Long range fuel tank (1 Viewer)

[sunrk]

This is probably more relevant for diesel 80's not petrol ones sorry.

I've not had the spare wheel mounted under the back of my 80 since I fitted an outback accessories SWC80R swing-away spare wheel carrier and later on got jiggy and replaced that with an outback accessories TWC80 twin wheel carrier and rear bar.

A lot of Aussies fit a long range tank to their 80 (and other 4wd's) when they relocate the spare wheel(s) since then there is a bit under-utilised space.

Obviously the penalty is a lot more weight. Regardless of where the spare wheel lives, the weight of it is still part of the standard 'kerb weight', but anything added (like a new rear bar and carrier) is not.

Long range fuel tanks made to take up the left over space where the spare wheel is mounted ex-factory add anything up to 150 kg additional weight. So adding a rear bar and wheel carrier PLUS a long range tank is adding around 200 kg additional weight penalty.

The benefit however is that energy density of diesel fuel is high (much better than petrol/gasoline). A standard 80 series with dual tanks has a 90 L main tank and 50 L subtank. Most of the long range tank options provide an extra 100 L of fuel carrying capacity over the std sub-tank so you end up with about 250 L in total of fuel carrying capacity instead of the standard 140 L.

Who's used long range diesel tanks and what are the real world pro's and con's of them? One side-effect of not having the spare wheel underneath is very easy access to everything under the back, and a bigger fuel tank would block up most/all of that again.

 

[Outsane]

I have an LRA tank petrol, but the advantages would be the same.

Its great on long road days, I can pick cheaper places to fill up. Less time I have to calculate how much farther I can go and where the next gas station is. No Jerry can to move around the vehicle. When you do carry the weight it's in a better spot.

 

[george_tlc]

In oz, if you actually go out into desert areas, the penalty of NOT having the extra fuel range is not making it there and certainly not making it back due to lack of range. I'd rather have extra fuel in tanks under the vehicle versus a bunch of jerry cans strapped down and dealing with opening/closing and fuel transfers. More fuel out there also allows for more exploring or turn arounds when tracks disappear etc.

You only need to consider the bigger weight penalty if you fill the tank(s). Better to have the fuel down low than on the roof etc. If you're heading out bush, you'll have a lot more weight in the camping gear and provisions etc than a couple of hundred kg of swing bumper etc.

Fuel cost is another thing, fuel in the oz bush can be pretty expensive due to transportation cost, so having the range to drive past a fuel stop can save you money.

I don't see any negative of having more fuel capacity when out bush. Just don't fill up more than 100 or so litres when around town or fill up to the brim when you find cheaper fuel.

These views are from camping in WA - there's plenty of remote places that have you very far from a fuel stop. If you typically just roam in NSW/Vic then range is less of an issue...

cheers,
george.