Long range fuel tanks

[borngeek]

^^ What AG said.

Clean it and apply a light amount of grease to the outer shaft, then smear a bit of grease around the opening of the splines and push back in.

The little cup of oil spillage. Just get a oil flush next service.

Next time you put the front facing downhill a bit. Prop the rear up.

[Stealth505]

Hi all,
just in the final researching stage for fitting a LR tank. Was going to settle on a Brown Davis but am having second thoughts after talking to the guys at my local ARB. not sure if they were just looking for a sale on their LR tanks but thought I would put it out here for the proper answers. I was told by ARB that they no longer deal in Brown Davis tanks as they found they were having to re-drill holes to mount them as the holes seldom lined up correctly. He also couldn't vouch for the overall quality. The other options as you all probably know are the TJM 120L or the ARB 125L. I was keen on the 135L as I tow a 2T van so the bigger tank appeals to me. Can anyone out there give me their thoughts on the TJM LRA tanks VS ARB Long ranger tanks VS Brown Davis tanks. I have steered away from Ironman in this case. Apologies if this has been asked before but I could not find the simple comparison when searching.
Cheers
Peter

[4wd26]

I'm looking at the brown Davis tray tank
Around 100 lts in front of the axle in addition to the factory 70 lts
Have a read through this thread regarding fitment, I'm sure there are pros and cons for all

[srb]

Yeah nothing wrong with the build quality of a Brown Davis tank, very tough tank! Fitment wise they can be a bit of PITA being that extra capacity. In regards to re drilling holes ect, yes I had to slightly elongate the rear mounting holes and the RDL compressor relocating bracket didn't line at all... this is most likely to be more to do with the Tritons not being exactly the same.

[Stealth505]

Maybe that is what they were getting at when they said the holes don't line up. According to the Brown Davis website, they use a jig when constructing the tanks to ensure everything is the same on each tank. It must be the cars that are different....

[ag9111]

My Brown Davis and compressor bracket went straight in, No alignment issues at all.
What I did notice is that the tank hits the bottom of the cab on a regular basis making a clunk. Particularly when turning right out of my driveway. Rather annoying and only realised it was the tank after I removed it when I decided to sell the car. Will be looking for the rub marks and modifying the tank before installing in the new ute.
I know I am not the only one with this issue.

[srb]

Seriously easy fix for that... a big lump hammer! Works a treat.

[Cowboy Dave]

Isn't that how Tony fixed his?

[srb]

I believe so.

[ag9111]

That's what I had in mind
Do you know where about's exactly Steve?

[Cowboy Dave]

Floor pan is likely softer than the tank...

[Tony]

Funny some of you all may well know, I phoned Davis years ago and told them the tank was thumping the foot well area on my MN GLX-R and they said had never heard such issue and brushed us off. I not care as with any mods such as this you expect quirks in early stages.

I tried spacing it down with a few washers but made it worse for clunking, so dropped the tank and used the closest largish hammer I could find lying around and knocked the front edge of the foot well in around 12mm.

I'd think some hard use off road would achieve the same result.

[Stealth505]

Thanks all for your replies - I am now leaning towards the 125l long ranger - it may fit in a bit better by the sound of it.
Cheers
Peter

[tomdej]

I have an MN dual cab with a Brown Davis Long Range tank. I had a problem with a weeping seam on the tank after 18 months. Called Browb Davis who were very helpful, sent a replacement tank from Melbourne to Canberra and covered all costs in having a local business removing old tank and fitting new tank. All without them having to inspect the tank first.
Highly recommended.
Problems happen and I judge things on rectification. I have every faith in Brown Davis.

Tom

[oldplodder]

Another one with the brown davis tank.
No problems at all, quite happy with it.
2012 MN, installed tank early 2013.
Been to the Kimberleys and back no problems.
Is a bit harder to fit, the prop shaft had to come out to get it in.
The bracket for the rear diff lock worked fine and the DL faces the other way now.
Highly recommend it.
With 2 jerry cans on the camper trailer, total 175 litres, we get about 1200 to 1500km range towing.
Enough for Alice to Halls Creek with some spare.
Or Katherine to Mt Isa, or Kunnunurra to Broome down the Gibb with one top up.

