Adding Fuel Capacity to my Tow Vehicle

TucsonJim

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Feb 6, 2014
Messages
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I have a 2013 Ford F350 that I'm towing my Reflection 337 with. One very frustrating detail is the small fuel tank that Ford elected to put in the short bed model. It's only 26 gallons. I get 11.7 mpg on average towing our rig. That give me a maximum range of just over 300 miles By the time I've towed about 225 miles, I need to start searching for a fuel station that can accommodate 55 feet of tow vehicle and fifth wheel. In some communities, that is very difficult to do. I'd much rather get a full day of towing in, get to camp, disconnect, and then fuel up. So I've been researching replacement fuel tanks to increase my range. I found a Transfer Flow tank that is a direct fit in my truck and holds 50 gallons! That means I can tow around 585 miles before running out. Since I usually tow around 300 miles in a day, I won't need to fill up while hitched up any more!

So I bought the new tank from Transfer Flow via their website. It arrived 7 days later by commercial truck. It was well packaged and included everything I needed to install it. The price was $909.97 plus shipping of $150. I found a promotional code for $50 off, so the total bill was $1009.50.

I called around, and most of the authorized installers charge $350-$400 to install. Being a cheapskate, I elected to do it myself. It took me about an hour to drop the old tank this afternoon, and I'll finish the install tomorrow. If you have decent mechanical skills, It's not too hard to do. Since Transfer Flow tanks are made in the U.S.A, the instructions are actually written by someone with English as their first language! I can understand them, and they leave nothing unanswered. In fact, they even posted a video on YouTube of the exact installation I'm doing.

Here's a picture of my old tank on the right, and my new tank on the left:

Tanks.jpg

For any of you contemplating replacing your tank, here's a link to the YouTube video to give you an idea of the task:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmjHWFZgh0s

I'll post more pictures tomorrow when the job is done. The final step will be to fill out the new Tire and Loading Information placard that Transfer Flow provided so I can derate my payload capacity. Due to the additional weight of the fuel tank and fuel, I'll lose 298# of payload.

Jim
 
Jim, I'm following this thread with great interest. If there is one thing I dislike about our truck, it has to be the fuel capacity. Thanks for documenting your install.

Steve
 
Steve - Your '12 will take the exact same tank as my '13. It fit's 2011-2015 models.

Jim
 
Jim, I went with a Transfer Flow auxiliary tank / tool box combo. I wanted even greater capacity. Now I carry 66 gallons between the OEM tank and the Transfer Flow. I average 12.5 mpg towing my 337RLS so that gives me 825 miles. I chose that route because I wanted a tool box anyway and the replacement tank options for the Chevy weren't as good if I remember correctly. I've had this for 4 years now. It is automatic and I never have to do a thing. My buddy, who has a Ford, did as you did though and likes it too.
 
I am assuming your F350 is a Diesel. I have a F250 Gas and it also has the 26 gallon tank. I have looked for a replacement tank for well over a year and thought I had found a solution with the Titan Tank replacement, however Titan tells me the replacement tanks are only rated for Diesel. Does anyone know of any options I have to upgrade my tank?
 
Jim, I'm assuming since we both have the Lariat package we must have close to the same accessories. Does the fuel gauge or the "miles to empty" function have to be recalibrated?

Steve
 
Jim, I'm assuming since we both have the Lariat package we must have close to the same accessories. Does the fuel gauge or the "miles to empty" function have to be recalibrated?

Steve

Yes it does. In fact here is the instruction to do it, in case the dealer doesn't know how.

Fuel Tank reprogram instructions

Btw here's how to reprogram the computer
And these are the instructions for your dealer to reprogram your DTE


This may be helpful to your dealer:

Fuel tank MTE update

1) Ensure IDS is at least version 72.xx - current version is 72.04.
2) Click on the toolbox icon at top left of main screen
3) Select 'Module Programming' - click checkmark icon
4) Select 'Programmable Parameters'
5) Select 'Fuel" - click checkmark icon
6) Select 'Front Fuel Tank - (IC) = xx' on bottom of parameter list
7) Select 50 (or whatever size you need) on right side of screen and click checkmark icon

Follow the remaining on-screen instructions

Most dealers will charge an hour worth of labor (it only takes 10 min to do this) and the labor rates differ. I found a dealership that did it for me for $89.00

Now remember this is for the mid-ship replacement tanks. Not for transfer tanks.
 
