Wow, I need a long range fuel tank for my 2013 SDV6 D4 HSE

[Baytown]

Wow, I’m getting around 350km @ 100 Kph, towing my new 2 1/2 ton van.
‘Needless to say, inland touring will be an issue re range, so an long range tank is required.
I know I’ll need to relocate my spare, so either an roof rack or Kaymar rear carrier.
The Kaymar would be the better option.
So, what’s the pros and cons of the available tanks?
i got an quote from ARB for around $2000 for an separate 100ish litre tank with transfer. I surmise it’s steel. That would give around 182 litres, or around 800 kms per fill which is a lot better than 300!
Thanks.
Ken
141303

[Tombie]

Ken, Kaymar won’t be a good option - it eats the GVM ..

Contact Rijidij - he has a new carrier that doesn’t interfere with the parking sensors either [emoji41]

As for tanks, I have the Longranger... pump transfer.. which gives me more control of when to transfer and how much I still have.

There are other gravity fed options that are good also, but just work by showing the tank full for a long time and then start moving once the auxiliary is empty.

[justinc]

Yes im yet to drag ours with the new RR so waiting to find out our range from 95l....😟
Great looking van those Zone, and niiice D4😎

Jc

[Baytown]

Thanks fellas.
Great tip Tombie re the GVM, I’ll look into Ridjidij as suggested thanks mate.
‘Thanks Justin, yes, the 20.6 Zone Off Road is my Home now until I get Tassie sorted.
It is an very comfortable and highly speced caravan. Love it!
Ta.Ken

[gofish]

There's one on ebay ATM for a 2006 for $200. Don't know if compatible though (?)

[justinc]

Thanks fellas.
Great tip Tombie re the GVM, I’ll look into Ridjidij as suggested thanks mate.
‘Thanks Justin, yes, the 20.6 Zone Off Road is my Home now until I get Tassie sorted.
It is an very comfortable and highly speced caravan. Love it!
Ta.Ken

We're living in ours right now at snug beach caravan park, south of hobart. Loving the trailer park trash lifestyle! 😅😅

Tasmania Accommodation: Snug Beach Cabin and Caravan Park (http://www.snugpark.com.au/)

[Milton477]

Ken, I can carry 80L of fuel in 4 jerries on the front of my van. Your van has huge carrying capacity compared to most other vans. Wouldn't it be less disruptive to the D4 to let the van carry the fuel?

Just my thoughts.

[Tombie]

Ken, I can carry 80L of fuel in 4 jerries on the front of my van. Your van has huge carrying capacity compared to most other vans. Wouldn't it be less disruptive to the D4 to let the van carry the fuel?

Just my thoughts.

Greatly increases risk of fuel contamination...

100kg on the front? Wow.. and no impact on ball weight?

[Milton477]

Greatly increases risk of fuel contamination...

100kg on the front? Wow.. and no impact on ball weight?

Tank or jerries, either way, the weight is behind the back axle. I would arguably have less on the D4 axle as the van carries some of the weight & my ball weight is way less than 350kg so adding another 60 or so kg to the ball is irrelevant. The additional weight needs to be carried somewhere regardless.

Not sure that I agree with the contamination issue. Just be clean when transferring.
I honestly cannot see the benefit of a long range tank & spare wheel carrier when towing a van with a decent payload. These additions permanently compromise the available carrying capacity of the tow vehicle for minimal benefit.

Like I said, just my thoughts & my own experience with similar equipment.

[cjc_td5]

Another option is carrying the spare internally, either upright at the side of the cargo area or on the floor with a false floor above it.

[disco4now]

+1 for carrying extra fuel on the van. I just carry one full except when I know it’s a long way between fuel. I have about 400k
Range with 3.5tonne van and have rarely had to use the extra fuel, just fill up whenever I see the chance.

