Coach-man wrote: To those who own Sprinter based Class C's, do you find the 20 gallon fuel tank a problem? If so what have you done to extend the range in you rig?
To extend my range beyond 20 gallons I fill the tank full to 26. So far it has worked for me. At 15 MPG, that's fine. If I wanted to push that limit, I have some NATO jerry cans. 1 can is another 75 miles.
midnightsadie wrote: 15mpg??? mine clocks over 20mpg on each tank. if you like the rv,s there great
20mpg on average? What exactly is the Sprinter based motor home you drive, what year is the chassis, and what engine does it have?
An I-5, which he rarely mentions.
BTW, I heard on the news a few weeks back that diesel exhaust particulate has been officially recognized as a known carcinogen by the World Health Organization. It was formerly a 'suspected carcinogen'. Since the I-5 has a lot less pollution controls on it, I suppose it puts out even more.
Jim, "The truth will set you free. But first it will p&%s you off."
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison (aka 'Loafer's Glory') www.tigervehicles.com
midnightsadie wrote: 15mpg??? mine clocks over 20mpg on each tank. if you like the rv,s there great
20mpg on average? What exactly is the Sprinter based motor home you drive, what year is the chassis, and what engine does it have?
An I-5, which he rarely mentions.
BTW, I heard on the news a few weeks back that diesel exhaust particulate has been officially recognized as a known carcinogen by the World Health Organization. It was formerly a 'suspected carcinogen'. Since the I-5 has a lot less pollution controls on it, I suppose it puts out even more.
Jim, "The truth will set you free. But first it will p&%s you off."
Diesel particulate has always been a "problem", it goes back to when you were waiting at the bus stop and the bus driver "floored" it and with no turbo charger, and no computer controls it spewed vast quantities of black smoke leaving you coughing! A lot has changed and the new diesels are as clean or cleaner than gas engines for emissions!
What kind of vehicle are you coming from? 26 gallons and 15 MPG should be good for as much range as a gas C getting 7.5 MPG having a 35-55 gallon tank.
There are some really big motorhomes with 75-100 gallon tanks, and a few compact to mid-size cars that have nearly 400 mile range because they still have the larger tanks from an era with a less economical engine, but most new cars are getting fuel tanks down sized for 250-350 mile range; reducing fuel weight is one of the ways of improving MPG.
You know that you talk about buying fuel every 200 - 250 miles kinda like a chore to do with your car, every 200 - 400 miles, and something that is just a chore. However if you try to drive to Alaska or someplace with no diesel fuel, the larger fuel tank capacity is a requirement, not just something to avoid filling up twice a day when you are driving from one state to another on a vacation.
As far as I know there is no diesel fuel in Yosemite National Park. You have to be outside the park to get diesel, and perhaps even gasoline. Places like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon present it's own problems, with a 120 mile roudtrip drive from Jacob Lake, and not many places to fill up in that area (two stations that I know of, one in Jacob Lake, and another about 15 miles south of there). Not much incentive to install a $350,000 fuel system for a new gas station in a area that is closed most of the winter due to 3' of snow on the roads.
So yes if I where to buy a Sprinter, then a 350 - 400 mile range would be a requirement. Not because I want to drive 6 hours non-stop, but rather that I can drive to the North Rim, not filling at each diesel stop I pass, and hoping that I have 4 gallons left above the 1/4 tank mark to run the generator for a few hours while I am there.
And I like being able to buy fuel where it is a lower price, and not trucked into some small town and sold for a much higher price to cover the high cost of shipping it there.
The gas station south of Jacob Lake is a example of a place that must meet all the new and expensive Federal regulations, and yet it can only operate for 6 months out of the year that the roads are open in that area. There is probably very little business for selling fuel to snow mobiles in the winter time, it would hardly be worth keeping a staff on hand considering they would want to make a decent wage too. So to cover the costs of all those fuel regulations, they need to up the price a bit, and this causes less gallons per month to be sold, so they need to up the price even further to cover those costs. It is not like the local Costco selling 50,000 gallons per day, but they might see a 8,000 gallon tanker once a week in the summertime.
