxiliary fuel tank or an extended range fuel tank in place of the OEM tank.
The manufacturers of auxiliary tanks I’ve found so far that are available in the UK are The Long Ranger 166L, Long Range Automotive 150L, Front Runner 170L and a manufactured main tank replacement 152L from Land Cruisers Overland.

Are any of the above tanks better than the other, which would be the best to go for?
 
What you have said is the same as what i was thinking. I have had fuel on the roof before and think it is far too dangerous for many reasons.
I have been playing with the idea of putting a Disco 2 tank under the back of my 80. It will go but hangs a bit low, it would be nice to get around a scrap yard and find a model of car that has a tank suitable but they won't let you climb over the wrecks any more. The filler pipe etc is in a great position to put a T into and should be a relatively easy fit with the right connectors. I have a good local supplier that likes little projects like this.
Did you get any prices for the tanks you listed?
 
The trouble is there are so many options.

At the budget off the shelf end you can get a Frontrunner 62l tank that goes up between the boot and wheel carrier that acts as a header tank to the main tank which is pretty straight forward to fit.

After that you can go for a factory 50/60l tank (that mounts similar to above) or some of the other larger tanks, but then you open the can of worm as to how to fill it and how to get the fuel out.

The tidiest option for filling is to go for a the factory dual filler neck where you pull a valve to flip between filling one tank or another, but it's not that cheap or you can go for hacking the existing filler and fabricating a Y split into it which is a little fiddly and can end up costing as much as the factory option.

Once you have your fuel in the tank you need to look at getting it out. Front Runner and some others prefer the route of a transfer pump to pump the fuel into the main tank which works well, but there is an opinion that it is best to keep the two fuel tanks seperate so then you need to look at switch over solenoids to switch the supply and return lines between the two tanks.

Finally the other thing to consider is whether you are going to have a fuel gauge in the tank and how you are going to display the level.

Personally I prefer the belt and braces route of a 182l Long Ranger tank fitted with a Toyota dual filler neck and then a switch over solenoid and then a relay to switch over the dash fuel gauge display between the two tanks. We also tend to fit in a Walbro pusher pump because ironically having the two tanks people tend to run tanks dry more often so the pusher pump helps with priming as well as helps with performance in certain circumstances.

The Front Runner kits come with the transfer pump, but you will need a filler kit and need to be smart when it comes to fitting the transfer pump. It is possible to use a switch over solenoid with a Front Runner however not advisable due to the position of the outlet.

With the Long Ranger and OEM sub tanks you need a more extensive fitting kit because you also need the Toyota pickups, inlets and fuel gauge as standard - you don't need these with the Front Runner.
 
Can anyone confirm if it is 'illegal' in the UK to carry fuel in cans at bumper height such as found on Kaymar carriers etc? I had one mounted where my 90 spare wheel used to be on the rear door. It's a handy place, but if it's out of bounds then it's not worth considering.

Chris
 
Before I put LPG on mine I thought about making a cage to hold cans under the boot floor where the spare went. Not very convenient to access and use but cheap and would have suited my infrequent needs for extra fuel. If you have an RT up top then adding fuel is going to make you a bit tippy but without anything heavy up top I'd put 4 cans up there and not be far off the weight of an RT I think.
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
Chris said:
Can anyone confirm if it is 'illegal' in the UK to carry fuel in cans at bumper height such as found on Kaymar carriers etc? I had one mounted where my 90 spare wheel used to be on the rear door. It's a handy place, but if it's out of bounds then it's not worth considering.

Chris

I'd be interested to know the answer to that as well Chris and it might be different depending if it's petrol or diesel. If / when I get round to building a rear bumper I was thinking of squeezing the option for a couple of cans on.
 
I had 3 cans on the roof during my last trip, you could feel them a bit, but nothing too bad!
I like the idea of the cage under the rear floor, it does have an additional benefit, if you fill them from a known good source of fuel you will always have at least 50l of clean fuel.
 
I think I thought I could get 6 cans under there without them hanging down too far but I didn't get past the rough measuring stage. You could get 4 cans (2 deep, 2 high) on a swing out carrier if it turned out to be legal.
 
If your looking for an additional fuel tank, to mount under, by the chassis rails,
Then look at the Iveco, or Transit diesel tanks.
They offer a good size, and are rather flat, ie, not too high so they will cause little if no departure problems.

Graham
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
I think I thought I could get 6 cans under there without them hanging down too far but I didn't get past the rough measuring stage. You could get 4 cans (2 deep, 2 high) on a swing out carrier if it turned out to be legal.

With that much space you could perhaps carry enough oil for a complete change + maybe some water
 
Chris said:
Can anyone confirm if it is 'illegal' in the UK to carry fuel in cans at bumper height such as found on Kaymar carriers etc? I had one mounted where my 90 spare wheel used to be on the rear door. It's a handy place, but if it's out of bounds then it's not worth considering.Chris
See http://forum.landrovernet.com/archive/i ... 10973.html
Chas
 
Hi Bigchaser,

Is your name anything to do with chubbychasing? ;)

Back on topic: Out of the options you've listed the Long Ranger will probably give you the best capacity/departure angle compromise. Both the Front Runner 170l and Long Range Automotive hang down lower at the back where it matter most. Unless they've changed it, the y-piece dual filler neck supplied with the Front Runner won't take a truck type filler nozzle so you can only use the slower car pumps and the filling station. OTOH you'll need a Toyota dual filler or a custom version for the other dual tank options.

