New to me storage tank

[csheath]

I have a backhoe, tractor, and a MEP803A to keep fuel on hand for.

I've run through the gambit on diesel storage. I started with 55 gallon oil drums and they started to rust inside after 4 years. I switched to plastic drums and one of those split this week. Thankfully it split above the fuel level and no spill occurred.

I set out on a mission to find an aluminum tank. I was all set to buy new if I could find one for five or six hundred bucks. Turns out they are like every other thing sans covid. Prices are double and triple and none to be had.

I came across a tank manufacturer that wasn't too far away that made a rectangular shaped 150 gallon tank. I called this morning and they wouldn't sell direct, no way, no how. On top of that the guy said they were 16 weeks and 8000 tanks behind in production. How is that even possible????

SOOOOOO, I started calling diesel truck shops to see if they had any used saddle tanks or knew where I might find one. The second place I called gave me a number for a scrap yard that has several semi trucks being parted out. There I learned that practically all of them have round tanks. The only square options were steel and I didn't want steel again.

After an hour of walking the yard I found a tank that only had one little dent and was already pulled. $162 and I was on my way back home. Now to figure out how to set it up and adapt my pump to it. It's 23" diameter and 60" long so just a tad over 100 gallons.

 

[Jeepadict]

So there's some great things about using these tanks! The round peg on a flat board is easy...go to a big truck shop (like Fleetpride) and get the tank mount strap brackets. They can be mounted to any flat surface. Make sure you orient the tank in the straps for the pick-up to be at the lowest point.

One word of caution, look inside to see if the tank you bought is baffled...50/50 chance depending on its age. Baffled tank is perfered if you're going to transport the tank any less than full.

These tanks can range from 25 gal up to 250 gal...highly adaptable to anything a guy's imagination can come up with.

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[Mullaney]

I have a backhoe, tractor, and a MEP803A to keep fuel on hand for.

I've run through the gambit on diesel storage. I started with 55 gallon oil drums and they started to rust inside after 4 years. I switched to plastic drums and one of those split this week. Thankfully it split above the fuel level and no spill occurred.

I set out on a mission to find an aluminum tank. I was all set to buy new if I could find one for five or six hundred bucks. Turns out they are like every other thing sans covid. Prices are double and triple and none to be had.

I came across a tank manufacturer that wasn't too far away that made a rectangular shaped 150 gallon tank. I called this morning and they wouldn't sell direct, no way, no how. On top of that the guy said they were 16 weeks and 8000 tanks behind in production. How is that even possible????

SOOOOOO, I started calling diesel truck shops to see if they had any used saddle tanks or knew where I might find one. The second place I called gave me a number for a scrap yard that has several semi trucks being parted out. There I learned that practically all of them have round tanks. The only square options were steel and I didn't want steel again.

After an hour of walking the yard I found a tank that only had one little dent and was already pulled. $162 and I was on my way back home. Now to figure out how to set it up and adapt my pump to it. It's 23" diameter and 60" long so just a tad over 100 gallons.

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View attachment 842852

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If I was reading correctly, your plan is to put this one in the dirt too? I feel sure the environmental folks would have a long list of things to do.

Thinking that if it might roll under ground seems pretty unlikely since you have your own backhoe. Put it under the dirt in a tightly dug hole, extend the filler hole and pickup tube - and you might be done.

New question is how do you fill it?

 

[chucky]

By the look of the fuel cap its a freghtliner fuel tank if you decide to hunt straps or frame saddles

 

[frank8003]

That's nice, I just want one for rainwater for my plants.
I can protect it inside and out.
150 gallons would be good, even round.
I could get rid of all my buckets!
I wll look around. Thanks All.

 

[csheath]

This will sit stationery in my barn. All of the pickup holes will be plugged and I will try to adapt the 2" pipe thread on the base of my pump to the fill hole. If I figure out a way to get that sealed I will use the other 1/2" NPT hole in the top for a filtered vent. I have my fuel delivered so the only time I ever moved my barrels was to tip them to get the last 5 gallons out.

I'm not sure if I will set this on a stand or just place it on a rubber barn mat. In either case it will be chocked so it can't roll.

