Is there a safe way to pump gasoline into a plastic tank in the bed of a truck?

[buckeyefarmer]

( how do you ground a plastic can?)

Same way you ground your body, touch some metal. Doesn't have to be metal to hold a charge.

 

[jyoutz]

Same way you ground your body, touch some metal. Doesn't have to be metal to hold a charge.

So you wrap a metal wire around the plastic can handle and ground to the truck?

 

[CalG]

The truck is on rubber, so "grounding to the truck" is non-sense.

And yet we transfer gas into plastic vehicle fuel tanks all the time.

Maybe the idea is to let the tank and the fuel hose nozzle "touch" as the fuel flows between.....

 

[garry1p]

I would strongly advise against it as you will unlikely get a second chance.

Due to age I now have difficulty picking up a full 5 gal container. I used to fill 2 containers per trip.
I now take and extra can and fill each with 3 gallons.
As a former fireman I know better, gasoline is dangerous and very unforgiving.

Oh yeah, NEVER SLIDE and open gas container around in the back of your truck without securely tightening the gas cap the sliding effect creates static electricity. With the gas cap closed there will be no fumes and the fumes are what causes an explosion and fire.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

So you wrap a metal wire around the plastic can handle and ground to the truck?

Can on ground, or touch it against the pump to discharge any buildup before filling it. Events are rare, but do happen.

 

[Jstpssng]

when I’m filling gas cans, I attach a metal hitch haul basket to the receiver hitch and strap my cans there.

Every time that I see this on the road I'm reminded of the Ford Pinto. I once drove 50 miles, and over the course of the trip saw several gad and fuel cans along the side of the road. I've always suspected they had come from one of those carriers.

 

[ultrarunner]

My equipment trailer has riding mower, tiller, walk behind edger, etc.

I top off on the way home knowing I will use again next week.

It would be time consuming taking everything tied down out of the trailer to fill and then load back

Friend boat is filled on trailer... it has a brass fill port.

 

[BlueKnife]

Most gas fires that are caused by static electricity happen because the person fueling got in and out of their vehicle during fueling, creating static between their clothing and the seat. I didn't spend a ton of time looking but I didn't find any that were caused by sliding fuel cans around in a pickup bed. Here's a report on the subject. https://pei.org/app/uploads/2014/09/refueling_fire_incidents.pdf

 

[JCoastie]

Every time that I see this on the road I'm reminded of the Ford Pinto.

Yup, my sister had one, and my neighbor was killed by one.

 

[5030]

Static discharge is the main reason I still use five gallon poly jugs for gasoline. Set on the ground - fill - huff back into the pickup.

A large poly container with gas in it and a static discharge equals a death dealing explosion, not to mention a huge insurance claim and possibly criminal proceedings for not following the filling instructions that are prominently displayed on every fuel pump.

Why I have a bulk diesel tank and have it filled and when the delivery man fill it, he connects the tank to his delivery truck to equalize them. When I fill my poly gas cans, they come out of the truck and get filled on the ground, always and if I transfer fuel to my pickup truck tank (diamond plate aluminum and grounded to the truck frame), I make sure the nozzle is at all times in contact with the truck tank and the transfer pump from the truck tank has a ground wire from the pump head to the nozzle and the nozzle is always in contact with the metal filler neck on the tractors. It only takes ONE TIME and it could very well be your LAST TIME.

Fuel weather it's warm diesel or cool gasoline, there is always the potential for it to ignite and explode.