Building a Fuel Truck...

(Photos are at the bottom of this page...)

One of the challenges of owning a plane that was designed to run on 80 octane fuel has been finding the proper gasoline for it.   Since our field only sells 100 octane -- which has something like 10 times more lead in it that our engine can handle -- we have been faced with two bad choices:

    1. Fuel from 5 gallon "jerry cans" -- not fun with 84 gallon tanks, and not safe either

    2. Fly to airports that sell 87 octane regular auto gas -- fun, but inconvenient and expensive..

Looking for another alternative, I seized upon Jim Weir's idea of building a fuel transfer trailer that could be towed behind a vehicle.  Complete with tank and pump, the whole thing could be built for peanuts, and would save huge amounts of money and enhance safety.

However, our new hotel needed a "knock-around" pick-up truck for hauling furniture, etc., anyway, so I realized that we could "kill two birds" with this stone, and install the tank in the back of the truck instead.   Thus, the search began for a reasonably priced, mechanically sound "beater".

It took quite a while (I didn't want to spend more than $2K, which severely limits the market -- even in Iowa), but eventually we found "the Mighty Grape" -- the world's ugliest pickup truck!   A '95 Nissan that was sorely abused, it is the most hideous shade of purple we had ever seen.  The side mirrors were both broken, the visors were gone, the body was dented with hail damage, and it hadn't been washed for years.  However, it was mechanically sound, and sold for just $1800.00. (A '95 should "Blue-Book" for $5K!)  After extensive cleaning, new tires, new heavy-dute shocks, a new radio, and new mirrors -- for a total of around $600.00 -- we've got a great little truck (okay, it's still purple) for just $2400.00.

Then came the the fuel tank.  The local farm supply stores sold ready-made ones, but none that would fit sideways in the bed of a small pickup properly.  So, the hunt began for a company that would fabricate a tank to my specs.  Eventually I found one in Marion, IA, called "Petroleum Equipment Supply" (www.CC200.com) that would not only built one to fit, but wouldn't charge any more than the "ready-made" ones in the farm supply stores!

So, the deal was struck, and just nine days later, it was done.  We went to pick it up and -- despite incredibly careful measuring -- the danged thing didn't fit!  Turns out the "L" brackets at the base of the tank (that are used to secure it to the bed of the truck) were a couple of inches too wide, and were hitting the wheel wells of the truck. 

No problem -- the boys at P.E.S. fired up their plasma cutter, and whacked off the offending steel in a matter of seconds!  And, since I wasn't looking forward to drilling half-inch holes in 1/4 inch steel, I asked them to zap the holes in the "L" brackets for me.  BZZZT -- it was done in seconds!  The capacity was estimated to be around 60 gallons, based on the dimensions -- but we really wouldn't know for sure until we filled it.

Next came the pump and hose installation.  P.E.S. sells all that stuff, so I had them put together a "kit" for me, including the pump, all the fittings, the hose and nozzle -- and an extra 17 feet of hose, so that we can reach the wings more easily.  This -- plus the requisite "Flammable" sticker -- was put into a large box, and loaded in the pickup.  All told, everything we needed cost just $572.00.

Then came the installation.  Drilling the holes in the bed of the truck turned out to be pretty simple, and installing the three 1/2 inch bolts took just a few minutes (we probably didn't even need to bolt the tank to the bed, it fit so snugly. Our measurements had been perfect, other than those pesky "L" brackets!), and installing the pump and plumbing was easy -- but the wiring turned out to be another story.   It had to be perfect, as I didn't want any chance of sparks or a fire hazard around all that fuel!

After scratching my head for half an hour, looking at the installation manual and wondering why I couldn't just plug the danged thing into my cigar lighter (the manual SPECIFICALLY forbids such an installation), I realized I was in over my head.  Thus, I called a buddy of mine who owns an auto repair shop, and offered him copious amounts of beer to help me wire this bugger into the electrical system properly.

Thus, within minutes it was up on their hoist, being wired professionally, with all the proper spade connectors, 20 amp circuit breakers, and wiring runs being done by a trained technician, rather than by a meathead like me!  It cost me a case of beer, a fair hangover, and a future flight, but the installation is PERFECT, and I can rest easy that the thing won't start arcing when I turn it on!

So, all that was left to do was to fill the danged thing up, to see how close our estimate had been.

Well, it holds 58.8 gallons -- pretty close, and perfect for our needs.  (It also pumps better than 10 gallons per minute -- which is better than the gas station pumps!) Thus, the installation -- including fuel -- weighs in at just 432 pounds.  With the perfect position of the tank, and the heavy duty shocks, the truck actually handles BETTER with the tank full!  (In fact, the first time Mary drove it she didn't even realize I had filled the tank!)

With our plane burning around 17 gallons per hour in flight -- and us flying around 200 hours per year -- I figure we will save $4420.00 in fuel costs in the next 12 months alone!  That will pay for the truck, the pump, and over 1,000 gallons of gas in the first year -- after that, it's ALL profit.  In five years, we will have paid for the new engine.  In another five years after that, I can pay for dual Garmin GNS 530s!

Here are some pics of the installation:

The whole installation -- not bad for an $1800 truck!	Detail of pump, filter, hose, and tank...	Another shot of the pump...	A different view of the tank and bed...	The grounding chain -- it doesn't get simpler!
The venting gas cap -- a must...	Another view of the Mighty Grape...	A different view...

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