Spare Petrol Can

[E53AMG]

I remember the old Jags and the Mini Cooper S with twin tanks, with the Daimler Sovereign when you ran out of fuel you pressed a button on the dash and like magic the fuel gauge went from empty to full, very cool!

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[Dizz]

Had an old MGB which had a dodgy fuel gauge and as such I always carried a gallon in the car, never occurred to me to fix the dam thing [emoji3]


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[Petrol Pete]

I think in Germany its a legal requirement to carry spare fuel as its illegal to run out on the autobahn.
Running out of fuel is a human error and can therefore be avoided.
Can't beat the logic in that. Typical German efficiency.

I believe It's illegal to run out on a motorway in the UK too.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I remember having use of a metal 'Paddy Hopkirk' flat bottomed low profile (wont tip over) fuel can that was filled with a wire mesh to stop the fuel in it from sloshing around. I think it belonged to my late father in law. Lord knows where it is now.

Anyone else remember such a thing ..?

 

[Bellow]

I remember having use of a metal 'Paddy Hopkirk' flat bottomed low profile (wont tip over) fuel can that was filled with a wire mesh to stop the fuel in it from sloshing around. I think it belonged to my late father in law. Lord knows where it is now.

Anyone else remember such a thing ..?

Explosafe - was it not?

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Petrol Pete...Bellow.
I had one of those, Explosave sounds familiar.

 

[Bellow]

IIRC it was aluminium foil, the thinking being that exposed to any potential ignition source the foil conducted the heat away eliminating the fire hazard. Not put it to the test - nor tested the theory that says in very dry brushland, the safest way a woodcutter can extinguish a cigarette is by dropping it in the full fuel tank of their chainsaw...

 

[Istbclass]

Not wishing to be pedantic but surely even with a can of fuel in the boot you have still run out, the only difference is you have the means to put some in when you have run out, if you are prepared to carry 5 litres in a can surely you can ensure you have an extra 5 lites in the tank. Get into the habit of always having at least 2 gallons in the yank and you will have at least 120 miles of fuel.
Even with a petrol can in the boot I would not like to have to put it in the tank when stopped on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Not wishing to be pedantic but surely even with a can of fuel in the boot you have still run out, the only difference is you have the means to put some in when you have run out, if you are prepared to carry 5 litres in a can surely you can ensure you have an extra 5 lites in the tank. Get into the habit of always having at least 2 gallons in the yank and you will have at least 120 miles of fuel.
Even with a petrol can in the boot I would not like to have to put it in the tank when stopped on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder.

My comments exactly. We seem to be trying to fix a problem that does not (should not) exist!

 

[brucemillar]

I believe It's illegal to run out on a motorway in the UK too.

There has been a recent well published case : Tammy Langton jailed after running out of petrol on M25, death of cousin | Daily Mail Online

 

[Edd1968]

I used to carry spare cans of fuel on my old 109 Bruce. You could always rig up something like this on the Kygo

... I'll get my coat!

 

[Deleted member 126251]

There has been a recent well published case : Tammy Langton jailed after running out of petrol on M25, death of cousin | Daily Mail Online

Bit of a spurious post there - she was not jailed for running out of fuel.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Not wishing to be pedantic but surely even with a can of fuel in the boot you have still run out, the only difference is you have the means to put some in when you have run out, if you are prepared to carry 5 litres in a can surely you can ensure you have an extra 5 lites in the tank. Get into the habit of always having at least 2 gallons in the yank and you will have at least 120 miles of fuel.
Even with a petrol can in the boot I would not like to have to put it in the tank when stopped on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder.

Edit: " 2 gallons will take me 40 miles..if I am driving miss Daisy ...good point though.

 

[Neiltodd]

I carried two 10 litre cans round europe last year thru the various Swiss and Italian passes, came in v handy partly because my mates Jag 4.2 Jag XK we were touring with could do 400 to a tank whereas I had around 300 so could tie in fuel stops and rest breaks

 

[Peter103]

IIRC it was aluminium foil, the thinking being that exposed to any potential ignition source the foil conducted the heat away eliminating the fire hazard. Not put it to the test - nor tested the theory that says in very dry brushland, the safest way a woodcutter can extinguish a cigarette is by dropping it in the full fuel tank of their chainsaw...

