Auxiliary fuel tanks for Ram 3500 DRW

[RV fan]

I am new to the fifth wheel arena so please bear with me. 

I searched the forum for "auxiliary Fuel tanks" and could not find anything. The stock tank is only 32 gallons so I am looking for something like this 80 gallon aluminum tank. Dee Zee DZ91767X Specialty Series: Auxiliary Transfer Tank 

https://www.deezee.com/product/l-shape-auxiliary-tank-brite-tread/

Can you experienced truck/fifth wheel escapees share pros and cons and if installed any particular brands etc.

thank you.

 

 

 

[Darryl&Rita]

Titan Fuel Tanks Saves room in the bed. The DegZee is a decent tank, if bed storage isn't an issue. 

[Chad Heiser]

Transfer Flow is another very popular brand of auxiliary tank.

[WeBeFulltimers]

About 3 years ago I bought/installed a 40 gal DeeZee tank in my 2012 Ford F350 SRW. I bought it from Amazon for $425 and installed it as a gravity feed and it works great and takes up very little of my bed space.  I don't feel the need for more than 40 gal extra fuel and the weight that more would add. I would not hesitate to buy a DeeZee product again. I checked Amazon and it is still available for $445 w/free shipping. Was wrong about capacity. It's 39 gal not 40.

Edited September 20, 2018 by WeBeFulltimers

[NDBirdman]

This is what I'm contemplating for my 2015 3500 DRW Megacab.

If you have the shortbed like mine, you have to be careful of the front of the rails clearance.

Edited September 20, 2018 by NDBirdman

[Jinx & Wayne]

15 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

Transfer Flow is another very popular brand of auxiliary tank.

I have a Transfer Flow TRAX3.  It is a 50 gal tank that fits below tonneau level.  No problems with it.  There is a monitor that mounts on the dash showing both the TF tank and the onboard tank levels.

[Rover]

We have a 2015 Ram 3500 DRW and wanted more capacity than 32 gallons but didn’t want to give up our toolbox and didn’t want a combo fuel/toolbox that would extend above the tonneau cover. So we just replaced the regular tank with a larger 55 gallon tank. It’s worked out pretty well even if it might not be as much fuel as an auxiliary tank would have provided. It usually covers the distance we prefer to travel in one day so we can generally fuel up without the RV.

Vicki

 

[missourijan]

My 2 cents is that if you are new to 5th wheels then you might slow down on what you "think" you must have. You are going to get lots of opinions from others, what they do may not be right for you. As another mentioned there's the weight of the fuel to consider, it costs you fuel mileage the more weight you carry. Just like other issues like membership campgrounds, you may want to travel for awhile before you invest in an auxiliary tank. We've been fulltime for 12 years and never had auxiliary tank, gas stations are everywhere, even on the 2 lane highways. Sometimes we carry 5 gallons of extra diesel, most times we don't fill it. In the 12 years we've needed it once.

[ARGO]

A used square boat fuel tank would be a lot cheaper, look at Craig's under boat parts. Lots of shapes/sizes avail. Here's a local example

https://easternshore.craigslist.org/bpo/d/fuel-tank-35-gal-marine/6679574353.html

[Big Greg]

RV fan, we had Catlin Truck Accessories in Jacksonville, FL install a 70 gallon auxiliary fuel tank/toolbox combo in 2007 when we started full timing.  Being new I didn't want to maneuver in gas stations when towing, the F350 dually could take the extra weight along with the fifth wheel pin weight and hitch.  We like secondary roads without worrying about finding a station we'd fit into when we needed diesel.  The diesel is transferred into the Ford tank with a 12v pump I can turn on as we travel.  It also has another fuel filter which I like.  When we replaced the 2007 F350 with a 2014 I had the tank and plumbing moved to the new truck.  My only negative is it's an inch or two above the bed rails so a cover wouldn't work for us, but then a cover would require opening to fuel the extra tank and when connected for towing.  Overall, I really like it.      Greg    

[RV_]

OK,

I had a transfer flow 64 gallon diesel tank in the bed of my 1992 1 ton diesel dually Dodge Ram. We full timed 1997-2003. It was no higher than the truck bed sidea and we had a guage that showed our regular tankl and our trandsfer flow tank fill status too.

