I'm still working on the engineering for the '2wd' 2001 4x4 expedition modification...It appears as though a simple switch change may be all that is needed...we'll see.

That said, one other burning question on my mind is the possibility of adding some auxiliary fuel storage on the Expy. I have a big (BIG) trip coming up in a few months, and I'd like to have a few more than 30 gal. on board. My old truck (2 trucks ago) had 2 tanks, for ~45gal. of fuel. At highway speeds, it'd do about 15 mpg, which meant you were good for 600 miles at a stretch without any problem. It's not that I usually drive much beyond 400 miles without a stop...but there were times I'd get off the highway and be glad that I didn't have to buy gas at any of the stations in a given town.

With the Expy, and only (did I really say "only"?) 30 gallons on board, at highway speeds, I'm thinking the "useable" range will be less than 400 miles (leaving a few gallons in reserve). I know I can throw a few jerry cans on my receiver rack or something, as a backup, but I'd really much rather add an auxiliary fuel tank that is plumbed in--that feeds from and adds to the stock tank. Just wondering if anyone has tried or done this? I've done a bit of searching and come up empty so far. Oh, and to complicate matters, I REALLY don't wanna move/lose the spare tire.

Any thoughts?

 

Was crawling under my Expy yesterday (99 4WD) and there didn't seem like there was much usable space for a aux tank without losing the underbody spare tire...
Good luck.
I am also interested in the 2WD conversion (from A4WD) for my 99. I will be very interested in what you find out as far as making that possible.

Thanks-

 

I tackeled this same issue a few years ago when I didn't like the prices in one state (CA) where it was up to $.75 a gal. more, and I could avoid it if I had about twice the gallons onboard. There was simplly no safe way to do it without losing luggage space, spare tire or ground clearance. I did come up with a system of three inch pipes that snaked around the undersides of the vehicle, but it only held about 10 gallons. I also considered custom molded tanks inside the rear quarter panels, but it only gained a few gallons. And putting it outside the vehicle or on top is definitely not a good idea because of the prevalence of other drivers not paying attention in city traffic. I saw what happened when a jeep carrying just one jerry can was rear ended by a car in a sudden traffic jam. Not pretty. Several died. And for the same reason, even it there was room, I really don't want a container of liquid bomb flying around inside the cabin with me in a crash.

I'ts obviously been a problem for designers for years. I've been in several extended focus panels about truck and SUV design and one of the questions is always: how far do you want to go between refills?

 

At 60 MPH average speed, it takes six hours to cover 360 miles. Time to get out and stretch your legs at the gas station anyway.

 

When I'm driving across country, 360 miles takes under 4 hours...especially out west.

That, and I'd rather NOT have to stop in some areas for gas.

 

360 miles in 4 hrs. that's a pretty impressive average of 90 mph (assuming my math is correct ) This might be an all-time record for an Expedition.

I don't know how old you are, but as I get older, I've found I can't hold IT much past three or four hours while driving.

 

Oh...wait...I was thinking 4 x 80 = 360. As the old saw goes, the only math lawyers know is dividing by 3.

Yeah...ok...4.5 hours.

My all-time record was averaging 85.2 mph for 6 hours when driving from IL to Mexico a few years ago...back in my younger, crazier days. That was GPS calculated, BTW.

 

Young crazy days gone by... driving my grey market S Class Benz (ah... trucks are nice, but this sedan was built for the autobahn) from Cornell U in Ithica, NY to my buddie's place in NJ after a party his frat put on. Decided since I was sober, might as well get home that night instead of waiting for the morning. Even though I was in an "Alumni room" I don't enjoy sleeping anywhere other than my own bed. Middle of the night, clear highways. Average speed (including time spent on local roads getting to highways, etc) calculated based on total time & total miles -- 101.5 MPH. Fastest I've gone though was on the actual Autobahn itself in a rented S class Benz.. 145 MPH.

Anyway, back to the original intent of the thread. Having been under an Expedition, I don't really see a practical & safe way of adding significant fuel storage without giving up the spare tire. You might want to check with a company called transferflow (http://www.transferflow.com). They're well known for making fuel tanks for trucks.

 

What if you could put the spare on the back hatch? You know, the way Jeeps and Broncos had them.

I always thought that looked tougher

Other than that, I don't know where you could stick an extra tank

XXL

 

Nice New Sig there, Sir Moderator...

I've got a 500 gallon polyethylene tank behind the barn that I'm gonna strap to the roof, and then just run a piece of garden hose into the fuel tank...just let it gravity flow.

Hmm...530 gallons...x 15 mpg...WOW! I'd be able to go a while w/o refueling!

The downside is that I'm not sure if the roof could hold the 4 or 5K that the tank would weigh...and it would probably hurt my mileage a bit.

 

Yeah, but who cares when you don't have to fill-up but every six thousand miles or so.

 

[B]Nice New Sig there, Sir Moderator...[B]




I've got a 500 gallon polyethylene tank behind the barn that I'm gonna strap to the roof, and then just run a piece of garden hose into the fuel tank...just let it gravity flow.

Hmm...530 gallons...x 15 mpg...WOW! I'd be able to go a while w/o refueling!

The downside is that I'm not sure if the roof could hold the 4 or 5K that the tank would weigh...and it would probably hurt my mileage a bit.

Awesome! You could drive cross country and back again without stopping for gas. Hope you have a bedpan in your truck

XXL

 

Farmlaw, better recalculate engine fuel consumption rate versus garden hose delivery rate or you will be leaving a trail of raw fuel everywhere you go. :-)

 

TS: I don't know, since I put that S/C on my Navi I think I could drain the tank faster than a garvity-feed garden hose could fill it.

 

Nah, I'll just take a vice-grips and clamp down the hose a bit to slow the fuel rate. I can always have my wife reach out the window while we're going down the highway and have her adjust the vice grip tension...er...gravity-based fuel transfer constrictor apeture.