IMHO the Long Ranger is of sturdier construction, though if the Front Runner is strong enough, and I've no reson to suspect otherwise, then that is of little relevance. I haven't seen the LRA option up close.

Changeover solenoids let you separate fuel from different sources (though I'm not sure anyone ever actually does this in reality) and use one tank if the other gets damaged. The Toyota solenoids aren't that expensive and are very easy to wire and plumb in - speak to Ian Rubie for a good deal on these.

A bigger replacement for the main tank will probably hang down lower, which you definitely don't want if you're going to be doing any off-roading.

Jerry cans are a big, messy pain compared to any of the dual tank options, however you carry them - they are relatively cheap though.

Best of luck,
Toby
1990 HDJ80 UK
 
Julian Voelcker said:
The trouble is there are so many options.

At the budget off the shelf end you can get a Frontrunner 62l tank that goes up between the boot and wheel carrier that acts as a header tank to the main tank which is pretty straight forward to fit.

After that you can go for a factory 50/60l tank (that mounts similar to above) or some of the other larger tanks, but then you open the can of worm as to how to fill it and how to get the fuel out.

The tidiest option for filling is to go for a the factory dual filler neck where you pull a valve to flip between filling one tank or another, but it's not that cheap or you can go for hacking the existing filler and fabricating a Y split into it which is a little fiddly and can end up costing as much as the factory option.

Once you have your fuel in the tank you need to look at getting it out. Front Runner and some others prefer the route of a transfer pump to pump the fuel into the main tank which works well, but there is an opinion that it is best to keep the two fuel tanks seperate so then you need to look at switch over solenoids to switch the supply and return lines between the two tanks.

Finally the other thing to consider is whether you are going to have a fuel gauge in the tank and how you are going to display the level.

Personally I prefer the belt and braces route of a 182l Long Ranger tank fitted with a Toyota dual filler neck and then a switch over solenoid and then a relay to switch over the dash fuel gauge display between the two tanks. We also tend to fit in a Walbro pusher pump because ironically having the two tanks people tend to run tanks dry more often so the pusher pump helps with priming as well as helps with performance in certain circumstances.

The Front Runner kits come with the transfer pump, but you will need a filler kit and need to be smart when it comes to fitting the transfer pump. It is possible to use a switch over solenoid with a Front Runner however not advisable due to the position of the outlet.

With the Long Ranger and OEM sub tanks you need a more extensive fitting kit because you also need the Toyota pickups, inlets and fuel gauge as standard - you don't need these with the Front Runner.

Thanks for the extensive reply, more to think about……..
 
regarding the 6 cans under there, i have measured this recently (out of curiosity whilst measuring something else) and it would just fit, with the caveat that you would need to move the fuel filler pipe and lose the exhaust. laying the cans 3 wide, 2 high would have them down almost exactly at the lowest point of the normal angle iron fixings you get for a tow bar.

i was measuring up to fit one of these...
http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/ ... -room.html
i wanted to carry 2 jerry cans and have room for some other bits and bobs. i considered a box opening underneath, but i don't really have any issue with carrying fuel inside and i think it would have been annoying to access and might end up getting water in and going rusty.

my receiver hitch is now done, so its next on my list of things to do, although i have a land rover vying for my attention prior to its sale, so it might be delayed a bit.
 
ON my rig I have a 80ltr main tank and a 40ltr sub tank which are factory fitted with a duel filler. There is no lever to select between the two tanks however there is a single electric switch that I can use to select which tank I can use. I also have a ARB rear bumper fitted and I have had the spare wheel carrier modified and had a box fitted to this modified carrier that carries two 20ltr jerry cans side by side. I have also fitted a 90ltr Autogas cylinder where the under slung spare wheel was. this configuration gives me a total range of 800km or 500miles

I have recently completed a trip into the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia and for the trip I removed the rear seat and I carried 8 x 20ltr jerry cans in its place. My reasoning for this is that I was not prepared to carry extra weight on the roof especially whilst traversing high dunes. This option kept the center of gravity fairly low and ensured that I did not overload the rear axle to serverly.
 
Sub tank every time, followed by fuel in jerries in the vehicle (but well anchored/behind a cargo barrier). I would never be prepared to load fuel on the roof. Just me, but top heavy vehicles swaying around are an accident waiting to happen. Okay on say an 80 series a couple of jerries and not much else is not a big deal, but these guys you see with 8 jerries, sand ladders, zarges boxes, etc... No thanks.

I have a Longranger tank (180L) and in a year of African travelling - plus a bit of use in Ghana before travelling - I have only praise. Most importantly it is strong, second it does not (despite it's giant size) interfere with clearances or angles. No valves - just a 12v pump pumping into the main tank. With it being exactly 2x the main tank (90L) I have no issues with not having senders and a gauge etc. I would be very wary of lesser brands - as I have experienced split seams (and not just once). Luckily just my water tank, and I was able to make a plan. Depends where you are and where you are going as to how big an issue that is - solo in some places the best tank you can get might even be not as safe as internal jerries.

Inside is a different story - an old Kia light truck 100L tank worked superbly in place of seats in a previous vehicle. Something like that would be my pref. budget choice. Under the vehicle you have to have a lot of trust and confidence...
 
The exact reason I'm putting on a different rear tailgate with the spare going on that - then I can source myself a 2nd hand OEM 90 litre 'sub' tank (which is larger than the main tank) and all the plumbing and fit that in the newly recovered spare room under the back ...
 
Back
Top