Date:         Thu, 21 Jun 2001 22:01:20 -0600
Reply-To:     Double-Cab Guy <doublecabguy@POWERSURFR.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Double-Cab Guy <doublecabguy@POWERSURFR.COM>
Subject:      "Jerry" Cans, long
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Hi Volks,

It's not often that I post to the list but this "Jerry" Can thread is some thing I have an intimate knowledge of.
I spent 15 yrs in the Canadian Army in a Main Battle Tank Regiment.
I was the top Corporal in the P.O.L. (Petroleum Oils & Lubricants) section for a few years.
The tanks that we use are the German Leopard 1A5.
As far as Tanks go they are very good on fuel especially compared to the US Abrams.
they use one third of the amount the Abrams uses.
The things that make our beloved VW's better and different than other makes carries over to the German school of Tank building. 
Then again allot of there strengths were learned the hard way, and a big one was running out of fuel!

But getting back to the fuel can thread. 
We used a huge (60,000L/ day) amount of Diesel fuel in any given day to keep our 60 Tanks rolling.
Unfortunately for my back a large portion was in 20L (5 gal.) fuel cans.
Through my time in the section we saw the change from the old U.S. style steel cans to the new plastic ones.
I can tell you that that the steel cans are more grief and frustration than there worth!!
Metal cans dent, rust, scratch ,leak and condense water in to the fuel via temp. changes in the fuel.
Generally doing a damn fine job of contaminating the fuel that they held!
Where as the Canadian N.A.T.O. standard cans leak very little, don' rust , don't contaminate the fuel with condensation, and are tougher than the old steel style cans.
In fact the plastic cans are air transportable and droppable, the steel ones are not.

There is a reason that there is an abundance of steel cans on the market.
There not worth a pinch of "s...t".
Most militaries are changing over to plastic cans as fast as they can.
Do your self a favour don't use a metal can for diesel fuel.
If there is one thing that will stop a diesel engine and ruin it in short order and that's contaminated fuel.
Go price a set of TDI injectors or an injection pump. Yikes!!
That is also the reason all NATO fuel cans have a colour code on the handle or lid.
Yellow is for diesel ,red is for Gasoline, green is for coolant, grey is for Kerosene, blue is for two stroke and white is for water.
Even civilian gas cans are red because of this rule.
So trust some one whose job was "jerry" cans, choose NATO plastic cans not metal ones.

Cheers
Glen

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