DIY Gasoline transfer trailer

Huckster79

Huckster79

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Huckster79
alright I may soon be acquiring an airplane that needs ethanol free mogas, we have it available in town but it can’t land at the Walmart gas station...

I’m a cheap basspoop

I’m thinking I could get a couple gas tanks from junk yard- no not ancient rusty ones... and one or two of those mounted on a trailer... they are obviously approved for fuel transport on the road...

Would go steel over plastic for static concerns and ability to weld them after good cleaning to make sure no fumes, and weld on a filler neck and such...
Electric gasoline approved pumps are available to pump it to the plane...

Am I crazy?
 
Fill the tanks with an inert gas before you weld. There will still be fumes trapped in the steel pores.
 
Crashnburn said:
Fill the tanks with an inert gas before you weld. There will still be fumes trapped in the steel pores.
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yes that is how its done isnt it... i would be having a friend thats a knowledgeable welder do it, i havent welded since high school...
 
Transporting hazardous materials, and mogas qualifies, is regulated by the DoT. If you are planning to haul it on public roads you best proceed carefully. I don't think a couple of junk fuel tanks from wrecked vehicles will qualify as approved hazmat containers sitting on their own on a trailer. You might have a wee problem if you get pulled over. ;)
 
Is Jay still around here? Didn't he build a setup for mogas?
 
Your liability if you are going to haul it on a public street or highway is not worth making your own tank! Dot transfer tanks are available in most farm stores. Northern tool and others have them available. Here are some guidelines from a couple internet sources:

Diesel fuel is exempt from hazmat regulations if carried non bulk (less that 119 gallon containers). There is no limit on the number of gallons of diesel fuel if it is carried in non bulk See 49CFR 173.150(f).

If you do require a placard, I also believe that you would need to have a CDL with a Hazmat endorsement.

For gasoline, the packaging must be made of metal or plastic and meet OSHA or USDOT regulations. When it comes to transporting fuel in a pickup or trailer, DOT doesn't allow a gross weight of more than 440 pounds for all containers of gasoline. (Gasoline weights about 6.15 pounds per U.S. gallon.) (71.5 gallons)
 
Huckster79 said:
alright I may soon be acquiring an airplane that needs ethanol free mogas, we have it available in town but it can’t land at the Walmart gas station...

I’m a cheap basspoop

I’m thinking I could get a couple gas tanks from junk yard- no not ancient rusty ones... and one or two of those mounted on a trailer... they are obviously approved for fuel transport on the road...

Would go steel over plastic for static concerns and ability to weld them after good cleaning to make sure no fumes, and weld on a filler neck and such...
Electric gasoline approved pumps are available to pump it to the plane...

Am I crazy?
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Buy a couple of clean 55 gallon drums. Here they are $25 a piece. Then buy a 110 GPI 55 gallon pump. We have a local place that will deliver 55 gallon drums of non ethanol Super unleaded. It is $1.00 a gallon cheaper than 100LL. I still choose to run 100LL.
I keep drums of 100LL and these pumps in my hangars.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200516597_200516597?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Fuel Transfer + Lubrication > Fuel Pumps + Nozzles&utm_campaign=GPI&utm_content=26527&gclid=CjwKCAiA0svwBRBhEiwAHqKjFsL_YGGdEzrSjwZUWOA_FXSz9eRdYQb54PaxjZ1LA388jw3SIwnwRxoCQ1gQAvD_BwE
 
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Huckster79 said:
alright I may soon be acquiring an airplane that needs ethanol free mogas, we have it available in town but it can’t land at the Walmart gas station...

I’m a cheap basspoop

I’m thinking I could get a couple gas tanks from junk yard- no not ancient rusty ones... and one or two of those mounted on a trailer... they are obviously approved for fuel transport on the road...

Would go steel over plastic for static concerns and ability to weld them after good cleaning to make sure no fumes, and weld on a filler neck and such...
Electric gasoline approved pumps are available to pump it to the plane...

Am I crazy?
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There is cheap and then there is stupid cheap. Which one are you?
 
