Gas can hauling safety

[Jey]

Hey guys

So I?m trying to find the safest way to haul 5gal & 2.5 gal gas cans.

I?ve only ever hauled 2.5gal in the bed of my truck when I hauled my seadoo but that was short hauls.

Now I?ll have a generator in the bed of my truck and need to keep fuel on hand for long trips. I?ve seen a few people haul them on their trailer but I didn?t know if that was a safer option vs the bed of the truck. I have a tonneau cover as well so it would be a semi sealed environment.

Maybe I?m over thinking this but I want to be safe.

Anyone who hauls fuel with them where do you put it?

 

[darsben]

The obvious is to haul them empty till you are close to your destination then fill them

 

[Lou Schneider]

Secure the cans in a frame so they can't tip over and spill, and make a way for air to circulate under the Tonneau cover so any gas vapors can't build up to dangerous levels.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Approved gas containers, tightly secured and in a well-vented area is as safe as you can get. Nothing much is going to help in a rollover or major accident, but short of that you will be fine.

 

[dave54]

In the bed of the truck.  Secured with a cargo strap, not a bungee.

I never use bungees or ropes in the pickup bed.  Real straps only.

 

[Velociraptor]

How many gallons you need? Buy a DOT approved gas tank and bolt it down in the bedor to trailer. I keep a 55 gallon one in my bed, with electric pump, for my boats ethanol free premium but you can buy any size you want.  RDS makes several. Otherwise secured fuel can with ventilation.

 

[Jey]

How many gallons you need? Buy a DOT approved gas tank and bolt it down in the bedor to trailer. I keep a 55 gallon one in my bed, with electric pump, for my boats ethanol free premium but you can buy any size you want.  RDS makes several. Otherwise secured fuel can with ventilation.

I wanted to have a minimum of 5 gallons on me. Preferably 8 to fill my generator several times

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Many people find larger cans, e.g. 5 gallon, awkward to handle for filling small engine fuel tanks.  2.0 or 2.5 gallon is a much more convenient size and weight.  There are many decent quality 2 or 2.5 gallon cans available, metal or plastic, but a lot of them are round and that may be harder to secure well. Rectangular shapes pack better, and metal cans are often more rigid than the lesser grades of plastic cans.  Can rigidity is a factor when tying down with a strap.

The military style "jerry can" is generally taller and rectangular in shape, most are metal, and come in sizes from 1-5 gallons.
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/us-military-style-reproduction-jerry-can-10-liter-25-gallon?a=1584047
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Biltek-Jerry-Can-2-1-2-Gallon-10L-Gas-Fuel-Army-NATO-Military-Style-Metal-Green-Tank-Prepper/190448038


You can also buy brackets designed to hold the "jerry can" style of can.https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wavian-2-5-Gal-10-Liter-Jerry-Can-Mounting-System-for-Fuel-and-Gas-Holder-Black/352654777360

 

[SpencerPJ]

Place gas cans in plastic milk crate. Keeps them upright, especially with a towel, and easy to bungee cord secure

 

[Rob&Deryl]

Place gas cans in plastic milk crate. Keeps them upright, especially with a towel, and easy to bungee cord secure

Bungee cord not secure. Use tie down strap. Non stretchy. With violent truck maneuvers, bungees May let the load move or tip.

 

[Velociraptor]

I like Gary?s JerryCan with mounts idea the best.

 

[HueyPilotVN]

I have two built in gas tanks for 50 gallons.  The back 5 gallon NATO can is for others that might run out of gas.

 

[Madcow]

While a little pricy, Rotopax makes gas cans that you can beat up pretty bad before they fail.  I keep 4 of their 2 gallon cans in my semi truck rail side box all the time to fuel a portable generator I use when stopped to cut down on engine idling.  I keep them filled.  They have been bouncing around in that box for almost 1 million miles.  Scuffed and a little dirty, but doing fine.  I even took one out one time and threw it as hard as I could against a concrete wall to see if it would fail.  It still rides in the box doing great.  No leaks of any kind.  Good user controlled flow pour spouts.

You get one or more of these cans and you have quality fuel cans for the rest of your life.

https://rotopax.com/rotopax/rotopax/