Today's "gas cans" - seem to be a joke

Rgbeard

Rgbeard

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rgbeard
*BEGIN RANT - Question at end*

I'm getting my self/my bike/etc. all ready for a track-day on Sunday here in the Valley of the Sun.

My bike has a 5-gallon tank, and I can use about six gallons +/- at a track day, so I need to find my gas can and toss it in the pile of stuff.

Then it occurs to me - all the red plastic gas containers (not really cans) all decayed, had the damn nozzles rot away, etc.etc. and I became frustrated with them some months ago and they're all sitting in some landfill. I text my friend, and he'll be bringing his. Problem solved.

This just brought to mind. I'm old enough to remember actual "gas cans" - made of pressed steel (or steel-like composite metal). These were made to outlast you, and everyone you know and love. I'm sure there's one or two of these in Mom's garage in Illinois. (memo to me....)

Today's plastic seems to be a joke, and doesn't hold up to the "stuff" we have hidden inside our car-gas these days. Can we bring back the gas cans? If not, why not? Wouldn't a simple pressed-steel-like container be easy enough?

(*** Curious side note - in six track sessions - 20 mins each, I generally cover 100 miles total (give or take a few). And yeah, six gallons is about right. My bike generally gets 40mpg in normal conditions. As I gained skill/confidence, and got promoted up the levels, track days now make it dip below 20mpg. That's some heavy-handed-riding!)
 
New fuel can regulations was a peeve of mine 15+ years ago. I’ve backed off raging about the issue, expect zero change. I’m mostly talking about a simple pour spout with an air hole opposite on top.

I’ve never seen so much fuel spilled with spouts that take pressure, require a ‘twist’, or some other way to activate, without an air hole. Whoever made the regulations, seldom if ever uses a fuel can. Often a complicated spout develops problems over time.

That all said, I have almost to many fuel cans, keep an eye out. My cans are older, respouted, or ‘modified’. There are utube videos in such, some funny.
 
If you really want some metal cans you can usually find some new old stock ones on eBay. Or you can use the 5 gallon race style jugs, but they’re plastic.
 
Make life easy on yourself ...

https://www.amazon.com/VP-Racing-Fu...dp/B084BTSMY8/ref=psdc_15707861_t1_B003TTYUHS

51XuOvEJEiL._AC_SX466_.jpg
 
Rgbeard said:
Today's plastic seems to be a joke, and doesn't hold up to the "stuff" we have hidden inside our car-gas these days. Can we bring back the gas cans? If not, why not? Wouldn't a simple pressed-steel-like container be easy enough?
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Did you check amazon? I see lots of metal gas cans still available there.

For me, this is my current favorite. It works better and spills less than the old style gas cans. Best nozzle I've ever owned, including even the traditional old ones.

nospill.jpg
 
sourdough44 said:
New fuel can regulations was a peeve of mine 15+ years ago. I’ve backed off raging about the issue, expect zero change. I’m mostly talking about a simple pour spout with an air hole opposite on top.

I’ve never seen so much fuel spilled with spouts that take pressure, require a ‘twist’, or some other way to activate, without an air hole. Whoever made the regulations, seldom if ever uses a fuel can. Often a complicated spout develops problems over time.

That all said, I have almost to many fuel cans, keep an eye out. My cans are older, respouted, or ‘modified’. There are utube videos in such, some funny.
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Tractor Supply here sells the unvented flexible tube replacement nozzles - including the little snap to cover the breather hole that you can use after drilling said breather hole in your 'new' plastic can - right next to their shelf of 'legal' gas cans with the stupid gov't nozzles. Someone is making a killing at $13 just for the nozzle, but totally worth it compared to the amount of soap I had to use to wash the gas smell off my hands from using the 'press here, turn left 1/4 turn, pull back half way, now turn right 3/8 turn, hop on one foot, sing Hallelujah in B-flat" to get gas to come out of it, at which time it would promptly dribble on my hands and eventually shoes.
 
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Daleandee said:
Make life easy on yourself ...

https://www.amazon.com/VP-Racing-Fu...dp/B084BTSMY8/ref=psdc_15707861_t1_B003TTYUHS

51XuOvEJEiL._AC_SX466_.jpg
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Best gas can ever made^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have been in the fuel business for a long time, still have not seen any kind of fuel jugs/cans that beat race jugs. I used to take 55 gal drum worth of methanol to the races in 11 5 gal fuel jugs. Because the DOT did not want us hauling 55 gal drums in our race trailer. If we won the drag race we would use up right at 50 gals for the race weekend. So you had to have all 11 filled ready to go for each race. These fuel jugs can hold 6 gallons also.

