What are the advantages and disadvantages of steel and aluminum transfer thanks? I understand the rusting issue both inside and out but what about the durability of the welds on the steel and aluminum tanks? Do they have problems with the aluminum tanks?

 

In my opinion you'd be much better served using an aluminum tank. The weight alone is a big bonus...
Todays aluminum welding is of excellent quality and you are very unlikely to have any bad/porous or cracked welds.

Pastor Bob...

 

What he said. The last thing you need is more weight in that truck. Steel would be cheaper, though.

 

Rust is the biggest problem with steel. The less contamination chances you take with fuel the happier your fuel system will be. You don't see big rigs with steel tanks for this reason. Buy aluminum, great resale also.

 

Ok now comes he head scratcher. Do you guy's know of anyone that makes tanks to your order? Custom tanks. Hey Dave what about a used truck tank? I am wondering if I can get one that will fit my limited space.

 

Here ya go! www.aerotanks.com/ Google search works wonders.

 

Ok thanks, I'll check it out.

 

Actually the reason is for the weight.

 

One thing to remember aluminum reacts faster to temp changes, what this means is they condensate a lot more, You need to add a fuel treatment if you dont use one now. A 100 gallon tank thats empty can accumulate 4 ounces of water at 65 % humidity in a 24 hour time frame, any good fuel treatment will help as will a water seperater, other than the water problem and the price they are a better choice as far as weight and rusting, plus they look a lot nicer.

 

Actually I did go past the truck dealer this after noon and saw a bunch of what looked like steel tanks. They were painted black so I couldn't swear to it.

That being said I agree with the use of either aluminum or stainless.

I have worked out the specs that would be the best for me and give me the most volume. I was thinkin just for fun in finding out how much it would cost to have a tank made up out of stainless. I was also thinking about a junk stainless road tractor tank. I do have some limitations however.

Is the proble of condensation handleable without haveing to bleed the tank? Will fuel conditioner keep the moisture away?

 

If you have a pump system that transfers the fuel from the auxilliary tank to the main tank, you could put a good filter/water seperator like a Racor or a Davco in that line to keep the water from ever making it into the main tank. A fuel additive won't keep condensation from forming, but it will (depending on what kind of addiative it is) either make the water settle out quicker or absorb the water. As for a custom stainless tank, call around to fab shops in your area and tell them what you want to do. BTW, all our trucks at work have steel tanks.

 

The best way to keep condensation out of any tank is to keep it as full as practicle. This keeps the moist air out. All diesel fuel contains moisture. When it reaches a certain saturation point it settles to the bottom. If you run alot of fuel through the tank also it help carry the moisture away.

I use steel tanks also for storage. They work fine if you use them, but if you let them sit empty they can rust. The fine rust particles clogs filters. Fuel coming out of any storage tank should be filtered before you put in your truck. Fuel contamination is one of the biggest problem diesel engine have IMHO. It leads to filters clogging, lift pumps straining, injector pumps starving, injectors clogging, and big repair bills.

Clean fuel = Happy CTD's (I think we can agree on that)

I've used tanks made out of steel and aluminum. I prefer aluminum now that I can weld it.

 

Yep I was talkin to a guy that runs the shop at a marina this afternoon. He was sayin the best material for a tank is aluminum. He said that they can have problems with the welds. All his replacement tanks are aluminum. Like you said if you keep the tank moveing and the water doesn't have time to sit in one place the steel would be fine. Problem is this tank will be in and out of the truck and will be in storage for a period. I would be a little afraid of steel.

 

Good call tumbs..

 

When I was talking about the weld problem he was refering to stainless.