Vehicular Fluids

[shogun]

Problem;

store/transport motor oil, coolant, brake fluid, p/s fluid etc. Carried in a trailer that will be airborne, banging and shaking, wedged in with other items subject to similar abuse. Needs to be leakproof, unbreakable, puncture resistant, crush and abrasion resistant. OEM containers will rub through against metal, or puncture if squeezed against edges. Narrow mouth bottles dont stack well and the necks can break/bend if side loaded.

Size;

Most fluid containers I have found max out at 2000ml/.5 gal, with the majority in the 1l/1qt range. Would like to carry about 1-2 gallons depending on duration. That makes 1 qt bottles like herding cats. Preferably 1 gal size.

I am thinking Nalgene lab bottles (HDPE) in heavy duty, 1 gal, wide mouth.

Any other ideas?

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

That is allot of fluid. Do you travel in a Jeep product? Just kidding. I have a similar problem, but on a smaller scale with "kitchen" liquids. Instead of protecting fluid in individual bottles maybe it would be easy to pack them in there original containers tightly in to a protected box. A sturdy plastic container would eliminate the plastic to metal abrasion. If there is a rubbing problem you could stuff rags between them, odds are you would need a rag at the same time anyway.

 

[shogun]

I dont think 1 gal of coolant is out of line, perhaps 2 gal. Blow a hose and how much are you going to use to refill after repair? Same for oil, hole the pan and you're gonna need 1.5 gal to refill. Granted, brake fluid is rare, along with p/s fluid. Trans fluid could be an issue if you break a line to a remote cooler.

You'd be surprised what happens to stuff in the trailer. Last week I put a gal of coolant and one qt of oil in a secured space about 6" wide and 18" long, what could go wrong? Both in OEM containers with nothing able to crush the space. The qt of oil was found wedged sideways with the neck bent almost 90 degrees.

Yes, I could put them all in a plastic milk crate and cover it with something to keep them in, but they will still move around. Its not impossible, but why not find a solution that removes any of the maybes? With all the micro-planning that goes on here I thought somebody would have already found a secure solution.

 

[trump]

artecindustries.3dcartstores.com/Quart-Crates_c_137.html

 

[SLOwag]

^^^^

Woh! Thanks for the link

 

[trump]

^^^^

Woh! Thanks for the link

No worries.

 

[postalWagon]

x2
good suff

 

[REasley]

Seems like another good use for an ammo box.

 

[NLXTACY]

Why carry coolant? You can use water which most likely you are already carrying and you can change it out when its no longer a trail fix when you are safely back at home.

 

[theksmith]

Why carry coolant? You can use water which most likely you are already carrying and you can change it out when its no longer a trail fix when you are safely back at home.

agreed, if not somewhere with freezing temps and you also carry small bottle of "water wetter" type product to add to the water to get it's boiling point where it should be (water wetter in my understanding is like super-concentrated antifreeze, more or less).


for the original question, i use nalgene 64oz white plastic bottles. very thick, decent capacity, don't leak, rectangular (so pack nicely) - though i have had the caps crack. i'm assuming this is from the increased pressure when the fluids heat up here in the Phoenix weather (summers get the Jeep interior to insane temps). the caps seem to be made of a slightly more brittle plastic than the bottle. however, even with caps cracked, i've never had one leak. so far this is the best solution i've found and i just replace some caps every so often (like once a year i seem to crack a couple).

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___80924

to give a size perspective, here they are in the upper right corner of this photo:

 

[BigDaveZJ]

Seems like another good use for an ammo box.

That's where I've kept my fluids for a couple years, and while it does technically work, it leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Duggit]

The idea of having liters (I,m Canadian) of oil in the stock containers bouncing around the Jeep leaves me nervous.

So the idea is to make storage containers out of PCV piping. A plumber friend said that the PCV plastic will hold up to petroleum products.

You can get thick walled stuff that you can park a car on...

For me, the conversion is easy. 1 litre = 1000 cm cubed, that said, enough engine oil will fit in a 3"D x 4' pipe (thats about 5.25 L)

There are countless diameter and length combinations that should suit your needs.

Also, being that PCV is a plumbing product, there is a ton of fittings aswell.

Ask your local plumbing store about the glues needed to stand up to oils.

I have not tried this yet, still working on other projects right now.