I am assuming your F350 is a Diesel. I have a F250 Gas and it also has the 26 gallon tank. I have looked for a replacement tank for well over a year and thought I had found a solution with the Titan Tank replacement, however Titan tells me the replacement tanks are only rated for Diesel. Does anyone know of any options I have to upgrade my tank?

Hi TENN22,

I think you will be hard pressed to find any aftermarket tank supplier willing to step up to a gasoline application. The OE "plastic" tanks are actually very sophisticated multi layer HDPE for a bunch of safety reasons. Have you tried talking to a knowledgeable Ford dealer about a larger OEM tank ? I think they build with the smaller tank to save weight, not because of space restrictions.

Rob
 
Stephen (GD350M). Thanks much for those programming instructions. I'll print that out and take it to my dealer so they can reprogram. I knew it could be done, but had no idea how.

Jim
 
Hi TENN22,

I think you will be hard pressed to find any aftermarket tank supplier willing to step up to a gasoline application. The OE "plastic" tanks are actually very sophisticated multi layer HDPE for a bunch of safety reasons. Have you tried talking to a knowledgeable Ford dealer about a larger OEM tank ? I think they build with the smaller tank to save weight, not because of space restrictions.

Rob

Knowledgeable Ford Dealer???? They exist??

Seriously I have asked two with no luck.
 
LOL! As soon as I wrote "knowledgeable" I knew I was out on a limb.
Maybe an F250 owners group ?

Rob
 
LOL! As soon as I wrote "knowledgeable" I knew I was out on a limb.
Maybe an F250 owners group ?

Rob

Tried those also, with little luck. Most folks say just bite the bullet and upgrade your truck.
Have seen a couple of designs where auxiliary fuel "cells" are installed in the bed of the truck with a T hose emptying into the filler neck, via electric pump. That scares me on several levels, along with some of the known issues with the High Pressure Fuel pump failing due to some of these type modifications.

I guess at the end of the day, a Diesel engine makes sense due to fueling stations being more accommodating to a truck with a trailer in the Diesel lanes. We have stopped at a few truck stops where the gas fill lanes are cramped, and that was pulling a shorter TT than I own now. But I did not realize the Diesel 250's and 350's had the same small tank as the gas ones. What was Ford thinking?!?
 
Actually a long bed 250-350 has a 37 gallon OEM tank. Maybe a scrap yard might have a wrecked on with a good tank.
 
I always figured the diesel 250 was built with the small tank to maximize payload. I'm surprised the gasoline version is built this way . . . particularly if there is room for a 50 gal tank under there. My 150 has a 36 gal gasoline tank . . . but I have no idea of underbody differences between 150 and 250. Back to the "needing a knowledgeable and cooperative" mechanic/dealer.

Rob
 
Actually the way it works on the super duty's is the gas with the 6.2 has a 35 gal. tank. The diesel short bed has the 26 gal. tank while the long bed has a 37.5 gal. tank.
 
I finished up the install today. Here's a side view picture with it installed:

Fuel Tank.jpg

I followed the instructions from Transfer Flow and they worked pretty well. There were a couple of steps that they need to update, but by and large, the instructions are accurate. As you can see from the picture, the tank hangs no lower than the side rails, and it's higher than the differential. So there shouldn't be any problems with clearance. I drove it to the local fuel station and filled it up. The fuel gauge works perfectly. Now I need to get the computer reprogrammed so the distance to empty function will work correctly.

Just one word of caution. The tank weighs about 150#. Don't let it slip off the jack. When you have skin between the corner of the tank and the concrete, something is going to give, and it's not the tank or the concrete.
Pinch.jpg
 
Hi Jim,

Ouch !

There is some piece of information missing here . . . why would Ford choose to put a 26 gallon tank as OEM, if there is space for a 50 gallon tank ???

Rob
 
Good question. Some folks seem to think it's so they can have a higher payload. I'd rather have the increased distance between fill ups. I don't know why Ford doesn't give the option. The tanks from Transfer Flow are EPA approved. And just looking at it, you can see how much tougher it is compared to the plastic tank that Ford puts in. Maybe it's because the plastic tank is much less $ than the metal one.
 
Hi Jim,

A little off topic here . . . but all gasoline (and probably most OEM diesel) tanks are now multi-layer HDPE for a bunch of reasons. Not the least of these is that they compress and bend and fold without breaking . . . which is really important in a crash event. They look like "cheap plastic" but there is a lot more to this than it looks. Still doesn't explain putting a 26 gal tank in a space that will fit 50 gal.

Rob
 

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