# 110 GOOD Reasons NOT To Keep a Truck Bed Fuel Tank Installed



## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I made a trip down to the farm yesterday and after crossing a stream on the way out and closing the gate; I noticed some smoke coming from under my truck. I checked it out and it appeared to be water that had splashed on the muffler and I pay it no mind. Fast forward to 2 1/2 hours later when I stopped by an equipment dealer to look at some rotary cutters and I notices some fluid dripping from the bed of my truck. I check it and to my chagrine; it is diesel fuel. mg: :duh: #[email protected]$: :argh: :argh: The bed was soaked and the underside of my truck was drenched in diesel fuel. I was leaving a steady trail of diesel fuel for about 120 miles. I high tail it home and fortunately I had some clean empty steel barrels and spent the next 3 hours syphoning diesel fuel out of my truck bed tank into the steel barrel. Fortunately I think a lost maybe 10 gallons max. as I was able to recover about 95 gallons. Add to this that I was permiated with diesel fuel and stuck to high heaven with diesel so the wife was really happy about me being in the house with that.   

I will have to remove the tank, find, repair the leak but I will just use the tank for fuel storage around the house. It is just not worth the risk of another leak at a horribly inopportune time. I will find something else for ballast weight. 

Anyhow, just thought I would pass along the experince. My tank was a Dee Zee aluminum diamond tread tank that I purchased from Tractor Supply Center. I am still not sure what caused it to spring a leak as i have the tank secured in the bed with turn buckes. I will follow up with the rest when I find out.


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## MowHoward2210 (Nov 2, 2003)

Ouch! Curious to see where and why the leak occured.:question:


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Just lucky it was not a gasoline filled tank instead! 

I have fixed a lot of the diamond type aluminum tread tool boxes that all seem to crack at a weld or in some stress areas usch as where the box ends are cut to go up and over the bed rails. They always seem to start cracking there, and on the very bottom welds on the ends. 

Lots of luck in fixing it......justs make sure you stop drill the crack if there is a crack in the metal or in a weld prioer to allowing osmeone to weld it all up again. Aluminum is a funny animal once a stress crack sets in be it a weld bead of the material itself, and all the welding in the world don;t seem to stop it unless its stop drilled at the end of the cracks before repairing......


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Well, I turned the house upside down looking for the reciept for the tank............found it in the truck center console.   Called up the Tractor Supply Store where I bought it to let them know they may have a potential problem with these tanks and the manager said he would trade me out for a new one. He did not have any in stock so he will call me when he gets one. 

After carefull inspection of the tank; I found a crack in exactly one of the welds you were talking about Chip. I am kinda hesitant to put another tank in the bed that will likely do the same thing again. 

I am wondering if I should just get my money back and get a steel tank or just can the entire idea of a tank. The tank is nice for picking up and storing fuel when it is cheap but I bought it just as much for ballast weight. Seems to me there must be cheaper and safer forms of ballast. It also turns out that when I bought the tank; the store mismarked it or it was on sale as the same tank cost $590. The tank I bought was $380. I am leaning towards the idea of a refund and putting the refund money toward a nice rotary cutter.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Something I just thought of....is there a limit in Tenn, on how much fuel you can carry in a tank like that without a hazardous permit or worry about the state and or Fed DOT folks???????
If we take flares off base we have to placard the vehicle and have the shipment packed on base by the local packin and crackin folks. Just a thought, I wouldn't want to see you get into trouble!:smoking:


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

99 gallons is the limit and above that you need to get the DOT registration numbers. That is about what I put in the tank to leave some air space and expansion room. I am leaning towards not getting another tank after Chips post.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Good for you to read the rules!!!:fineprint I remember somebody talking about having the local fuel company put a tank at your place, then you wouldn't even have to worry about taking it to town and having it filled! :cheers:


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

You have to buy a minimum of 250 gallons for most places to do that.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Stewart _
> *snip
> If we take flares off base we have to placard the vehicle and have the shipment packed on base by the local packin and crackin folks. Just a thought, I wouldn't want to see you get into trouble!:smoking: *


 \

We used to run into that problem with our egress shop and munitions load crews when we would have to use Maxwell AFB flightline or some other airports facilities when work was being done on ours. It took special storage requirements, so they had to be transported back and forth from Dannelly to wherever we were at for the time being, and it presented lots of problems. Munitions for the most part was pretty bad with those flares and chaff, but egress items had some pretty neat stuff that would make for an interesting affair if involved in a major accident or fire.
I assume your talking the flares the pilots use for emergency use, since your life support. They say the flares used in aircraft for evading heat seeker missles etc get hot enough to melt concrete.......

