24 MAF vs. 45 Front Runner auxiliary fuel tank

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Peluo

Peluo

10 Year 15 Year
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Apr 16, 2008
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Hi there guys, i am planning a voyage to Ushuaia starting in Venezuela.
I have finally decided to get a rear bumper, i will order a 4labs. For the auxiliary fuel tank a have found 3 choices.

-Oem 13 gallon (very hard to find) too small, i guess a no go.
-Man-A-Fre 24 gallon: expensive, it has OEM dual neck, there is plenty of clearence, made out of 2mm thick aluminized steel.
-Front Runner 45 gallon: $700 from http://www.campinglab.com
made out of 3CR12 stainless steel, i guess this would have a lot more chance of getting hit on the underside?

so 24 vs 45? would i need the extra 21 gallon? would the 45 gallon hit rocks more frequent? the bigger one cost almost $500 less. which one has been installed with the luke bumper (4x4labs)
Please help me decided :bang:
 
6.2 pouns per gallon

The other thing is weight? 24 gallon tank full would weight 150 lb.
the other (45 front runner) would weight 279 lb. :eek:
wow that is a lot.

On another note. Do you really need to have 2 spare tires for expedition travel?

any advice would be very helpful. thanks. :idea:
 
I dont know for sure BUT doesn't the MAF one still retain the stock OEM tank while the Front Runner one completely replaces it? With MAF Im pretty sure you get the stock capacity + 24Gallons
 
Peluo said:
The other thing is weight? 24 gallon tank full would weight 150 lb.
the other (45 front runner) would weight 279 lb. :eek:
wow that is a lot.

On another note. Do you really need to have 2 spare tires for expedition travel?

any advice would be very helpful. thanks. :idea:
Click to expand...

You need to contact Dave Conners ASAP. He just did this trip.

He's a good guy and a wealth of knowledge on this kind of stuff.

He goes by "dmc" here on MUD.
 
thanks Beno for the info i will send him a PM
 
Dave also installed a frontrunner tank. I hear it's not the easiest to install, but the tank seems to be high quality.

I have heard of some tanks rusting out. I can't remember if the aluminized long ranger was one of those or not. It would be nice to have the MAF kit because it comes with the OEM filler and you don't have to hack up the stock one like you do with the frontrunner.
 
Anyone else have and dealings with camping lab? The price of their tank is very appealing and they are currently offering free shipping. The add says that all the required plumbing, including dual filler neck, is included. Is this a quality tank? Stainless should not rust, though I know some SS will depending on the alloy comp. Is the tank not being DoT approved an issue if you are ever in a rear end collision?

From Their Site:

Front Runner auxiliary fuel tanks are manufactured from 3CR12 stainless steel and designed for specific vehicles ensuring a perfect fit and unbeatable strength.

All Front Runner auxiliary fuel tanks are individually inspected, pulse pressure tested and sprayed with a resilient black anti stone chip coating.

All Front Runner auxiliary fuel tanks come standard with all required hoses, transfer pump, dual filler neck and hardware for a no hassle worry free installation.
 
I have the MAF 24 gallon on mine.

At the time, the bracket supplied for mounting the tank wasn't well thought out and did not work right. They may have changed this.

So... I worked with a couple of great welders, cut a hole through the Slee rear bumper and cross member and installed a 2" trailer hitch with the a new 4" cross member tied in that the tank is mounted to. Highly customized solution.

Other than the mounting issues that may no longer be issues, it has worked great. It tucks up so nice it can not even be seen from the street. 24 gal pretty much doubles the stock fuel load and makes the truck's range about 600-700 miles on pavement depending on how fast I'm going.

IMHO YMMV
 
Where on the web site does it say this is a 45 gallon tank? Did I miss this someplace? Seems like a 45 would be a pretty big tank with a lot of it hanging down where it could be damaged.
 
MSGGrunt said:
Would the weight really be an issue?
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd think so. 44 gallons of fuel, plus armor, plus the usual gear in the back makes for a very over worked springs. If you installed a set of air bags inside the rear springs, that will definitely help out with the saggy and bottoming our rear end, IMHO.
 
True, 44 gal isn't far off from putting a 50 gal drum in the back. A gallon of gasoline weighs roughly 6# depending on the ambient temp so you are looking at about 264 extra lbs.


You could add 5 bags of rock salt to the rear if you want to have a rough idea what it would ride like.


Air bags wouldn't be a bad idea especially since +/- 250+ lbs is quite a big load variation while on a trip.
 
Pics from camping lab. Very quick response.
9c95scd.webp
niceclearance.webp
 
if you have in your trip paln few days in Caracas, Venezuela .. you can source and install one for less than a half that you gonna pay in US ..

got a 24Gal sub tank in the wife 80 series ( Autana )

main.php
 
That is correct. He did say that they were pics of a Long Ranger tank, but that the Front Runner tank is very similiar. It was mentioned in a previous thread that installation could be tough. Does anyone have more details on what it takes to install this tank?
 
MSGGrunt said:
Anyone else have and dealings with camping lab? The price of their tank is very appealing and they are currently offering free shipping. The add says that all the required plumbing, including dual filler neck, is included. Is this a quality tank? Stainless should not rust, though I know some SS will depending on the alloy comp. Is the tank not being DoT approved an issue if you are ever in a rear end collision?

From Their Site:

Front Runner auxiliary fuel tanks are manufactured from 3CR12 stainless steel and designed for specific vehicles ensuring a perfect fit and unbeatable strength.

All Front Runner auxiliary fuel tanks are individually inspected, pulse pressure tested and sprayed with a resilient black anti stone chip coating.

All Front Runner auxiliary fuel tanks come standard with all required hoses, transfer pump, dual filler neck and hardware for a no hassle worry free installation.
Click to expand...


FWIW: Fernando, the owner of Camping Lab, is a stand up guy. I've purchased products from him/Camping Lab and will again without reservation.


FWIW: I have a 25-gallon custom made aux tank on my Hundy. Normally it along with the OEM 25-gallon tank, for 50-gallons total, have been plenty o'fuel. However on a recent off-road explore trip in Nevada we did have to go into Tonopah for a refuel! 300+ miles off-road, locked much of the time and pulling a trailer does diminish fuel a little faster ;).

If you travel fair distances between available fuel get the larger tank...you don't have to fill it all the time!
 
Does anyone know what the Front Runner tank uses for a filler neck? They advertise coming with a new dual filler neck. I'll Email Fernando at Camping Lab and see what he has to say.
 
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