Long range tank.

Depends on the vehicle so its hard to say as you dont provide that information.
Also depends on where you are going.
Remembering that the extra fuel will be less stuff you can carry due to the exra weight of it We never ran short with 145L whilst on the blackstuff

Hi Stephen I have a Isuzu MU-X which only has a 65 litre tank , while the economy is excellent I fitted a 120 litre tank which gives me a range of 1100km around town and towing a 1600 kg van about 900 km .I think it would take a long time to recoup the fitting costs. I find the value in not having to fill up so often and being able to select where I want to fill up .The tank is metal and replaces the original one which runs north ,south thus not needing to move the spare .It cost me $ 1400 fitted and is from outback accessories in WA . Whether it is a good price I don't know but it is most convenient for me and saves carrying a reserve supply .hope some of this helps, Brian

Years ago, I had an 80L tank built for a Hilux dual cab, that fitted between the mudguards, inside the tray. Worked alright, and there wasn't the selection that we all have today.

Lately have been driving a Hilux dual cab, fitted with 140L tank, on a mail run, doing up to 800kms return. Hilux still handles well, and the vehicle uses about 100L for the trip, all at a "brisk" pace. The big tank really complements these late model dual cabs, with their good economy, leaving the tray/tub for fridge and other gear.

There are a few poly tank outlets, Dolium and Enmach are two that come to mind. Enmach Industries have a large range of poly tanks for vehicles, both fuel & water.

Bob

Hi Stephen

The calculated fuel savings are as stated from other users - different for each vehicle. I think you need to look at the bigger issue based on your very open question.

If you want to carry diesel in jerry cans on your roof or in your vehicle, then why given the long range tanks are low to the ground, creating less balance concerns for your vehicle and passengers when 4wd, on rough tracks. The long range tanks are a proven fact, they are better for long distance driving as they hold more fuel which means less fuel stops, low to the ground, and I'm sure there are many more factors I cant quite think of, right now.
Whilst not that cheap they provide a good balance for your vehicle and stops you filling up every 4/500ks, approximately. Convenience of the long range tanks, hassle free yes, space saver yes, the list goes on

To carry jerry cans on your roof or inside the vehicle means there is less room for other things,

I think that is one of the best modifications I have done, and when I get around to it I will be changing the old/current 32 ltrs to the new 78ltrs, which will give me capacity for over 200ltrs and over 1200ks before I refill my tanks , worth thinking about

I hope this helps

Paul

Don't install a long range tank to save money. You will fail.
Carry the fuel you need for the journey you are undertaking. That might need to include a significant volume for safety, or it may not.
Carrying more than you need increases the damage risk to the vehicle plus other negatives.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

For me they are as you have stated, a safer, especially for petrol, hassle free, less smelly, less space consuming way to carry extra fuel.
No idea whether it saves much cost. I only know how far I can go before I need to re-fill one or both of my tanks.
This only happened once but the extra range saved me from camping up for a few days.
We pulled into a servo on the NW coastal Hwy in WA. I thought it looked a lot less crowded than usual. Went to the door and had a read of the notice taped to the inside of the glass in the door.
Apparently some employee was found to be infected with some notifiable disease and the joint was shut until further notice. The long range tank got me (just) to the next servo.
I know it's not always possible because of the design of cetain vehicles, but I do like to have 2 tanks rather than 1 big one. If you only top up one tank at a time and get dirty fuel the worst you may have to do is an unscheduled filter change on the side of the road. Also if for whatever reason you get a leak you may catch it in time before you loose all your fuel.

Cheers
Pop

I have both a larger tank and auxiliary tank fitted to my vehicle to enable a way to carry a larger amount of fuel, when required, in a safe way.

I haven't reviewed the addition of the tanks on cost versus savings basis as it wasn't the motivation to make the modifications - but at a guess, and I can see Mrs Landy nodding her head, just consider it an expense with no pay-off other than it is another way to transport fuel.

Something you might want to consider though is that an additional fuel tank fitted to the vehicle may require a sign-off by an engineer, depending on which State the vehicle is registered in.

My vehicle is registered in NSW where there is a requirement and I have had my fuel tank modifications signed-off, at a cost of circa $400.

If you are not in NSW it may pay to check with your relevant State authority.

Mind you, it isn't a great hassle, but will add cost if you elect to have it engineered - many don’t...

