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Semi Truck Fuel tank in bed questions

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Old 01-16-2008, 10:22 PM
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Question Semi Truck Fuel tank in bed questions

I just bought myself a 147 gallon fuel tank of a Peterbilt Semi truck for a steal. It measures 65in in length and I am not sure if it will fit in my bed. I have seen these type of tanks on our trucks on the road but have never had a chance to see how they were hooked up or what size the tanks were.
So my questions are1st) Can this tank fit in my truck? (2nd) What would be the best way to hook this tank up as far as ; fuel transfer to the main tank ,fuel gauge or anything that can be helpful. (3rd) Any pictures would be appreciated. Thanks for the info.
Old 01-17-2008, 07:19 AM
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Can not use it. The max allowed to carry in the bed is 115 gal by law. The saddle tanks guys have in the beds are the 100gallon tanks.
Old 01-17-2008, 10:50 AM
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Well this sucks, but its the only tank I have so I am going to have to modify the tank.
Old 01-17-2008, 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by haulin-rv
Can not use it. The max allowed to carry in the bed is 115 gal by law. The saddle tanks guys have in the beds are the 100gallon tanks.
who's going to tell?
Old 01-17-2008, 12:48 PM
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I was thinking of removing a few inches of each end of the tank and retig the ends back on. Can I use a gravity feed kit like the one Northern Tools has to offer and would you all recommend Northern tools fuel filter?
Old 01-17-2008, 01:17 PM
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Originally Posted by johnh
who's going to tell?
Well when you get inspected by the dot they will say , and fine you.
Old 01-17-2008, 01:21 PM
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Why would you want to ever carry that much? It'll weigh over 1000 pounds full. Gas station that have fuel are not that far apart anymore. You'll need to add air to the bags just to fill up.
Old 01-17-2008, 02:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Tuf-4x4
Well this sucks, but its the only tank I have so I am going to have to modify the tank.
have you ever welded on a fuel tank?
Old 01-17-2008, 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by charliez
Why would you want to ever carry that much? It'll weigh over 1000 pounds full. Gas station that have fuel are not that far apart anymore. You'll need to add air to the bags just to fill up.
Well I buy my fuel in Indiana, for example it is $3.039. Its $3.359 here buy my house. Also I haul for a living and instead of stopping every 4-5 hours for fuel I can run on avg 1000-1100 miles loaded or almost 2000 empty. I like to stop when I want , not when the truck needs too. So in the long run it saves me a bunch of time and money.
Old 01-17-2008, 02:28 PM
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I have never work on a fuel tank but I know a guy who builds tanks and works on pipe line ex....... He has been in this line of work for over 30 years being in the oil buisness in all. If he dosn't have time I think I could pull it of. I build sheetmetal intake for are race cars so I can't imagine working on fuel tanks being hard. I can post some of my work if you like.
Old 01-17-2008, 02:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Tuf-4x4
I was thinking of removing a few inches of each end of the tank and retig the ends back on. Can I use a gravity feed kit like the one Northern Tools has to offer and would you all recommend Northern tools fuel filter?
You can do your own install kit for much less than the Northern kit. As far as the tank, I would just get a DOT approved aux tank and avoid the hassle.
Old 01-17-2008, 02:32 PM
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Originally Posted by haulin-rv
Well I buy my fuel in Indiana, for example it is $3.039. Its $3.359 here buy my house. Also I haul for a living and instead of stopping every 4-5 hours for fuel I can run on avg 1000-1100 miles loaded or almost 2000 empty. I like to stop when I want , not when the truck needs too. So in the long run it saves me a bunch of time and money.
I couldn't have said it better myself. I am also in the hauling buisness (Hot Shots).
Old 01-17-2008, 03:11 PM
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Ever heard of IFTA. Or are you licensed under 26,000. It doesn't save you any money if you have to pay IFTA in the state you didn't buy fuel. It's kinda of a wash IMO.

Speaking of IFTA,,,I'm getting ready to do mine right now. God I hate doing IFTA report's.
Old 01-17-2008, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Tuf-4x4
I have never work on a fuel tank but I know a guy who builds tanks and works on pipe line ex....... He has been in this line of work for over 30 years being in the oil buisness in all. If he dosn't have time I think I could pull it of. I build sheetmetal intake for are race cars so I can't imagine working on fuel tanks being hard. I can post some of my work if you like.
i dnt want to offend you by any means but i am going to give you sum advice that could save your life.
i assume this is a used tank.diesel vapor will blow up on you so your best bet is to use some plain old tide soap and water to wash the tank inside and out until you cannot smel diesel any more.be patient this will take a while.and then when you go to weld keep it purged with co2 in a well venalated area as long as your cover gas dont blow away just dont sufacate yourself.dad and i have used this method several times to modify diesel tanks after he had one blow up on him.good luck
Old 01-17-2008, 05:03 PM
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I modified one once and washed it out several times, then used a sawzall to cut the end off. Then we were able to pressure wash the inside out and make it safe to do the rest of the cutting and welding. Anyway please be careful if you choose this route.


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