Increased Capacity Fuel Tank

i saw some of the reviews complaining about the welds.

 

I have a 34gal tank which has about 31gal of usable capacity. I usually go about 440 miles before filling up and still have 4 gallons left in the tank. Kind of a convenience thing, used to have to fill up at about 300 miles so almost a 50% increase in range between fillups.

 

What’s the attraction to these Wavian fuel cans?

 

THIS.

This is the ONLY reason I would install a larger tank.

Question: What do your miles remaining and other tank size related functions do with a larger tank? Does OVT have a selectable input? (Dumb question?)

 

good question, been curious myself about integration with the electronics.

 

did you do that one from Australia? i considered it but decided i had too many modifications coming to take up the real estate too soon.

 

Same goes for places in Western USA -really needed that xtra 5 gallons many times in the backcountry of Death Valley where I get only 12-14 mpg on rocky roads and deep sand.

 

Yes.

the other time you need extra fuel, is when you might have to back-track due to a weather event or a washout. Lots of reasons to want more.

There is an argument not to have all your fuel in one tank, in case your gas tank gets punctured. Jerry cans limit that risk, as you can repair the tank then refill.

 

The welds are garbage, but so is the design. I bought three of them to try out an idea that I had. I wanted to stack the cans side by side across the front of the bed. The holder footprint is a couple inches bigger than the can and there's not really any good way to put them side by side due to the mounting brackets. I have holders from Das Mule as well and, while the construction isn't any more robust, they are just a smidge bigger than the can. I'm not a fan of the Mule latches though, they're not very robust, but it would be a decent starting point if you're handy. I just needed something to work in the bed and the Mule ones will with slight (and likely reversible) modifications.

I've had excellent experiences with the Wavian cans with the non-CARB compliant spouts. I've not used the CARB spouts. I'm confident enough with the cap seal that I had no issue storing them in the bed of the truck where I slept, and I feel comfortable enough that I've stored them flat on their side. In fact, they seal so well that it can be a pain to get the can open if you filled it on a hot day and tried using it on a cold day. You also have to open it slowly if you've filled it on a cold day and use it on a hot day. They have a locking pin that helps keep you from tightening it too much and also keeps it from accidentally opening. They're also available in several sizes. I use the 5 gal cans for the truck and have a couple 2.5 gal cans for the mower and my wife's car. The 5 and 2.5 have the same footprint. They also do a 1.5 gal can, which I think is kinda silly, but hey, they sell them. They all use the same spouts. You can also get new gaskets for the lids and for the spouts (same part). The only product that I don't recommend is their water cans. They don't recommend storing water in them and I can attest to that. The food grade coating just doesn't last for whatever reason. I used them for a bit before realizing that I had to dump and dry them out every time I used them. I haven't had an issue with the fuel cans. I have a mix of Wavian and Valpro cans and near as I can tell they're identical except for the stamp on the side.

 

they last, I have some cans with 30k travel miles on and off road, they gone to the Arctic Ocean and Alaska, off roading in Colorado and New Mexico. There is a video on their website that shows them driving over one with a Tacoma and it doesn’t leak. They have a coating inside to keep them from rusting. Worth the money.

 

The CARB spouts suck balls. You have to press the tip of the spout hard to open the release valve to allow the fuel to pour out. The release spout is tightly sprung so there is a problem if you are trying to pour fuel into a plastic gas tank (my generator and lawn mower) or a large opening (my pressure washer). I assume a vehicle would be just as difficult if not more. You literally need three hands to pour fuel!

Easy but not cheap solution is the flex spout (shown in the pic). None of that CARB crap, it's vented to avoid "glugs" and it pours like it was 2008. However, it'll cost ya! That gas can in the pic was $100.

 

CARB spouts are the worst thing to have happened to fuel containers since there weren’t fuel containers.
I rip the damn things right off and deal with a shorter spout.
While I don’t own one, it’s obvious that flex spouts are worth every penny even if you’re using your fuel cans only once a year.
Fact.

 

Watched (How it's Made) on vehicle gas tanks and they said most O.E.M. tanks are made to fill only to 80% to allow for expansion in high temperatures.

 

The fuel gauge becomes inaccurate which is why i fill up when there is 4 gallons left in the tank, the gauge shows you that its empty and you get a message telling you to fill up so I just pull in and get gas. You could keep driving another 50 miles if you wanted to and squeeze almost 600 miles out.

 

There is a company in the US that imports these tanks so I got from them. The fit is not exact as one bolt is impossible to install, capacity is rated inaccurately at 34gal (really 31), paint is not really durable as it rusted after 1 winter, and I had to buy a filler line from a 2016 as my 2018 didnt fit and now it is kind of loose in there. All in all it works with some fidgeting but definitely not a straight forward install.

 

Makes me wonder if a quality tank and proper mounting, pump, filter and sender logic could be a viable USA Product. There might be a demand given the amount of Tacomas if the price was not insane.

 

Buy or fabricate the desired fuel cell volume and just adapt the stock pump, and emissions crap to the fuel cell via an adapter plate. That's what I did for my old ranger. 22 gal RCI fuel cell with stock pump, float (for gas fill gauge), fill neck and evap canister.


https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/fuel-cell-stock-pump.1120458/

The new tank can be where the spare tire is so weight distribution is more even and not just on one side. Also no need to buy "skids" as the new fuel cell will be either full metal or metal outer layer with a bladder. Plus it's generally safer vs a stock plastic tank.

This is the least ghetto rigged option. Not sure what all that shit is about with some jerry can in the bed. That crap looks sad and lazy. If anything is worth doing it's worth doing right.

 

this fits right in with my 4 link dreams.

 

Just sold me on (1)

 

Does anyone make a quality flex spout that fits the Midwest brand 5 gallon jerry can? I have not been able to find one.