How safe are those jerrycans?

[jm2004]

Hi,

As you know Paj NP only has 90 litre of tank (petrol). That probably will give me up to 600-700 km between refill on highways (or generally higher-speed smooth driving), or approx. 400-500km typical suburbia driving in Sydney metropolitan areas. A sand-driving (never tried before) I'd expect to be much worse.

Before I can fit a proper aux tank (or getting an LPG instead) what's the recommendation in carrying one of those (plastic) supposedly "professional grade" jerrycans typically sold in the likes of outdoor shops? Let's say a 20-litre can which can give me an extra 100-180km.

I don't have a roof rack, nor a camper trailer, so the only place I can put such a thing is behind the cargo barrier.

I am however unsure if this is adviseable at all from safety perspective. Could those in the know please provide the advice. I also don't know the legality aspects as well in this matter.

Thanks and regards,

Jon

[Eastie]

Unless absolutely necessary and unavoidable I wouldn't store/trasnport fuel inside the vehicle, regardless of the container. Short transport of super/2 stroke from a servo to home is about where I draw the line, even then I tie it down. Some may have a higher appetite for risk, but not me. The consequenses of something going wrong, be it a slow vapour/liquid leak or rupture impact in a collission aren't good, especially with petrol.

[OnPatrol]

It's not advisable to carry petrol inside the vehicle because of fumes. A lot of your electrical contacts are inside the vehicle. Prolonged exposure to the fumes can make drivers drowsy. Also, smoking will be deadly for your health.

[jm2004]

Thanks

Thanks guys, I actually felt very unsure about it as well so the comments make sense to me. I suppose other than purchasing a couple of litres from the servo close by for your lawn mower.
Best regards,
Jon

[1993 NJ LWB]

I have always carried fuel in the back on my 4wds. The only danger I see is fumes and thats not a really big issue as you should make sure ya jerrys dont leak. There is almost no chance of ignition. The only way I think would be an electrical short and the jerry would have had to rupture and fuel spilled over said short(before it shorted/sparked). It would have to be a serious prang to get both of those to happen and be extremely unlucky to boot(fuel spilled where short was). Just the force up rupturing the jerry has almost no chance of causing ignition, I myself have shot an empty paint tin that was half full of fuel and no bang. Also you can't light petrol with a cigarette. Im sure you a fare(and i do mean 100s of times) more likely to be in a "standard" fatal car crash then one involving a exploded jerry.

Having said all this if I had the means to carry fuel on the outside of my 4wd i would.

Jack

[Sbazz]

so having established that carrying fuel in the car is not all that advisable (and not having the cash for a bigger fuel tank), whats the best way to carry a single jerrycan?

[Kemsley]

If you have a tow bar you could try a tow bar carrier. Perhaps something like this: http://www.multiquip.net/LuggageCarrier.htm This is not exactly it. I have seen a jerry can version though, not sure who makes it.

May be not to difficult to make a smaller dedicated one for the fuel. May also be not possible with spare wheel etc but worth a look.

[CeeJay]

Or a roof rack with a proper jerry carrier, which Rhino certanly make. Either option (roof rack or towbar mount) will still be cheaper than fitting a long range tank, but obviously less overall capacity.

[Kemsley]

Found the other manufacturer that I was thinking of: http://www.hitchmate.com.au/cargocarrier.htm

[bakerboy]

get a syphon, park next to another petrol car and go for ya life lol, jj.

however u want to carry is fine just make sure that no dust/dirt/sand gets around the spout, we went through 2 fuel filters when we did the gibb river rd because of all the crap fuel and dirt up there

[cossie]

In some states its not legal to carry fuel on the back of your vehicle.

[bgiddins]

Specifically regarding the black plastic jerrycans - they're very robust. We took 5 (overkill!) on our Kimberleys trip earlier this year - they survived unpadded steel jerrycan holders on the Gibb.

Three tips when using them -
1. Always check the o-ring inside the filler spout - some of them get out of place and they leak
2. Always use gloves when attaching filler spouts or retightening the cap when full of fuel - again, prevents leaks by getting a better grip for a tighter fit
3. After emptying, compress the jerrycan between your knees while you tighten the cap - the fumes in an empty jerry expand very quickly - you might find you need to reloosen the cap in hot weather and squeeze them again as they balloon up when full of fumes

[mrbitchi]

Get Gas. You'll never regret it.

[Smocky]

How do you carry a jerrycan full of gas?

[cossie]

How do you carry a jerrycan full of gas?

D'uh! Just fill it up at the servo, like petrol.

You may need gas specific jerry cans though, just ask in the servo - they should have them, if not just go to the next servo and ask them.