Projects Gas tank problem,my new Deuce

I cleaned a tractor fuel tank with flange headed metric bolts vinegar and attaching it to the front of my zero turn mower deck. Talk about shacking it! Gary

 

I have cleaned a few tanks using nut/bolts. If tank will fit partway into a small concrete mixer,wrap it in blanket/pad. use nylon strapping and tie it off to paddles inside tank. This is a easy way to agitate tank while you do other work. On my mixer you can change the angle and lock it in place.

 

One other method I used was on a backhoe. Could not remove the tank without alot of work. It had mold in tank which is common in old diesels. I drained tank from bottom petcock. Added 1 gallon simple green, and about 10 gallons of water. Agitated it with a air nozzle I attached copper tubing to for about an hour. Got most of the gunk loose. Then stuck water hose into tank and let run for 15 minutes. Drained and rinsed with diesel.

 

Danny, lots of good suggestions here; just keep all the chemicals inside the tank and to keep it off of the painted surface on the outside, or you will be re-painting it.

 

Well guys,I have screwed around trying to clean the tank and save the paint for the better part of the day,the sludge is gone but the rust is pretty bad and the tank is thin.

Common sense at this point dictates that I am wasting my time and money trying to save a 83 year old gas tank and some red paint.

I'm biting the bullet and going to replace the tank and avoid any problems in the future.

I appreciate all the comments and a few worked real well,but like I said earlier,the tank is very rusty and very pitted in the bottom,I would hate to install it and it start to leak. HRP

 

Good move Danny, like I said earlier, been there done that.

 

Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you. Dont assume the new tank will be all clean and bright and ready to go, rinse it good with some gas, diesel fuel, solvent etc, to remove any sort of cosmoline and who-knows-what-else where it may have been in a wharehouse or worse. Good Luck!

 

I talked to Allen Mason yesterday and he gave me a good price on a tank,he said the new tanks a sealed in a plastic bag so there wont be a problem with rust,I just need to do normal prep work before painting. HRP

 

You'll sleep better.

 

I slept pretty good last night Tim,of course there was a nightmare about how much a new tank is gonna cost but peace of mind is worth it. HRP