Upcoming Trip Advice: Jerry Cans Inside or On The Roof

[Chaldaean]

Next week, we're headed away from gas stations into northern Maine. I will be bringing four (4) NATO style jerry cans (German origin surplus; image below) for a total of 20 gallons (approx 150 lbs of fuel/can).

This weekend, I've got to decide whether to:

(1) Weld up a "basket style" carrier for the four cans and affix it to a pair of gutter-mount Thule bars. Ideally, I would like to mount the cans in the upright (tallest) position for ease of siphoning. This would be worst-case center of gravity position, but would avoid the need to unfasten the cans and rotate them upright prior to opening. If the cans were stored on their side and not up-righted prior to opening, I don't think you could fill them as full ("to the brim"); might be wrong, though.

(2) Fabricate a means to secure the four cans inside the cab. The seals on the cans are new and no fumes can be smelled when in an enclosed space.

I posted this in the "80-Series Tech" section (rather than the in "Expedition Builds" etc.) in the hopes of comparing apples-to-apples from folks that have experience with weight on the roof of an 80.

I've got a medium OME lift and front/rear swaybars are installed.

Does anyone have experience with four or more jerry cans on the roof?

Thanks, All!

 

[nakman]

With swaybars on it's fine tippy-wise, with swaybars removed it can feel like a hot marshmellow. I wouldn't worry about it from a handling perspective... but your mileage will suffer particularly if those guys are upright. If you get off camber, it will feel more tippy than you're used to

I have done 2 full cans of gas, plus enough other junk to equal the weight of two more cans and then some. the blue water jugs in this picture were empty, but the gas cans were full..

to fill them when they're laying down, can't you fill them on the ground and have someone hand them up to you? that's what I did..

 

[e9999]

done 4 full cans and more stuff on roof while on mild-medium terrain. No problem. My surplus jerry cans don't leak a drop normally either so could do it inside but takes too much room and I'm not that fond of the idea of gas inside for safety reasons either. Then again I can see some nasty scenarii with gas on the roof too in case of a roll over or a loose can. But all in all, I'd rather have them on the roof. Upright will give you more of an mpg hit though, but that's what I did in part cuz I had some more junk in front so it didn't matter much.
I have secured some boat gas cans that will work better though, flat and can be emptied easily from up there.
I would want to make darn sure that any cans up there can't possibly fly off (as in being in a mount with rigid sides).

 

[Corbet]

I've run my Scepter cans back from town to home with fuel in my Hanna carrier (12 miles). Would not hesitate to wheel with them inside as long as the caps are on tight. But a leak would suck.

 

[atomicshawn]

If you are sure they don't leak, and you don't need the space inside, that is where I would put them to keep your center of gravity low. I guess something else to consider would be safety issues with the cans inside like e9999 mentioned; the only thing worse than a roll over would be a roll over with 20 gallons of fuel rattling around with you inside the cab.

But If you are like us, putting them inside wouldn’t be an option. We bring up to 4 kids and our dog, and often do 5, 6, and 7 day trips in the desert so must carry a lot of supplies to keep that many bodies alive. I have an aux fuel tank so at most I carry an emergency 5 gal Scepter. It's water that is the problem.

With our rack fully loaded with gear including up to 20 gallons of fluid we have been on 6+ rated trails: Poison Spider, Hole in the Rock, Hotel Rock, and have managed to keep it right side up. I do try to lay the cans flat when possible to keep a low profile, which seems to help.

Unless you are doing class 7 and over trails, or if you are not confident in your driving abilities when things get a little technical, I wouldn’t worry about putting em on top.

Edit: if your hauling fuel often you might want to consider an aux tank, one of the most useful mods I have done.

 

[Vasir]

i hate to derail this topic but these photos are making me want a black cruiser... AHHHH!

edit:

to add info that is useful to the OP: Id rather discover my fuel can leaks on the roof than find a puddle inside w me. you will never get that smell out and you will have a massive headache not to mention it seeping into the carpet and whatever else in the interior; chances are you will be fine on the paint side (as far as it just wiping off) since it isnt a long term leak on the paint.

 

[atomicshawn]

...these photos are making me want a black cruiser... AHHHH!

The color of my truck is actually the oh so rare dark metalic green. I think nakman's might be too. Looks good but kind of difficult to keep it that way, especially if you actually use the beast. IMHO dark colors kind of suck.

 

[Vasir]

Oh you're right! I had to adjust my phone's brightness to see the green. Still making me jealous. I kind of hate the red on my lx... I almost want to sell it and look for a locked cruiser that is a dark color..... Okay sorry for the derail again!

 

[patrickfinley]

Hitting up Allagash?? I will say that Northern Maine is one of the rare places in the lower 48 where extra gas cans will come in handy. I've been as high as Moosehead lake region, great country!!! If you're over in that region there is a last gas station/post office/general store/police station/etc in the booming town of Kakadjo Maine population 33. It's all logging road after that.

Seems like no matter how good your cans are, if they are inside it will always smell a bit. I'd say go roof, but leave the cans empty until you're just about to head off road. That way at least you're not top heavy at high speeds.

 

[ppc]

A few years back there was a Land Cruiser that exploded and burned killing the driver. The police investigation reported that the LC exited the freeway and stopped halfway up the exit. A gas container (not a jerry can) was found in the back. They concluded that the container must have leaked fumes and the driver pulled off the freeway to stop to fix or get fresh air. They concluded that the driver tried to lower the window and a spark from the window switch caused the explosion. Mostly all speculation because it happened on a Sunday morning with no witnesses. Now every time I carry my containers for the lawn mower to the station I make sure I have plenty of ventilation before they go inside. No matter how good you think the seals work on your jerry cans the unexpected could happen. I have no desire to end it all as a crispy critter.