Diesel weighs 7.1089 pounds per US Gallon. My 64 gallon tanks full added 454.9695 pounds to the load and since I was right at my limit before that , we only could carry it full when carrying no water but a gallon or two fresh to flush and drink.

Weight is a serious issue. Having enough fuel between it and my then 30 gallon stock tank to travel into and out of California each year to visit my mom, without having to fuel in California which even then was outrageously priced made it worth empty water tanks.

[Dbl0svn]

I installed a transfer flow 98 gallon aux fuel tank in the bed of my 2014 Ram 3500 dually.  One of the best options that I had.  The only down side was that it took away payload capacity which resulted in my trailer pin weight overloading my dually.  

The transfer flow tank was awesome and provided great range .

Edited October 3, 2018 by Dbl0svn

[RV fan]

Thank you for all the great responses. Looking at several of them, no need to hurry though.

[Larry Burkett]

We had a 90 gal tank in our 2011 F450, but wanted a roll top cover on our new truck

, so we went with a 60 gal tank from ARS that fits under the new cover.

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by Larry Burkett

[jenandjon]

A while back I ran across a company that makes add on fuel tanks for Chevy trucks. It goes where the spare tire is located. Shure now you have to find a place to put a tire but that takes up less space than a fuel tank. I cant remember the name but maybe one of you internet experts can find it. If the make them for Chevy I bet them make them for Dodge and Ford also.

[RV fan]

Yes, I have seen those offered but I want my spare tire too. Here is a  link.

http://titanfueltanks.com/products/spare-tire-tanks

 

[jenandjon]

17 hours ago, RV fan said:

Yes, I have seen those offered but I want my spare tire too. Here is a  link.

http://titanfueltanks.com/products/spare-tire-tanks

 

Dang they are pricey. That would be a no from me. Sorry I even brought it up.

[Vette Racer]

I use a RDS 95 gal aux tank with gravity feed, love it, and its now installed in my 2016 Ram. was in a Chevy before. I can pick and choose when and where I want to fill up so it makes life much simpler and saves money too. You just need to make sure you have the ability to carry the additional weight. I usually refuel at 60 gal down or so because the truck rides much better when full of fuel.

[FL-JOE]

Our first run at full timing was in a 38' fiver and a 2012 F350 SRW.  The tank was either 26 or 28 gallons.  I fueled up once and awhile at truck stops while towing but many times I would fuel after setting up camp.  My safe range was only about 270 miles so since we were traveling about 12,000 miles a year I felt I needed more range.

I extended my range to almost 500 miles and spent less than $60.00.  I purchased four 5-gallon diesel cans with easy pour spouts.  The only time I would fill them was when I knew there was a need for extended range, or if I happened to be in a location where diesel fuel was considerably cheaper.  I actually only "had" to use them maybe twice in two years.

[RV fan]

Recent travels in my MH from NC down to FL then to MS, 775 miles. Fuel in north FL $3.45/gal. fuel in MS $2.75. Savings on 78 gal = $54.60. The fuel mileage diff is alleged to be approx -1% per 100 lbs, so the 78 gal weighs 446 lbs therefore 4.46% loss of economy. I average (tracked for over 10 years) is right around 10 mpg sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. With a 135 usable gallons I generally run it down to not much less than 1/2 tank. Now at full tank that 78 gal will bring mileage down to 9.56. 775 miles/9.56= 81 gal.

