DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
I have a hard time thinking a better test mule than Daniel's 80.
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Jerry cans, Fuel cans. Let's discuss...Scepter? Nato? Other?
- Thread starter CardinalFJ60
- Start date
rover67
Rising Sun Member
I use the metal NATO cans (mine are grey colored ex french millitay ones?) for overlanding (not camping) and unleaded at home. They have old gaskets, I've never had a leak, they don't swell much, they are pretty easy to open tool-less. I love them. Same Swiss nozzle Wes posted but with a reducer for the unleaded restrictor on cars. I use my scepter cans for diesel at home. They work great but they are hard to open sometimes. they never leak but I only haul them to and from the gas station in the car and don't drive around like an idiot with them in there (unlike the metal cans in the cruiser where i do drive like an idiot sometimes).
I'd trust both but I have developed so much trust in my NATO cans it's reeeeal hard to change.
I tell ya what does piss me off, a while ago i got a scepter water can, one of these gems: https://www.lexingtoncontainercompa...cepter Military Water Cans and LCI Water Cans.
It leaks when its on its side unless it is wrench tight and pisses me right the f off every time. Why they didn't design it to have an O-Ring i'll never know.
I'd trust both but I have developed so much trust in my NATO cans it's reeeeal hard to change.
I tell ya what does piss me off, a while ago i got a scepter water can, one of these gems: https://www.lexingtoncontainercompa...cepter Military Water Cans and LCI Water Cans.
It leaks when its on its side unless it is wrench tight and pisses me right the f off every time. Why they didn't design it to have an O-Ring i'll never know.
rover67
Rising Sun Member
Oh and Dave I think Jackson is being sarcastic.
The only fuel cans I've ever used are my Rotopax cans. After three years of solid use, through hot summers and cold winters, none of them leak and I've never had to change any of the gaskets (I'm not even sure there are any). Two of my cans literally hang upside down, and I've never seen them leak a drop. I'm also a big fan of how easy it is to lock them up while still on the truck (and unlock them when I need them). They're kind of pricey, but they hold up well and I love the myriad of different mounting options.
Inukshuk
Rising Sun Member
Like 2x to Baja and chasing the Baja 1000 for example.You tell me, did they leak?
Haha I was being very sarcastic. They survived plenty of beating
I just bought that Swiss nozzle yesterday. I need to get a reducer?
rover67
Rising Sun Member
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/modifying-nato-can-nozzles-for-unleaded-filler-restrictions.219223/
I did that and it works well
I did that and it works well
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Precisely.Like 2x to Baja and chasing the Baja 1000 for example.
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
I have several Scepter cans that I strap both flat and standing on my roof rack. Yes, they bloat. But they have NEVER leaked. I have often wondered how much bloating before they explode! They definitely stretch. But I wouldn't trade them for anything, the way that I use them. I don't know of any others that can be strapped flat on the roof without leaking. I do have the Scepter spout and the AWESOME woodsman tool for opening (both a MUST in my opinion).
If I ever have a dedicated holder that would stand them upright, I might try something else. But for now, it is Scepter.
That said, I also have a large boat gas tank that I strap on top. Obviously boats do a lot of bouncing, so this thing works awesome. I rigged up a valve and hose, and the pressure build pushes the gas straight down into the tank without any effort or priming. It works great. That tank also expands (bloats) a lot when I put it on top. When we go deep, I bring this large boat tank, and two 5 gallon Scepters.
Edit: You can see the boat tank and the scepters next to it in this photo on Hole in the Rock.
They definitely stretch. But I wouldn't trade them for anything, the way that I use them. I don't know of any others that can be strapped flat on the roof without leaking. I do have the Scepter spout and the AWESOME woodsman tool for opening (both a MUST in my opinion).If I ever have a dedicated holder that would stand them upright, I might try something else. But for now, it is Scepter.
That said, I also have a large boat gas tank that I strap on top. Obviously boats do a lot of bouncing, so this thing works awesome. I rigged up a valve and hose, and the pressure build pushes the gas straight down into the tank without any effort or priming. It works great. That tank also expands (bloats) a lot when I put it on top. When we go deep, I bring this large boat tank, and two 5 gallon Scepters.
Edit: You can see the boat tank and the scepters next to it in this photo on Hole in the Rock.
