Hi,
I want to buy a five gallon gas can to carry extra fuel for long camping trips. I just learned that the metal kind of gas cans are illegal or at least can't be sold new in California. According to the state of California only plastic cans may be sold.

State laws not withstanding, are there any opinions as to which is a superior kind of gas can, i.e., the pros and cons of metal versus plastic? I would appreciate any comments.
Thanks.

 

I'm going to move this one down to General Discussions sudan... I think you're going to get a better response there...

RP

 

Just another area where Gov't rules and regulations make no sense. 5 years ago when I was working for a nationally known tree company, we were not allowed to have plastic gas cans. OSHA regulations said we weren't allowed to have them on our trucks or in the shop, only steel safety cans were allowed. The worst part was that more gasoline was spilled on a daily basis because the steel cans were impossible to pour accurately.

 

I think one of the reasons the metal ones may be banned is static electricity. Static will jump from metal to metal, but not metal to plastic. My understanding is many fires have been started simply by static.

 

Well the metal cans are more likely to spark from static electricity when fueling or removing the lid etc. If your going to carry it on the outside of the vehicle... The metals ones will be more duarabe...

6 of one 1/2 a dozen of the other... If you decide that metal is the way to go then I would look at an army surplus store

 

Thing I hate is those stupid valves they are mandated to build into the nozzles now. "prevents gas spilling and evaporation". BS--I spill more gas with those darm things in a month than I ever did in years of an old fashioned nozzle...

I'd suggest looking into Army surplus?

 

metal ones explode when they get hot.... plastic ones split open and expland.... same reason they went to plastic tanks on cars.

 

I don't want to highjack your thread but I found this interesting.
I didn't know but I found out some time ago, these gascans Germans in WWII used were referred to as Jerrycans. (Jerries or Gerries was a nickname for the Germans.

Is it Gerry- or Jerrycan.

 

Plastic gas cans are better then the metal one. They are more durable and lighter. I didn't think they made steel cans any more??

 

Get the plastic ones...we have some metal ones at home and every one of them leaks where the spout screws onto the can...always end up with gas leaking down the side of the can and on to the ground.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Since I will carry the gas can inside the bed of my truck, then sounds like plastic is superior.

One thing though, when I looked at the plastic gas cans at Walmart, they all said something to the effect of, "not for on road vehicles". Yet the labels showed pictures of their use which included pouring gas into a lawn mower, outboard boat motor, etc. Does anyone have a clue as to the purpose of the phrase "not for on road vehicles"?

As to "Jerry", very interesting historical point. So seems like "Jerry can" should only be applied to metal gasoline cans or perhaps any metal can of the same basic shaped that is used to store liquids. The spelling is Jerry not Geri or Jerri, I looked that up in a dictionary. Jerry is a British word for German.

Thanks again for the help.

 

If you're interested, I've seen plastic replica "jerry" cans before. Dont know if the appearance is important

 

what you really need is 6 gallon jugs from jaz products...they stand around 2feet tall,about 18"diameter and they have a 4" opening and a nice handle(you will need a funnel for fueling)..or you can check pit pal products...we ran methanol in the dragster and thats what we used for transporting fuel in the trailer... we'd fill 5 or so from a 55 gal barrell and it would last the day...if you brought a metal can to the fuel shed at the drags you were outta'luck..NO WAY would they fill metal cans..fuel for thought...zap!

 

I have a metal rack mounted on my PWC trailer that holds 4 square plastic 5 gallon gasoline cans. All of the PWC'ers use this type of can. Mine are several years old. They seem to hold up fine. You can get a screw on nozzle for a few $. The cans go on sale for about $17 each at a local cycle/PWC shop.

CAUTION: DO NOT FILL THESE WHILE THEY ARE SITTING ON A PLASTIC BED-LINER. PUT THEM ON THE GROUND OR IN A METAL RACK WHILE FILLING. THE PLASTIC TO PLASTIC STATIC ELECTRICITY WILL CAUSE A FIRE. SIXTY MINUTES (The News show) DID A SEGMENT ON THIS RECENTLY. THEY ACTUALLY IGNITED ONE OF THE PLASTIC CANS. A VERY SCARY SIGHT!

I have owned several metal Jerry Cans in my years of riding dirt bikes. The plastic seem to work out fine for my uses.
gOOD LUCK.

 

I have one of those plastic Blitz cans from Walmart, damn thing leaks e'rwhere. The weak link in them is where the spout connects to the can. If you can find one, place a washer or gasket in the screw on portion of it to help prevent the leaks. As for metal or plastic, I'd say plastic is better for a number of reasons. Less static transfer, don't rust, won't dent easily etc.