L Tank

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I am about to start on an L tank for the bed of a truck. Made out of steel. So if anyone has any advice please pass it on!!!!! Thanks Jon.2012 Lincoln Powermig 2562012 Miller Bobcat 250 EFI2009 Lincoln LN-251963 Lincoln SA 200--------------------------------------------------------Jon KennedyAll Pro Diesel Performance & MaintenanceGillette Wyoming307-696-7246
Reply:learn to hate pin holes...There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Not much info there to work with So it will be kinda hard to give adviceLets start with some info about the materials and welder you are going to use maybe some drawings or picsBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:I've build many of these and here's my 2 cents worth.Use 1/8" mild steel plate install 2 baffels 1/3rd of the way across the length(height and holes are up to you) and the best advice I can give is DON"T start up or stop in a corner. You will have leaks in them if you do. You can test them with compressed air,BUT use a guage on your test setup and don't test with more than 1 psi of air pressure(square tanks blow up faster with less pressure than round ones) and spray the welds with soapy water in a trigger type spray bottle.Have fun your gonna need it.
Reply:My idea is to use 10 gauge mild steel Plate and use my Lincoln power mig 256 and 035 hardware as it is what's on hand the psi is exactly one of the questions I had thank you. And yes pin holes will be the death of any welder I suppose lol. Thanks for the the help and I will try and post a drawing soon. It is most likely going to be a square tank (well rectangular I suppose lol) rather than an L to hold more fuel. Does it matter where I put holes in the baffles much just so long as It uses the fuel?2012 Lincoln Powermig 2562012 Miller Bobcat 250 EFI2009 Lincoln LN-251963 Lincoln SA 200--------------------------------------------------------Jon KennedyAll Pro Diesel Performance & MaintenanceGillette Wyoming307-696-7246
Reply:double on what has been said especially about the baffels that will help keep the sloshing douwn while traveling and use water to test the tank along with the air preasure.
Reply:I went down the same path once.  It was a long while back.It still works well today (doesn't leak  )I had 10ga metal sheared to the size I needed.  I then made the baffles first.  I just cut the corners on the baffles, and didn't put a ton of holes in them.  It works out fine, and saves a lot of work.  The fuel flows just fine, and no heavy duty side to side sloshing.  There's two of them inside the tank dividing it into 3 compartments.I then tacked the baffles to the floor of the tank and used them to position the front and back (the long sides), then welded the long sides to the bottom.  I still have a scar on my left big toe where one of the pieces slipped off the edge, and fell on my foot like a guillotine, and the toe still hurts sometimes.After the long sides were welded on, I finish welded the baffles reaching in from the open ends.  They're only welded on the part facing the outside of the tank.Then I welded the short sides on, finishing up by welding the top on.The lift eye was welded exactly in line with the side of the tank, matching the side.  I felt the force should flow straight from the side up thru the top, and to the eye.  I didn't want any offset.I wasn't confident enough at the time to do corner welds, so the whole tank was made with overlapping edges and fillet welds.  I had probably 4 leaks when I tested it, which I felt wasn't too bad.  I made it back in the day when I just used 6013, and still had a bad habit (I didn't know any better) of whipping the rod.  I suppose it's around maybe 13yrs old or so.This tank holds just shy of 150 gallons, weighs around maybe 300-350 empty, and maybe 1200 or 1300 when full of diesel.  I forget the weight of diesel per gallon.Only thing I wish I had done different was to weld on some bolt-down tabs.  It's so heavy it hardly ever moved anyways.  DON'T FORGET THE TABS   I'm like most guys around here anyways, just throw it in the back of a truck or trailer and head off to make the fuel dood a wealthy man.  DOT  seems to cast a sorta blind eye to the practice"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Oh yeah, I didn't add a draincock to remove water condensation.  I purposely did this.  I felt it would just get knocked off.  I use a length of metal brakeline attached to a rubber siphon bulb, make sure the tank is parked where it's low on the corner where the filler cap is, and siphon the water till I get clear fuel.  I do this about once a season.  You'd be amazed at how much water there is inside a tank over time.  If you do this regularly you'll prevent rust inside the tank."