Turning your truck into a fuel truck!

Jhernandez04

Jhernandez04

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
955
Location
Arlington
Display Name
Display name:
TheHulk
Here's the plan:

1. 330 Gallon Chemical Tote

2. Gravity fuel fed, electric fuel pump or hand crank (least fav option).

3. Nissan Titan Truck :wink2:


It will have a 1" valve on the bottom, which would be excellent for the gravity fed fuel option. That would be plenty of fuel being sent. It also has a 3" opening and 9" opening on the top for the other options.

The tank will be cleaned thoroughly (multiple times) to ensure the proper fuel quality required. It will have a fuel filter as well. The idea is to beat the high prices of 100LL. My PA-28 235 has the stc for auto fuel, and a quick talk with the makers of the stc let me know it actually makes more horsepower on 87 (very slight increase). Which is a great plus along with the fuel savings (87 octane @3.30$ average compared to 4.96$ 100LL)

300 gallons @ 3.30 = 990$
300 gallons @ 4.96 = 1,488

Which equals a cool 500$ savings every time the tote is filled and a cool 140$ savings every time I fill the plane (84gal). I do plan to run 100LL every now and then to get some lead in the system. I realize the FBO owners wont exactly enjoy this idea, but I don't enjoy buying 5$ fuel when I can buy 3$ fuel.

Any advice? Or comments?
 
Here is the tote. Still has to be cleaned.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 94
Paging Jay Honeck! He did something similar with a smaller tank and a smaller truck. I think he gave up when auto gas without ethanol became nearly impossible to find. You are aware, I assume, that the STC does not cover fuel with ethanol in it?

John


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Yes, forgot to mention that part. Where I'm from it's very common to find ethanol free fuel (lake town).
 
Problem solved.

fuel_tank.JPG



I've hauled 8,000 gallons in this baby.
 
In that case, contact Jay. He used it to save money for several years.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Geico266 said:
Problem solved.

fuel_tank.JPG



I've hauled 8,000 gallons in this baby.
Click to expand...

Very nice, but this tote was free and the Titan is my farm truck. No need for the trailer. This set up should cost me only what the filter, fittings and hoses cost.
Not to mention I'd never have to hitch or unhitch the trailer.

My question that I have is about pressure in the tank, do you have a relieve valve of some sort?
 
Jhernandez04 said:
Very nice, but this tote was free and the Titan is my farm truck. No need for the trailer. This set up should cost me only what the filter, fittings and hoses cost.
Not to mention I'd never have to hitch or unhitch the trailer.

My question that I have is about pressure in the tank, do you have a relieve valve of some sort?
Click to expand...

The red tank on that trailer has a vented cap. The tote would need a vent of some kind as well. Those tanks are not intended to hold any pressure of any significance.

Make sure you know what the rules are for carrying hazmat in your locality. You most likely will be in violation of them, but at least be informed what the chapter and verse are. Also have a plan to keep the tank secured so that it doesn't come flying loose in case of a minor fender bender.

I'd go with a 12v fuel pump, you can buy such a thing at a tractor supply house or Northern Tool... Hand pumps are a pain, and gravity is inadequate in my opinion.

Finally, Im not up on "import" trucks. 300 gallons is 2100 pounds not counting the tank itself. Is the truck capable of carrying that weight? Brakes? suspension? You might want to consider a 100 gal tank (yes.. i know you got the tote free)... but all things considered its enough to fill the plane, and its less payload for the truck, and you will rotate your fuel more often...
 
Last edited:
Doggtyred said:
The red tank on that trailer has a vented cap. The tote would need a vent of some kind as well. Those tanks are not intended to hold any pressure of any significance.

Make sure you know what the rules are for carrying hazmat in your locality. You most likely will be in violation of them, but at least be informed what the chapter and verse are. Also have a plan to keep the tank secured so that it doesn't come flying loose in case of a minor fender bender.

I'd go with a 12v fuel pump, you can buy such a thing at a tractor supply house or Northern Tool... Hand pumps are a pain, and gravity is inadequate in my opinion.

