Fuel Cans

When I carry extra fuel it is in a non carb motocross racing jug (5gal) and store it inside the camper. I watch my scanguage so I know when 5 gallons has been used up then I fill up the truck. That way I don't have the fuel stored inside the camper longer than necessary. Once in a while I get a small bit that comes out of the vent cap. That either happens due to altitude changes and/or rough roads. When it does happen it isn't much and the smell doesn't last.

Roto Pax with a mounting bracket on the jack plate. Very strong.

Another angle

Kinsey,
Could you post a picture of just the mount? Curios what you attached to.

Fuel: In Massachusetts, you can't carry extra fuel (at least for a boat) in a fuel can on a ferry. I was told only fuel that is connected to the engine is allowed, no extra. Wonder if all ferries have this rule and if it includes our types of rigs.

On the Alaska Marine Highway, full fuel cans need to be removed from the vehicle and stored in the flammables locker.

I have two 3 gallon rotopax mounted under my flatbed. I have to say I have not been so impressed with the rotopax - they tend to swell in the sun, which makes it almost impossible to unscrew the mount in the heat of the day. Mine are less than a year old, and already the lock mechanism is starting to seize, presumably from corrosion. I am pretty sure than one of these days I wont' be able to unlock the lock and get the the fuel, which kind of defeats the purpose of carrying extra fuel with a locking mount.

gaylon said:

Aluminess Bumper, Ronin?

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Bumper was fab'd by a friend of mine in Grass Valley.

Re: question about carrying fuel cans in Ca. I don't know if it's illegal or not but I've never been stopped for it. The majority of jeeps and FJ's I see all seem to have jerry cans on them. Most 4WD shops sell gas can holders and I believe ATC and FWC will spec them in on new builds so it doesn't seem to be an issue.

I'd sure like one of those people out there (not those here) posting that it is illegal to also post the DMV Section number. That it could be in this state would not surprise me, but that it actually is remains conjecture or rumor. It would also not surprise me to learn that the root of this is someone with a bias against and purposefully started that rumor to dissuade people from doing so.

In the mean time I'll continue to use my jerry cans that lack CARB's useless nozzle, but that actually SEAL so their point is moot. As it happens the gap between our camper and the front bed bulkhead is a perfect fit for these cans. I can just set them in there and have yet to see them move much no matter how rough the road. When I loose that gap due to going to an 8' camper I'll buy or build something to carry them perhaps similar to the AT holder, though with a 60 gal main that won't be all that often.

Ronin said:

Bumper was fab'd by a friend of mine in Grass Valley.

Re: question about carrying fuel cans in Ca. I don't know if it's illegal or not but I've never been stopped for it. The majority of jeeps and FJ's I see all seem to have jerry cans on them. Most 4WD shops sell gas can holders and I believe ATC and FWC will spec them in on new builds so it doesn't seem to be an issue.

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Would he be interested in fabbing another? No one makes a swing out rear for my 2016 tundra...

I'm sure this couple must be on here but I'd not seen this way of mounting a jerry can, very similar to the Roto Pax above. Go to the 3:55 mark and the description will begin. I may just have to do this.

ETAV8R said:

I'm sure this couple must be on here but I'd not seen this way of mounting a jerry can, very similar to the Roto Pax above. Go to the 3:55 mark and the description will begin. I may just have to do this.

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Thanks for sharing my video. Let me know if you need any help putting one together. It's pretty straight forward. So far we've had it for 18 months and still solid as a rock.

Welcome!
For me I'd be putting on the fuel can holder on after taking the jacks off. My camper does not stay on my truck full time. I also don't always carry extra fuel. It would free up room in the camper and lessen the worry of fuel getting out of the can. Seems like it would be pretty easy to fab up. The cost for materials is pretty minimal but finding a non-carb jerry can is pricey part.

Josh41,
Sorry for not posting these pics sooner. I just got back from a trip and pulling the camper off and putting stuff away. Here is the Roto Pax can mount.

Kinsey said:

Josh41,
Sorry for not posting these pics sooner. I just got back from a trip and pulling the camper off and putting stuff away. Here is the Roto Pax can mount.

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Nice solution!!!! I assume you made the mount, well done.

Thanks for posting the pics, I'm really struggling with the idea of drilling holes in my new Fleet, that looks like a nice solution. Any reason you went on the side and not the rear?
Josh

Personally, I would rather mount to the rear, I don't like anything hanging out on the sides if it doesn't have to be there. Ron

I get wanting to use the jack brackets, but large masses cantilevered into space make me real nervous. I know such a bracket would fail for me.

If you're not using your tail-gate I'll suggest tying onto those mounting points instead. I did this with our spare tire swing-away.

The weight of a 3 1/2 gallon fuel can cantilever is nothing. It is visible in my mirrors and sticks out less, about the same as the awning. The camper has the passenger side rear window and I don't want to block it and the driver's side has the LP and I don't want to block that either.

I get roughly 23.8 lbs of liquid (6.8 lbs/gal for most liquid fuels), so guessing about 25-26 lbs for the fuel and the can. Really, really rough Rule of Thumb for Dynamic Loadings is 3 times the static weight, so around about 77 lbs swinging up and down and fore to aft and back on every bump. My NATO cans measure 13" wide by 6.375" deep, so that puts the centroid of the weight (mass actually), in the horizontal plane, ~14.5" from any corner.

That makes the Moment on the jack bracket something like: 77 lbs X 14.5" = 93 lbs-ft (can think of a Moment as a torque). What this means is that every bump that equals or exceeds 3 times the pull of Gravity is exerting at least 93 lbs-ft of torque on the jack bracket. This doesn't include any Impulse loading from the can not being completely full. That can drive the actual, extremely brief duration loading significantly higher (think: like hitting the end of that 14.5" long lever with a 3.5 lbs or less hammer).

Because I know all of this I know it would fail for me. It is the curse of an Engineering education. Hopefully my outlining it all doesn't mean it will fail for you too.

EDIT: DOH! moment (no pun intended). I calc'd the diagonal of the whole can, not the centroid location. I kept looking at that number thinking it was too big. So, the actual leverage length is roughly 7.25" which makes the Moment 46.5 lbs-ft instead of 93 lbs-ft. Still quite a large number, but it will increase the fatigue life over the 93 lbs-ft number.

^^^Mind Blown^^^

Thank you for the indepth analysis.

Of course it will fail, the question is when. So far I think I have three years on mine and its holding up great. I'm not an engineer but I'll be surprised if mine fails in the campers expected lifetime.