Huckster79 said:
I’m a cheap basspoop
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Can't say I've heard that phrase before. :D

Back in the days of the Spin Zone there was a prolific poster who's name I can't recall, but he posted the plans for his fuel trailer a couple of times. If I recall his name I will search for it.
 
DOT only applies to commercial operators. At <120 gallons you're not breaking any laws moving gasoline. Your insurance will probably be void and your liability is real, especially for any spills. That said I kept avgas tanks in my everyday pickup truck for 25 years. The first was a 130 gallon tank from a semi. Eventually the fuel guys refused to fill it because it didn't meet DOT rules. I switched it for a 100 gallon Fill Rite tank (not rated for gasoline) and used that one for 20+ years with no issues. Diesel tanks aren't vented when you buy them and venting gasoline is absolutely necessary. Easy fix. Lots of guys in Alaska have bulk tanks like mine. Many attached to trailers. One I know uses a solar panel and batteries to power the 12v pump. Clever setup!

Cleaning up a spill is EXPENSIVE. Beware of your risk.
 
Jay Honeck (are you here Jay?) built two fuel transporters out of compact pickup trucks over the years when he was operating his autofuel-powered pipers out of Iowa City. Essentially, he plopped a fuel tank in the bed under a camper top and added a pump and a grounding reel made out of an old retractable extension cord.
 
If you're operating it on a public road it has to be licensed and should be insured. By the time you get done with that just how much cash are you saving? If it's for the airplane in the OP's photo it can' the turing so much gas that could gas cans wouldn't suffice.
 
steingar said:
If you're operating it on a public road it has to be licensed and should be insured. By the time you get done with that just how much cash are you saving? If it's for the airplane in the OP's photo it can' the turing so much gas that could gas cans wouldn't suffice.
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Hauling my own gas is like paying myself $60 an hour.

Gas was $2.73 about a three miles away yesterday, that's $2.29 a gallon saved on the cheapest retail at the airport.
 
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Just use 15.5gal beer kegs. They hold enough gas that you shouldn’t need too many, but are small enough one man can move them around, they are also food grade stainless steel.
 
look at a marine/boating store. they have large gas cans set up on wheels with a pump for just this kind of purpose. Even set up to roll down the dock like a dolly or wagon. Not trailer mounted but if you can haul it in a pickup you ought to be able to haul it on a small utility trailer...
or if you can drive to the aircraft, look at a farm store for something you can mount in the back of a pickup truck
 
I've been using 5 gallon cans for a dozen years now. I have enough to get 50 gallons at a time. Never saw the need to get a big tank. Like others here have commented in various recent threads, I try to run a mix of 75%mogas to 25%100LL (3/1)...or 2/1...somewhere in there. Brings both the lead and octane levels closer to what my engine was designed to burn.
 
I'd be getting a couple of 55gal drums and a transfer pump, or one of the truck-bed tanks with transfer pump. It's easier to deal with, will carry enough to save money, but not so much as to worry about fuel going bad in times of less frequent flying. You could leave the fuel drums or truck tank out of the truck when not needed, which allows the truck to be used with less liability. Airport staff may not be as enthusiastic about a fuel trailer being towed on-site or stored in the hangar (the latter probably prohibited entirely).

I'd bypass the little 15gal wheeled gas caddys or 5gal jugs. No way am I lugging that stuff around and filling up individually. Not enough capacity to bother with.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I'd be getting a couple of 55gal drums and a transfer pump, or one of the truck-bed tanks with transfer pump. It's easier to deal with, will carry enough to save money, but not so much as to worry about fuel going bad in times of less frequent flying. You could leave the fuel drums or truck tank out of the truck when not needed, which allows the truck to be used with less liability. Airport staff may not be as enthusiastic about a fuel trailer being towed on-site or stored in the hangar (the latter probably prohibited entirely).

I'd bypass the little 15gal wheeled gas caddys or 5gal jugs. No way am I lugging that stuff around and filling up individually. Not enough capacity to bother with.
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That's a hilarious typical lease issue, the airplane is full of gas and has no EVAP system. But you are right.
 