Finally, Im not up on "import" trucks. 300 gallons is 2100 pounds not counting the tank itself. Is the truck capable of carrying that weight? Brakes? suspension? You might want to consider a 100 gal tank (yes.. i know you got the tote free)... but all things considered its enough to fill the plane, and its less payload for the truck, and you will rotate your fuel more often...
Click to expand...

Valid points my friend. I would probably not load it to capacity and I'll check the regs.
 
Doggtyred said:
Finally, Im not up on "import" trucks. 300 gallons is 2100 pounds not counting the tank itself. Is the truck capable of carrying that weight? Brakes? suspension? You might want to consider a 100 gal tank (yes.. i know you got the tote free)... but all things considered its enough to fill the plane, and its less payload for the truck, and you will rotate your fuel more often...
Click to expand...
IIRC, the bed load limit on a Titan is somewhere between 1,100 and 1,400lbs, depending on the version. That's 183-233 gallons, not accounting for other weight, like the tote, pump, ect... I wouldn't think he'd have to buy a new tank, just not fill it all the way.

Just curious, how are you planning on filling it up? Do gas stations just let you pump hundreds of gallons?
 
Jhernandez04 said:
Or get a trailer like Gieco did ( maybe he did his research?!)
Click to expand...

Putting a dedicated tank in the truck bed takes the truck out of service unless you remove the tank. Putting it on a dedicated trailer means you have a dedicated fuel trailer that can be unhitched at the airport if you want to go into town for lunch. Trailers are sold at the same farm store they sell the pumps at.

Going cheap is nice, but there is a point of diminishing return. ;)
 
Geico266 said:
Putting a dedicated tank in the truck bed takes the truck out of service unless you remove the tank. Putting it on a dedicated trailer means you have a dedicated fuel trailer that can be unhitched at the airport if you want to go into town for lunch. Trailers are sold at the same farm store they sell the pumps at.

Going cheap is nice, but there is a point of diminishing return. ;)
Click to expand...

Your right, I was probably too tunnel visioned on the whole "cheap" aspect of this project and failed to notice a few key flaws. A trailer will be in the works.

What did you do in terms of hazmat stuff?
 
Jhernandez04 said:
Your right, I was probably too tunnel visioned on the whole "cheap" aspect of this project and failed to notice a few key flaws. A trailer will be in the works.

What did you do in terms of hazmat stuff?
Click to expand...

Don't spill? :rofl:

I have fire extinguishers in my truck and hangar. If I have a leak (it's only 100gallon) I would just call 911. That is what they are there for. ;)
 
I would definitely go for the trailer to make the process easier and not tie up your truck.

You got a 300-gallon tank for free, but I don't think I'd bother with pumping it of more fuel than your plane can use at one time. And if you do, put the rest of it in your truck. Remember that MoGas doesn't sit as well as AvGas.

Otherwise, it's a good idea. If the 310 was legal for MoGas, I'd be looking for a 150 gallon-ish tank (140 gallons max). But I'm not sure how the high-compression 520s would work on 93. 87 I'd suspect wouldn't end well.

BTW, you don't need to bother running 100LL. If you need to get fuel at another airport, you're probably stuck with it. But your engine doesn't need any lead.
 
Lol nice, the airport won't say anything? I remember my FBO said I could use gas cans to fill my plane up but it must be outside the hanger.
 
Jhernandez04 said:
Lol nice, the airport won't say anything? I remember my FBO said I could use gas cans to fill my plane up but it must be outside the hanger.
Click to expand...

They cannot supply the 92 octane fuel I need. :dunno:

I can't store the trailer in the hangar, that is the only restriction.
 
Look for an old fuel truck that does 1600 gallons or more and has gasoline rated pumping and metering equipment. If you fly enough fueling mostly at home it can save you a lot of money getting it at the rack, LGB 6 of us shared one and it worked out very well.
 
Henning said:
Look for an old fuel truck that does 1600 gallons or more and has gasoline rated pumping and metering equipment. If you fly enough fueling mostly at home it can save you a lot of money getting it at the rack, LGB 6 of us shared one and it worked out very well.
Click to expand...

