The custom auxiliary fuel tank project for our 2017 Ram/Cummins 2500 is underway! June 2019 I added two additional aluminum toolboxes aft-axle on my Hallmark Nevada Hillsboro flatbed camper outfit. My idea was to eventually remove one of the large, 30-inch-long front boxes and replace it with a fuel tank, preferably a commercially available aluminum saddle tank for a medium-duty truck.

The tank project was moved to the back burner and a year passed quickly. For a while I considered a much smaller 10 or 12-gallon tank, hoping to fit one under the chassis between the frame rails, and in front of the spare tire. Just 100 miles of additional range would be a game changer during long highway trips.

Evan a commercially available tank would have required custom mounts and modifications, and surely some compromises. After discussing the project with Chris at High Sierra Fabrication several weeks ago, we decided on a custom tank for my original under-bed location. The goal was to fabricate a tank that looks extremely similar to the toolbox that was removed, and the matching 30-inch box still on the passenger-side.

Custom costs more, takes time, and is never snag-free, but if you have the right business and people involved, the results can be fantastic.

A beautiful tank was constructed using 3/16-inch diamond plate aluminum. Then High Sierra Fabrication proceeded to drill and cut holes in the box, weld-in fittings, a sump, and clean-out port, etc. We are getting close, but still working on it. 

After High Sierra Fabrication completes most of installation, I will still need to plumb and wire the external pump to transfer the auxiliary fuel into the 2017 Ram’s factory tank. 

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James Langan

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Resource:

High Sierra Fabrication (Facebook page)