Jerry cans - worth the effort or just an encumberance?

D and D · Guru

Jerry cans - worth the effort or just an encumberance?

Vic41 · Guru

Could be handy to carry an empty one for those occasions where fuel prices are over the top or before travelling long distances where refuelling is expensive or a long way between fuelling stops. Fill the container before proceeding to those places, put it in the tank later if not needed.

I have usually found any I have carried are still full when I get home, although have used them on occasions. Fuel is approx. 1 litre = 1 kg so the less weight the better. Depends on wether you are going to do much remote travel off road or otherwise too.

-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 30th of December 2013 06:03:08 PM

tonyd · Guru

Travelling in the Pilbara or Kimberley in WA, jerries are absolutely essential. There are stretches of hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of NOTHING . . .road house, fuel stop or whatever.

Or much of interest, if it comes to that, though that may be a subjective impression.

Cheers, Tony

Bunkerbob · Senior Member

I carry a 10 litre with unleaded for the generator and chainsaw. We also carry a 20 litre of diesel primarily for the diesel heater but also as an emergency truck fuel. Diesel weighs 8.5 kg for 10 litres (85g per litre) so a 20 is 17 kgs plus fuel can. Carry a few of them and it does add up but cheaper than running out.

Delta18 · Guru

tonyd wrote:
Travelling in the Pilbara or Kimberley in WA, jerries are absolutely essential. There are stretches of hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of NOTHING . . .road house, fuel stop or whatever.
Cheers, Tony

I can't think of anywhere in WA, or in Australia for that matter where there are stretches of Highway without at least one service station within fuel range of any car/van fuel tank.

Having said that, I often carry a couple jerrys for our regular Perth = Adelaide caravan trips so as to get from Norseman to Mundrabilla (600odd km) to miss the 4 rip-off stations in between.

This is my choice, hardly essential.

Cheers Neil

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

tonyd wrote:
Travelling in the Pilbara or Kimberley in WA, jerries are absolutely essential. There are stretches of hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of NOTHING . . .road house, fuel stop or whatever.
Or much of interest, if it comes to that, though that may be a subjective impression.
Cheers, Tony

Clearly never been there?

Cheers,

Peter

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Am I correct in thinking that once a jerry has had petrol in it, it will retain the fumes etc, and you have to treat it with the same care as when it was full?

From experience, would recommend at least 2 x 10 litre (because they are easier to carry) jerries for spare drinking water as not all water you may have access to is drinkable. (In excess to the water-tanks on your van or m/home)

-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Monday 30th of December 2013 07:58:15 PM

rosco532 · Senior Member

D and D ......Yes we do carry spare water and yes we do carry extra fuel.......Hopefully not for us to use but in case we are able to help someone who has a vehicle boiling or run out of fuel......The water we have helped many,many motorists with.

Cheers

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Used to carry 20l diesel for the 4wd, just in case, always put it into the 4WD tank when we got home!!!

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I carry two 10lt metal jerry cans as they are easier to handle, I only carry water in the plastic ones.

D and D · Guru

Thanks guys, gives me something to think about. It was the diesel I was wondering about given its relatively short shelf life and since we aren't going anywhere that we'll need the heater any time soon I reckon I'll give the diesel a miss.

native pepper · Senior Member

D and D wrote:
Thanks guys, gives me something to think about. It was the diesel I was wondering about given its relatively short shelf life and since we aren't going anywhere that we'll need the heater any time soon I reckon I'll give the diesel a miss.

We have diesel in our boat which would have been there for 10 years and it sill runs very well on it. It holds 5000lt and as we don't go very far in it now, been no need to put more fuel in until it gets below 500lt. It does have an additive in it for moisture as water will break down diesel quickly.

-- Edited by native pepper on Tuesday 31st of December 2013 10:19:32 AM

elliemike · Guru

If I am travelling in areas where fuel filling points are well spaced out like the e.g. Eyre Hwy, or say North of Perth etc. Having a full 20ltr can of diesel is just part of the trip planning. Some areas it is advisable to carry it full, or just half a can (10 ltrs) I alway have the Heater Fuel (diesel) to use. It's one of the decisions made every few days travelling. Do I need the fuel in the can for the next week ? if no " Put it in the tank".

I like most, invariably put the spare diesel in the car tank just before getting home.