[dirvine]

I tow a 2.5t van, and get about 15/100, sitting on +100kph. Like others I considered a LR tank. But at +$1500 for the tank and +$1500 for a rear wheel carrier I thought the cost was not worth it. Also there is the weight factor even if the LR tank is empty. My last vehicle had a rear wheel carrier and I found it a pain to have to always open the carrier to open up the back of the vehicle. For the few times I need to carry extra fuel I have 2 x jerry can holders on the front of the van as standard fitment and I fitted 2 x jerry can holders on rear bar of van. Only time I can see a LR tank being of benefit is if you want to travel a big distance with vehicle only. In that case the LR tank would be required (unless you want 4 jerry cans in back of vehicle) and have less space in back. For me those days of tent/swag camping are well and truly over. I want my creature comforts now!

[Tedio]

I tow a 2.5t van, and get about 15/100, sitting on +100kph. Like others I considered a LR tank. But at +$1500 for the tank and +$1500 for a rear wheel carrier I thought the cost was not worth it. Also there is the weight factor even if the LR tank is empty. My last vehicle had a rear wheel carrier and I found it a pain to have to always open the carrier to open up the back of the vehicle. For the few times I need to carry extra fuel I have 2 x jerry can holders on the front of the van as standard fitment and I fitted 2 x jerry can holders on rear bar of van. Only time I can see a LR tank being of benefit is if you want to travel a big distance with vehicle only. In that case the LR tank would be required (unless you want 4 jerry cans in back of vehicle) and have less space in back. For me those days of tent/swag camping are well and truly over. I want my creature comforts now!

I can't justify the cost of a lrt, I can carry 4 jerrys stapped inside and have had to have them full only once when very remote and I think even then one was to spare. I fill at every opportunity, it is still cheaper imho

[Baytown]

Hi fellas;
Thanks for the comments re Jerry cans.
I hate them for the vehicles fuel needs, and much prefer an dedicated vehicle long range tank.
My ZoneRV caravan can take two Jerrys’. One for diesel for the heater, and one for petrol for the genny.
I won’t be loading the vehicle up with people or lots of gear, so I think the LR Tank is my best option.
Im certainly not going to carry diesel internally.
More to follow on this in the next month or so when I look into getting it fitted, suppliers etc.
Ta.
Ken

[Geedublya]

Wow, I’m getting around 350km @ 100 Kph, towing my new 2 1/2 ton van.
‘Needless to say, inland touring will be an issue re range, so an long range tank is required.
I know I’ll need to relocate my spare, so either an roof rack or Kaymar rear carrier.
The Kaymar would be the better option.
So, what’s the pros and cons of the available tanks?
i got an quote from ARB for around $2000 for an separate 100ish litre tank with transfer. I surmise it’s steel. That would give around 182 litres, or around 800 kms per fill which is a lot better than 300!
Thanks.
Ken
141303

350km seems a little short. I pulled my 2.8t van with my RRS SCV8 at 100+kmh and did 424km for 89l. I would expect the diesel to get better economy than what you are seeing.

My previous D4 V8 had the outback accessories tank which was 92l and a Kaymar bar.
I had the ARB LR 105l tank in my D3 before that. I actually preferred the gravity feed tank as you just fill it and drive, no mucking around transferring fuel, no noisy pump which can fail, no forgetting to turn the pump off.

Even my D4 V8 which was fully loaded got at it’s worst 24l/100 towing 2.8t down to Aruluen and back sitting on 110kmh.

[Arapiles]

350km seems a little short. I pulled my 2.8t van with my RRS SCV8 at 100+kmh and did 424km for 89l. I would expect the diesel to get better economy than what you are seeing.

Even my D4 V8 which was fully loaded got at it’s worst 24l/100 towing 2.8t down to Aruluen and back sitting on 110kmh.

OPs range of 350km suggests economy of 20 - 22 l/100km - I thought that the D4 diesels usually got better than that? That sounds more like Y62 Patrol territory.

[Chops]

OPs range of 350km suggests economy of 20 - 22 l/100km - I thought that the D4 diesels usually got better than that? That sounds more like Y62 Patrol territory.


X 2.

I get heaps better than that and my vans basically 3T. I’ve towed heavier than that and averaged just over 14/100 according to the in car meter.

I’d be having the car looked at to see if somethings not right.

