Actually, if they were military surplus cans, they very well could have been made in 1945. The war ended before they saw service and that accounts for their relatively pristine condition.

I was just looking at some USMC "Blitz" style cans on EBay today from the same era and some of those were in similar shape.

I usually use the cheap red plastic ones for my lawnmowers.  I'm thinking about buying one of the 2.5 gallon ones from Atlantic British on ebay or Amazon.  They are about $30-something, but I think they'd be worth it.

That's what I carry in the RV.  If I run out of gas somewhere, 2.5 gallons should get me back to where I just walked from.  I'm not humping 30 lbs of gas in a can I have to hold in one hand.

I'd be interested in trying these out.  I'm not a huge fan of metal cans (or ammo boxes) when it comes to transporting things, but for just the garage I think it would be fine.

And I'm just the opposite, I bad-mouthed the new NATO cans on here and got shot down because I don't have a high post count, so one of these days I'll get around to posting them on my photobucket account since I have to be a paying member to store them here, I have stockpiled dozens of metal GI cans, either from Garage Sales or Egay, (since it started in S.F.).

Metal gas cans outlast my plastic gas cans, I was going to say 10:1, but I think its more than that, unless you store your metal can on the ground and it gets wet and rusty, it should outlive you.  My plastic cans cannot take the UV rays and they eventually turn to plastic powder.

Metal ammo cans are just sturdier,  I bought a dozen at $10.00 each, free shipping, they were like new, I've seen some of lesser quality at $8.00 each + shipping.  I've never used a plastic one, I'm sure they probably keep the ammo dry.

Rancher

If you are talking about the red auto parts store plastic containers I agree.  Those are garbage and should be avoided at all costs.  However I have yet to see a mil-spec, plastic SCEPTER  container become un-serviceable from UV exposure.  Actually In close to 30 years I have yet to see a SCEPTER can become un-servicable that didn't involve physical abuse beyond what any can could survive.  After all these are designed to be dropped out of a hovering helo without bursting.

I do this and it works fine.  Be sure and get a proper NATO spout.  Atlantic British sells them but I think others do as well.  It comes with a hose adaptor (second from left, top row) normally described as an unleaded fuel adaptor.  This fits into the front of the spout and allows the attachment of a hose.  Once you can attach a hose you can start using something called a reducing coupler (far left, top row).  This allows a smaller hose to be attached to a larger hose, restricting (and thus reducing) the flow of liquid from the can.  The thing in the middle is a hose adaptor and reducing coupler assembled.  

There’s no reason at all why you couldn’t use multiple, smaller reducing couplers and smaller and smaller hoses to get as small as you need.  Properly configured, you could fill a thimble from a 20L NATO can and not spill a drop of fuel.  I use 5L, 10L and 20L NATO cans to store gasoline, kerosene and Coleman fuel.  I mostly use a siphon with the 20L but for the other two I regularly use a spout.  You’re not going to want to use a shaker siphon to fill the fuel tank on your lawn mower.  Filling the tank on a Coleman stove or lantern from a 20L can is doable but the smaller cans, with the right spout, sure make it easier.  Ignore the thing at the bottom, it’s a fuel can adaptor and was just in the picture.    

Just FYI, this spout and adaptor will NOT fit on a GELG cans.

I usually cut those off and throw them away on a lot of ours...

Big PITA...  It's not like they'll fall into a hole we're digging and wind up in -China...

We use FUNNELS...  Never hear much about them...

I actually just received a spout yesterday that I ordered from Atlantic British. It came with a mount to mount it to the can, and the reducer shown in the middle in your picture. I will be ordering a couple more of these. 

Probably not a bad idea to pick up a spare or two now, you never know how long these non-carb compliant spouts are going to be available.  

I think the hose adapter is technically 12mm but a .5” ID hose works fine, in case you were wondering.  Then the reducing coupler down to whatever smaller diameter you need, if you’re looking to do that.

Just a note...