 

[shermantank55]

We have had no problems with cans on top. I have them on one side instead of bottom so profile is lower. I located the can tray on the filler side of the roof so we could use the siphon without moving the cans. Just remember to fill the cans in the same orientation so as not to overfill.
Also attached are pix of a Discovery and FJ Cruiser with similar setup.
We once had a 5 gal can in the back of our 55 and despite our best efforts, the fumes were terrible and we pulled it out as soon as we could put the gas into the main tank.
Cheers
Greg

 

[nakman]

A few years back there was a Land Cruiser that exploded and burned killing the driver. The police investigation reported that the LC exited the freeway and stopped halfway up the exit. A gas container (not a jerry can) was found in the back. They concluded that the container must have leaked fumes and the driver pulled off the freeway to stop to fix or get fresh air. They concluded that the driver tried to lower the window and a spark from the window switch caused the explosion. Mostly all speculation because it happened on a Sunday morning with no witnesses. Now every time I carry my containers for the lawn mower to the station I make sure I have plenty of ventilation before they go inside. No matter how good you think the seals work on your jerry cans the unexpected could happen. I have no desire to end it all as a crispy critter.

Wow. another reason to put them up top. I would put a panic stop on the highway as probability 1 for all worst case scenarios- then decide from there where you'd rather have 20 gallons of gas and 4 heavy metal bricks.


And yes, the rare green emerald pearl here as well..

 

[Land Shark]

I was hauling 5- 20 gal septors this past February on the roof. I looked back at one point and it looked like I had a faucet turned on my back window. The cap had not exactly sealed properly. I was so glad this was not in the truck. I lost about a gallon but it was all on the outside. If it had been on the inside I would have never got that smell out and the trip would have sucked.

 

[DBWood]

A good friend is a pipe fitter. He had a 25lb LPG in the back of his work van

 

[DBWood]

A good friend is a pipe fitter. He had a 25lb LPG in the back of his work van

My bad! ******IPhone!
... As I was saying, pipe fitter used to carry a 25lb LPG in the back of his work van.
Got in one day and lit a smoke before he realized it was leaking. He is lucky to be alive today. The blast sent him through the windshield. He has some nasty scars, and, you will never see him with a fuel container of any kind inside a vehicle. Also freaks out on ANYone he sees doing so....
Just my .02$, but I would keep it outside.

 

[94SRUNNER]

From my experience of following Tom Sheppard's teaching as a legendary overlander, he regularly stores fuel in and on his rig during his treks through the Empty Quarter and other areas. Granted Tom is storing diesel fuel and it is less volatile than gasoline, but if proper precautions are taken and the appropriate containers are used, it should be safe to do the same with gasoline. You must know your gear and limitations in these situations. And as always, SAFETY FIRST!

As a note, overland travel is quite different than wheeling, so again proper precautions should be taken.





(1400)

 

[94SRUNNER]

Chaldaean...anything to report back on what you ended up doing with your fuel cans?

 

[Elbert]

maybe late post at this point...but I would not have any containers of gas inside the vehicle no matter what the design. Diesel is different ...I would almost take a shower in diesel fuel and not have much concern. Regardless no fuel containers in the vehicle. I know on short notice not a lot of planning to be had, but I have a dual nato can mount on my rear bumper.

 

[1FZj80]

You have the metal NATO cans which are great and as long as the spout gaskets are good you should be ok if you put them inside the truck. Do not put plastic inside!!! Plastic melts when exposed to heat or fire and creates a 3-dimensional fire. Not good

 

[Chaldaean]

Firstly, thanks for the all the great advice and the awesome pictures. Your responses really helped. Good stuff.

Chaldaean...anything to report back on what you ended up doing with your fuel cans?

We're leaving for the trip tomorrow night, so I haven't tested anything yet.

However, I ended up going with both options; on the roof and inside.

Another buddy joined the trip and we needed more cargo space, so I put the ski box on the roof. At that point, I decided to make a rack for only two cans. I got some scrap metal from work (unused pallet rack sections -- hence the orange color) and welded up a rack. I sacrificed the convenicnce of an upright can arrangement in favor or aerodynamics and lower COG with the cans laying of their sides. Some 7/32" thick rubber is riveted to the surfaces that contact the cans and t the rubber on the bottom section can be lifted to access the u-bolts securing it to the Thule rack. The best u-bolts I found (proper width and threaded length) were from unistrut beam clamps (purchased at Home Depot). The "wings" on the rack do not contact the cans, but will keep them in line if things loosen up. There is a check-nut on the two 1/2-13x10" bolts (threaded into a nut welded into the bottom portion) to help stop them from backing out due to vibration. I didn't think I needed a lock on the gas cans, but the need for a 3/4" wrench will keep the honest folks honest.

For peace of mind, I got new gaskets for the cans ($2.50 each) from swissarmyvehicles.com (good service; fast shipping) and also sprayed a fresh coat of paint (Home Depot has some "camo" colored paint that is also ultra-flat).

For the trip, I plan on taking the two cans on the roof. However, if we have "extra" room inside, I'll throw two more cans in an Action Packer and strap it to the floor. If the cans leak, then the Action Packer will contain the spill and won't stink up the carpet. However, I feel good about the seal after installing the new gaskets.

That's the plan, but we'll see how well it works. I'll circle back around to this thread after the trip and post some feedback.