Fuel Storage Tank and Stand

[LBrown59]

1*2*3* 4*5*

1*I assume the red cap is where you fill the tank;correct?
2*What are the other items on top of the tank?
3*Do you have a fuel gage on it so you can tell how much fuel is left in the tank?

4*Is that a shout off valve on the bottom of the tank?
5*Can you use it to periodically drain off any water that might accumulate in the bottom of the tank?

 

[LBrown59]

Very nice job. It looks professional.
1*I'm a big fan of saddle tanks and used two of them for my fuel storage.
2*I added a 12 volt fuel pump to one of mine and 3*connected them together with three, 3/4 inch hose lines.
4* I fill one tank and pump from the other.
Eddie

1*I didn't use saddle tanks but i did use 2 barrels.
2*I conncected both these drums to the red 12V pump over by the light and put a shut off valve on each hose to each drum.
This gives me the option to pump from either drum.
The long hose running along the wall curled around the green hanger is an extra hose used for pumping fuel from any container I wish.
I also use it to transfer a load of fuel from my truck to the set up drum or drums.
3*I sure would like to see some pictures of how you have this plumbed up.Thanks.
4*I fill the taller 55 gallon drum with the long hose hanging on the wall and pump from the shorter 30 gallon drum.
This arrangement allows me to:
always get 55 gallon of fuel each time .
Always keeps the power service mix at 1 quart per 55 gallons constantly.
Never mixes the new fuel with older fuel.
I always have a 25 gallon reserve supply when I order fuel so am not likely to run out before delivery.

 

[LBrown59]

I see what you're saying now. With that setup you can pull from one container to fill another container. That's a good idea since yours are not portable.
1*1*What kind of pump are you using, and where did you get it from?
2*I designed mine to be portable so it is easily loaded and unloaded onto a truck or trailer, even when full.
Joe

1*It's a Northern Tool .
I got it on sale there for 70 dollars.Reg price was $100.
2*I was going to go portable but I didn't want to get into digging out the tractor and installing the forks to load and unload the truck to refill it.
I did not want to have to take the pump and the hoses with the tank to get it filled either.
I also did not want to wait until I was out of fuel or leave some in the drum when I took it to get it filled.
I opted to go for a stationary set up when it dawned on me It would remove those obstacles for me and I really didn't need any thing portable as it's simpler for me to take the tractor to the set up than it would be to take a portable set up to the tractor.
If I ever need anything portable I can hook up a manual or electric pump to a 10 or 15 gallon drum setting on a hand truck and fill it from the stationary set up and there is no need to take it anywhere to get it filled and no need to lift it on or off my truck.

 

[GIJOE]

LBrown59,

1*I assume the red cap is where you fill the tank;correct?
2*What are the other items on top of the tank?
3*Do you have a fuel gage on it so you can tell how much fuel is left in the tank?
4*Is that a shout off valve on the bottom of the tank?
5*Can you use it to periodically drain off any water that might accumulate in the bottom of the tank?

1. Yes, the red cap is where the tank is filled.
2. This tank must have been the master tank. The two round disk with the screws are caps I made to cover the holes where the fuel gage sending units attached to the tank, and the other three are bungs that are plugged. The two darker colored plugs are steel plugs that I couldn't remove, even after a little heat and days of soaking with PB Blaster.
3.No fuel gage yet. I'm going to try to adapt a float style gage to one of the disk. I'm having trouble finding one that could be adapted.
4.Yes, that is a shutoff valve on the bottom.
5. That valve sits about two inches off the bottom. Draining watter off the bottom would be difficult. There is a plug on the very bottom (that can't be seen) to drain any water that may accumulate in the tank.

This arrangement allows me to:
always get 55 gallon of fuel each time .
Always keeps the power service mix at 1 quart per 55 gallons constantly.
Never mixes the new fuel with older fuel.
I always have a 25 gallon reserve supply when I order fuel so am not likely to run out before delivery.

You made a few good points that I didn't consider.

Joe

 

[LBrown59]

LBrown59,



1. Yes, the red cap is where the tank is filled.
2. This tank must have been the master tank. The two round disk with the screws are caps I made to cover the holes where the fuel gage sending units attached to the tank, and the other three are bungs that are plugged. The two darker colored plugs are steel plugs that I couldn't remove, even after a little heat and days of soaking with PB Blaster.
3.No fuel gage yet. I'm going to try to adapt a float style gage to one of the disk. I'm having trouble finding one that could be adapted.
4.Yes, that is a shutoff valve on the bottom.
5. That valve sits about two inches off the bottom. Draining watter off the bottom would be difficult. There is a plug on the very bottom (that can't be seen) to drain any water that may accumulate in the tank.