There are many options for a flexible hose/tube to adapt to any fuel can.

For a fast dump, there's 1" corrugated plastic used for marine bilge draining. 1 1/4" similar tubing is used for sump pump drain applications.

Also, 'Tygon' type material is soft flexible and pretty inert...

eBay is an excellent research reference...

Take a look at this white tubing... It's marine bilge tubing...

Here's it's being used to transfer fuel to the secondary reservoir from the storage container to tertiary [and second] 10 gallon repurposed H-Fright sand blast tank, mounted to the back end of the container we live in, 35 feet away, that finally ends up in the Toyo vented heater.

Through 2 Parker bowl filters [eBay, ~$25!]  I haven't installed yet...

Yeah, I made a mess -Fire me...






SO to the rescue as usual... She's responsible for the idea to store fuel in the storage container so she doesn't have to carry it in 5 gallon cans from the barn.  It was my job to design the system...




Overall view...

I mean all this in the nicest possible way but there are a couple of things I’d like to comment on.

I don’t think using any old hose for fuel is a very good idea.  First, some fuels can eat some plastics and this creates the potential for catastrophic failure of the fuel line.  It may take years for the hose to decay to the point of failure but you just know it’s going to fail at the worst possible moment.  And while you may not see it happening, all of the “stuff” eaten from the inside of the hose ends up being burned up in whatever it is you’re fueling.  From running gunk through an engine to pumping toxic chemicals into the air from a heater, this may be a very bad thing.  As well, fuel lines are supposed to be made of materials that don’t build up a static electric charge, including plastics.  I don’t think the same standards are used for bilge hoses.

Regarding your SO dealing with the fuel cans, they sell hand trucks with pneumatic tires that work well for moving full cans of fuel around, even outside.  Also, it appears from your second picture that she’s balancing a full can on top of your fuel storage tank and using one of those manual siphon pumps to empty the MFC.  Given the number of hoses and fixtures you have around that tank (is that duct tape?), having someone struggling to lift a heavy fuel can that high seems like an accident waiting to happen.  I can’t imagine there isn’t a small pump out there somewhere that would let your SO leave the can on the floor.

Again, not picking on you here.  The easier you can make the job now, while you can still manually handle the fuel cans, the better things will work when you have to do it when you’re injured or old.

Good point about not using certain plastics to transfer gasoline...

I wonder if the Super Siphon uses anti-static plastic...


The tank she has the can balanced on has had the wheels replaced from the horrible pneumatic ones we all got when some of us in this forum bought them a couple years ago.

See my topic on doing it...


It's very difficult to drag the wheeled tank with much of anything in it on the rocks and gravel between the container and barn, so that isn't an option...


We're both old already, and she still can handle those fuel cans...

This said, we're going to get older and can always reduce what we put into them...

Anticipating this, she got for her birthday 2 years ago ---she was THRILLED

A nice Kubota mini-excavator -the smallest one they make, that she doesn't like much vs. the KX121-3, understandably.

However, your point of losing strength is well taken and somewhat planned for, and at some point I expect the compactness and maneuverability of the little excavator and it's ability to help with chores,  will grab her attention...

On the other hand, we try to utilize our strengths to the maximum, so as not to become weaker -more quickly... At the same time we have a multitude of material handling equipment's, I mostly delegate their use to her, and she has become proficient.

Yep -that sure is duct tape...  Worked very well for the INITIAL INSTALLATION being demonstrated... We were filtering fuel thru the new 10 gallon round Harbor Fright abrasive blasting tank on the wall ----that came with blasting grit in it.  

So we cleaned it with water and rocks and rolled it around in the barn for a while, then installed it in the container and put kerosene in it and drained.

Then we had to filter what we drained and put into the rectangular wheeled tank.

Then we are able to PUMP [with the crank pump] from the rectangular tank up to the H-F tank and fill it...

It only gets filled to LESS than the CAPACITY of the same tank mounted to the back of the shipping container we live in... From there it's gravity fed to the Toyo vented heater.

