firesine

we've been hauling a 45g aux fuel tank for several years. full, my guess is it weighs about 360 lbs, figurin on 6 lbs/gall. on our last trip we didn't get in to it till half way thru because we kept findin good fuel prices. that 360 is part of my 15k gcvw( about 2.5%). i keep wondering if it would be more economical in the long run not to have the xtra weight. any thoughts?

john,
95 club cab, long bed, no more kdp worries, lots of new parts, KnN, 227K, pullin a 29' thor wanderer w/propane genset and 120 w solar panel.

johnh

not worth worrying about

walkram42

I think diesel weighs more like 8 lbs. per gallon but still don't think you should worry about the extra weight.

butchera

Wouldn't worry about it. Mine weighs in at about 650 lbs. and I didn't notice any difference.

drewallen42

I asked this exact question to a DOT Auditor. He said for a truck as big as mine (I was looking at a 30 gallon tank) 240lbs would not make much of a difference regarding mpg. He made a comment that having to pull off the freeway and get gas would use up more than the exra weight the tank would.

I don't know if he was the correct person to ask, but I was in a meeting and I thought why not ask.

Bill Tomlinson

On the highway it will make little difference. Around town with constant stop, start traffic, any unnecessary weight cuts mpg somewhat. Keep it empty around town and fill it for long trips....... unless you get a real bargain on fuel.

In general it is wind resistance which increases fuel consumption on the highway and it is simple physics which governs fuel consumption while in town. Some gassers were so poorly set up that nothing seemed to affect their mileage. 8mpg always.

If you are driving in a VERY hilly area, extra weight can cause a slight increase in fuel consumption.

Automatic tranny's can really make it hard to tell what is going on but lets not get too complicated.

gomerpile

i believe it weighs 7.1 lbs. so thats an extra 319.5 lbs plus the tank itself

cameroneod

You've got plenty of torque so its not a problem adding a bit of weight. Like riding around with a big fat guy in the back seat.

92DuallyCTD

HEY!!! I represent that remark!!! ...on second thought... (personal best 418 lbs, why do you think I bought a Cummins 1 ton?)

marty649

full my setup weighs just a tad under 1,000 lbs never saw any differance full or empty. But the ride is better full.

shortbed rv

I have a 51 gallon RDS and now I stop every 600 or 700 or even 800 miles, in other words I stop when I want to. My poor buddy is at the service stations mercy. MPG not noticing any difference.

Oilguy

Honestly.... I never really considered losing MPG's when I added the RDS 60 gallon combo... What I DID notice is the effect on the DTE!!!
Instead of refilling every 300 or so... It is every 1000-1200 >>> and that is loaded.... Unhooked I refill every 1500-1800 miles...
With that kind of range.... you can do plenty of shopping around!
OG

GMScott

Yep! That's a pretty good range. I've got about a 1,500 mile range if I drive normally, loaded & empty. Time-wise and fuel savings, buying where ya want & when ya want, makes the aux. tank well worth it and as said before - a better ride when full.

johnh

big tank= less stops=full bladder=stop i get around 200 miles per bladder, depending on coffee intake