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:As far as the baffles go, I'd recommend placing holes/cut-outs in a way that ensured you didn't create a trap for vapors/fuel no matter how your truck is position (i.e. leaning forward/backward/side-to-side)  So if you're looking at your baffle as an L, I'd recommend placing pass-thrus at the top two corners, the top corner of the leg, both bottom corners, in the middle on the bottom, and possibly the middle on the top (even if it's level, the other top two cut-outs will allow vapors to equalize)  What you do with the middle of the baffle is up to you!!  Just remember that too many cut-outs will allow slosh and not enough will beat your baffles to death if you take corners like a mad man with a less than full load!You only need a very small amount of air pressure to test for leaks with soapy water or you can hydro test, but the shape won't allow for much pressure without ballooning/splitting the tank.  Soap will also reduce the surface tension of water allowing it to find smaller pin holes to leak out of that it may not have without the soap.  Keep in mind diesel will find leaks that water may not, so if you want to double check after you've tested with soapy water you can spray the seams with diesel in a squirt bottle . . . I would recommend doing this after you've tested it to be leak free as cleaning diesel off the seam to go back and weld a spot will be a pain.So pretty much what everybody else said!!Have fun!MikeConstans Fides et IntegritasLincoln Weldanpower 150 ACAirco Aircomatic MIGet CAV II w/ spoolgunMillermatic 30a wirefeeder
Reply:And make sure to paint it with that galvy lookin stuff they paint propane tanks with.It makes it look very professional "Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:And don't get one of those pantywaist electric transfer pumps, ya look like a sissy.  A few hundred strokes on the pump handle will make a man outta ya And nobody steals the hand pumps   Too much work   Ever notice that ya never have a shovel stolen out of the back of your pickup "Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:My work here is done.  "Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Sorry, missed the part where you said it would be square rather than an L. Doh!!Just follow the recommendations above and you'll be fine!MikeConstans Fides et IntegritasLincoln Weldanpower 150 ACAirco Aircomatic MIGet CAV II w/ spoolgunMillermatic 30a wirefeeder
Reply:Hey guys thanks for the info. @ farmer that is almost exactly what I am planning on building. Maybe a little smaller though lol. Thanks for the detailed post, I was pretty sure I had the right ideas in my head about how to go about this but it is always nice to see someone else's approach to make sure I am not way off my rocker. And I kinda wondered about DOT. What is the limit, I figured I would just run it until they said something haha. But I am a little different then most guys. I will post pics for everyone when I am done with it. It might take me a week or two though as my shop is pretty busy right now. Which is Good!!! Thanks Again.2012 Lincoln Powermig 2562012 Miller Bobcat 250 EFI2009 Lincoln LN-251963 Lincoln SA 200--------------------------------------------------------Jon KennedyAll Pro Diesel Performance & MaintenanceGillette Wyoming307-696-7246
Reply:Thanks Brink for the pressure test info. I was gonna start cutting parts for it today but our phones started ringing non stop as soon as we figured a cut list. Go Figure. Hopefully early next week I can get a start on it and my new anvil stand I need to build.2012 Lincoln Powermig 2562012 Miller Bobcat 250 EFI2009 Lincoln LN-251963 Lincoln SA 200--------------------------------------------------------Jon KennedyAll Pro Diesel Performance & MaintenanceGillette Wyoming307-696-7246
Reply:@farmer: One more thing. You know what you do with a 60' pipe wrench??????Whatever you darn well please. Lean it up against the truck and take a nap ain't nobody going to come find you. I suppose they follow the same pump and shovel theory?2012 Lincoln Powermig 2562012 Miller Bobcat 250 EFI2009 Lincoln LN-251963 Lincoln SA 200--------------------------------------------------------Jon KennedyAll Pro Diesel Performance & MaintenanceGillette Wyoming307-696-7246
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersamm Ever notice that ya never have a shovel stolen out of the back of your pickup
Reply:As far as the size go around here as long as you are under 110 gal. then you won't need DOT stickers.It is legal to transport up to 110 gal. of desiel without needing any placards or stickers. You don't have to go all the way to the top of the tank with the baffels if you don't want to nor the end of the L leg as well.With a few more 2" holes in them you should be fine.I would have a 2" threaded coupling on each side of the top.One for fillup and the other one for a breather.JMOMagicial Magician Of Molten Metal2006 Chevy Dually Welding Truck1975 SA-200 Lincoln Red SealMiller AEAD 200-LELincoln 225 AC/DC tombstoneVictor Contractors Flaming TomahawkProfax Tig RigMore pipe fitting tools to mentionMetabo's