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I want to carry a 55 gallon barrel of gasoline on the back of my truck while traveling outside the country. And I would like to be able to transfer it to the gas tank (if necessary) without having to use a siphon. (Had an accident once with a mouthful of gas that got inhaled and so do not siphon gas ever if I can possibly avoid it.)
I looked up fuel transfer pumps and found a 12vdc pump that will move about 30 gpm for about $200.00. I was wondering if there was a "lower end" pump available that might be significantly less. How cheap can I get a pump that moves only @10 gpm ?
Does anyone know of a pump like this, where it can be found and how much it costs ?
There are even simple hand-crank pumps available cheap from Harbor Freight for transfering liquids from a 55 gal. drum, and I have one that's cheap plastic and has a bellows on it, you just squeeze it few times to start the flow and then you can let it siphon from then on. -TD
(BTW, a guy recently showed me a way to siphon gas without using suction, no risk of gas in the mouth and work great. Used it an my sister's Crown Vic when I had to drop the tank and she brought it to me 1/2 full.)
You need a pump designed for gas and not diesel. The cheapest way is to use a VW Bug fuel pump with fuel line. Just make sure to have long leads to a toggle switch well away from the gas itself. You do not want to start the pump by causing sparks at the battery by connecting clips (hence the toggle switch) or at the drum. Open your tailgate while refueling. Do not let the pump run dry, it will burn out. The pump is about $12.
It can be a bit slow, but, it is cheap. I used this for a long time to transfer fuel from one truck to another.
Though for an out of country trip, I would rather install a real aux. gas tank and anchor it to the bed and run a gas tank transfer switch ($40). Seems much safer then a drum, since drums to do not have roll over valves, vents, etc.
You think the border folks are going to let you import 55 gal of gas when you go into whatever faraway place you are going?
You can buy gas everywhere. Why go through this dangerous and expensive exercise?
The plan is to drive to Tierra del Fuego, which is the southernmost tip of the South American continent.
It is my lack of faith in the "everywhereness" of fuel that causes me to want to do this. There may be some areas where stopping and interacting with the indigenous people is not a good idea.
But thanks for the idea that there may be some kind of "import" situation. I will check around and see if there are any laws I may need to know about.
I am glad I am not the only one that has aspirated gas... It gives halitosis a whole new meaning.
I wasn't the "halitosis", it was the quart and a half of powdered carbon in a thick laxative suspension. First they tried to delivery through a tube in my nose, but couldn't get the hose to make the downward turn, so I had to drink it.
If you were ever experienced chafing at the beach from sand in a place it shouldn't be, you only got a brief and relatively painless glimpse of a much harsher reality.
Last edited by Billy Brethren; Apr 20, 2005 at 12:28 AM.