We had an F-16 land with a stuck partially ejected flare one time, and it set off quite a big affair. Evacuated the entire flightline, and moved all aircraft to opposite side of airfield, had to cal the Army EOD team in from Ft. Benning to remove and dispose of the flare. They dug a hole in the dirt right off the flight line and stuck a charge of C4 in it, and then piled on a heap of sand bags. Somewhere along the lines they got their amounts of C4 screwed up when they were preparing to come to our rescue, and brought more than they needed, so they used it all instead of all the rig a mor all of having to carry it back and resecureing it. Made a nice bang when the detonated it. 

All along I 65 its common to see the department of Motor Vehicles Revenue Department stopping diesel pickup trucks etc and checking for off road use diesel fuel being used in commercial or private trucks. Red vrs green diesel fuel.......don;t know if they enforce a permit and tax with regards to quanity though, on non - commercial vehicles.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

The more I think about it; I am think I am just going to take the tank back and get my money back if I can.


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

cheif if you got a $590 tank for $380 you may be better to take the new tank they are willing to give you and sell it if you decide you don't want it. new tank for $500 no taxes might look good to someone and put an extra $120 toward your rotary cutter. just a thought, i know up here 20 year old tanks bring within $100 of what you can get a new one for.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Like I said I was just trying to keep ya out of trouble Chief!! I don't know how much fuel you use when you head down to the farm but would imagine you could run the tractor quite a bit if you are brush hogging. turtle That fuel tank at the farm might be a good idea!

If we move personnal distress kits (which are installed in survival kits) around the base we have to placard our truck with 1.3 signs.:argh: The personal distress kit is like a "pen gun" flare it goes up in the air around 1000' and burns for about 10 secs. They are the reason we have to placard. The flares used on the jets are a whole new bucket of worms like Chip said :beer: 

I guess we all just have to be safe!!! or something like that!!:night:


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Sorry to hear of this, but yeah --- take the $$$ and use it for something else... :thumbsup:


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

> _Originally posted by bear _
> *cheif if you got a $590 tank for $380 you may be better to take the new tank they are willing to give you and sell it if you decide you don't want it. new tank for $500 no taxes might look good to someone and put an extra $120 toward your rotary cutter. just a thought, i know up here 20 year old tanks bring within $100 of what you can get a new one for. *


I think I am gonna take your advice Bear. The manager of the store ordered me a new tank this morning. I will not put it back in my truck bed. I will either sell it for maybe $500 or so or hang onto it and maybe use for when I get moved down to the farm. Thanks for the idea Bear! :thumbsup:


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I thought Bear's idea was the best way to go, too! If you can sell the new tank for a profit, that's definitely the way to go.:thumbsup:


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## bigl22 (Sep 16, 2003)

for carrying gas or diesel, I would use a poly tank only unless I was certain of a very high quality weld line-- poly is cheaper and no rust , etc, modern poly tanks are fuel resistant and very usable indeed --


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Well, I have to hand it to Tractor Supply Center. They stepped up to the plate and got me a brand new Dee Zee Gold 110 gallon tank! I picked it up yesterday and it looks to have more reinforcements welded into the inside of the tank. Maybe the tank I got originally was an older model left in the store. Anyhow, I left this tank in the original box and put it in the basement after I inspected it.


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## Dugout (May 13, 2010)

Did you ever figure out what happened OP?


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## DocHolliday (Jun 24, 2008)

Make a gas tank guard.....simple.

Most trucks have them then most trucks down...


Always make guards for your stuff...

-Oil Pan (it is open for anything to hit)
-Gas tank


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