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Do you need a long range fuel tank for your Big Lap around Australia?

Once you leave the cities and regional towns behind, fuel stations are fewer and further apart so making sure you have enough fuel to well and truly get you to the next service station is absolutely critical.

Running out of fuel on a remote track will at the very least be inconvenient but could also be dangerous.

There are other good reasons to have plenty of fuel carrying capacity on board:

  • You give yourself the option to buy more fuel at major centres and reduce the amount you need to pay at remote and expensive fuel stops.
  • Carrying fuel in multiple tanks (or jerry cans) gives you built in redundancy in case one of your tanks is punctured. The last thing you want to see is all your fuel pouring out onto the track from a hole punched with a rock or stake. This has happened to me - a stray rock broke the barb that connects the fuel hose to the rear tank so diesel was pouring out when the engine was running. Fortunately when I switched to the front tank it stopped leaking.
  • You give yourself the option to change your plans and detour off your original route if the opportunity arises.

So how much fuel do you need to be able to carry?

Well the simple answer is that it depends on what mileage your vehicle gets and how remote you will be going.

Almost every vehicle will get at least 500 km out of the standard built in fuel tank(s).

Generally the newer the vehicle, the more economical it will be and diesels tend to get better mileage than petrol/LPG vehicles, especially when loaded up and towing.

There are not many places in Australia that you would travel more than 500km without somewhere to buy fuel along the way.

But there are some . . like the Tanami road or Cobourg Peninsula road from Jabiru in Kakadu.

Serious outback tracks like the Canning Stock Route have their own specific fuel requirements which you'll need to build into your plan if you are heading there, but in this case I'm talking about the general roads and tracks that could be included on a big lap around Australia.

So in theory, your standard fuel tank(s) should be enough in most cases.

But . . . you don't want to be pushing the limits of your fuel capacity - You need to allow extra fuel for side trips and detours, head winds, hills, 4WD tracks and other factors which will result in you using more than expected.

In this case,  jerry cans are a relatively inexpensive way to add fuel capacity to your vehicle.

Consider though that 5 jerry cans will give you about 100 litres which at a relatively economical 15 litres per 100km adds about 650km range.

But 5 jerry cans take a lot of storage space.

Do you have somewhere on your rig to safely store jerry cans of fuel?

Personally I wouldn't make a habit of carrying them on the roof like many people do as they could turn a rollover into a very firey situation. It also adds a lot of weight up top actually increasing the chances of a rollover.

And don't even think about putting them on the bull bar up front . . . A couple of years ago saw two backpackers at a roadhouse on the Stuart Highway in an old petrol powered Hiace van with two plastic fuel jerry cans roped to their flimsy bull bar . . .Crazy!! Imagine the fireball had they hit a cow or even a big roo and the petrol splashed into the hot engine!!

You don't want to have them inside the cab either if you can avoid it because of the smell, general lack of space and safety issues.

So the only real viable option is to have one or two on the rear bar of your vehicle if you have jerry can holders and/or use your caravan/trailer.

If you have the room to carry them safely and don't mind doing trackside refuelling with a funnel then jerry cans are a viable and inexpensive option to expand your fuel capacity.

Long range fuel tank(s)

Our 80 Series Landcruiser (Turbo Diesel) comes with two tanks as standard - a 90 Ltr up front and a 45 ltr behind the rear axle.

Fully loaded and towing our camper trailer, we will average around 17 ltr/100km fuel usage.

This gives us a theoretical maximum range of about 750 - 800km.

With this setup though I would want at least 250km in reserve, so we're back to about 500km range with a built in comfort zone.

This isn't enough!

Before our Big Lap we opted to replace the rear 45 ltr tank with a much larger 166 ltr Long Ranger tank (see photo above) which brought our total fuel capacity to just over 250 ltr - nice!

This extended our range to around 1400 km or a very comfortable 1000 km+.

We were actually able to drive the full length of the Tanami Road from Halls Creek to Alice Springs without needing any additional fuel along the way.

