Earthstar Forums

Hi Everyone,

Has anyone upgraded the standard 10 gallon tank in their planes to say a 15 to 20 gallon tank? If so... what did you use, and from where?

With my 582 the usable fuel remaining after an hour of flight is very limited...

Thanks,

John
N701SY

My J2 was originally a J, and was converted by someone who used to work for… ahem… sorry Mark B…. Titan. In doing so, he installed a 14 gallon tank that is obviously purpose built. I don’t know any more about if they make them, or who to contact.



//\\//\\ MARK D || ))

Thanks… I have been researching quite a bit all over the net. I have a ton of bookmarks for possible ones. Including other aircraft manufacturers. The “V” shape we have where the tank goes at the rear of our fuselage… limits what tanks “might” fit our planes.



I am determined to continue my search… thanks for your quick reply. Hope others here may have had better luck.



There is a final option I am not too keen on doing… and that is a scratch-built, and/or custom built by an appropriately experienced company. Costly either way.



I’ll continue to keep my fingers crossed for a ready-built one to surface.



Regards,



John

N701SY

Well this one is definitely built by Titan and it was built to fit in that cavity

Mark Drzymkowski

Thanks Mark D… I’ll go take a look.

I’ve looked at the Titan tanks for years, as my hangar partner has 2 Titans. Their tank gets some of the extra fuel capacity by extending the bottom along the sides of the boom like a saddle. The shape of that may not fit our Gulls, and certainly not the Gull 2000 as the wedge area is waaaay more smaller. If you could find one to try a fit, that would be the best way, . . . . . or take precise measurements.

One other question might be that if a tank were found to fit would it be
possible to get it in place? Seems to me I entertained the same question
when I had my J model single place and realized there might be conflicts.
While a plastic rotomolded tank would be preferable, a good aluminum
fabricator might come up with a welded or possibly riveted tank.

Yea… they have a nice setup for sure….



With the fuselage frame work we have on our birds… no matter what we do, there will probably be tubing in the way it looks like. I’ll have to go out and really study hard on the best way to change out to a larger capacity custom made tank system.



I have been looking hard at a few of the tank builders who do it in aluminum, and do it for a living. Their welds look very nicely done with no pin-hole patch welds…



With the lack of so very few of us discussing this subject…. I guess everyone just keeps to their stock tank size.



I might just have to be the pioneering type to try and figure out the best way etc…. without having to remove the engine would be ideal of course, or not having to cut any tubing would be a blessing too…. J



Looks like a custom welded tank is the safest route.. a little more expensive than a riveted one, and then there is all that pro-seal to mess with on a riveted one... but a lot cheaper by far… even I have a full shop, and I am able to design and make a riveted tank by myself…. Lots of research on the welded tanks first though.



More later…



John

N701SY

Another thought I have had is to create a smaller tank to fit behind, under, or over the existing tank. Again some head scratching to come up with a shape. In your J, JT2, there might be sufficient space back in the wedge, and in the Gull 2000 it’s just way too skinny for any amount of volume. So far with my skinny butt, and hour and a half is about all I’m good for, so that gives me lot’s of round robins from home base. Up here in the Northwest there are a lot of airports to visit in that 45 minute out. Oh what fun!

In my LG2/JT2… my 10-gallon tank is wedged/mounted into the apex of the aft fuselage. I have plenty of room just forward of the existing tank to mount an extra tank. Then I have the luggage storage area just in front of that space. Plenty of room here to work with to “Add” a second tank. Mounting it is only one problem with solutions… the second is getting it past the fuselage vertical tube supports between the luggage storage area, and the area aft of it where the tank is now. All problems… but not impossible to overcome.



If I install an extra 5-10 gallon tank… I would probably need to mount and install some sort of small 12v fuel transfer pump between the new tank and the existing tank. Unless… and a big IF… it can be teed into the plumbing with the existing tank, and the main fuel pump draws for both at the same time. It has it’s good points and bad points as we all know. Mostly the smaller fwd tank giving out of fuel before the main tank…. All situations with solutions. I really did not want to plumb in a lot of extra fuel hose to the pilot area, and install a fuel selector valve for the new tank etc…



With my current W/B configuration… I am 465# empty, I need extra weight aft of CG anyway. She is way to nose heavy as she sit now.



If I fly out from base for one hour… I do not have enough reserve to get home with initial on board fuel quantity…. All spec’s that I read say I should burn 5.5 gallons/Hr in my 582. Unless I am ill-informed as to fuel burn rates for a 582. I do not have electronics onboard (yet) that measure fuel flow and usage.



Thanks for the thoughts… much appreciated please keep em’ coming…. if you or Fred or anyone else has any suggestions… I hope to hear from them.



Best Regards,



John

N701SY