Carrying spare fuel(the best way)

Thanks Magnus,
looks like more saving up for the roofracks and cage.:-(

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)

Thanks Roachie.
I am only asking as I want to spend a big day in sand near where I live.I would hate to be the party pooper who has to leave because his fuel is running low.
Roof racks with basket seems my best option as I dont have a CT and a normal trailer will restrict me too much.

I would probably not carry more than 3 jerry cans if I had them on top.

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)

Roachie is right. I carried them full the whole way until I got to Rabbit Flat store and i jacked up at the price of the petrol. $1.20 in 1987. So used 2 cans and went to Bungle Bungles and of course ran short of fuel in there. This was despite 130 lites in the tanks (2). So had to cut short our stay there, limp out of the Bungles in 2 wheel drive only to save fuel and made it to the servo on the highway with empty Jerries and about 5 litres in the tanks.

Filled all up. Proceeded home. Got lazy on the last day and didn't stop to refill. Ran out literally in sight of home. Could see the house even. Had to get jerrys down from roof etc. Was not a happy chappie I can tell you.

Moral. Do not pass servos. Always carry fuel where u may need it.

Agree with Roachie. Carrying full jerries on the main highway was not required and in hindsight a bit silly. But then I was also a lot younger in 1987. Only 46 years old then. Know a bit more now.

Enjoy your day in the sand. If only for a day, perhaps u could carry the fuel inside in metal jerries and get it out of the vehicle at your base point and only use if needed.

Depends how far u have to go to get to the fun part and how well your cans are sealed and how well you can secure them inside the car.

Worth a thought. Or can someone else carry them for you.

That way you can make decisions about roof racks etc at liesure and get the right one for your currnet and future needs.

As i said, Have fun in the sand

Cheers

Magnus

Hey Sparkie, as I read it, it sounds like you're going to play in the sand dunes or the beach, if so I'd think very seriously about NOT carrying your extra fuel on top as the likely hood of you tipping is a lot higher in the sand. The sand requires a lot of momentum to keep moving and you have to be prepared to get off line and sideways sometimes, especially dowwn the face of a dune. Check out the bladders available from yacht suppliers, they have a double skin and you can tie them down, they also have enough flexibility to allow for expansion. When empty then put it on the roof rack.

Roachie and others...
Can metal or plastic jerry can travel flat on their side to keep the centre of gravity down?.
Or do you know if low slung,alternative type cans are available.
Thanks
Joe

Joe,

The metal ones will travel any way you can tie them down. Just make sure the seals are good. I usually lay them flat with the pouring spout upwards. Less chance of doing any damage to them when manhandling them up and down on the roof racks etc

Cheers
Magnus

Joe,
I've never tried carrying them any way other than upright or on their edge (so that the filler is still at the "top" so to speak).
I only have 2 of the black plastic ones these days and don't use them in any case.
I reckon if was planning on laying them on their sides, I'd be trying it at home beforehand.....fill them up and lay them out in the shed on a piece of carpet or similar and see if the seals are good enough to prevent any leaking. This would be best done in hot weather to at least try to simulate real world conditions in or on a vehicle (minus the corrogations/vibrations of course).

Thanks Wim

long range tank would set me back too much in one hit at this stage.
Maybe I can find one second hand?
But for now roofrack is all I can afford to do.At least I can use it for other things as well.

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)

Hi Wim,

What brand tank did you get and have you had any hassles with it?

Savvas.
I had a Browb & Davis 140 ltr tank installed by ABR. No problems so far.

Regards

Diesel Do

You going water sking in the Todd or Lake Eyre. Just curious is all.

Apart from that should work as long as you empty the tank in boat so it does not slosh around and cause balance problems!

Emptying with an electric pump is a bit scary. Need to be very sure there are no stray sparks etc.

Cheers

Magnus

Magnus, as far as I know all boat fuel tanks(underfloor) have baffles in them for that very reason.

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)

Magnus,

Well I might have a go if I can cut the leg holes in the bottom...

But really just camping and fishing around the rivers across the Top End. You're comment about the fuel pump is thes ame thing that I'm wondering about.. Is it safe, what to be careful of, do I need to run an earth wire between the boat and the car chassis when refuelling - that kind of thing.