It had the straps on it and was actually tied to another identical tank. The hardware was rusty and I thought they were going to weigh it and sell it by weight so I had them just torch the straps to separate it from the other tank. They ended up selling it at a flat price so I kind of wish I would have had them torch the hardware in between the tanks and brought the rest home. Hindsight!!!

I just did a little cleaning on it and it has a few more bumps and bruises than I thought but no holes that I can see. I tried rigging up a way to pressure test it but the cap gasket is leaking. The compressor would pump up a little over 20 PSI even with the cap leaking so I'm pretty sure the tank doesn't have any holes. I sprayed it with soap while running the compressor into it and didn't see any bubbles other than the cap.

 

[Mullaney]

This will sit stationery in my barn. All of the pickup holes will be plugged and I will try to adapt the 2" pipe thread on the base of my pump to the fill hole. If I figure out a way to get that sealed I will use the other 1/2" NPT hole in the top for a filtered vent. I have my fuel delivered so the only time I ever moved my barrels was to tip them to get the last 5 gallons out.

I'm not sure if I will set this on a stand or just place it on a rubber barn mat. In either case it will be chocked so it can't roll.

It had the straps on it and was actually tied to another identical tank. The hardware was rusty and I thought they were going to weigh it and sell it by weight so I had them just torch the straps to separate it from the other tank. They ended up selling it at a flat price so I kind of wish I would have had them torch the hardware in between the tanks and brought the rest home. Hindsight!!!

I just did a little cleaning on it and it has a few more bumps and bruises than I thought but no holes that I can see. I tried rigging up a way to pressure test it but the cap gasket is leaking. The compressor would pump up a little over 20 PSI even with the cap leaking so I'm pretty sure the tank doesn't have any holes. I sprayed it with soap while running the compressor into it and didn't see any bubbles other than the cap.

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That's good! Really good. Funny how it works with hindsight - everything in perfect focus looking backward.

Not like it is my problem, but the more I thought about the idea of underground was concerning. Less about the possibility of fuel escape - but more about the concern of water in. Sounds like you have a good plan there.

I don't know if you have a metal dealer close by, but I have an idea to fix the "no roll" concern.

We happen to have a place (Howard Steel) in town so I buy a lot of metal for my projects. For your fuel tank, a two inch wide piece of flat steel could be bent to shape around the tank. It comes in 1/16th inch thickness, so bending by hand is managable. Depends on how creative you might want to be, but the flat strap could affix the tank to the wall above and below the tank. Not to support it - just to make sure it doesn't roll off. Might should have two straps. Oh, and the folks I deal with cut 20ft lengths (stock / standard size) to your specs regularly.

I figure a guy with a backhoe has the ability to reason things out - and more than likely I babbled too much. Hopefully one idea might spark another and solve your round tank on a square table situation

 

[Jeepadict]

This will sit stationery in my barn. All of the pickup holes will be plugged and I will try to adapt the 2" pipe thread on the base of my pump to the fill hole. If I figure out a way to get that sealed I will use the other 1/2" NPT hole in the top for a filtered vent. I have my fuel delivered so the only time I ever moved my barrels was to tip them to get the last 5 gallons out.

I'm not sure if I will set this on a stand or just place it on a rubber barn mat. In either case it will be chocked so it can't roll.

It had the straps on it and was actually tied to another identical tank. The hardware was rusty and I thought they were going to weigh it and sell it by weight so I had them just torch the straps to separate it from the other tank. They ended up selling it at a flat price so I kind of wish I would have had them torch the hardware in between the tanks and brought the rest home. Hindsight!!!

I just did a little cleaning on it and it has a few more bumps and bruises than I thought but no holes that I can see. I tried rigging up a way to pressure test it but the cap gasket is leaking. The compressor would pump up a little over 20 PSI even with the cap leaking so I'm pretty sure the tank doesn't have any holes. I sprayed it with soap while running the compressor into it and didn't see any bubbles other than the cap.

The cap is supposed to leak a little. That's the venting feature for temp fluctuations and such to keep from getting overpressurized.

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[Denvercaitland]

Smaller reefer tank,( 75 Gallons) but built a basic cradle so I can move it around with a set of forks

 

[Mullaney]

Smaller reefer tank,( 75 Gallons) but built a basic cradle so I can move it around with a set of forks

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Nice! That stand sure looks like it solves the problem for sure csheath
I love it when a plan comes together!

