Fuel transfer tank skid

[kb0thn]

Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist led me to a pair of 36 gallon transfer tanks that were unused and bolted to a piece of plywood with wheels on them. I wanted to make them easy to move around on forks or in the bed of my pickup. I also wanted 12V fuel pump, filter, and a reasonable length hose. So I designed a skid that provides fork pockets for lifting and hose storage and battery mount.

The pair of tanks as I purchased them.


Laser cut and press brake formed 10ga steel. There are three ribs underneath with a rectangular fork cutout on each rib. The idea is that both the diesel and the gas skid could be bolted together and then forked the long way.


3/8" rod for hose management. You can also see the hex nuts I welded on underneath the battery location to provide clearance for the wire and not allow water to get trapped.


In use. With it's big brother diesel transfer tank behind it. I get quite a number of these 12 volt 26 amp/hour batteries surplus from work. I have provisions for solar charging the battery, like I do on the diesel tank in the background. But I never got around to it for the first year. I pumped about 150 gallons of gasoline and the battery was still 30% full after a year.


Pump, hose, and auto-off gasoline nozzle is a Fill-Rite FR1210HA:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXG474Y/

Filter is a Goldenrod 496-3/4:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AXE6C/

I used 3/4" swivels on both ends of the hose to make the hose management a little better.


After a year of use I decided the gasoline one worked well enough that I might as well build the skid for the diesel tank. I improved the battery mounting / wiring access a little. It's all welded up and powder coated, just sitting on a shelf waiting for assembly. I'll take some better detail photos, if there is interest, when I assemble it.

[leightrepairs]

Very nice execution, as is the norm for your work. I probably would add a grounding wire spool to bound it to the pick up, or where ever it resides.

[farmersammm]

Very nice...............I'd probably wind up just slapping something together.........I am truly a slob.

[whtbaron]

I put the meter on my slip tank pump this year and is it ever nice. Sure beats taking it to a field over a mile away and finding out the tank is almost empty. It holds 600 liters so I just zero it when I refill and I know at a glance what's left.

[farmersammm]

I put the meter on my slip tank pump this year and is it ever nice. Sure beats taking it to a field over a mile away and finding out the tank is almost empty. It holds 600 liters so I just zero it when I refill and I know at a glance what's left.

ELITEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just use a dipstick. I save the money for projects that always cost more than I thought, and take about 4 times as long as I figured

[whtbaron]

I gotta say the butt cheeks puckered up a little with the $300 price tag... but it sure is nice to see it at a glance when you're in a hurry. I had also moved fuel to other locations when they needed it and needed a more accurate measurement for potential sales.

[kb0thn]

I put the meter on my slip tank pump this year and is it ever nice. Sure beats taking it to a field over a mile away and finding out the tank is almost empty. It holds 600 liters so I just zero it when I refill and I know at a glance what's left.

I like this a lot! I actually have a digital fuel meter I am planning on putting on the diesel one when I assemble it. But I was thinking it terms of seeing fuel consumption of various equipment. Which is only marginally interesting, because I can't do anything about it. But knowing when the tank is going to be empty is a whole lot more interesting! Always annoying to start a weekend of work by having to load up the fuel tank and go to town.

I have this one, which was $147 when I bought it in May:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXVM04A

[SweetMK]

I like this a lot! I actually have a digital fuel meter I am planning on putting on the diesel one when I assemble it.

But I was thinking it terms of seeing fuel consumption of various equipment.

Which is only marginally interesting, because I can't do anything about it.

When I worked on the farm in the 1970's,, I drove the plow tractor,, a "turned up" 4630 JD that put out over 200HP on a PTO dyno,,
When I was plowing,, I would start in the morning with a full 65 gallon fuel tank.

If someone was not there with a fuel tank within 5.5 hours,, I was "sweating bullets" , because I knew I would run out of fuel soon.
That tractor was burning 11 gallons of fuel an hour,,

Prior to the 4630 being purchased,, the plowing was done with a JD 820 two cylinder,, (actually,, a couple of them!!)
After lunch, you could dump two 5 gallon cans of fuel in the tank, and the 820 could plow until dark,, no more fuel was needed.

The two tractors had a "slightly" different per hour fuel consumption rate,,
but, the 4630 could plow 90 acres in a long day, I am wondering if the 820 could do 90 acres in a week,,,??

[kb0thn]

If someone was not there with a fuel tank within 5.5 hours,, I was "sweating bullets" , because I knew I would run out of fuel soon.

I have a gas powered 40' boom lift. 4 cylinder Ford industrial engine. Same as 1993 Mustang. But being gas powered, with a carb, and 25 years old, it isn't the best about starting. So once running, it is left running, to avoid being stranded up the air with an engine that won't start. That pig has a 30 gallon gas tank and it burns it quick. Probably about a long day. It's what got me started with these fuel tanks. The gas cap on it is probably 6ft up. Way too much gas consumption to do with 5 gallon cans.

[whtbaron]

I have the same issue with the combine... I have to use the saddle tank because it's up too high for the gravity flow tanks in the yard.

[whtbaron]

I like this a lot! I actually have a digital fuel meter I am planning on putting on the diesel one when I assemble it. But I was thinking it terms of seeing fuel consumption of various equipment. Which is only marginally interesting, because I can't do anything about it. But knowing when the tank is going to be empty is a whole lot more interesting! Always annoying to start a weekend of work by having to load up the fuel tank and go to town.

I have this one, which was $147 when I bought it in May:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXVM04A

I'm rapidly becoming one of those crusty old farts that distrusts anything digital because the batteries always go dead when you need them most. I went this way... not sure if it will outlast a digital or not, but I'm hoping.... https://www.amazon.ca/Fill-Rite-807C...78492079&psc=1

[Lis2323]

I'm rapidly becoming one of those crusty old farts that distrusts anything digital because the batteries always go dead when you need them most. I went this way... not sure if it will outlast a digital or not, but I'm hoping.... https://www.amazon.ca/Fill-Rite-807C...78492079&psc=1

I used a mechanical meter on my homemade skid tank and never had a problem.






I had that Fill rite on the 500 gallon tank in the background




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[whtbaron]

ELITEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just use a dipstick.

You're setting the bar awful low....