I now use these jugs for all kind of liquids and granular material also. Mine have never wore out, cracked, leaked, rusted or deteriorated in 30 years. With the wide mouth they are easy to clean out with a pressure washer. I do put new orings in the lid every 10 years or so, they also never leak, they can roll around full and not leak at all. Mine are the old fashion round ones with today's jugs are more refined but still operate the same as original. Try one I bet you won't be sorry. I have 4 fresh ones in my basement with fresh water in them for emergency's.
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I splash more gas with these enviro friendly cans than I did with the old metal cans.....Oh well.

One is forced to remove the spout and pour it into a funnel.....o_O
 
Use a 5 gal funnel along with the 5 gal jug and you won't spill a drop.
 
I actually still have my lame plastic three gallon gas can I use for the mower. It's thirty years old. Still works just fine. No rust.
 
172andyou said:
Did you check amazon? I see lots of metal gas cans still available there.

For me, this is my current favorite. It works better and spills less than the old style gas cans. Best nozzle I've ever owned, including even the traditional old ones.

View attachment 116556
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That's my recommendation. I have two of them for the 93Octane ethanol free gas that I use in my wife's 150cc scooter. I never spill a drop.
 
Count me as also confused. I don't see metal gas cans as being unavailable.
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I went through this rant a few years ago. I grew up with decent but not awesome plastic gas cans, the kind with a screw-open vent and free-pouring spout, but had to watch in dismay as those went the way of the dodo. New fuel containers and spouts are required not to allow any fuel vapors into the atmosphere while they're sitting there being useless. The result is that containing fuel is the only thing they're good at, because as soon as you try to transfer the fuel to anything else you end up with about 20% of what you were trying to pour on the ground, slowly infiltrating groundwater and vaporizing into the atmosphere, thereby saving the environment from gasoline vapors as intended.

I found kindred spirits with websites dedicated to scratching the same itch and came up with a few recommendations, and the best choice probably depends on what you're pouring the fuel into:
  • For my purposes (going into a variety of farm, construction, and lawncare equipment) a good steel Jerry can was best. I chose Wavian and found a bunch of them at a couple of Mills Fleet & Farm stores around Minneapolis. Ten 5-gallon Jerry cans will fit in the baggage compartment of a PA-28-180R. They weigh about 10 lbs empty and I had to get different spouts because the store carried them with valved spouts. Now the only fuel I spill is when I don't let the air pressure in the can off carefully enough or when the diesel pump makes too much foam while I'm filling the can.
  • The plastic race cans are great if you can find a red one or you are comfortable using a can that says "Water Only, If You Put Gasoline In Here You Will Be Sorry!"
  • The Eagle Safety Cans with the yellow funnels are supposedly great but I haven't tried one. I'd probably have a few if I hadn't found the Wavian cans and free-pouring spouts.
  • The type @172andyou showed at post #8 would be great if you are working with 2.5 gallon cans or smaller or if you are pouring into a generator or something else with the gas cap on the top and a strong, flat surface around it to rest the can. I don't like the idea of having to hold a 30 lb can of gas with one hand while holding the valve open with the other hand for several minutes.
 
This is really a non issue. There are plenty of metal can suppliers still around. You can get traditional spouts for the plastic ones as has been shown or get the racing style jugs. I agree the shut off style nozzles suck. I spill more and they typically leak. The only application where I do like the shut off style is small one gallon ones for things like leaf blowers, trimmers, push mowers. Their tanks are so small the fill time is a non issue and it's nice to have the ability to stop the flow quickly.
 
iamtheari said:
  • The type @172andyou showed at post #8 would be great if you are working with 2.5 gallon cans or smaller or if you are pouring into a generator or something else with the gas cap on the top and a strong, flat surface around it to rest the can. I don't like the idea of having to hold a 30 lb can of gas with one hand while holding the valve open with the other hand for several minutes.
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That's exactly the kind I have, but in the 5 gallon version. True that it's best if you have a flat gas cap, like on my wife's scooter, but it is not hard for me (at 71yrs) to hold ot i[ (even full with 5 gallons). There is a handle on the top for carrying and a handle on the side for pouring, and the valve is designed so that the hand that holds the valve open also helps hold the can up. It's really quite effective and mine has lived outside under a shade tree for about 3 years now and still looks new. Of course though, my wife can't hold it up when it's full.
 
iamtheari said:
  • The type @172andyou showed at post #8 would be great if you are working with 2.5 gallon cans or smaller or if you are pouring into a generator or something else with the gas cap on the top and a strong, flat surface around it to rest the can. I don't like the idea of having to hold a 30 lb can of gas with one hand while holding the valve open with the other hand for several minutes.
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Yes, very good point. My ATV, generator and mower are all top loads and this can and spout are absolutely perfect for that. For side loading machines, this is not the choice.
 