[Tombie]

The vehicle is likely just relearning the new driver. [emoji41]

Or lead-foot Ken is experiencing power underfoot [emoji6]

[Baytown]

Hi fellas.
I might get toward 400kms and the trip computer suggests this, but I didn’t want to test it out with the caravan on the back.
Its good to know that I could expect at least 400 with the van, but it’s still not enough for touring.
Tombie, mate, I was very law abiding on my way back up Nth!😉

[NavyDiver]

Shocked to see your range with the van on. My D3 was great towing a 2.5+ tonne boat or camping trailer with only a minor fuel hit. The long-range range tank on my 2005 D3 might fit you? It was written off by hail damage. The Guy who brought might sell it to you. PM me if you want his number.

I wonder if you added a wind deflector if you could improve the aerodynamics as I assume it must be drag causing your fairly significant fuel consumption?

[Tombie]

Early D3 frame is different, the tank wouldn’t fit as designed - will hang a lot lower.

[Jaybee]

Looked into LR tank and rear bar but decided that the extra weight negated any benefits unless I was doing a vehicle only desert crossing. Choosing to travel instead with 2 x 20ltr jerry cans on front of 3T caravan and only fill them when heading into remote areas. I always fill up when I can and although coming close on a few occasions I’ve never actually had to refuel from the jerries. I then empty them into the D4 where there’s a few more gas stations. Never had an issue with dirty fuel even after holding it in the jerry cans for months. This system works for me and I won’t be changing it for our 9 month trip to WA. Averaging 13.5 at 100 kmph with the diesel but it jumps to 15 if there’s lots of hills and we averaged 22 over 3 days into a really strong headwind. My travel friends diesel cruiser averaged 32 over those days. So happy to have saved the money as 2 x jerry cans is a lot cheaper and probably saves on weight and fuel

[ADMIRAL]

Hi Ken,

I will echo Tombie's note on the GVM. I would do the sums carefully before jumping in. I have a Longranger tank and a spare wheel carrier. When loaded with out 2.5T van, we run very close to the GVM. Add on a fridge etc and it gets worse. You definitely need LT rated tyres. With the ballweight added on the suspension height is compensated for automatically, but the tyres squat appreciably if under 50 PSI.

[Baytown]

Thanks for all the great informed comments fellas.
I think I will leave it for an while and carry the 40 litres of diesel on the van until I really work out if I’m suffering re full range.
I love this group!

[StewG]

Wow, I’m getting around 350km @ 100 Kph, towing my new 2 1/2 ton van.
‘Needless to say, inland touring will be an issue re range, so an long range tank is required.


I'm surprised at your fuel economy figure. I've recently completed a 24,000 km lap including Cape York, and remote WA. Overall economy in my 2013 SDV6 HSE is about 14 litres/100km towing our 2.5 tonne off-road (tall) caravan. This means about 500km range. Not great, but adequate for most areas in Oz. Worst ever performance with head winds was about 18 litres/100km. Best ever on a trip was 9 litres/100km (probably a tail wind). My D4 is stock standard except for a Traxide dual battery to keep our Engel going 24/7 in the boot. Instead of fitting a long range tank, I decided to carry a couple of jerry cans on the caravan. Filled them once and never used them. It turned out to be the right decision because fitting the tank where the spare normally resides means finding somewhere else for the spare. Roof racks will normally impose a heavy penalty on fuel economy, so I have always done without roof racks. Like you, I would like a bigger fuel tank, but I cannot see the value for money in adding more weight (tank, fuel, spare rack, etc.) to gain a few more km between stops. I hope that is useful for you in making a decision.

[Briar]

Wow, I’m getting around 350km @ 100 Kph, towing my new 2 1/2 ton van.
‘Needless to say, inland touring will be an issue re range, so an long range tank is required.
I know I’ll need to relocate my spare, so either an roof rack or Kaymar rear carrier.
The Kaymar would be the better option.
So, what’s the pros and cons of the available tanks?
i got an quote from ARB for around $2000 for an separate 100ish litre tank with transfer. I surmise it’s steel. That would give around 182 litres, or around 800 kms per fill which is a lot better than 300!
Thanks.
Ken


Ken
My first thought was try to have a slower speed overall when towing. My van is about 3350kg when fully loaded. If I try to sit at 80-85km/h I have got between 12.5-13.5 l/100km. This will extend your range to about 450/ tank. Anything over 90 really starts to suck the fuel.

