Man that sucks! I hope the dealership gave you a discount for the tire and the cut cable.

I have the cable and the lift/lower mechanism works just fine, I just don't have a spare because I moved up to 33X12.5 tires and a tire that big won't fit under the truck with my hitch receiver.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. If I end up using that idea I would build a stronger cage system and cover it with some sheets of steel to protect the cans from damage. He has a good idea but I wouldn't want the cans exposed like that, just seems like an accident waiting to happen.

 

Don't forget that our fuel pump is cooled by gasoline so running out of fuel is a BAD IDEA, you should always try to keep at least 1/4 of a tank. I just carry my jerry cans in the cab like xxxtreme was saying, I plan on eventually getting a rear bumper that will hold them but until then in the cab is fine.

 

Yeah normally i fill up my tank when it is about half emply. I heard that you get better gas mileage and, like you mentioned, keep the fuel pump cool which extends its life. I don't know if the whole gas mileage thing it true, but I figure it can't hurt to fill up when it is half emply and it is definitely easier on the wallet.

I don't know what it is but something just scares me about carrying gasoline (or any other flamable liquid) in the cab of my truck. I know that the Jerry Cans are leak-proof but I just don't like the idea. I would ultimately like to get a rear bumper and mount everything there but that is a dream that will have to wait for a while until I can get some other stuff paid off, ex: student loans

 

Remember these cans are carried by the military inside vehicles all of the time. I have yet to see any drawbacks or problems that have come from doing this. Especially if they are secured properly and the cans and seals are in good shape. Not trying to change your mind though. Just another option for ya.

The main problem with a fuel can is as the fuel sloshes around in the can, it tends to build up pressure. This pressure can cause the container to leak around the seals or worse blow out the container. (although I have never seen this happen even with a 10 gallon plastic container.) This is one of the main reasons why you should not carry a plastic container inside a vehicle. Nor do I believe it's even DOT approved.

On a side note: keep in mind if you buy a premade mount, that not all Jerry Cans are the same as you already know there are alot of types out there. I would check with the manufacture of the mount to ensure you get the right cans.

 

Yeah, well the military's margin of safety is alot lower than the civilian sector, so keep that in mind as well. It is probably fine to carry the fuel inside as long as it's a good container in good condition like xxxtreme said. But remember, if you carry it inside, then your rig won't look quite as BA. Just food for thought.

 

Careful with that one, I was a nuclear mechanic onboard a sub. Radiation exposure in a full career in the military is much less than say a 10 year career working in a civilian nuclear plant. Heck were were not even allowed to use click type torque wrenches we had to use beam type because the beam type wrenches are more accurate than even most of your high dollar ones. There is no OSHA requirements on what kinda of torque wenches you must use.

Confined space training/requirements are also more stringent in the military as well. I know this one for a fact because I am also certified in the civilian sector for that.

Military safety/maintenance protocall for firearms is also more stringent than the civilian sector as well as when you can and can not discharge your weapon. Ie does not matter if you fear for your life or not you cannot discharge your weapon unlike the civilian sector.

 

Where in the world did you come up with an idea like that?

I carry mine inside the cab, have never smelled any fuel.

 

wow and I thought I was blunt haha. Thank you for defending the military rob.

I would also like to add, I felt a heck of alot safer with the way things were run on my Sub than I do at my current job. OSHA/DOT/NRA do not police their safety requirements as well as the military does even if they were not as strict in the requirements. So in that I say you are still safer with military safety than you are with civilian safety.

Now if were were talking NHRA/SCCA/NASCAR etc etc then I would have to agree that the safety there is much higher than typical civilian/military.

this is all I am gonna say on the subject as not to hijack the O.P.'s thread anymore. I allowed myself to go this far as it was still somewhat relative to putting the fuel inside the vehicle via a Jerry Can.

 

Whoa guys, slow down a second. I wasn't insulting the military. That opinion came from an engineering design perspective. The military pushes the limits more than the civilian sector does and uses lower safety factors in general than civilian. I don't doubt that a nuclear sub is more exacting than a civilian nuclear power plant, and better run. It's sub, not a power plant (in the traditional sense).

If you compare apples to apples (i.e., not a nuclear sub to a civilian power plant) and are looking at designs, I think you will find that the military pushes the envelope much more than the civilian sector. I bet you will find that military aircraft get more maintenance/service hour than your average 747 does.

It's the nature of the beast, not an insult of the military. You don't get huge leaps in technology coming from the civilian sector, it comes from military. That's the payoff of the added risk taken.

 

Sounds like your talking about research and development more than safety.

As far as the service hours on a military aircraft versus a civilian, this is because the military wants to make sure each and every plane is available at any given time. Airlines do not care if their plane is safe to take off or not in the aspect of they will just grab another plane and use that one if the one they wanted to use is not safe to fly. Or just make the passengers sit in the dang plane for 3 hours while they fix it.

As far as military versus civilian plane crashes, yes more military planes crash then civilian everyone can attest to that, but more often then not it's because it was either shot down or it was pilot error. Typically civilian pilots have more experience then military ones do. Afterall a good portion of civilian pilots come from the military.

 

How did this thread turn into a debate on military safety standards? Lol gotta love YT

 

lol, because I think someone tried to compare a Military Jerry Can to an inferior DOT approved civilian fuel container.

 

1. It's fun.
2. People that post here during work hours probably have the attention span of an ADD 1st grader.

I mean seriously, oh look at that birdie...

 

Not including yourself I assume?

Can we please get back on topic before this guy post somethng stupid again?

 

Oh, I was.

Anyway yes, back to the topic. I would love to see another spare tire location jerry can mount, especially if it were armored better. That would be a great welding project. If only I had a welder.

How much have people noticed a rear bumper mount jerry can holder/spare tire holder change the driving characteristics? How much more advantageous would it be to have the weight of the fuel lower and more over the axle?

 

Haha I really enjoyed reading the little debate that was going on between people who are obviously smarter than I am, at least as far as engineering/military knowledge goes.

That would be a pretty sweet welding project, but I don't have a welder either so I would have to have someone fab up something for me and I'm sure that would be a little pricey...So for now I think I am going to stick with my original idea and just mount one to the roof rack. Maybe down the road when I have some time, a welder and some experience with a welder, I can fab something up for the spare tire location.

The debate above also brought up another question, should I get military-grade Jerry Cans or something that is approved by the DOT? Is there a real difference? Any ideas on a specific company/website I could purchase from? I really like the cans that have a little locking pin to ensure they won't open during transport but I can't seem to find a US-based company that sells them. Does anyone know where I can find these?

 

I'd be glad to help you fab something up if you want to drive down for an afternoon one weeked. I have a good welder and a decent scrap metal pile that we could work with. It would be 1-1/2 to 2 hour drive for you though.

 

oh my gosh. i just found this thread. guess what? i ran out of gas this week, too!

so now i'm doing the same thing. subscribed for later reference

 

He's not kidding, Rob is one of the most helpful people when it comes to wrenching...you can fab one for me too buddy

 

Yeah it is no fun at all! I will keep it updated and let everyone know what I end up doing. I am probably going to take yotarob up on his offer and fab up something for the spare tire location, that just seems like the perfect location where it would be pretty well protected and wouldn't cause any weight distribution issues like putting it on the roof rack would.