 

[Jeepadict]

Smaller reefer tank,( 75 Gallons) but built a basic cradle so I can move it around with a set of forks

1. Bitchin build!

2. Kudos for taking the time to put a polish on it.

3. Not a refer tank, the cap is in the wrong location. You have a 75 gal saddle tank from what looks like a newer Freightshaker or Volvo/Mack...can't tell from this angle.

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[Denvercaitland]

Thanks, good to know on saddle vs reefer.

Was a fun built

Mep803A Auxiliary fuel tank

Found a 73 us gallons reefer tank. Built a stand so I could load on a trailer with the skidsteer when needing refills. Quick disconnect before the pump for the 803 and quick disconnect after the pump for fuel nozzle. Put about 60hrs on the set so far. Aux pump kick in at 1/4 tanks and...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[Chainbreaker]

If anyone is looking for a tank cradle, straps or rubber strap liners for reefer tank, or even a new tank itself, there is a place I found that sells parts located on post # 6 here.

 

[Jeepadict]

@Denvercaitland thanks to @Chainbreaker for listing that post/thread, you can see in this pic is what a refer tank looks like for future reference.

The filler neck for a refer tank is on the outer top edge as the tanks are mounted under the trailer where it's very difficult for a regular filler neck, and also a saddle tank doesn't have its own level gauge.

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[csheath]

Picked up the stuff to adapt my pickup tube I made for the drums. It has a 2" NPT adapter glued to it. The inside of the neck on this Freightliner tank is a tad under 2-5/8". I was hoping the OD on a 2" female adapter would be close but it's too big. If I turned it down to fit it would be too thin so I bought a short piece of 2" PVC pipe. Turns out 2" PVC pipe is a press fit in the hole below the top of the cap area and leaves an 1/8" gap all the way around. I am just going to cut the tube to the new depth and push it in then silicone around it.

One upside to going to a larger tank is I won't have to swap my pickup tube back and forth. I will just remove it fir fuel delivery guy to pump in and stick it back in.

The tank had a roll over vlave in the top with a 1/2" thread. My existing air compressor mufflers I was using to vent the drums have a 1/2" thread I bushed for the small hole in a drum so one of those will screw right in where the roll over valve was.

Here is a pic of my pickup tube I have been using in the drums. I will post a final pic when I get the tank situated and hooked up to the pump.

 

[csheath]

Tank has a black film in it. Put a couple gallons of fuel with 10X shock dose of Biobor in it to slosh around. I have a sample in a jar on my tool box to see if it will dissolve the stuff.

 

[Zed254]

Does the tank have a pick up tube installed where one of those tubes are attached? I bought a 50 gallon truck tank and the dip tube was welded in as part of the tank.

 

[csheath]

Does the tank have a pick up tube installed where one of those tubes are attached? I bought a 50 gallon truck tank and the dip tube was welded in as part of the tank.

It has a supply and return tube welded in. I don't intend to use either and have them plugged. One has a 1/2" NPT thread and the other is 3/8" NPT. The tubes won't have any effect on my use.

My transfer pump connects to a pickup tube with a 2" NPT base. I already have that figured out how to adapt it to the filler neck.

What I need is something that will dissolve the microbial growth film inside. There isn't any good way to clean the inside surfaces so it will have to be chemically cleaned.

 

[Mullaney]

It has a supply and return tube welded in. I don't intend to use either and have them plugged. One has a 1/2" NPT thread and the other is 3/8" NPT. The tubes won't have any effect on my use.

My transfer pump connects to a pickup tube with a 2" NPT base. I already have that figured out how to adapt it to the filler neck.

What I need is something that will dissolve the microbial growth film inside. There isn't any good way to clean the inside surfaces so it will have to be chemically cleaned.

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I did a web search "chemically clean fuel tanks" and was surprised how much popped up.
Maybe something useful with a little reading...

 

[csheath]

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I did a web search "chemically clean fuel tanks" and was surprised how much popped up.
Maybe something useful with a little reading...

Yeah I've been searching. Most of them start with HOW TO PREVENT. I know how to prevent it. I'm looking for a magic bullet to clean the inside of a tank with minimal access.