How do you haul your mogas to the aircraft / hangar?

Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson

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SkyDreams
My first post here, so be gentle ;)

For those with Rotax engines or STC's. How do you haul and store your gas for use? I'm curious if there are creative solutions outside of the traditional 5 gallon cans
 
Do you own a pickup truck ?
 
eagle-safety-cans-type-i-5-gallon-fc6.jpg
 
If I had that problem...I have a v-nose trailer for the side by side. In the v I fabricated a dual fluid tank. 65 gallon water tank on the bottom. 35 gallon gas above. Looks like one tank. Fill both at the top. Both come out at the bottom. Both run by 12v pumps. Run a hose to the side by side and turn the pump on. No more fuel smell before the hunt. Water goes to a portable tankless water heater in a tent. Hot shower in the middle of nowhere everyday.

If you fly often and had a pickup truck I'd look at a transfer tank or a tank that people with boats use. Although those are gravity feed.
 
 
3 x 5 gal and 3 x 2.5 gal cans carried in the back of our Ridgeline. Stored in a plastic bin outside a safe distance from the hangar. The Sky Arrow only carries 18 gals so that’s more than enough.

We’re lucky that our nearest gas station has 91 octane ethanol-free.
 
I have a 95 gallon transfer tank/pump in my truck. Like the ones at Tractor Supply. Works great. Order one that is permitted for 'Flammable liquids".
 
I’ve had Rotax engines for about 15 years and use gas from the corner station with ethanol. The only issue I’ve ever had is the need to keep the gas fresh, unlike Avgas, so if I haven’t flown for a month or two, I siphon some gas out and run it through my truck, and put in fresh. I’ve never had a problem doing this. (Don’t put ANY Avgas through your vehicle. Catalytic converters don’t like lead!)

These larger containers proposed here won’t work if there’s ethanol or if the gas sits for awhile, plus the spouts are junk. I use NATO cans, not Jerry cans, and have a high volume spout that empties that 5.25 gallons in an amazingly short time into my low wing aircraft…almost like race car refueling. The NATO cans at Wavian.USA are high quality and they sell replacement washers. Jerry cans all leak one way or another. NATO cans don’t.

If you use a lot of Mogas gas or can share the tank with others, then the larger containers might work but NATO cans are easier for the rest of us. Most people use plastic 5 gallon gas containers because they’re cheaper. I prefer the NATO cans for their strength and safety.
 
Dave Anderson said:
Yes, but doesn't mean I will always be using the truck. Maybe I will to add fuel.
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Consider purchasing a 'transfer tank' for the pickup. They make versions that look like a toolbox with the hose and pump under a lockable lid. Below 110gal you don't need a hazmat placard (and CDL) . Check into state law on the legality of using one. They are very common in farming areas. Make sure it's DOT approved for gasoline and has the proper rollover safe vent.
 
WDD said:
Sounds like a great excuse to get one of these. It says Diesel only - now, does that really mean don't use gas in it? Or is it just a "certification" thing?
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No, they really mean don't use gas. Different materials for chemical compatibility.

When I had my Kolb, I used 5 gallon cans, with a hose and a brass valve at the end. The can sat on the ground and I pressurized it with a foot pump made for air mattresses, it worked great. If I could get non ethanol mogas here, I'd be doing the same thing with my Hatz.
 
My total fuel capacity on my low wing is 36 gallons, I have four of these, that I can squeeze six gallons into:

https://vpracingfuels.com/product/vp-motorsport-container/?c=237&

A little bit of work with plumbing supplies from Home Depot, including a flexible hose end, and I can lay full jugs on the wing as I pre flight and let gravity do it’s thing.
 
 
Dave Anderson said:
I was looking at something like this, but not sure easy to be mobile from truck to hangar.
https://www.amazon.com/iallauto-Portable-Transport-Containers-Wheeled/dp/B09BVLBSTP/ref=sr_1_13?crid=2MIBQ73A44NH8&dchild=1&keywords=10+gallon+gas+can+with+pump&qid=1630445206&sprefix=10+gallon+gas,aps,178&sr=8-13&th=1
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I bought that exact unit, and returned it. Absolutely terrible.

Recently I was using the No Spill cans, and those were ok, but now I use the Flo Fast. 10 gallons with a quality pump.