If I'm remote and not affecting anyone I enjoy the journey and stop for an extra coffee enroute. I have only ever needed 1 jerry for really long legs.

Enjoy the travels.

[discomatt69]

I have just got back from a 14000 km trip up north from Melbourne, for me I would not be without the extra fuel in the auxiliary tank or the convenience of having the 2 spare tyres on the back.
The dust dirt and mud would make decanting fuel an absolute nightmare, same said for getting a spare tyre in and out from under a car if needed and having a second spare when remote is a must IMO.
On the trip home I filled up in Alice Springs and Port Augusta then drove to Melbourne without needing more, a range of well over 1200km is ace.
Spread the load carefully and its easy to stay under GVM with a extra tank and rear bar. Speak to any experienced truck driver about vehicle loading...

[Bytemrk]

Discomatt,

I totally agree with re range - it's awesome. I'm not towing but I've got over 1600km out of mine a couple of times.....

However, how you ever put yours over a weighbridge? I'd be stunned if you are far under GVM with bugger all but full fuel tanks. Mine has a few things yours doesn't - but it doesn't have a winch or a second spare on the wheel carrier and I get very very close to GVM with a bit of camping gear and no passengers. [wink11]


GCM is not that hard to avoid if you load vehicle and trailer right.... but with all those accessories.. GVM is not easy to stay under.

[discomatt69]

I did weigh mine just after I got it and was a little surprised at the weight but it was 300kg under, I didn't weigh it for our recent trip and I had added my Thumper battery pack and fridge fully packed with food but to counter act that weight I removed the second and third row seats.
Fully loaded with fuel and all my gear I would still have some GVM to play with, I think ( hope )
After some of the set ups I saw on our trip I don't think any of us D4 drivers have anything to worry about. Some rigs we saw were nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen...

[Tombie]

That second spare that is a “must” - did you need it?

[discomatt69]

That second spare that is a “must” - did you need it?

No I didn't, in fact I didn't need 1, or a spare for the trailer or any tools or the spare fuel filter or the emergency supply of water but I always carry them because I have seen first hand how things can go pear shaped within a few 100 m of tracks and when you are 3-500 km of the closest help you have to be self reliant because I am not going to become a statistic or put the better half into a potentially life threatening situation.[wink11]

[dirvine]

Sorry Discomatt I tend to agree with Tombie. 50 years ago, I got punctures quite regularly with my bar treds on my S1. Tyre technology has improved greatly over the last 20 years and also with the advent of TPMS, radials and LT construction. We can monitor things and stop before we do serious damage. I have done all the tracks/roads etc I did in my S1 back in the 70's with my last 4wd vehicle and NEVER had one puncture. Done over 50K in D4 on some rough roads as well. I also make sure I have the correct type of tyre for the trip planned, and start off with tyres in good condition, with plenty of meat left on them. I would rather carry a tyre repair kit and a sat phone in case SH*** hits the fan, than bulky weighty tyres. I just wonder how many people on this web site needed to use two spares on a trip on the basis that they started with good tyres, suitable for the conditions (ie not 19" highway rated) with plenty of meat on them. 2 spare tyres is like the Irish...to be sure to be sure.

[Bytemrk]

I tend to side with Discomatt on this one... I carry 2 spares on remote trips. In my case it's probably more about giving me peace of mind due to silly tyre sizes for the bush ( Good AT's but silly size - 255/55/19 ).

But I don't see an issue with carrying a second spare if you can - I'd always prefer to be self reliant.

I've never needed 2 - however if i only carried one...... waiting for another replacement from Melbourne would have meant either taking a punt on continuing a trip through the protected areas of Woomera - with no spare..... or missing out. I'm glad I had my second spare that trip.

[discomatt69]

Each to there own when it comes to what they take but it also depends on where you travel, some stay on the beaten track others venture off the beaten track to get away from the crowds.
It also depends on the road conditions at the time, if its just been graded and there are sharp rocks and stones sitting up everywhere flats and slashed tyres are common place. Then there is just luck. I have driven a track with no flats a car in the group got 2 in 200m and yes he had good tyres at the correct pressure.