Spill Proof Regulations

It seems that recently regulations regarding fuel cans have been changed to require "spill proof" gas cans. This makes military style cans illegal to sell since the just have a regular cap I guess. So, http://www.brigadeqm.com/ emailed me after I purchased the Scepter fuel can and said they were canceling my order. Why the don't just take the cans off the website I don't understand. I found an alternative, a Crown 5 gallon Jerry Can from Rompalicious. Its $39.95 plus shipping. Hopefully they don't cancel my order too.

UPDATE: Rompalicious has refunded my money. Seems like you just can't get these anymore. I'm considering using a water can for gas.... Have to do some research, but initially it seems like they are both made of polyethelene, so what's the difference?

I contacted Scepter. They will not answer the question whether you could use a water can for fuel. They did confirm that regulations changed. They said "Sounds like you’re in the U.S., correct? That would explain why you’re having trouble finding MFCs.As a civilian you can’t get them in the U.S. anymore (Effective January 1, 2008). Our MFCs don’t meet new CARB / EPA regulations for portable fuel containers.The military is exempt…for now.It’s a shame people are becoming so desperate that they are considering putting fuel into MWCs. (you’re not the first)"

After doing more research, its seems that some people believe fuel breaks down plastic containers and contaminates the fuel, making it hard on your engine. I guess I'll be ordering a metal Wedco can and keeping an eye out for rust. I will be ordering one from Adventure Trailers.

Scepter Water & Fuel Jerry Cans

I just purchased my fuel & water cans to go with my AT Fuel Can Holders. I purchased Scepter brand jerry cans. They are strong, and plastic so they won't rust or dent. Here is a good review of the cans. I plan to mount the water can holder "upside down" so that the cap is at the bottom. Then I'll attach the Scepter MFC03 pour spout and keep the end of the tube above the top of the can with some sort of clip. Then I'll have a quick tap ready to pour at any time.

Adventure Trailer Fuel Can Holders

I decided to buy two Adventure Trailer Fuel Can holders. They are not cheap, but I think the convenience of them will be worth the cost. I plan to bolt them to the front sides of the trailer (like this) for easy access and to balance the load, keeping more weight on the tounge. One will be for fuel, one will be for water. Here is a link to a good review of the can holders. Buy yours here.

Trailer Power - Xantrex 600HD

A few days ago I ordered the Xantrex Powerpack Xpower 600HD. This will serve as my rechargeble power plant in our trailer to run 120V appliances or tools and to run lights inside the main compartment so we can see our gear at night. I plan to run a 12V power line along with the trailer lighting wires from the jeep to constantly charge the battery when the jeep is running. This will be a less costly (only $93) and simpler system than using car batteries such as Optima's and wiring a charging and distribution system I think. UPDATE: I don't plan to do any extended trips anytime soon, just weekend get-aways in Colorado. So, rather than wiring a 12V power supply through my jeep, I am installed a solar trickle charger. You can get a cheap panel at Harbor Freight and then buy a blocking diode on ebay which prevents the panel from working in reverse during the night and draining your battery.

Back on the Road

I've been getting good use out of the trailer already. The first thing I did was drive down to a landscaping place and load 1200lbs of stone into it. It pulled perfectly and handled the load well, but you could tell the suspension was maxed out. Pulling a full load of offroad gear should be no sweat. The tub is still being held in place with straps. The bolt holes don't line up due to the plate welded to the frame. Once its sandblasted I plan to redrill new holes.

Welding Trailer

My old utility trailer finally bit the dust, so I need to use the M416 as my "daily driver" now. So, next I decided to prep it for road duty. I stripped off all the old unecessary bolts, reflectors, wiring, etc.. Above is a look at the trailer with the tub taken off. As I mentioned previously, the frame was used by a guy hauling around a welder. So, he welded a thick plate to the frame to make it into a flatbed. Rather than trying to cut the whole plate off, which is welded completely around the entire frame, I decided to cut some slots into it for the flanges of the "L" shaped mounting tabs on the tub. Getting the tub to sit correctly turned out to be really difficult, but it finally seated. I had to cut some holes for the drain plugs.

New Tires & Wheels

The first order of business was to replace the worn out, flat military tires that I limped home on when I bought the trailer. I searched craigslist for the correct bolt pattern (5x5.5). The stock rim is only 6.5" wide. I decided to get 7" or 8" rims to widden the stance to match the jeep. I settled on some used Unique brand wheels. With some patience I found a set of used mud tires for $20. I'm building an offroad trailer, not restoring a parade vehicle, so I bought 33" tires to match my TJ.