Carrying Extra Fuel

[kunstmilch]

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

2) Is it safe to carry extra fuel in plastic Jerry Cans?
Not really. But we do it all the time.

3) Is it safe to carry extra fuel on your roof rack?
No.

With an SUV I'd put a rotopax on a swing out carrier. With a truck, I'd toss a motocross jug in the bed.

Rule of thirds, and your fuel woes mostly disappear. Always tank up when you exit the hwy.

Select the right ride for the job. And plan appropriately. My truck has a 38g tank. Usually reads empty with a 10g reserve. So my 1st third, on my guage is 1/2.

If I want to haul a slide in camper north of pancakes, I'll most likely be towing a little utility trailer with spares, bikes, kayaks, and a 55g drum of fuel.

I dont know about the "I deserve to walk/die" part lol. Being a misanthrope there is a part of my brain that tickles but really no-one deserves death, taking responsibility and understanding consequences sure.

 

[Ubiety]

The weight of a 5 gallon can is insignificant to everything else on your roof.

What is on my roof?
Never heard at a truck weigh station, while doing aircraft weight and balance or calculating a boat's CG - "well its already overloaded so more is insignificant".

 

[Renegade]

The weight of a 5 gallon can is insignificant to everything else on your roof.

What is on my roof?
Never heard at a truck weigh station, while doing aircraft weight and balance or calculating a boat's CG - "well its already overloaded so more is insignificant".

Well we are not talking about aircraft or boats..

Nor are we talking about exceeding the weight limit of the auto or the roof rack.

And since fuel carriers come in all sizes, you have complete control of the amount of weight you put on your roof and where.

 

[Ubiety]

Well we are not talking about aircraft or boats..
Nor are we talking about exceeding the weight limit of the auto or the roof rack.
And since fuel carriers come in all sizes, you have complete control of the amount of weight you put on your roof and where.

Unfortunately physics apply to all mentioned modes of transportation and weight up high affects stability whether it is deemed insignificant or not. Some of us eschew roof racks for a reason ;)

 

[El-Dracho]

My experience is that the need to carry extra fuel is very dependent on the type of trip and the region traveled. In addition, the range of the vehicle is of course an important factor. It is essential to plan the trip carefully ahead and clarify in advance if and where fuel is available. Then always consider some kind of safety buffer. Example: I can carry 120 liters of diesel in the fueltanks, which is about 32 US gallons. My range is herewith litle more than 1,000 km or 600 miles. So far, that was fine with nearly all my trips. Sometimes and only if it is really necessary I fill a jerry can. I use the 20 Liter NATO style jerry cans for that.

Always keep in mind that fuel in jerrycans can also lead to problems at borders. Plus in many countries the rules for carrying it are very different (what kind of container is allowed and what quantity).

You will find some more thoughts and experiences on that in this topic Do I really need to bring extra gas?

Oh, and I don't transport jerry cans on a roofrack, so I don't usually transport anything else on the roof, because I don't like the high center of gravity and I value a good on- and offroad performance of my rig.

 

[smritte]

I think what I got out of reading this thread more then anything is, diffrent vehicles driven by diffrent people in diffrent areas with diffrent scenarios get diffrent results. Some need to bring extra fuel and some don't. Some bring extra fuel for the "just in case" and some don't. My last trip in the Mojave, I gave a lady in a Tacoma with a trailer 5 gallons. She was taking a paved scenic route and her GPS told her there was fuel along the route. The fuel station was closed last year. The route I was taking would have used my extra fuel and I may not have had to stop for fuel. I had to now stop in one of the small towns and pay extra for enough fuel to get home.

I get about ten mpg driving the Mojave road in my cruiser, my TJ got about the same. Drop two mpg if I pull my trailer. My TJ on the Dusy Trail would run through a 22 gallon tank. The trail is about 32 mile's long plus the 40 mile long slow mountain road to get to the start. At the other end the nearest fuel is 20 (ish) miles away once your back on pavement "IF" its open, other wise fuel is another twenty mins away. Even though its highway, its a twisty mountain road. Same TJ did 400 miles looping around inside Death Valley. Fuel there is not very convenient.

I can also drive to my sisters house in Vegas using about a tank in my cruiser. I now carry extra fuel on that trip because of the traffic. Along the highway, the lines go get into the fuel stations can be half a mile long on a Sunday evening. My milage drops in traffic and I can just make it home on fumes. I normally stop on the side of the highway and add in five gallons so I don't have to worry.

I actually didn't think this thread would go three pages on how much extra fuel do you bring.
Personally, I normally bring 2-3 Wavian Jerry Cans mounted on my rear swing out. I have my fuel swing to the side my filler is on. I open carrier and just siphon the fuel without having to touch the cans. I don't have to worry about lifting and if I don't need the fuel it gets used any way.

 

[grubworm]

"approved container" has different meanings the further south you go...

 

[smritte]

@grubworm
Was it you that posted the picture of the lady filling the trash bag with fuel?

 

[Lief_WJ]

"approved container" has different meanings the further south you go...

View attachment 238773

I wonder if she put that on the roof rack...

 

[94Cruiser]

I prefer Scepter MFC's over any other fuel cell. No, they're not metal, and no, they don't vent... but I stack em any way I wish too...
I've stacked 6 on my roof rack, but it's not ideal. I finally built a swing out (novice welder btw) and carry the fuel there if I need to. How much I carry is dependent on how far between places to fuel up (or fuel up at a reasonable price per gallon....)

 

[94Cruiser]

It depends on what you’re doing. We have always carried two old school steel Jerry cans, figure 9 gallons combined. The last two trips out we had an additional 6 gallons up on the rack. That fuel was always used up asap. But what a pain, carrying 15 extra gallons in three cans. Necessary? Well ya. Rolling into St George we had 3 or 4 gallons to spare. Rolling into Mexican Hat last time out we had about the same left over. So, instead of me constantly calculating, checking and re-calculating we finally had a Long Range tank installed giving us an additional 24 gallons. I’ll carry water in one of the jerrys and Coleman stove gas in the other. This gives us about a 450 mile range. So ya, depends on what you do.

How much did this cost to buy and have installed? I also have an 80 Series

 

[ChristelandChantal]

We have used steel Jerry cans on our roof rack, never an issue but not ideal.
This time we are replacing our standard 75L (~20 gallon) Diesel tank with a 138L (~36.5 gallon) full replacement tank from Brown Davis.
Replacement tank sits in the exact same spot but is just 20mm (~0.8 inch) lower.

 

[MOAK]

Here is a link that’ll get you going. Installation? They will recommend installers. Here on the east coast I went with Otramm, about a 4 hour drive from here. Ryan has installed a ton of em on Landcruisers. In fact, we are driving down tomorrow to pick up our 80. I’d of done this years ago, but the price kept me away as it is roughly half what I had paid for the truck. Now, the trucks value is through the roof, so why not? Lexus LX 450 & Toyota LC 80 Series – Early/Late - 24 gallon aux tank - Long Range America

 

[Kent R]

Here is a link that’ll get you going. Installation? They will recommend installers. Here on the east coast I went with Otramm, about a 4 hour drive from here. Ryan has installed a ton of em on Landcruisers. In fact, we are driving down tomorrow to pick up our 80. I’d of done this years ago, but the price kept me away as it is roughly half what I had paid for the truck. Now, the trucks value is through the roof, so why not? Lexus LX 450 & Toyota LC 80 Series – Early/Late - 24 gallon aux tank - Long Range America

Smart move, Michael did it and loves it.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I think more of us will start carrying extra fuel as gas stations will mysteriously start to disappear.

Eventually, they'll force us to carry spare batteries...