I have thoughts about long range driving and want to know if there are any of you that may have heard of a spare petrol tank that takes the place of the spare tire? It would be a most convenient place to keep the petrol and since I have installed a roof rack that can hold the existing spare tire, it seems to make sense to me.

 

It is called the Long Ranger

:: The Long Ranger :: Land Rover Discovery 3

However, my friend had been trying to get one, and they are not being imported to the US by any company, and he was hitting roadblocks trying to get one out of Australia. I don't know the details other than he gave up trying to get one.

 

Thanks. I looked for them and found one. It is quite complicated so I have decided to stick with the Nato cans that I already have.
The idea that they are not coming to US does add a layer of impossible to the mix.
When I get an idea for something is when I begin research. Not going anywhere with this.
Many I know go the Rotopac route and that seems to work for many.

 

I have two NATO jerry cans that I carry around on long trips or during blizzards like we just experienced. The only problem I have with the jerry cans is that the nozzle isn't quite long enough to allow you to tip the can up enough to get all of the gas out of each can! :P So, the 20L capacity of each can becomes more like 16L capacity. Of course, you can just empty one can into the remaining can once you have room, so really you get more like 36L total instead of 40L.

 

I have been using Nato cans for years. Had them for the Mog and the Pinzgauer. In that time, as both go those vehicles were very thirsty, I have acquired many cans. I now have 8 of them. There are various nozzles for them and with the proper nozzle, tipping them up will empty them of 99% of the contents.

Leaving as much of the contents as you describe does seem to be a bit of a problem. Sacrificing that much petrol and leaving it in the can sounds counterproductive to carrying extra fuel.

Based on the replies here and my own research I have decided to not use Roto paks (much too expensive for the amount of fuel they hold) and use the Jerry cans I have. I have installed holders to carry 4 Jerry cans for extended trips. I have used the trailer to carry as many as 6 for extended trips in the pinz.

Thanks to all that responded.

 

One of the guys in our club here in NorCal has the long ranger fitted to his LR4. It wasn't straight-forward and required some mods to work correctly. It's designed for a diesel Aus-spec rig, so you do need some creativity to make it work. He did a write up about it over on ExPo I believe sometime last year.

I have a jerry can on my rear bumper, but for longer trips I go the el-cheapo route and put an old outboard gas tank up on my roof rack. They're cheap and easy to find in most markets on craigslist and obviously hold up well to the elements. You can find them from 2-6 gallons pretty regularly, plus the flatter profile lets them sit up there more easily than a steel 'vertical' jerry can.

As for adding fuel to the truck, I use a super-siphon. Cheap and easy - Amazon has them for under $10 and they work well.