Sparkie is right. I think they're the same kind of baffles used in car fuel tanks. But I will have to be watching the change in weight distribution in the boat as the fuel load lessens - tanks at the rear of the boat. Taking 85kg out will certainly make some difference to tow characteristics. Good thought.

But will it blow up?

Regards,

Diesel Do,

Well the baffle thingy seems to fix the sloshing round problem.

I take it the boat is a tinnie so the 85kg out will certainly affect the towing characteristics but can probably be fixed by moving some of the rest of the boat gear around a bit. Sort of like re-balancing a trailer when it is not loaded right.

I thought that electric fuel pumps and petrol were fairly common combinations. If so, there are no technical reasons why it won't work.

Petrol is fairly volatile and is safest to handle in cool conditions, like early morning. Transferring fuel on the side of the road in the middle of the day is scary stuff with all the heat generated fumes etc. If I recall rightly it is the vapoour that burns rather than the fuel.

As an experiment try throwing a lighted cigarette in a pool of cold petrol on the ground early one morning. Bet the fag goes out. In the middle of a hot day on hot roadway it is a different story.

So, as I read it, you won't blow up unless you ignite some petrol vapour . So fuel transfer in cool to cold conditions with good electric connections and properly shielded electric motor etc etc you should be OK.

But hey, need some more input from wiser heads than mine I think, just to confirm or otherwise.

But is your range so poor you can't make servo to servo.

Also, what about jerry cans in the boat. Hell of a lot simpler. Just chain them in and cover them up. Fill the jerries instead of the boat tank. About the same weight, and you definitely should not blow up pouring from a jerry can in the right conditions. The cool etc etc

In any case, hope you catch some fish and generally have a good time. Watch out for the crocs.

Cheers

magnus

Diesel Do,
One concern I might have is static electricity.
Presumably you will be pumping from the back of the
boat which could be over 20ft.
Fluid moving over this distance could produce an amount
of static to produce a spark at the nozzle.
You should be able to counter-act the problem by contacting
the hose with the vehicle away from the filler point before filling.
I prefer the jerrys stowed in the boat idea myself.
Just my opinion.

Cheers
Moz

Diesel Do

As Moz detailed, static is a major problem.
Please ensure you earth the boat, car and yourself prior to transfering fuel.
The charred look is not good.

reagrds

Nice idea but it seems only usable for diesel and mine uses unleaded.

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)

I'm still yet to see a jerry camera :)

I'd love to but with all the CRAP flowing he might not be in a good mood ;-)

Also I did not know it was Illegal. Thanks for the heads up.

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)

Ray.. Im disappointed..

you never heard of a Voigtländer ?? One of the original Jerry Made Cameras...

Voigtländer
The original Voigtländer company was founded in 1756 as a maker of scientific instruments. Peter Wilhelm Friedrich Voigtländer, the grandson of the founder, helped develop the first mathematically computed lens (f/3.7!) in 1840, and also designed an equally incredible camera to use the lens. Camera production was a major part of the business for more than a century. Zeiss bought Voigtländer in 1956, and the production of Zeiss Ikon Voigtländer cameras ended with the demise of the Zeiss camera business in 1972. In 1997, Ringfoto GmbH acquired rights to Voigtländer and relaunched the company. They continue to market the Voigtländer Bessa-L and Bessa-RF, excellent cameras with outstanding optics certain to be sought-after collectibles in the future.

Oh ok!.... smarty pants

Sparkie mate, for more entertainment read thread 11923...are jerry cans legal

Sparkie,
When you put the fuel in the basket make sure the basket frame is strong enough to take the weight of the jerry's full of fuel. Some of these baskets can be quite light weight. Sudden changes of direction can create quite a bit of force, I would hate you to brake suddenly and end up with three jerry can on your bonnet, mind you that saves you having to get them down I suppose. Petrol has a lower flash point so it will always "gas up" more than diesel, plus it's a tad more volatile especially high octane unleaded fuel.

I see your point but if I buy roof racks I can use it for other stuff as well(killing two birds with one stone)

Sparkie(IE not Y) ;-)