To clarify, there is a copper tube in a protective sleeve, underground between the two containers... She suggested putting in a means for transferring stored fuel from the shipping container in the pictures here, to the tank on the back of the other shipping container... This is so she didn't have to carry fuel from the barn to the container and fill the tank -in the winter...


What you see is the INITIAL commissioning of the system, and everything is well engineered for long term use...

In the picture there are a total of 3 pumps, one crank type on the rectangular tank, one in her hand -the squeeze kind, and a 12 volt electric auto pump.


Once the new smaller filter is installed under the H-F tank, and everything unnecessary is put away, I think you will like the installation...


I'll post pix in another thread after we complete this project.

We appreciate the critique!

Considering Beowolf's comment re: plastic and static---

I'm concerned about the plastic gas cans and the plastic funnels and nozzles used with them...

Are these manufactured to be anti-static???

Not worried with diesel or kero, but what about gasoline...

I'll go over the dangers and the solutions with my SO AGAIN...  Re transferring gasoline...

Here's a pix of the new  wheels on the fuel caddy...

These won't go flat  


Also, this is what the final installation will look like.

The fuel filter will be replaced with a nice Parker unit from eBay...  There's a piece of copper tubing bent into a "J" hook and attached to the Marine bilge tubing, that goes inside the top port of the H-F tank.

These abrasive tanks are cheap and suited for many applications due to having so many ports already installed.

They have one size larger...



We store kero in 2 of these. This kero will be used to fill the tank in the container... I guess that will mean hauling 5 gallon cans or a repurposed hot water heater tank in the ATV...

These 75 gallon tanks are unloaded with the big excavator or skid-steer, put on a pallet jack and moved into position.

Does anyone know if Vatopa still deals in the viton gaskets/o-rings that were mentioned earlier in this thread?  I sent him a PM but he hasn't replied.

Looks good, I didn't realize I was looking at a work in progress in your earlier photos.

Costco has scepter cans for $14 right now.  Similar to these:

Scepter ECO Jerry Can with Child Resistant Closures (5-Gallon, Military Style) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT94TC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_rh4TybM44PKFJ

The WEAK link on those is the cap.  They also are based on SCEPTER's water can and not their fuel can.

I bought some of the Costco Specter cans and they've held up so far.

I was looking at the Scepter cans at Costco the other day. For $14 they have a good form factor, although they don't have the three handles across the top and just the one. They have the useless CARB nozzles that leak fuel everywhere while dispensing it as slowly as possible compared to a regular spout.

But they do seem to be of reasonably thick plastic, certainly thicker than the regular jugs that are availaable at most parts/big box stores. I don't know if they won't puff up like a balloon like the regular plastic jugs do, but the thicker plastic may prevent that.

While it's a shame that Scepter doesn't have their original cans imported here as "mixing cans" to bypass all the BS CARB regs, it is what it is.

However, eBay/Amazon sell breather plugs and spouts that I've retrofitted to other plastic jugs that made a world of difference on the standard plastic jugs I've put them on. And my mods make st be ok as the jugs still say they are CARB approved.  

Anyways, some photos of the jugs:

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Walmart has some Scepter gas cans now with vents, who'd a thought that was a good idea, online I see a reduced (-$4.00) price of 29.99.

I picked up one to see if it worked.



The button is supposed to release the pressure built up by the sun heat, as you can see here it does not...



The button for the air vent.



Rancher

I thought the vent was for faster pouring. And it looks like it's a check valve.

It is supposed to be for both, perhaps I didn't just hold it for an entire minute, I figured... push it and it will relieve the pressure.



Rancher

I came here for this. Any luck!?

Why would one want to vent important and valuable gasoline fractions from a fuel can???

Tygon is amazingly useful stuff. I used miles of it when I did nukes.  Works great with a peristaltic pump, which is explosion proof and the pump does not get contaminated by the fluid, so you can do fuel and water with the same pump.