There are other benefits as well:

  • All of the fuel is stored safely under the vehicle where any leaks will go straight to the ground.
  • We have fuel in two separate tanks so we have a backup in case one leaks or fails.
  • The centre of gravity is as low as possible.
  • No messing about with jerry cans and funnels on the side of the track.
  • We have the flexibility to fill up at much lower prices in towns and cities and avoid paying top dollar at remote stations.

The downside to a long range tank is the added upfront cost and the fact that you often need to relocate your spare wheel.

However if you factor in the saving on fuel prices alone, on a trip around Australia you could easily recoup most or all of this cost.

Then you have the tank for the life of the vehicle so you'll keep saving well into the future.

In conclusion

Your standard fuel tank setup is unlikely to be enough for a trip around Australia.

Using jerry cans to extent your fuel capacity is a perfectly viable option and if you have the storage space and don't mind an occasional trackside fuel up, then this is a simple solution to extending your fuel range to cover virtually any trip in Australia.

However if you have a vehicle that can have a long range tank fitted and you have the dollars to invest, this is the best option for sure.

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Steve Baile
Steve Baile
I’m the founder of Expedition Australia, a writer, filmmaker & adventure travel junkie. Passionate about my family, health and fitness, hiking, 4WD touring, adventure motorbikes, camping and exploring as much of the planet as I can.

6 COMMENTS

  1. H Steve.

    You should tell people about the "Plastic" and Bladder fuel tanks available for temporary longer trips.

    I have a coupla 50ltr Bladders, compliments my Sailing days. They fit nicely in the rear foot well of Patrol (and others) For when extra fuel may be needed. and roll up to nothing for other times.
    Also have a coupla 45ltr vertical plastic that fit each side of wheel arches intray on ute
    There are also others that fit in there as dummy floor of tray. along front of tray and even replacing wheel under tray.

    The average person. specially on a budget. is better off with a coupla $200-350 removable tanks than a huge fixed steel one underneath at near 2 grand a pop.

    Another litttle trick too Is buy a 12v horse fence zapper with two rolls of tape and a few short droppers.
    Run one tape just above ground level. surrounding your sleeping area. Swga, tent etc.
    T'other about 18in up. They'll deter the night crawlers, wanderers, (even the croc's.)
    Keeps Dogs.Cats Dingo's most things off. even snakes they don't like the electrical current
    Also a trail of salt round your swag/tent deters things too. and don't lay your tarp on an ants nest.
    I know.

  2. You also need to factor in the extra weight in carrying extra fuel. I don't know how you could do the actual calculations, but it's obvious that less is more when it comes to the energy required to get a certain mass down the road. Many people take way too much stuff and then have to beef up their suspension as well as pay to carry all that stuff that you'll probably never use or don't really need. I've carried a jerry can of fuel all around Australia on many trips and have yet to use it...admittedly I'm not talking the Canning, or anything too remote. Really, as Steve first says, it's basically unusual to go much over 500 KM anywhere in Australia without the possibility of buying fuel. OK so it may be expensive, but with all the safety and weight issues, I'd much rather reward Rabbit Flat for storing it for me. Finally...GO SLOW - the advantages and savings are too numerous to mention.

    • Thanks Delton, I'm definitely a fan of carrying as little as possible (from personal experience of carrying too much). The best bet is to have the capacity to carry the extra fuel one way or another so that you can have more than enough on board at the times you need it - FYI Rabbit Flat is closed now so you're going to need the Jerry Can when you drive the Tanami 😉

  3. I put a Long Ranger long range sub in my 80 series. Best I got from both tanks was 1000km. The extra weight of the fuel in the sub increased fuel consumption 2-3 ltrs/100km and you are always lugging the extra weight of the tank about, and whatever fuel load. The $1200 cost of the tank, plus fitment cost, buys a lot of fuel even in the remote areas.
    I now have a 100 series and haven't bothered with the long range tank, just carry a couple of jerry cans when needed. CSR was no issue.

  4. I selected a 2008 Prado because of the 180 L tank. Nearly 1800 km as long as I stick to 100 km/h on the bitumen and 80 km/h on dirt. No worries almost anywhere.

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