However there have been occasions when I was awfully glad of having 10 or 20 litres available. One recently in the Gascoyne Region of WA

I have on two occasions years ago, passed Servo's thinking that there was another further ahead to fill up at. One was shut for the night (in the middle of nowhere) and camping out of the question. The other time I miscalculated the distance and what I had left in the tank. Even with the ten litres of spare fuel put in, I was running on empty for so long then the servo lights coming up just visible on the horizon when I was thinking were going to run out now. You dont want to run a diesel dry. Well not that old one.

I always carry spare fuel on a trip, Just the quantity varies.

Years ago my uncle was coming home about 2 am in the morning from a job. Driving down the long country road he saw a man walking the opposite way in the dark.

About a couple of kilometres further on he saw his workmates car parked at the side of the road. He turned around realising that was his mate he had passed. (these were both senior Fire Brigade Officers, Liverpool UK)

Turns out he had run out of petrol, and was heading to a Garage to buy some, and a can of course.

Uncle Syd picks him up and they head for the Servo to get petrol. On the way my uncle said to him. "Ted I thought you were the bloke who never went anywhere without a can of juice in the boot"

Yeh he replied, " I always carry a gallon for emergencies". ? Then he realised what he had said.

I suppose he could have had a hard day fighting fires or sommat.

-- Edited by elliemike on Tuesday 31st of December 2013 02:33:46 PM

Mr B2 · Senior Member

Kunnunura to Halls Creek in Northern WA, does not have any fuel between them, Or didnt,

Fittzroy Crossing and the Coast doesnt either,

Zoomtopz · Guru

I suppose the only Need for jerry cans , if you detour to sites , then back to highway & the long tracks - Ann Bedell hwy etc .

Gerty , don't know about the petrol smell , had a mate who welded a jerry can for me , he rinsed it out with water , got me

to run 'old inter' while he held the neck of the jerry can up to the exhaust for 5 minutes , then cut & welded it .

I sometimes will carry a 20 & 10 litre on long trips , mainly for the price , not always a Shell servo handy for discount .

Got a 25c per litre one - so will fill my car , Herself's car , ride on jerry can & the rest of th 150l in diesel jerry cans.

Richo

Delta18 · Guru

Mr B2 wrote:

Kunnunura to Halls Creek in Northern WA, does not have any fuel between them, Or didnt,

Fittzroy Crossing and the Coast doesnt either,

Kununurra to Hall's Creek is only 360km.

Fitzroy Crossing to the coast? Derby is probably the closest coast and that would be 260km

All sealed roads now too.

tonyd · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

Clearly never been there?

Au contraire, I returned in October after a 3-month, 10,000km trip up there. Interesting in parts. Liked the boab trees and the hills near Kununurra. Quite a bit offroad, so I carried 50 litres of diesel in 10l jerries. Needed it, too.

I'll concede that some of the countryside is not too bad, but the towns generally are the pits. Whyndam makes Bangladesh look like an attractive holiday destination. What a desolate dump.

Never mind, the south west and south coast makes up for it all: green, clean and MUCH closer to Perth.

Cheers, Tony

hako · Guru

Back in the early 70's I was working at Lae in New Guinea - a workmate used to scavenge scrap metal from the old WW2 airfield at Nadzab where hundreds of aircraft etc were ploughed in at the end of WW2. He ran his Morris Minor on old aviation fuel found ploughed in. Ran OK. I remember one time when he came back to Lae from a trip to Nadzab with most of a wing from a DC3 strapped to the roof of his Morris....quite a sight.
Most of what he found was crushed by hand into 44 gal drums and sent south to Sims Metal. He employed a team of bois...$6 a week wages.
Funny how things turn out - he made quite a bit of cash this way and his French missus disappeared with it all.

-- Edited by hako on Wednesday 1st of January 2014 10:48:56 PM

elliemike · Guru

hako wrote:
Back in the early 70's I was working at Lae in New Guinea - a workmate used to scavenge scrap metal from the old WW2 airfield at Nadzab where hundreds of aircraft etc were ploughed in at the end of WW2. He ran his Morris Minor on old aviation fuel found ploughed in. Ran OK. I remember one time when he came back to Lae from a trip to Nadzab with most of a wing from a DC3 strapped to the roof of his Morris....quite a sight.
Most of what he found was crushed by hand into 44 gal drums and sent south to Sims Metal. He employed a team of bois...$6 a week wages.
Funny how things turn out - he made quite a bit of cash this way and his French missus disappeared with it all.

-- Edited by hako on Wednesday 1st of January 2014 10:48:56 PM

Jerry Cans ! bit lost on the relevance of this above Hako