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What works for me:
3 @ 5 gallon safety cans, one of the funnels that mounts to the cans, a wire with clips to bond the cans to the airframe, a foam mat to set on the wing, and one ladder.
 
pigpenracing said:
Buy a couple of clean 55 gallon drums. Here they are $25 a piece. Then buy a 110 GPI 55 gallon pump. We have a local place that will deliver 55 gallon drums of non ethanol Super unleaded. It is $1.00 a gallon cheaper than 100LL. I still choose to run 100LL.
I keep drums of 100LL and these pumps in my hangars.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200516597_200516597?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Fuel Transfer + Lubrication > Fuel Pumps + Nozzles&utm_campaign=GPI&utm_content=26527&gclid=CjwKCAiA0svwBRBhEiwAHqKjFsL_YGGdEzrSjwZUWOA_FXSz9eRdYQb54PaxjZ1LA388jw3SIwnwRxoCQ1gQAvD_BwE
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I’m going to contact the supplier instea and see if I can do that- have em deliver 55 gallon drums...

I’m looking at a freshly overhauled 150hp Franklin and they do not do well on LL, tcp helps but susceptible to valve probs when really new w pure LL. I didn’t realize no lead was an option back in the day but franklin manual says 80/87 no lead...
 
Doc Holliday said:
Tractor Supply has all kinds of fuel tanks for farm use. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/fuel tank
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I don't know about the big city, but most places I have lived and flown, I had a personal avgas tank. In Alaska, my brother and I would have 100LL delivered to our 500 gal tank, and then haul to the airplane in a 100 gal tank we carried in a pickup. Had a 12V pump with clips to connect the pickup battery. Saved quite bit buying it that way. I burned a lot of fuel when doing fish spotting up there. My brother is still using the same setup. All of my cousins in Nebraska(farmers) have truck or trailer mounted diesel tanks and sometimes gasoline tanks, to fuel their equipment. Very commonly done.

I'm quite sure there is risk and liability involved. It is heartbreaking to me sometimes to know that personal liability/risk/exposure is the first item of discussion whenever Americans discuss doing *anything* at all. I read recently that, while the USA comprises about 4.5% of the world's population, we have approximately 70% of the world's lawyers. Other countries think we are insane.
 
I think the specs of a DOT approved transfer tank boil down to flame suppression at the vent and must use a pump to lift fuel out of the tank (no gravity feed), and prob some sort of 2 PSI leak test during manufacturing.
 
Just one note, the FAA and your home drome rely on the taxes and margins on 100LL to fund programs. I'd sure do what I could to help ensure my local airport didn't become too big of a drain on the local municipality, or get ready for another housing development and a 30 minute further drive to your plane...
 
MIFlyer said:
Just one note, the FAA and your home drome rely on the taxes and margins on 100LL to fund programs. I'd sure do what I could to help ensure my local airport didn't become too big of a drain on the local municipality, or get ready for another housing development and a 30 minute further drive to your plane...
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If the local airport won't stock MoGas, I see no problem with it. No point in burning money on 100LL when you don't need/want it, all for some minor fuel margins. I'd guess the handful of guys that are STC'd and able to run MoGas wouldn't make much of a dent in airport fuel margins.
 
SoonerAviator said:
If the local airport won't stock MoGas, I see no problem with it. No point in burning money on 100LL when you don't need/want it, all for some minor fuel margins. I'd guess the handful of guys that are STC'd and able to run MoGas wouldn't make much of a dent in airport fuel margins.
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I don't disagree, and almost added a long footnote about doesn't apply if you need mogas, yadda yadda. but there are comments in here about 100LL too, see above...
 
If I were Redneck enough to build my own fuel hauler I would get a couple of saddle tanks from a commercial truck like a C30. They have a cross feed and together would hold about 60 gallons. Plumb in an electric pump and mount the whole thing on a 4x4 trailer. Add ground wire.
 
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