When riding through Greece in the late seventies on my 500cc Honda twin, the petrol attendant filled the fuel tank while smoking a cigarette, and me astride the bike. I couldnt get off, and not speaking Greek seemed pointless to wrestle the pump off him, too late for that, but I vaguely remembered an old schoolmaster who told us of an oil tanker ship's captain, when coming into port would stand over the open hatches and drop his half smoked cigar into the hold, and lived to tell the tale. Bit of a dangerous way to prove a point. Happy days.

 

[219]

View attachment 85052

I have one of these , bought it 30+ years ago .

B&Q do a nice mini Jerry Can ( metal ) for about £15 , I carry one in the SL .

Arco do very nice yellow metal cans , similar to the ones Paddy Hopkirk used to market , with the 'explosafe' mesh inside , in either 5L or 10L capacities ; I carry a 10L one in the 190 .

Rhinocan Fuel Can | Cans and Funnels | Workplace | Arco UK


I wouldn't go anywhere without spare fuel , although more often it is given to others than used for myself .

AFAIK , the only place it is illegal to carry is Northern Ireland , and that was a while back so may have changed ( it was something they used to ask before you boarded the ferry , and if you had any they made you pour it into your main tank .

 

[219]

I remember having use of a metal 'Paddy Hopkirk' flat bottomed low profile (wont tip over) fuel can that was filled with a wire mesh to stop the fuel in it from sloshing around. I think it belonged to my late father in law. Lord knows where it is now.

Anyone else remember such a thing ..?

'Explosafe' mesh breaks the fuel down into small cells and prevents explosion , even if you drop a match in it will just burn slowly . Nothing to do with sloshing around , see my photo above .

https://www.jerrycans.co.uk/product/rhino-explosafe-fuel-can-10-litre/

Paddy Hopkirk Explosafe Steel Fuel Can, 10 ltr size


EXPLOSAFE :: SYSTEM

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[219]

I've looked for a smaller, and safe, fuel tank that I can carry in my inflatable tender and not found one yet.
I tried a s/s thermos but the rubber seals expand and become useless.

There are military style Jerry cans that look to have respectable filler caps, but they are upright types so would need supporting. I guess in theory they 'should' be alright lay down but I wouldn't be happy leaving one that way.

Arco do a safety can , but it isn't cheap

Metal Safety Storage Can | Cans and Funnels | Workplace | Arco UK

The MB spare wheel can is designed to either lie flat or stand upright , depending on the car , it came with a choice of fitting kits for vertical or horizontal mounting depending whether you had a saloon with he spare under the boot floor or an estate with it vertical at the side , and mince never ever leaked .

 

[219]

Not wishing to be pedantic but surely even with a can of fuel in the boot you have still run out, the only difference is you have the means to put some in when you have run out, if you are prepared to carry 5 litres in a can surely you can ensure you have an extra 5 lites in the tank. Get into the habit of always having at least 2 gallons in the yank and you will have at least 120 miles of fuel.
Even with a petrol can in the boot I would not like to have to put it in the tank when stopped on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder.

Perhaps cars have taken a step backwards in doing away with the reserve tap that used to be commonplace: my Ponton had it , as did a Beetle , Triumph Herald , and my motorbike . It was very simple , involving the normal pickup pipe being some distance from the bottom , and when it ran dry , you turned the tap to pickup from the bottom of the tank , knowing you had a gallon or two in reserve . No need to get out , and if you knew what was happening, with the Ponton where you pulled a knob under the dash , you could catch it without stopping as the engine started to splutter .
Such a simple thing , but modern cars did away with it .

 

[BTB 500]

Perhaps cars have taken a step backwards in doing away with the reserve tap that used to be commonplace: my Ponton had it , as did a Beetle , Triumph Herald , and my motorbike . It was very simple , involving the normal pickup pipe being some distance from the bottom , and when it ran dry , you turned the tap to pickup from the bottom of the tank , knowing you had a gallon or two in reserve . No need to get out , and if you knew what was happening, with the Ponton where you pulled a knob under the dash , you could catch it without stopping as the engine started to splutter .
Such a simple thing , but modern cars did away with it .

What's the advantage of that over the modern low fuel light and warning message plus remaining range display?