As we continued to test and run Project LBMC, we began to take issue with the stock 35-gallon fuel tank.
When pulling a high profile (13 feet high) load, fuel economy can drop as low as 7 mpg, allowing us to only go 200 to 250 miles between fill ups. This gets old if you've got 11 hours of driving to do each day. It's difficult to make good time getting somewhere if you have to stop every four hours for fuel.
We decided that a larger fuel tank was in order.
We chose to replace our stock tank with a 56-gallon high capacity under-bed tank from Transfer Flow. This tank is made from 12 and 14 gauge aluminized steel with a powdercoated exterior finish. It mounts in place of the stock tank, but is much longer, extending further forward, up over the skid plate support. The tank was well made with interior baffles, stout welds and a durable finish. It came with all of the hardware needed for installation. The kit came with brackets, wiring connectors, foam rubber pads, hardware and new filler and breather hoses.
Installation took about 1.5 hours, including the time it took to drain the stock tank and add fuel to the Transfer Flow tank. As we installed the tank, everything fit perfectly. The brackets lined up well and the front of the tank tucked up above the skid plate support as if it was designed and built to fit the truck (imagine that). Now that we have 62 percent more fuel on board after fill ups, we can travel almost 400 miles on a tank with our high profile loads. It's actually enough time behind the wheel to need to stretch your legs and refresh your drink. When we're empty, our range is now up to 900 miles.
So, if you enjoy stopping for fuel and spending your time at the pump, a high capacity tank is not for you. But if you would rather spend your time in the truck with the wheels rolling and the miles moving by, you should seriously consider this tank.