Extract from Vehicle standards information – RMS 08/11/2013 follows



Cheers, Baz – The Landy

Stephen


I have a 80 ltr main tank and have had a 61 litre auxiliary fitter.
I did not do it to save money. It obviously cost a lot more than buying 3 jerry cans. It is for the convenience.
I didn't want to have to carry diesel in jerry cans in my vehicle.
My range now around town/highway is 1400 kms with fuel left in the main tank.
I will be doing the simpson desert this year and the CSR next. The auxiliary tank will be valuable.




Regards


Tjilpi

I also never looked at fuel savings on long range tanks, more the ability to travel long distances.
I have a V8 Petrol 100 series on LPG (80 ltrs) but replaced the original 95 ltr tank with a 152 ltr
I don't need to carry extra fuel for most trips.

My Landrover Discovery 4 original tank is 82 ltrs and while the 3ltr diesel is frugal, I have a 104 ltr Longranger tank which in a good day gives me nearly 2000kms unless towing or off road.

This means when travelling I can top up @96 cents a ltr instead of the normal Cairns $1.20

Love the Long Ranger in the Ranger, 126lt.
Have also kitted the tub with 2 x 58lt Dolium tanks, one diesel (gravity fed into filler neck) and water with pump, both in front on over back axle.

The 185lt fuel gets me places, eg. Innamincka to Coober Pedy via Rig Rd 1280km no problems on 170lt, that's desert / good track driving, and get 10lt/100km on hwy, so can get safe 1700km to 1800km there.
Can drive past places selling 2.20 or more, back to reasonable pricing . . . yes, I know it's good to support remote places, and I do this in other ways too, or buy enough to cover myself to the next major place on mainstream hwys etc.

Around town having a full load makes no difference to my fuel consumption, I buy near 175lt normally, plus 100lt jerries (Costco is waaaaay across town !) to take home, so only fill for town driving maybe 3 or 4 times a year up there and a few other stops around the south side where needed.

It IS a convenience thing too, no need to play jerry can filling, just drop Dolium tank into main whenever I feel like it after it gets to 3/4 on main gauge.

Personally I feel it's worth the cost, get your main tank back, dry out, pour in a litre of liquid WD40 nd swill around, store out of the way, if ever you decide to sell, you can possibly sell long range tank.

Any one heard of the 4wd Systems LR tank made in Adelaide.?

This is very vehicle dependant, but I've never found a need to fit a long range tank despite the obvious convenience. I have plenty of jerry can storage - can fit 6 jerrys in the 200 series with second row seats in (usually 3 water and 3 diesel) so adding a genuine 63 litres of diesel. Or if I remove the 2nd row and fit my 2nd cargo barrier I can add as many as I want.

In favour of jerries: almost no extra weight - a long range tank adds at least 45kg of steel. Then add some spare wheel carriers and maybe a rear bar. Becomes ridiculous amount of steel added.
The fuel is 100% usable.
I pour into a gauzed funnel so using fuel from the top of a settled jerry means you are unlikely to ever dump crud or water into a tank.
Factory tanks don't fail or crack. Aftermarket steel tanks can crack and the gauges are never as good as factory.

Fitting a long range tank is not about saving money its about fuel range between fills.

In my case, carrying an extra 200Kg of fuel and tank is not going to make the truck more fuel efficient but I don't have to worry too much about running out of diesel.
.

Stephen,

One of the reasons for a LR tank is convenience.

Cost saving is a definite reason not to do it.

I preface my remarks by declaring that I have a 120L main tank, plus 20L LPG injection which increases the effective range of the diesel. I carry a couple of jerries on major treks.

Assuming you are running a diesel, there are very few places in Oz more than 1000km from a diesel bowser. If your OEM tank is 85L or less and you do a bit of country driving, then its a no-brainer, get a bigger tank.

The advantages of LR tank are convenience.

The disadvantages are : initial cost, extra dead weight (60kg according to Allan above), you are putting a lot of eggs in one basket (tank rupture, bad fuel), you may be tempted to carry on average an extra 100 L of fuel everywhere you go - combined with the weight of the tank thats a lot extra dead weight being transported for no good reason.

The alternative is to carry jerries on the occasion where you may push the range of your vehicle.

The disadvantages of jerries are: inconvenience, they take up cabin or roof space, less safe if using petrol (but if you were serious you wouldn't be using petrol anyway).

The advantages of jerries are: cost (about $100 to carry an extra 100L), very low weight (2 kgs each), portability (you can transfer fuel to any vehicle), portability (you can unload 200 kgs of fuel and jerries from a vehicle but you can't unload a 180L tank from a vehicle if you need to), portability (when you aren't doing your once a year outback trek you leave the jerries at home).

Bob

PS If you don't spill diesel on the outside of the jerry it doesn't smell. Replace 'O' rings before they perish.