So it costs me 3 gallons @ 2.75 = $8.25 to save 54.60. Net savings=$46.35

Not totally accurate but after 10 years of experience with my current rig I know lots of fuel onboard is the right way to go for us. With gas buddy we can get a general idea of where to make a stop and minimize my fuel costs, not to mention the inconvenience of having to stop for fuel every 200 - 250 miles. And have you ever been stuck on the interstate where there has been an accident?  Don't want to run out of fuel there.

I did this not trying to justify it, just curious.

Did I make a math mistake somewhere?

Leaning to the Aluminum DeeZee "L" shaped 80, 92 or 98 gal or a aluminum rectangular 106 gal

[RV fan]

On 9/21/2018 at 12:19 PM, ARGO said:

A used square boat fuel tank would be a lot cheaper, look at Craig's under boat parts. Lots of shapes/sizes avail. Here's a local example

https://easternshore.craigslist.org/bpo/d/fuel-tank-35-gal-marine/6679574353.html

Argo,

 That's a heavy duty tank, I'll keep my eyes out on the local Craigslists as we progress across the country

Thanks

[FL-JOE]

14 hours ago, RV fan said:

Recent travels in my MH from NC down to FL then to MS, 775 miles. Fuel in north FL $3.45/gal. fuel in MS $2.75. Savings on 78 gal = $54.60. The fuel mileage diff is alleged to be approx -1% per 100 lbs, so the 78 gal weighs 446 lbs therefore 4.46% loss of economy. I average (tracked for over 10 years) is right around 10 mpg sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. With a 135 usable gallons I generally run it down to not much less than 1/2 tank. Now at full tank that 78 gal will bring mileage down to 9.56. 775 miles/9.56= 81 gal.

So it costs me 3 gallons @ 2.75 = $8.25 to save 54.60. Net savings=$46.35

Not totally accurate but after 10 years of experience with my current rig I know lots of fuel onboard is the right way to go for us. With gas buddy we can get a general idea of where to make a stop and minimize my fuel costs, not to mention the inconvenience of having to stop for fuel every 200 - 250 miles. And have you ever been stuck on the interstate where there has been an accident?  Don't want to run out of fuel there.

I did this not trying to justify it, just curious.

Did I make a math mistake somewhere?

Leaning to the Aluminum DeeZee "L" shaped 80, 92 or 98 gal or a aluminum rectangular 106 gal

I get your math and agree that if you are just considering straight fuel savings you can save a little money by hauling larger capacity and shopping around for the cheapest price.  I suspect a person who is setting up his auxiliary tank and pump would have to subtract that cost, so maybe the first year or so depending on how many miles you are putting on maybe it would be a break even?

As far as not stopping every 200 to 250 miles I'm retired and not getting paid by the mile so every 3 or 4 hours I'm ready to stop and stretch anyway.  Unless you allow a tank to get down to 1/8 full and end up sitting on the interstate for several hours I don't think you will ever run out of fuel.

IMHO if you are a part time RVer or put less than 7,000 miles on a year then extended fuel capacity is probably overrated.  If you are full timing and getting well over 7,000 miles on then it will probably save you money in the long run.

[jblo]

I had a 55+ gal tank designed and built by KSH Products in Lake Havasu, AZ.  Previously, had an RDS tank/toolbox in front of the Retrax canister, but the area behind the tank was dead space and unreachable without taking the cover off to clean it out.  Now the tank fits under the cover canister and does not stick out as far as the RDS did. Also had a small pump wired into the upfitter switch so it pumps fuel over, not gravity.  Now have 55 + 48 gal on the 450 and can easily go 700 miles between fillups, if needed. Best feature is ability to shop for diesel prices when in CG and refuel when not hitched.  Yes, still have to stop more often for us and dogs to have restroom breaks...

[Pete Kildow]

Glad I had the factory 5o gallon fuel tank installed on my 22 Ram DRW. Plus it was cheap. Only $279. extra for the 50 factory tank. Now no need for an extra tank in the bed.

But I did move from 470 gallons on my Kenworth down to 50 gallons on the new Ram.

[GlennWest]

I have 300 gallons. Sweet