I just purchased two of the "military style" cans from Northern Tool, on sale shipped to my house for $60. They seem very well constructed. I have not found any in stock anywhere, but the Scepter part number for a screw on cap is 09643.

This is what I was about to say.  The last thing you want is to vent your cans, the gas goes bad a lot faster.

Picked up one of the Scepter 5 gallon jugs from Costco. Quality seems pretty good. Plastic appears thicker and it weighs about a half pound more than the 5 gallon plastic Blitz jugs.

It accepts the aftermarket coarse thread caps and spouts such as these:  
Cap

Spout

I haven't even tried to use the included venting spout, IME they are all a waste of time and leak. Once I find where I left my extra caps and vent plugs I'll drill the can and use it with a regular spout and vent setup.

Any reason you store the spout down? I'd be worried about a leak.

That's why I store them like that actually.

In my experience they only leak when stored like that if a seal is bad.

My two cans are stored upright when not in use.  When I took my two cans to Sedona, AZ this past week and tried refilling my tank from them with my NATO spout, it spilled gasoline all over the parking lot.  The can was not so tipped as for it to have come out of the breather spout.  It was right from the seal.  I checked the placement and both locking legs were in and the rubber gasket looked good.  So, it didn't work when I tried again.  OK, stopped that and went to the gas station instead.

Now after returning home (6,600 feet elevation), I took the same cans out and successfully refilled my tank without leakage.  What went wrong in AZ.

BTW, if you ever go on I-40, plan a long stop at Petrified Forest National Monument.  The place is awesome!  There are two entrances, one on the west and one on the east of the park.  Either will lead you back to I-40.

The only reason that the National Monument is still there is that the logs are too big to steal....

Rancher

Tough call but two possibilities come to mind.  The first is that debris got trapped between the seal of the spout and the can.  It wouldn’t have to be much to let a little gas leak out.  Second, look at the back of the flange on the spout.  There are two slots that mate up with the cap assembly.  It might be possible to at least partially tighten the “hooks” of the spout without having the slots properly engaged.  This would result in a poor seal and might let fuel flow out.  Just guessing.

Need opinions on NATO can spouts, I need a new one.

Atlantic British Spout seems well made and has an air-vent tube inside. Does that actually make any difference when it's on a can?

Temco has one much cheaper: on ebay

Is the AB spout really worth more than double the price?

I’ve never seen a Tempco spout so I can’t say for sure the one from AB is worth more than twice the price or not.  I can say that the spout from AB (and other sellers, it’s a Valpro spout) is very nice.  NATO spouts aren’t so much universal as they are universal-ish.  I use Valpro cans and think it’s a good idea to get the spout to match the can.  If you’re using Valpro cans you got from AB then you know the spout’s going to fit.  You get the air vent (which helps drain the can fast) and the hose adaptor (which can be very useful).  So for me I guess it would depend on the make of can and how I was going to use them.  I use the spout but I know lots of folks just use a super siphon and don’t own a spout at all.

I have what I believe to be Swiss military surplus NATO cans based upon what somebody here thought in another thread a couple weeks ago. The Temco says it has a no questions asked, money back guarantee (they pay shipping both ways) so I'm thinking I may try that one.

That being said, I have a question regarding the vent on the Valpro spout. Is there an external air vent that opens into that tube or does the air still have to "gurgle" through the opening at the end of the spout? If it still has to gurgle through I can't see how it would actually speed up the flow a great deal... just an inexperienced guess on my part though.

Get a Swiss spout to match your cans.

They are a bit spendy but by far the best spout.

There is a vent at the back of the spout that opens directly into that tube.  It works best with the internal configuration of the Valpro cans.  If you have Swiss cans I'd probably take Mr. Smileys advice and get a Swiss spout.  Be aware the Swiss spout isn't compatible with the small diameter of unleaded fuel tanks here in the U.S..  Not a show stopper but something to be aware of.  As Mr. Smiley noted they are a little pricey so you may want to try the Tempco spout and see if you can live with the glug.