[shortSteve]

I have the 125L long ranger, usually get to reserve light around 105L, never run it past 112L to fill (was a bit over 1000km's), tank has been extremely solid and other than scratches is showing none of the offroad wear and tear I expected. Very happy with it.

[Tritium]

I have the Brown and Davis on an ML.
It has a 10c piece glued to the bottom of the tank. The internal baffle near the fuel intake has cracked. Pulling a small hole close to the middle of the floor.
Leak was just a seep but actually proved hard to find as the bulk of the dust build up ended up at the rear of the tank.
When you are filling the tank you hear an audible flexing of the floor from the weight of the fuel at around 80 litres.
Couldn't be bothered to pull the tank out and get it welded. The 10c/silicon option is sufficing at present.

[mattz]

I have the Brown and Davis on an ML.
It has a 10c piece glued to the bottom of the tank. The internal baffle near the fuel intake has cracked. Pulling a small hole close to the middle of the floor.
Leak was just a seep but actually proved hard to find as the bulk of the dust build up ended up at the rear of the tank.
When you are filling the tank you hear an audible flexing of the floor from the weight of the fuel at around 80 litres.
Couldn't be bothered to pull the tank out and get it welded. The 10c/silicon option is sufficing at present.

I'd contact brown Davis and let them know and ask them for a price to fix it.
They're a small company and the dealings I've had with them left a good impression.
I purchased some of their bash plates and had them repair my broken mounts and fit the plates. Their price was quite reasonable and their work good.

[coughy]

also the crack will get bigger and then you in the poo with a lot more time and money needed to fix it
so the silicon is a slow fix

[tcrow]

The fuel will eventually degrade the silicon. There are fuel resistant sealants available, if you stop drill the crack and use one of these you will never have anymore issues. If you go to the PPG web site there is a long list of sealants that would suit but they are a bit expensive.

[colin b]

I use my Triton mainly to tow a caravan and was considering a long range tank but the best quote I could get here (in Perth) was around $900 fitted for a 125l tank which replaces the original. I can achieve near enough the same range increase by buying two jerricans with the bonus of being able to leave the extra weight out when it is not needed.

I will probably look for a siphon or pump as that would let me secure the cans behind the cab almost directly over the filler cap so I could top up without having to unload everything.

[Pkucha]

Colin,

What tank did you get quoted $900 fitted for? Sounds like a bargain. Just got quoted around $1500 at one place and $1400 at another for a 125L long ranger fitted. Ironman equivalent a few hundred cheaper but the computer at store said won't fit if I have the factory diff lock. Said he could make a bracket to relocate compressor but by end of it would cost the same as the Long ranger anyway. Anyone got a better price for the Long Ranger recently?

[colin b]

It was a while ago now but I think it may have been these people:

http://www.perth4x4.com.au/

However,I did not get a formal quote - it was more of a casual enquiry and I lost interest in the whole process shortly after that. To me, a couple of jerricans at a fraction of the price makes a lot more sense.

[RHKTriton]

A poly tank with molded in baffles would be the ducks nuts, tough and could be molded to make better use of the space.

A dual tank solution with isolating valves, should also be considered. If you picked up a bad batch of fuel on one tank, you've got some backup, assuming you use one as a primary tank.

[M17]

Well bugger me,

Now I am more confused than ever after reading this whole thread on what long range tank to get. I have a 2013 MN GLX-R dual cab and will be looking to do a Northern/Central Australia trip later in the year. Currently, my ute gets approx 520-570kms from the standard tank, running in and around town, with the occasional play in the dirt. That being said, my Triton carries a lot of weight with the bullbar, siderails/steps, winch, canopy, bash plates, rear bullbar/towbar, ARB roof rack/cage, 33inch BF MT's and a family of 4 inside. Before the lift kit, side rails and muddies I was getting 700-750ish before warning light would appear

My aim/goal would be to achieve 950kms minimum from what ever tank I put on, running muddies and all the gear etc. I will ring around tomorrow and see what I can find and how much. Don't really have a budget in mind and would prefer quality over price.

Will be interesting to see what I come up with I guess. Wish me luck