Fuel capacity question

[KS_Explorer]

I was watching the video that Michael just put out with Live Work Wander. They mentioned that they have 63 gallons of fuel onboard. Someone who used to drive OTR told me that your needed a special permit carry more than 40 or 50 gallons of fuel on the road in the U.S.

Does anyone know what the regulations around this are?

 

[grubworm]

its a hazmat regulation where over 1000 pounds of fuel is required to have a placard and probably a lot of other requirements, like additional fire extinguishers, etc
for whatever reason, someone somewhere came up with 1000 pounds being OK and anything over that requiring additional DOT requirements
thats probably around 140 gal or so, and i doubt anyone outside of being a distributor would be needing to carry that much, so i'm sure that restriction wont effect the average person. there are other DOT regs on fuel, like the big bed tanks need to be anchored to the frame or if that isnt possible, then there has to be backer plates fastened to be bed of the truck and stuff like that. i grew up on a farm and we always toted fuel for tractors and nobody ever stopped to see if we were in compliance...
its just like a CDL isnt required until you hit 25,000 pounds, so i guess it really boils down to if you are doing anything that really sticks out to a trooper

i had a CDL years ago and most stuff wasnt an issue as long as you had placards. i hauled crap for offshore oil rigs and nobody really cared what we hauled as long as we had the placards visible and our MSDS sheets in the cab with us

 

[smritte]

Someone who used to drive OTR told me that your needed a special permit carry more than 40 or 50 gallons of fuel on the road in the U.S.

I've worked on motor home's with 100 gal tanks. This was fairly common. I hold 28 now and will be adding another 20 + 18gal in cans if needed. If I buy the cool custom tanks, I could be at 60 + cans. The question is, who would notice?

 

[smritte]

ts a hazmat regulation where over 1000 pounds of fuel is required to have a placard and probably a lot of other requirements,

So 125 gals?

 

[tjZ06]

My big Class A I just sold had a 150 gallon fuel tank. The one I had previous to that had a 100. My truck has a 58 (or 59) gallon aftermarket stock location fuel tank and had a 65 gallon fuel transfer tank in the bed (~123-124 gallons total, before I took the bed-mounted tank out out and sold it so I could install my Four Wheel Camper). I've never had an issue.

-TJ

 

[KS_Explorer]

Thank you for all the feedback. Sounds like adding the capacity that I had planned is not going to be an issue.

 

[Desert Runner]

Thank you for all the feedback. Sounds like adding the capacity that I had planned is not going to be an issue.

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Years ago, I looked into upping my OEM stock tank to one with more capacity (2003 Silverado 2500HD extra cab/short bed). At the time GM offered a 25 gallon tank with the short bed, or a 36? gallon tank with a long bed option, This era of truck, did not have a tank skid plate shield from the factory as a option, which was ridiculous on a 4x4 optioned truck. My old 1985 F-150 4x4 had one, which showed a couple of kisses from mother nature. So right there, My GM truck was at a disadvantage,

The option I found was by Titan i believe, if memory serves me well. They had one that fit in the stock location, so my spare tire could remain underneath. The problem was twofold, first it hung 1.0-2.0 inches below the trucks frame rails which made it even more vulnerable to damage than the stock one. The second was also no shield availability. So I scrapped the idea completely. It just would have made a bad situation worse. Added fuel cans was the solution with all their issues. Luckily, I have not been in any situations where I had to dip into my emergency fuel, but had concern's about it once or twice. The old adage....Better to have and not need, being in my mind,

At least GM has addressed these types of issues in newer truck generations and versions. The new 'Trail Boss' offering, finally seems to be a true complete package option.

For those considering a fuel tank upgrade, what compromises have you had to do, to make it work with the wheeling you do. Weight or gear, for example, New shocks or springs, tire rating C or D to a E rating? What expense past initial purchase was necessary to fully integrate the upgrade.

 

[grubworm]

So 125 gals?

yeah, that would be within spec. water is around 8 pounds per gallon and gasoline is 6ish...so 125 gal would be 750 pounds

there are regulations on that for a reason, but just on a personal level, i would take precautions anyway. i've carried a lot of water in a tank that didnt have baffles in it and once that water gets moving and sloshing around, it REALLY affects the control of the vehicle. you can take just a 55gal drum and fill it 3/4 full and put it in the back of a pick up with a strap over it and fell the difference once even that little bit of liquid gets moving. if i were carrying that much extra fuel, i would def want a tank with baffles to slow down the sloshing and have it as low a center of gravity as possible. i've hauled some heavy loads and the ones that gave me the most concern was liquids because of how easy the weight shifts. also, make sure your mounts are strong and tight....liquid is always moving and has a lot of energy behind it. make a quick stop and the vehicle stops, but the liquid still has its momentum. fill a 5 gal bucket with water and run with it and try to make a sudden stop...multiply that by 20 and increase the speed another 60 mph and that is the additional force your vehicle is feeling when making turns or stopping.

i rank carrying a lot of liquid in a vehicle right up there with carrying a mother-in-law in the back seat...both are only safe when properly restrained and contained...

 

[MOAK]

Hmmm, I’m a retired Haz Mat guy. The last truck I drove had a pair of 150 gallon fuel tanks. No placard necessary. If however we had 1,000 lbs or over of haz mat materials on board, then we had to fly placards. You’ve nothing to be concerned about.

 

[FishinCrzy]

Just get some farm tags and you will probably be exempt from everything.