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Jerry Cans?


rusty ol ranger

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Me and my buddy maybe taking a 100-120 mile quad ride this october (yes, itll be cold), and fuel is an issue.

Hes going to buy a rotopax ATV fuel carrier but they are 100+ bucks for the tank and mount with only 4 gallon capacity.

I can get a NATO style jerry can with 5.4 gallon capacity for 50 bucks....

Heres my questions though...

I read that the NATO ones can lay on their side and not leak...is this correct? Even while being sloshed around strapped to a quad?

Also, it says you can use it as a fuel can, but its green....whats the legality here? It has a list of states where you cant but MI isnt one of them.

 


sgtsandman

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The real military surplus jerry cans can be quite expensive and finding ones that are fully functional can be a bit of a challenge some times.

I’ve read mixed reviews in the more easily available reproduction ones. Most are made with Chinesium, so buyer beware. But getting a nozzle for them is much easier and there is different sizes to choose from.
 

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I have some old NATO style cans. With good seals they wont leak when laying on their side. There's no dumbass vent crap on the cap to leak if you have the true military style and not civilian knockoffs.

As for color. I've been yelled at before while filling it up so I just said screw it and painted them half assed red to avoid dealing with idiots.
 

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just buy a rotopax container and have you buddy carry it... maybe you carry the cooler in trade on the trip.

Fuel cans in general these days are a damn joke... and pretty spendy also. I'm always looking at garage sales for older good used fuel cans.
 

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I have some old NATO style cans. With good seals they wont leak when laying on their side. There's no dumbass vent crap on the cap to leak if you have the true military style and not civilian knockoffs.

As for color. I've been yelled at before while filling it up so I just said screw it and painted them half assed red to avoid dealing with idiots.
The color coding is to keep the morons from messing stuff up. Red for gas, yellow for diesel, and blue for water. I think there might be another one that is “standard” but those are the main ones.

As far as painting a can because someone else doesn’t like it. Ask them if they are paying your bills and to show you where it is law they have to be that way. If they can’t provide either, they can ingest a satchel of Richards.
 

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We have a lot of the Eagle metal gas cans and those things don't leak. They are pricey but don't leak. If you have a regular gas can, I found that some lawn mower gas caps fit the same threads as a plastic 5 gallon gas can so you could put a regular cap on so it doesn't leak. Most newer gas cans (plastic or meta) are designed to not leak. They suck to use and usually pour really slow but normally don't leak.
 

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.

I found this one on jegs. Its got just a simple nozzle and a metal hand tighten cap. I bet it wouldnt leak.

Storing it upright isnt the issue if theres room on my rear rack next to my storage box (thats why i looked at jerrys in the first place, tbey are thin). But if it wont fit ill pry have to lay it down on the front rack.

Carrying a rotopax isnt a big deal, our quads are pretty comperable for carrying capacity, its the fact i dont wanna spend 100+ bucks for something i can only really use on the quad.

Plus, with the jerrys being metal i feel like they would be less susceptable to damage then plastic, and be eaiser to field patch if need be.
 

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That looks like a well made can. I wouldn’t have any heartburn with that.
 

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The color coding is to keep the morons from messing stuff up. Red for gas, yellow for diesel, and blue for water. I think there might be another one that is “standard” but those are the main ones.
In gas can land I think blue is kerosene. Jerry cans are different.
 

rusty ol ranger

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That looks like a well made can. I wouldn’t have any heartburn with that.
I looked up and theres two style lids on jerrr cans. "American Style" which is whats on the jegs container, then "Nato style".

I think im gonna run with that jegs one. All the nato style ones either say "water only" (yeah i know) or if actually for fuel have them dumb ass nozzles on them and are as much as a rotopax almost.
 

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The color coding is to keep the morons from messing stuff up. Red for gas, yellow for diesel, and blue for water. I think there might be another one that is “standard” but those are the main ones.

As far as painting a can because someone else doesn’t like it. Ask them if they are paying your bills and to show you where it is law they have to be that way. If they can’t provide either, they can ingest a satchel of Richards.
Sometimes it's just easier to spend 2 minutes making something "legal" than arguing with morons. Especially in New Germany where its technically illegal to even fill your own cans... If I lived anywhere else I wouldn't have bothered painting it red. In fact I would have preferred to paint it yellow and write something like "floor cleaner" on the side so people dont think it's gasoline and try to steal it when the cans are in the back of my truck.
 

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Sometimes it's just easier to spend 2 minutes making something "legal" than arguing with morons. Especially in New Germany where its technically illegal to even fill your own cans... If I lived anywhere else I wouldn't have bothered painting it red. In fact I would have preferred to paint it yellow and write something like "piss can" on the side so people dont think it's gasoline and try to steal it when the cans are in the back of my truck.
Fixed it for you.
 

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If you are going to improvise a gas can the cheapest and most leak proof bet would be a 5 gallon bucket with a good twist on lid that has the safety lock so it can't open while riding. I see what you are saying and laying down a thin jerry can would be ideal while riding. Make sure you don't put a big can on the front and go hill climbing. Something as big as a gas can could block your view and you need to see as much as possible when hill climbing.
 

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A much better idea!!!!
 

rusty ol ranger

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If you are going to improvise a gas can the cheapest and most leak proof bet would be a 5 gallon bucket with a good twist on lid that has the safety lock so it can't open while riding. I see what you are saying and laying down a thin jerry can would be ideal while riding. Make sure you don't put a big can on the front and go hill climbing. Something as big as a gas can could block your view and you need to see as much as possible when hill climbing.
Im hopeing that my rear rack is wide enough to where if i scoot my box (with tools, straps, shit like that in it) over to one side the jerry can will be thin enough to slide between the rack surround and the box.

If not ill lay it flat on the front. The only other thing that goes on the front rack generally is my camping chair so if we pull off the trail to chill out a bit.

I found a actual gas tank that would fit real nice on the front rack with a 5 gal capacity for 60 bucks. If these long rides become a thing i may buy that, mount it, and tee it into the factory reserve line. Then id have roughly 10 gal capacity i could switch without stopping.

Also, the trails we would be riding are pretty easy. On a dry day most could probably be traversed my a 2wd pickup with good tires. So im not to worried about things bein wonky,
 

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