01f81250-2b60-44a0-a534-cb3889cc1cc0_1.365b8f1857efc4b6e5d35b23650d9d1e.jpeg
 
I used three ten gallon Freon cans in the trunk of a Olds Delta 88…..and hand pumped into the tanks of my C-150. I knew it was full…when I saw fuel running down the back of the wing. ;)
 
110 gallon tank in the back of my truck. Fly enough it’s worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm refueling a waverunner rather than an airplane, but I prefer this style gas can:

2558-RED-2012-3X2.JPG


You can buy a fuel hose that screws into the cap. If I were fueling an airplane, I'd get more than one, and buy an extra cap with a fuel hose, and use that to fuel the airplane.

The Home Depot style cans that are commonly available are crummy and leak prone.
 
Kent Wien said:
I use 4 Flo-Fast 11 gallon cans as shown above. Bought it from Overtons online. 12 turns with the pump is 1 gallon. I buy non-ethanol 91 octane per the STC for my airplane and engine. Works great.

https://www.overtons.com/flo-fast-10.5-gallon-fuel-jug-with-professional-pump-321980.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign={Campaign}&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpreJBhDvARIsAF1_BU0UaxuexMQhamFE8Kr1AdQbG3AQirrwDpKp8TP1rgpJsKJqZ3-NGbcaApPqEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
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I like those, thanks for that link.

Some quick horse math though...
4 of those at $270/each is $1080 plus tax and shipping. How much are you saving per gallon in your area?
 
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FormerHangie said:
I'm refueling a waverunner rather than an airplane, but I prefer this style gas can:

2558-RED-2012-3X2.JPG


You can buy a fuel hose that screws into the cap. If I were fueling an airplane, I'd get more than one, and buy an extra cap with a fuel hose, and use that to fuel the airplane.

The Home Depot style cans that are commonly available are crummy and leak prone.
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This above^^^^^ is far better than any other fuel can on the market.
I have been using them for 25 years at least and am in the fuel business. These are from VP race fuels like what was posted above. Cost a lot of money but worth it. I would stick with VP Fuels for these fuel jugs. There are impostors that are not as good.
052_7.jpg

You don't have to hold it at first and not one drop is spilled. I don't recommend refueling in your hangar, I don't do it anymore out of respect to the other planes in the hangars. You can tell mine are older since they are round, I have about 30 of them. I use them for all kinds of liquids including waste oil and more. None of them have gone bad after 30 years of use. That is how good they are.
049_5.jpg

But by far the best way is to have a tank in the back of your truck. That is a high volume 12 volt pump with the proper grounded fuel hose.


IMG_0767.JPG
 
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weilke said:
Consider purchasing a 'transfer tank' for the pickup. They make versions that look like a toolbox with the hose and pump under a lockable lid. Below 110gal you don't need a hazmat placard (and CDL) . Check into state law on the legality of using one. They are very common in farming areas. Make sure it's DOT approved for gasoline and has the proper rollover safe vent.
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Technically speaking...only diesel fuel is legal in a tank in the back of your pickup truck. Gasoline is not.

On my tank above, it is vented with a pressure vacuum fill cap. It seals the tank 100% with no gas smell around your truck. It will allow air in when you are pumping fuel out and will allow pressure to vent out during the day when it heats up. It is sealed 99% of the time otherwise with no leakage even when you are driving. Never use a open vent on a portable tank like that unless you want mess in the back of your truck. That would very very dangerous with gasoline. So the fill cap serves 2 purposes, filling and venting, the only way to go with gasoline. We use the same caps on stationary tanks also. They help protect the environment by keeping gas fumes out of the air.
 
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Do check your local fire safety codes concerning fuel storage and fueling. Most airports will, for obvious safety reasons, prohibit fueling inside hangars, and prohibit storage of more than small quantities of fuel. Also be aware of proper fueling procedures, including charge dissipation ("grounding") during fueling. Plastic containers are good insulators, and can build up significant static charge during fuel transfer. Metal fuel containers are preferable for transferring liquid flammables, as they are easy to dissipate static from, but plastic seems to rule the day now for gasoline containers. It is not permissible to store or transfer flammable solvents in any kind of plastic container in a laboratory setting, for good reason.
 
Where's Jay Honeck and his Purple Grape (?)
 
Not to derail the thread, but is anybody using mogas blended with isobutanol instead of ethanol? It meets the requirements for oxygenated gasoline in states that mandate it, but doesn't have all the problems associated with ethanol. Apparently some marinas sell it as boats have ethanol issues. No idea what it costs though...
 
I've got this 51gallon tank (TTR51) in the back of my truck w/ a Fil-rite pump. The rectangular tank still allows me to get the 4-wheeler in the truck and use the bed for the most part. It paid for itself pretty quick with the price difference between ethanol free mogas and 100LL here.
Rectangle Refueling Tanks (atitank.com)
 
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