As of right now the plane is only flown 8-10 hrs a month (will change alot when I get my ppl)

I can't justify a fuel truck right now but 100-200 gallons is perfect.
 
Check regs on transporting fuel at the quantity you're looking at. IIRC, anything with over 300 gallon capacity (regardless of how much actually have in the tank) requires documentation and placards. I haven't renewed the HazMat on my CDL in a few years, so I might be off a bit, but I know there is a defined capacity that requires documentation.

Also, check what type of plastic the tank is made out of. I know some plastic is made to be able to handle petro and some isn't. We ran into that problem with some chemical totes we used for transporting ag chemicals. If it's the 'wrong' plastic, it could break down and cause problems with the carb in your plane.

Otherwise, go for it! Get a good fuel-grade 12v pump and quality filter for the pump and pump away!
 
Jhernandez04 said:
As of right now the plane is only flown 8-10 hrs a month (will change alot when I get my ppl)

I can't justify a fuel truck right now but 100-200 gallons is perfect.
Click to expand...

Yep, anything you can do, just keep it in mind as you make other owner friends and you can catch another break over 500 and 1000 gallons. Be able to accept a 4" camloc is preferable and stack a reducer to 2" to cover rack or truck positive transfer. Make sure your tank has an adequate venting system with a discharge trap for 'burp' containment on overfill and slosh. It's not cheap to spill fuel. The best gasoline transfer pumps are pneumatic drive diapragm pumps with all the spark generating stuff well clear of the fuel, it's also the cheapest gasoline rated pumping system.
 
Henning said:
Look for an old fuel truck that does 1600 gallons or more and has gasoline rated pumping and metering equipment. If you fly enough fueling mostly at home it can save you a lot of money getting it at the rack, LGB 6 of us shared one and it worked out very well.
Click to expand...

This only makes sense if you actually are going to go through 1600 gallons in a reasonable period of time. For most of us (even me), using that much fuel at the home drone takes a while. If you have a group of people, might make more sense, but now you have a whole lot more to deal with.

Something with as much fuel as your tanks can hold is appropriate. Since he's getting this 300-gallon thing for free, then that makes sense, too.
 
CJones said:
Check regs on transporting fuel at the quantity you're looking at. IIRC, anything with over 300 gallon capacity (regardless of how much actually have in the tank) requires documentation and placards. I haven't renewed the HazMat on my CDL in a few years, so I might be off a bit, but I know there is a defined capacity that requires documentation.

Also, check what type of plastic the tank is made out of. I know some plastic is made to be able to handle petro and some isn't. We ran into that problem with some chemical totes we used for transporting ag chemicals. If it's the 'wrong' plastic, it could break down and cause problems with the carb in your plane.

Otherwise, go for it! Get a good fuel-grade 12v pump and quality filter for the pump and pump away!
Click to expand...


It's rated for oilfield chemicals so it's a safe bet that it can handle regular unleaded.
 
300 gets him over the 100 gallon price break, he just has to make sure his rig is safe to handle gasoline.
 
Henning said:
300 gets him over the 100 gallon price break, he just has to make sure his rig is safe to handle gasoline.
Click to expand...

Due to the limitations of the truck I'll be playing it safe until I can get a trailer and the experience of handling this much fuel. So ill be looking to keep it under 200 gallons right now.
 
I think you would be better off with a saddle tank off a big rig truck. Also your auto insurance might frown on transporting all that gas.
 
If you use the pictured tank, protect the plastic from the sun or it will get very brittle. I use one for waste oil and one for water supply distant from hydrants. The water supply one cracked near the top from a not very hard bump.

At my airport, you would pay a fuel flowage fee of 25 cents per gallon for self provided fuel. Money we make from fuel sales goes toward, among other things, maintaining the aviation facilities you use every time you take your plane out of the hangar.
 
Graueradler said:
If you use the pictured tank, protect the plastic from the sun or it will get very brittle. I use one for waste oil and one for water supply distant from hydrants. The water supply one cracked near the top from a not very hard bump.

At my airport, you would pay a fuel flowage fee of 25 cents per gallon for self provided fuel. Money we make from fuel sales goes toward, among other things, maintaining the aviation facilities you use every time you take your plane out of the hangar.
Click to expand...

I've already been told I could fill my plane up if I wanted to.
 
Jhernandez04 said:
What's a saddle tank?
Click to expand...

The large fuel tanks on 18 wheeler trucks. You may find one at a big rig junk yard. I really like your idea and intentions. My concern is a accident on the hwy if your tank is not "approved" for fuel even though it really is good enough some lawyer eats you alive with a Dang lawsuit.
 
Foxhole said:
The large fuel tanks on 18 wheeler trucks. You may find one at a big rig junk yard. I really like your idea and intentions. My concern is a accident on the hwy if your tank is not "approved" for fuel even though it really is good enough some lawyer eats you alive with a Dang lawsuit.
Click to expand...

Got it! I can look around for sure.
 
Geico266 said:
Putting a dedicated tank in the truck bed takes the truck out of service unless you remove the tank. Putting it on a dedicated trailer means you have a dedicated fuel trailer that can be unhitched at the airport if you want to go into town for lunch. Trailers are sold at the same farm store they sell the pumps at.

Going cheap is nice, but there is a point of diminishing return. ;)
Click to expand...

My rig is identical to Geico's except I use a 55 gallon drum that fits in the bed of my Tundra... I also use the set up to keep my 500 gallon storage tank at home filled.. Never had the gas station limit my purchases. One day last year I bought 495 gallons in one day in 9 trips to the gas station..
 
N801BH said:
My rig is identical to Geico's except I use a 55 gallon drum that fits in the bed of my Tundra... I also use the set up to keep my 500 gallon storage tank at home filled.. Never had the gas station limit my purchases. One day last year I bought 495 gallons in one day in 9 trips to the gas station..
Click to expand...

Just remember, those farm store pumps are not gasoline rated, only Diesel and kero type distillates.
 
CJones said:
Check regs on transporting fuel at the quantity you're looking at. IIRC, anything with over 300 gallon capacity (regardless of how much actually have in the tank) requires documentation and placards. I haven't renewed the HazMat on my CDL in a few years, so I might be off a bit, but I know there is a defined capacity that requires documentation.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure it's 119 gallons max in Missouri. Anything over requires a DOT approved trailer/tank, etc.

Of course, it doesn't matter if you never have an accident or spill but...if you ever do...then your estate will be going to the feds.

I burn mogas, but life's too short to take unwise risks.
 
Different state have different laws, including intrastate procedures. If you go across a state line, you will be subject to federal rules. My understanding is the feds will require that a container used to transport gasoline must be built to and labelled as meeting DOT standards, no matter the size. Not the same for diesel. Over 119 gallons, the feds say you have a petroleum cargo vehicle. Placarding is required. A CDL with hazmat may be required. Many times, a farmer or small businessman who only works intrastate ignores these requirements and takes their chances. Whether that is a good idea is subject to discussion.
Is an IBC a good gasoline container?
"9. Can I store petroleum products in your tanks?
We do not recommend storing petroleum products in our tanks because they will permeate (soften) the tank walls. Contact Snyder with your specific application. You will find that aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons will not be recommended for polyethylene."
Can you get a DC pump at Farm & Fleet, etc.? Yes. Many of them are rated for diesel or other fluid but specifically exclude use with gasoline. The ones rated for gasoline will start at $200 or so and go on up.
Does your auto insurance allow you to transport gasoline in the quantities you envision?
I use totes for agricultural chemicals and would not use them for transporting gasoline over a public road. Too much risk of puncture and catastrophic fire in even a minor accident.
Check into your laws about truck versus trailer petroleum containers as they may be different.
As an aside, depending on where you fill up, some jobbers or distributors may have requirements for grounding, placarding and safety equipment imposed by law or their insurance policy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top