Yes my local Costco has a 12,000 gallon regular fuel tank underground, and a 9,000 premium tank, and they get in several trucks per day to refill the underground tanks.
My dream truck would have been a F-450 with a standard 40 gallon rear tank, and a aftermarket in frame 60 gallon fuel tank from Transfer flow. This will not only provide 900 miles of towing ability, but also keep me out of fuel stations in between traveling from state to state. I could fill up on days the fifth wheel is in a campground. If I installed a 6 KW generator, it would be able to draw from the midship 60 gallon tank, for well over 200 hours before running it dry. Yes the dip tube can go all the way to the bottom in this case, I would just have to remember to keep the rear tank full to drive someplace after a long time camped in one location.
I don't think that portable fuel tanks are a great idea to extend the range. They would be messy to use, and much more inconvenient to stop at a rest area, and say put 5 gallons into the tank, it would be less time consuming to stop at a gas station and put in 15 gallons.
I had considered putting a 15 gallon fuel tank on my motorhome, with a small electric pump, so I would be able to refill my towed car, or extend the range of my motorhome. Yet somehow the 75 gallon main tank is sufficient even at 7 MPG. I can run my gas generator for a long time, without worry about running out of fuel.
I was also thinking about a time it was very inconvenient to refill with gas, while on I5 of all places, where there are gas stations all along that route. I was coming back from a visit to Washington and the Rain Forest there, it was close to July 4th, and pretty hot in Fresno. I was running the roof air, and I think it was 105 out. Not a great time to spend every 4 hours shutting off the generator and dash A/C for 15 minutes to refuel. The dogs would have been uncomfortable too, they have to keep their fur coats on. So being able to drive 6 hours was really nice, and then only stop once for fuel in that area, then at the top of the Grapevine where it was much cooler in Gorman.
Golden HVAC stated "And I like being able to buy fuel where it is a lower price, and not trucked into some small town and sold for a much higher price to cover the high cost of shipping it there. " That about sums up my initial request. In fact his post perfectly states what I was trying to say from the beginning! I do have a 5 gallon jerry can, but it is a real pain! $1,495 plus shipping seems a little steep for a $50 gas can! I would pay $600 in a heart beat for a 30 - 35 gallon replacement tank, or $300 for a 20 gallon aux tank with a pump or something to transfer the diesel! Now does anyone have some ideas??
Those aux tanks are not DOT approved. May not mean much, but it can cause trouble if pulled over for something else.
The cheapest alternative that would be decently secure would be to buy an enclosed cargo container that goes into the rear receiver hitch. etrailer.com (first site that popped up on Google) has these. You can then fit a number of five gallon diesel containers inside that. That way, the containers don't walk off and are not obvious.
Since the class C MH I'm looking at is also a Sprinter with a 26 gallon gas tank and a diesel generator, having additional fuel when boondocking is important. However, I don't see spending four digits for a gas tank that is not meant for use on the tarmac, and can potentially void the warranty on the entire rig (and from what I know, any repairs on a Mercedes vehicle are in the stratosphere when it comes to price.)
My most likely solution will be a receiver hitch cargo carrier that is far enough from the coach not to rub on it anywhere. Then, a universal mounting plate, a pair of locking T handles, and a stack of five diesel Rotopax containers. That will give me about 300 miles (conservative estimate) of additional range. The ~150 pounds of the diesel fuel, plus the container and carrier weight will be nowhere near the tongue weight limit of the 500 pound hitch. Plus, because the containers, mounting bracket, and carrier are all locked down, the containers should stay put until needed.
mlts22 wrote: Those aux tanks are not DOT approved. May not mean much, but it can cause trouble if pulled over for something else.
However, I don't see spending four digits for a gas tank that is not meant for use on the tarmac, and can potentially void the warranty on the entire rig (and from what I know, any repairs on a Mercedes vehicle are in the stratosphere when it comes to price.)
You mean ionosphere?
Good news with diesel fuel is low volatility, and much lower fire risk.
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