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steel or Alum

Howie67
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Howie67

Howie67

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not sweating the wt just listing the difference as they are few. It is a better built and it is powder coat but only on the outside. Inside is nothing. I would think steel be a little more resilient by being able to bend instead of crack in case of impact.

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Mopar1973Man

Mopar1973Man

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Well with all diesel fuel it tends to have a certain amount of water so steel is going to be a issue if its not coated internally... Make sure you use a water separator and filter... Aluminum is plenty fine for fuel cells... Look at every semi truck hauling down the pavement they all have aluminum fuel tanks... If it was me I would take the aluminum tank...

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guesswho512

guesswho512

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It is power coated on the exterior. Well i might have to rethink this. Thanks for the input. how long till it could be a problem? If it could get me by for a few years or so I might be in a better spot? Think it might last 5yrs? 3? Curt

i'm 95% sure mine is at least 4 yrs old...it was almost right against the front of the bed(you could barely get your fingers behind it)...i removed it to clean the bed out. there are only 2 rust spots on mine. the paint chipped off. you know... i had the topper over it until the back window broke
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jlwelding

jlwelding

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I have a steel fuel tank that has been fueling tractors and such for 25 years and we just put a filter on it about 5 years ago. When you look down inside it has some rust but what the hey its 25 and been in the elements, you can make your mind up with this thought, alum is nothing but trash material. I have spent more time repairing alum than I care to count. Let me ask you this ,how many friends do you know that have broke alum tool boxes?I have people stop in all the time, can you weld this little spot? And I say sure no problem, that will be 45.00. and they look at me like I lost my mind and I say go by your on welder, it only run you about 3800.00. I wish I could say you bought the junk I didnt.lolBut really steel cracks less and is better quailty. It can handle being hit, bent, poked you name it. Alum is for people with money, when you buy it and when you get it repaired.

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LiveOak

LiveOak

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I had a 110 gallon Dee Zee aluminum tank in my truck until one of the welds cracked while the tank was FULL and I was driving down the road. :yme: It was NO FUN jumping through my *** trying to stop the leaking fuel and find a container to transfer the 110 gallons of fuel into. Fortunately I had an 80 gallon fuel spill barrel. Aluminum is OK for some things but NOT for a truck bed transfer tank. The fuel and vapors in the tank continuously expand and contract with temperature changes and this causes the tank walls to flex which can be noted by a popping sound when a tank wall gets pushed outward or gets sucked inward from vaccum. With repeated contraction and expansion, the aluminum becomes embrittled and it is not a matter of if but when a weld will crack. At least in my opinion. Yes, the aluminum looks cool and reflects the sun's heat. Get the steel tank and avoid the eventual crack that will happen with aluminum. Unless the fuel tank is a welded perfect circle body with spun aluminum ends welded on like on the over the road truck tanks, aluminum is not a good choice for a fuel transfer tank that you intend to leave full for extended periods in the bed of your pickup. Just my :2cents: worth from a bad experience. Also be aware the in many states if you carry more than (I believe) 99 gallon capacity tank in your truck you are required to get a DOT registration # for it. If you have the misfortune of crossing paths with a revenue parasite, truck hating cop, it could lead to a big fine.

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flagmanruss

flagmanruss

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I have no experience with transfer tanks. I have had off road equipment with a welded steel gasoline tank just hanging on it the salt ocean air... 17 years worth with no problems. We threw a coat of enamel paint on it once in a while along with the rest of the machine. Please note when dear ole Dad failed to duck low enough to clear said tank, tank was undamaged... Dad's head did not fair so well.Russ

Edited by flagmanruss
Russ can't spell
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Howie67

Howie67

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I am looking at the Better Built 75gal tank / tool box combo it goes for 542.xx special order from Wallmart. Working in the sheetmetal industry for the last 9 years I know that mostly alum is more likely to crack then bend then steel which is more flexible. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200394115_200394115?cm_sp=RVC-_-Search%20Page-_-Products

Edited by Howie67
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Howie67

Howie67

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I remember a old friend who owned a radiator repair shop. When we had a old rusted factory tank that needed repair he would tank them and patch and after that apply a coating to the inside it worked really good not sure what it was made out of... perhaps it is the same stuff you are talking about. It looked light colored white/yellowish.

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dracozny

dracozny

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I remember a old friend who owned a radiator repair shop. When we had a old rusted factory tank that needed repair he would tank them and patch and after that apply a coating to the inside it worked really good not sure what it was made out of... perhaps it is the same stuff you are talking about. It looked light colored white/yellowish.

sounds like the same stuff by you description although I never thought it would be a suitable heat transfer medium in a radiator.
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ISX

ISX

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The fine people at Ford decided to put a steel rear tank and a plastic front tank on mine. That way, when the steel one rusts out (which it has) you can still get somewhere with the front one. But yeah, it has a 1/8 or 3/16" skid plate under the whole tank and it's still rusted to hell. I say get the aluminum since it will surely be pelted with road salt being far less protected than my ford's, that still rusted.Alright I read a little better, I don't think flexing is an issue, how much is a tank going to flex when it's right over the chassis.. I do think rocks and dirt and other crap can get under the tank and scratch off "rust protection" causing the steel one to leak when it finally rusts. My brother made a tank out of a regular aluminum tool box which seems to work well. I can get a pic of that if you want. But yeah, if your going to have it for any length of time, I would get aluminum.

Edited by ISX
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