You're right, they're a bit spendy!!! I can imagine it now, "Honey, I need this spout because the other one leaks". Her: "Uh, that's more than you spent on all 4 cans combined, you're crazy, I don't know why you bought those cans anyways"

Haha

I think I'll try the Tempco and keep the Swiss one on the back of my mind for a bit. I'm new to NATO cans; finally saw the light after my Midwest can split at the seam and spilled gas all over my trunk. Found these 4 Swiss cans on Craigslist for $30. Coming from plastic garbage it doesn't take too much to please me, but the sounds of a swiss nozzle with a  neck-reducer fashioned up for filling leaded fuel cars seems like a big time-saver.

There's also the Super Siphon.  They work well and are probably less expensive than the Tempco spout.

Super Siphon is probably the best cost to utility ratio money can buy if that's the goal.

Fixed nozzles are kind of a pain in the ass IMO, and if you need a woman or a child to use the can they will have trouble lifting 30 pounds(iirc) for that long.

I know you asked for different advice, but all I use is a super siphon.  It so much easier then a spout and tipping a can up.  While I do have spouts just in case, a super siphon makes things a lot easier.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JSG7FK4?tag=vglnk-c102-20

I have not checked in here in a long time.

@expy37 thanks for the pics and what are those 75 gallon rectangular tanks you put the kerosene in?  I have never seen something like that so gotta ask.

As for the super siphon, I am going to probably order another couple, the hose can get old and brittle and I blame the tn sun more than the gasoline I ran through it but either way going to look for an equal or better hose to redo the ones I have.

For something like my pickup I just put the gas can on the in bed tool box and siphon down to the tank, so don't need a very long siphon.  Might make a short one just for the ford.  Or not. 

Sportsman's Guide - Shaker Siphon 3-Pack for $14.39 - http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-6159032-11079827?sid=j2qkovkw6k00zk8a012b1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsmansguide.com%2Fproduct%2Findex%2Fshaker-siphons-3-pack%3Fa%3D1913791

I already have a shaker siphon...

Don't you still have to have the tank higher than the fuel level in the tank (much higher if you want to fill the tank in similar speed as a spout)? So do you just carry a stand with the can to set it up on? Or you move the vehicle to your stand? Certainly holding a tank up while the siphon does it's thing is no better than holding it up and letting it flow out a spout... am I wrong?

You're not wrong, but most vehicles have a higher place to set the can.  
It might not be an "ideal" place, but if you're having to fill your vehicle out of a gas can in the first place, that could be considered a minor emergency.  

Most pickups you can set it on the edge of the bed.  Most SUV's can either be on the roof or the tailgate/rear cargo area.  
Cars can either be the roof or the trunk lid.  A floor mat, old blanket, sweatshirt, etc. can protect the finish on the vehicle's paint.  A short piece of rope and and tie-off on a roof rack would also work.  
On my Jeep Wrangler, I usually just put it on the flat fender flare or on top of my spare tire on the back.  

FWIW, I ain't holding shit if I can help it.  Any nozzles I buy are only a backup to the shaker siphon.  
As someone mentioned earlier, some nozzles won't even fit in the fuel-fill hole and trying to fumble around with a short spout while wrangling a 35+ pound brick around isn't my idea of a good time.  

The best thing you can do is take an empty can and then go experiment on your vehicles as to what works best.  Actually mount the spout on the can and see what angle/height you'd have to hold it.  A fuel nozzle is one thing, but the way some car bodies are curved, tilting a can up enough to empty it becomes problematic because the can will hit the side of the vehicle.  (Ask me how I know )
Better to find out now in the comfort of your own driveway rather than out in the boonies somewhere.  Some spare paracord wrapped around the handles with a shaker siphon rolled up and nested underneath the handles can go a long way to making life easier.

Repairman_Jack nailed it on placement.

If you already have a shaker I'd say don't bother with a fixed nozzle.