172andyou said:
Ah, yes. "THEY" again. I'll add it to the list. :rolleyes:
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Well, it's not like it's always the same 'they'. It can be a completely different 'they' depending on what they want you to do. Doesn't mean 'they' don't exist, it's just that there are a lot of different 'theys'. We might be a 'they'.
 
RyanShort1 said:
I'll name one. Walmart rarely sells stuff anymore that will last that long. C'mon man.
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Because they want you to come back? Or because walmart shoppers are will buy the cheapest product in any category? Have you been to a walmart? "They" aren't selling durable Australian sheepskin jackets either. "They" are selling jackets that might survive a winter, and cost what their customers can afford.

Are *they* refusing to sell metal gas cans? Or are you just cherry picking Walmart because there are plenty of "them" (uline, amazon, northern tool, home depot, tractor supply, duluth trading, etc, etc) that ruin your conspiracy theory by selling metal gas cans. Hell, the farm fleet next door to the walmart in my town sells metal gas cans. "They" are not out to get you. Pro-tip: "They" almost never are. And when "they" are, there will be actual evidence to support the claim. C'mon man, the world is bigger than walmart. Thank god!
 
When I was a kid in the 70s, Dad would keep gas for the lawnmower/edger in an old, galvanized 5-gal pail labeled "KEROSENE" with a rubber spout that could be poked down flush with the top of the pail, or pulled up to dispense. Very similar to this, except the spout was rubber and looked like a nipple.

I don't know how old that canister was, but the rubber was rotten and cracked, and fuel spewed everywhere every time I tried to pour it. Even using the biggest funnel we had and keeping that cracked nozzle as close as I could, fuel always spilled everywhere. It's a wonder I never ended up like an immolated Tibetan monk.

So there were some crappy fuel cans even back in the day...
 
Rgbeard said:
Glad to know the metal gas can isn't extinct.

It's just not wildly marketed where I'd tend to look for one.

:)
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I'm surprised they even sell plastic anything on that half of the great land mass, considering plastic straws were supposedly done away with. ;)
 
RyanB said:
I'm surprised they even sell plastic anything on that half of the great land mass, considering plastic straws were supposedly done away with. ;)
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I am a big anti-plastic person, but that is pretty much for single-use, disposable plastic like straws, grocery bags and plastic packaging that almost everything comes in, and so much more.
But for things like gas cans, I prefer them. They last for years, but in my garage, rarely get tossed in the rivers or oceans (unless your boat sinks) and I have had way too many cases of rusty gas from rusty gas cans.

I would like to see more emphasis on using less single-use plastic and stepping up the use of recyclable plastic and recycling facilities. I live on the edge of the intra-coastal waterway. When we have a bad storm it unbelievable how much plastic washes up into my yard: Water bottles, cups and straws, grocery bags, plastic knives, forks and spoons. It is also incredible how many syringes wash up, many with needles still attached. Also, Styrofoam coolers, car tires (I know they aren't plastic, but still . . .) I was fishing the other day and caught a plastic bucket.
 
RyanB said:
I'm surprised they even sell plastic anything on that half of the great land mass, considering plastic straws were supposedly done away with. ;)
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“they” would rather have us use electric batteries that are super green to produce, don’t end up in a land fill, and won’t burn your house down when the charger over charges them.
 
Others feel your pain:

Search on: "fix new plastic gas can"
 
172andyou said:
Because they want you to come back? Or because walmart shoppers are will buy the cheapest product in any category? Have you been to a walmart? "They" aren't selling durable Australian sheepskin jackets either. "They" are selling jackets that might survive a winter, and cost what their customers can afford.

Are *they* refusing to sell metal gas cans? Or are you just cherry picking Walmart because there are plenty of "them" (uline, amazon, northern tool, home depot, tractor supply, duluth trading, etc, etc) that ruin your conspiracy theory by selling metal gas cans. Hell, the farm fleet next door to the walmart in my town sells metal gas cans. "They" are not out to get you. Pro-tip: "They" almost never are. And when "they" are, there will be actual evidence to support the claim. C'mon man, the world is bigger than walmart. Thank god!
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Calm down. I'm not picking a fight with you.

I do think it's funny though, that you label me a conspiracy theorist and that you think you need to defend the corporations.

Are you denying that planned obsolescence is a common thing?
 
RyanShort1 said:
Calm down. I'm not picking a fight with you.

I do think it's funny though, that you label me a conspiracy theorist and that you think you need to defend the corporations.

Are you denying that planned obsolescence is a common thing?
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I'm denying "they" are in a conspiracy to make less durable things to increase profits by selling the same items multiple times. I'm not defending corporations.

I'm denying that planned obsolescence is due to a conspiracy, but rather the natural result of what most people are willing to pay for things.
 
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