You made a few good points that I didn't consider.


Joe

3*Since you can see the fuel in my drums through them the drum really becomes a guage.
5*That will work.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You may want to also install a valve on that low point drain hole that you mentioned prior to filling. That way you can catch a sample every now and then to check for water and drain it off as necessary.
No one but LBrown can buy an electric pump for $70 and that must have been many years ago. A TSC or Northern Tool 12 volt or 110 volt fuel pump now with cost you almost $400. I just managed to pick up a 105 gallon portable tank with a Fillrite $400 pump, hose and filter assembly for $350 that was listed on Craigslist for $450. Had to get the wife to pick it up since I am in Africa right now. i hope the prices stay down till I get home in March to fill it up. By the way, Craigslist had 2 -100 gal aluminum saddle tanks liste for $100 each. For the folks who havent priced tanks pumps etc, new hand pumps are almost $200, electric are $400, 100 gallon tanks run about $4-500 for steel much more if aluminum. So if you have any of that stuff, hang on to it or if you find a pump for $10 buy it for your buddy who doesnt have a fuel service yet.

 

[LBrown59]

1*No one but LBrown can buy an electric pump for $70 and that must have been many years ago.
2*A TSC or Northern Tool 12 volt or 110 volt fuel pump now will cost you almost $400.
3*I just managed to pick up a 105 gallon portable tank with a Fillrite $400 pump, hose and filter assembly for $350 that was listed on Craigslist for $450.
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1*I bought the pump last spring for $70 on sale at Northern Tool.
The regular price on it was $100 at that time.
I last checked back in late summer/early fall and you could still get a 12 volt pump at Northern Tool for$100.
I just checked today and you can still get the same pump I checked on back then but I see they've increased the price to S140.
2*Yeah the price went up 40 bucks but 140 dollars is still a fry cry from the nearly $400 you stated.
Today you can still get almost 3 pumps there for 400 bucks.
3*You did all rite at $350

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[HCJtractor]

GIJoe, that is an awesome tank you made! You should go into business and sell these, as it has all of the features that I want. Portability, simplicity, durability, filtration, etc. I have looked everywhere and no one seems to make a fuel caddy with the features of yours. The 30 gallon Northern tank is the best I have found, but it lacks a good lifting ring to hoist it from a truck. I would be your first customer if you ever decide to make tank building a career!! Any ideas on where to get a similar one? Using a 55 gal. drum seems so primitive compared to yours, and yours seems like it would be much easier to handle, with the enclosed frame. I'm impressed.

 

[FlaDon]

Around here and probably most other places It's really on road fuel that has a red dye in it that they don't charge you highway tax on because you don't use it in vehicles driven on the highways streets and roads. It's used in tractors and other construction equipment as well as a fuel for furnaces stoves and heaters for homes and other buildings.
Some service stations have it .
You can also buy it from fuel suppliers/distributors - look them up in the yellow pages.
It runs 30 to 50 cents less per gallon less because of the tax savings.

It is available in many places labeled as "Unit Fuel". The units they are talking about are the heaters/coolers on semi trailers. It is also used in stationary sites such as pumping stations and power generation. The fuel in 8000 gallon semi loads a lot of times is delivered as one compartment of fuel with dye and up to 4 compartments without. First one into the storage tank is the one with the dye.

 

[GIJOE]

GIJoe, that is an awesome tank you made! You should go into business and sell these, as it has all of the features that I want. Portability, simplicity, durability, filtration, etc. I have looked everywhere and no one seems to make a fuel caddy with the features of yours. The 30 gallon Northern tank is the best I have found, but it lacks a good lifting ring to hoist it from a truck. I would be your first customer if you ever decide to make tank building a career!! Any ideas on where to get a similar one? Using a 55 gal. drum seems so primitive compared to yours, and yours seems like it would be much easier to handle, with the enclosed frame. I'm impressed.

HCJ,
Thanks for the compliments. The tank itself was in the back yard when I bought the property. I was originally going to throw it away, but decided to keep it. The only place I can think of that you may find a similar tank is maybe a big rig junk yard. I'd hate to know what a new one would cost.

Joe