Thinking of replacing tractor's metal fuel tank with a non metal marine tank

[stuckmotor]

After reading this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ng/371639-jd1070-diesel-corrosive-why-my.html I think I know why my MF 261 is running so rough and would like to replace the current tank with a smaller one that's easier to keep full and won't rust. I think I can rig a non metal marine tank similar the one at the following link to replace the one that came on the tractor. Attwood 6 Gallon Epa Approved Fuel Tank

Has anyone ever done anything similar? Were there problems? Will a HDPE/EVOH tank stand up to diesel?

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Will a HDPE/EVOH tank stand up to diesel?

Yes. See here for an example.

I mowed my lawn for many years with a Cub Cadet riding mower given to me by a neighbor. Somebody had filled it with a metal can, and rust particles had destroyed the fuel pump. I replaced the filter, lines, and pump and it was fine.

I won't have a metal can on my property, and my one current vehicle that has a metal tank will have it replaced with plastic when (not if) it needs it.

I don't plan to ever have another steel tank. Plastic doesn't rust.

 

[kthompson]

Yes. See here for an example.

I mowed my lawn for many years with a Cub Cadet riding mower given to me by a neighbor. Somebody had filled it with a metal can, and rust particles had destroyed the fuel pump. I replaced the filter, lines, and pump and it was fine.

I won't have a metal can on my property, and my one current vehicle that has a metal tank will have it replaced with plastic when (not if) it needs it.

I don't plan to ever have another steel tank. Plastic doesn't rust.

No, but they have seam failures.

 

[stuckmotor]

Mark and KThompson,
I appreciate your replies. K's comment about the seam failure brings up another question. As near as I can tell, tanks that hold diesel aren't vented unless the cap has a vent similar to that on a radiator cap. Is this correct and is expansion inside the tank what causes the seem failures?

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

No, but they have seam failures.

Less likely than a steel tank, if you can even find a plastic fuel tank with a seam.

Steel vs. Plastics: The Competition for Light-Vehicle Fuel Tanks

 

[4570Man]

Yes. See here for an example. I mowed my lawn for many years with a Cub Cadet riding mower given to me by a neighbor. Somebody had filled it with a metal can, and rust particles had destroyed the fuel pump. I replaced the filter, lines, and pump and it was fine. I won't have a metal can on my property, and my one current vehicle that has a metal tank will have it replaced with plastic when (not if) it needs it. I don't plan to ever have another steel tank. Plastic doesn't rust.

But they do melt. This fire would have likely been contained had the plastic tank not dumped onto the fire.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Yes, they do melt. Probably a better option than having a seam rupture or worse, exploding, as metal tanks are prone to do.

 

[stuckmotor]

As I mentioned diesel tanks on vehicles don't seem to be vented. If this is so, why doesn't the fuel flow stop when all the air is gone? I must have overlooked something here.

 

[4570Man]

As I mentioned diesel tanks on vehicles don't seem to be vented. If this is so, why doesn't the fuel flow stop when all the air is gone? I must have overlooked something here.

They would have to be vented. Otherwise the tank will implode or you won't we able to draw fuel.

 

[stuckmotor]

They would have to be vented. Otherwise the tank will implode or you won't we able to draw fuel.

That's the way it seems to me too.