Plastic fuel tanks

I was leased to their Special Commodities division,back in the 70's,80's. You'll recognize their ICC number in my avatar,my old door sign. Sure miss that operation,and those days.

 

If you want to save weight you run smaller tanks, carry less fuel. They plastic won't hold up to flexing and diesel will dissolve many plastics. A 100 gallon tank is holding 700 pounds of fuel. No many plastics will hold up to that and what will isn't cheap. I'm holding out for the plastic kinetic engines. You just get out there with a crank, tighen up that rubber band real good and you're ready to go.

 

I ran in to an old CF road driver I knew the other day. He said CF still had operations up in Canada. I suppose it is Canadian Freightways. I thought I would retire from there, but things do change in trucking. The writing was on the wall when most all the money got put in to Con Way and much of the freight was diverted there also.
Speaking about those air starters. I can remember a few stops I had that were inside. It sounded like I was starting a jet engine when I fired it up inside the bldg. It had a very distinct sound.

 

The large amount of fuel needed in a truck tank, requires the tank to be significantly stronger. Cars and pickups get away with plastic tanks because they only have to hold 10-20gallons of fuel. Not 200gallons. Yes I know their are pickups with over 40gallon tanks.

Not only that the fuel tank in cars and pickups are now always inside the frame rails and not the lowest point on the frame. Not so with a semi. Fuel tanks in a semi are much more unprotected and susceptible to damage.

Aluminum is just a stronger material for tanks. Not a susceptible to heat and cold cracking and distortion.

Get this -- When motorcycle manufactures want to shed a few onces they replace their plastic tanks with aluminum. See exactly this in next years Honda CRF's for example. In 1998 GasGas went to aluminum tanks in their trials bikes. And the 1975 TL250 and 1974 RL250 had aluminum tanks for the same reason. One off Road race bikes and the works motorcrossers often had aluminum tanks over factory plastic for the same reason.

 

Yeah back then,there was nothing like walking through a truckstop parking lot half asleep,and someone lays on the air start button when you're strolling by. You just about jump out of your shoes. Air starters actually have mufflers on them.I knew guys that took the mufflers off,just for giggles,you've never heard anything as ungodly loud as that.