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CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
similar experience for me, too...the swell, 95+ degrees two fuel cans on the roof...no leak, no smell, nothing. bloated like hell. I do love my scepters. I know I can count on them not to leak at all.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
I wonder if how you operate Scepters makes experiences different. I try to be mindful of temperature when I fill them and to equalize pressures periodically. If you seal them when it's warm they tend to resist collapsing better when it cools down than the other way. If it's cold when you seal them up they blow up like balloons in the heat.
But ultimately they are designed to deal with arctic to desert environments by grunts who probably couldn't care less about their longevity and they last forever even despite that. Same with the steel NATO cans, actually.
But ultimately they are designed to deal with arctic to desert environments by grunts who probably couldn't care less about their longevity and they last forever even despite that. Same with the steel NATO cans, actually.
Same experience here... and the spouts work pretty well for filling up and not getting gas everywhere. Mine stay in the garage empty most of the time but when they come out they always work. Spendy, yes. But I like how they lay flat and are stackable with their mounts, I usually run 1 gas and 1 water on the spare tire.
Stuckinthe80s
Rising Sun Member
Yeah, I wonder how many marines have taken swigs out of the fuel cans and/or filled their Hummers up with the water cans?
BritKLR
Vice Commander
Yeah, I wonder how many marines have taken swigs out of the fuel cans and/or filled their Hummers up with the water cans?
I know of at least one surplus / local government owned M1008 that didn't run very well on water from a can....
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
But did it really run any worse? Everyone love to hate them but I'm pretty sure you could dump Keystone in the tank and it would still rattle along.
BritKLR
Vice Commander
I loved that truck! The fueling mishap happened during the 1993 Missouri river floods. That truck was used for levee patrols and frequently ended up with water coming in the windows but, it never stopped or got stuck. As for the water in the tank, once it was realized what had happened, a garden hose got shoved in the tank, a few sucks, the entire tank got dumped on the ground (yuck) and new fuel put in the tank, then some rough running, stumbling, violent shaking, smoke and after awhile it ran like normal......fleet never knew the difference. It was still in service as a firearms range truck in 2012 when I retired, same engine, same trans, same everything. Tough old thing.
hah....I knew I had an old picture of that beast. Circa 2010, It was still being used to train young Deputies how to off-road in good old Missouri mud.
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Stuckinthe80s
Rising Sun Member
Yeah, those 6.2 diesels get a lot of hate but they sure were good engines. Not super powerful but damn reliable.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
I filled many sandbags along the River des Peres during that flood. It was my last summer home working at the bike shop (South Side Cyclery represent) the summer between semesters at SEMO. I ended up the next year with a job in the MO Research Park in Weldon Springs and flooding the bottoms along 40/61 was an annual PITA until the Blues built a practice rink and the levees got taller.I loved that truck! The fueling mishap happened during the 1993 Missouri river floods. That truck was used for levee patrols and frequently ended up with water coming in the windows but, it never stopped or got stuck. As for the water in the tank, once it was realized what had happened, a garden hose got shoved in the tank, a few sucks, the entire tank got dumped on the ground (yuck) and new fuel put in the tank, then some rough running, stumbling, violent shaking, smoke and after awhile it ran like normal......fleet never knew the difference. It was still in service as a firearms range truck in 2012 when I retired, same engine, same trans, same everything. Tough old thing.
hah....I knew I had an old picture of that beast. Circa 2010, It was still being used to train young Deputies how to off-road in good old Missouri mud.
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DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Started to get a scent from mine and found they finally succumbed to their Achilles heel. The milsurp MFCs are designed for diesel and so come with rubber seals. When you use them for gasoline you have to replace those with Viton. The rubber ones swell with gasoline and break the cap flanges.
The Viton I use are on the left and I think the right one is the original rubber.
I did this but one had completely split, one was in the process and the third still fine. I went ahead and replaced the original plastic flanges with those aluminum ones Fritz (the guy behind JAGMTE) makes.
Aluminum Cap Flange
Pick from the Quantity drop-down list to get discounts Finally! The LAST FLANGE YOU WILL EVER BUY! Bullet proof your Scepter Military Fuel Can. This flange makes the Scepter MFC what it always should have been. An extremely durable, dependable and worry free way to transport fuel under...
jagmte.com
I have no doubt these will outlast the cans! I bet if a fella's MFCs leak or smell this is the reason. Either they are still using rubber seals or the flanges have cracked. The flange is part of the seal and needs to be present if you use the ring shape seals. It both seals inner threads and retains the seal. If you put in a solid disk then you wouldn't need the ring anymore.