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Company Restores Gas Tanks To Like-New Condition
Gas Tank Renu dealer Mike Tesch of Shakopee, Minn., says restoring gas tanks on antique and older tractors is a growing business. He’s worked on tanks for Allis Chalmers, Farmall, Fordson and several other old tractors.
  “The process Gas Tank Renu uses to restore truck, car and tractor tanks is considerably more involved and technical than radiator repair,” Tesch says. “That’s because of the chemicals used and the 400-degree oven used to blast tanks back to bare metal.”
  Typically the tanks that need restoring have varnish buildup and leaks. Tanks are first flushed, then baked in Tesch’s 10-ft. wide oven before being sand-blasted inside and out. Repairs are done with welding or soldering, and finally tanks are sealed with a polyvinyl coating. “Baking the coating on is the key,” Tesch says.
  Tesch’s dealership was started by his parents and Tesch has owned and operated the business since 2008. The dealership has restored tanks as small as 1 gal. and as large as 150 gal. The maximum size that can be restored is limited by the gauge of the metal and the capacity of his oven, he says.
  The cost to restore a gas tank depends on time and materials needed. A ballpark estimate can be given up front, and a tighter price given once the tank has been sandblasted. Some tanks can be restored in one day, while others require 3 to 4 days of work.
  Restored tanks are guaranteed for 2 years for 3/4-ton vehicle and larger tanks, and lifetime for tanks from less than 3/4-ton vehicles. The Gas Tank Renu process works on both gas and diesel tanks. Tanks needing repair are generally delivered or shipped to Tesch’s dealership, he says.
  “My folks ran a service station and radiator-repair business and they added this service in 1990 because it seemed like it would be a good fit,” Tesch says. “It’s turned into a very good business.”
The Gas Tank Renu–USA business was started in Michigan in 1988 and has grown to 65 dealers in the U.S. and Canada - the largest unified system of repairing fuel tanks in North America, according to the company website.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gas Tank Renu, 12727 Greenfield, Detroit, Mich. 48227 (ph 800 932-2766 or 313 837-6122; info@gastankrenu.com; www.gastankrenu.com).


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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #4