Just an educational post ... nothing terribly exciting.

[Thumper]

Check your sheds for those old metal outboard gas tanks you may have stored away gathering dust. I think ol' Buckrub had a dozen of these things layin' around the old homestead they inherited. I snatch these thing up at estate sales the second I see them. The good thing is, most of the sellers haven't caught on yet and I can get a darned nice tank for $10-$15, and a nasty old beat-up one for $3-$5. I was lucky the past couple months and actually found 5 of them at various sales. If you have one of the old double-line pressure tanks, you're sitting on a hunk of gold. Ok, ya' ain't really gonna get rich off the dang things, but if you have one rusting away in a backyard shed, ya' may wanna drag it out, clean 'er up and make yourself some beer money. As for the difference between the single line and the 2-line pressure tanks, I'll post a few pics. There are a few sellers who restore these things with new paint and decals (which can be bought on-line). They're selling for $225-$300!

Example, I've sold quite a few single and 2-line tanks, but I've deleted the photos already. Here are the last two tanks I sold, both lower-priced, single line tanks, both in really nice condition with the usual scratches and dents from use. I paid a total of $15 for the two of them. They were a bit dirty, but not terrible. About 10 minutes of cleaning on each of them and a final wipe down with an oily rag made them a bit more presentable.

This is a 3-gal. single line tank with clean insides. I sold this one a couple weeks ago for $85 ... just a few hours after I listed it! (paid $5 for it)


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This is a 6-gal. tank I sold just a few days ago for $125. Same condition as the 3-gal. above (misc. scratches and dents), but the inside was pretty dang rusty, as was noted in my ad. (paid $10 for it)


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Now here are a few examples of the 2-line pressure tanks which have sold recently. Quite a price difference!


Sold for $92 ... no paint, no hoses!


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This one, $96


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This one went for $135


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And this for $178


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But this little beauty went for $221


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[BarryBobPosthole]

Those have to be a trick to ship. How do you make sure they don’t blow up in transit?

BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

Just don’t tell them what you’re shipping!


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[Thumper]

I drain 'em and leave 'em on my pool deck for a few days in the sun with the filler cap off to dry 'em out. But that's just me. Heck, why would they explode anyway? They're sealed and spend most of their lives with sloshing fuel in them sitting in the direct sunlight in a danged boat! I just stick 'em in a box, pad 'em up to keep from getting dented, and send 'em on their way. They usually run me about $15 to ship on average. No biggie.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Oh, a little thing I like to call COMBUSTION.

An empty gas can is more dangerous than a full one.
BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

Seriously. Do you tell them it’s a used gas can? I don’t know about USPS specifically. But, I know they won’t let you fly with an empty gas can from a backpacking stove no matter how clean it is. I’ve also dealt with moving companies that wouldn’t move a lawnmower even if the tank was empty.


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[BarryBobPosthole]

Note to self: don’t follow the ups man too closely

BKB

[Thumper]

Well, here's my story. Trying to find the answer on the net is one of those times you have to be an attorney to figure out what you're reading. Call the shipper and talk to 5 different people, you'll get 5 different answers. My favorite answer was, "As long as you can't smell it, it's fine!" I normally ship FedEx ground, generally due to the package size and cost. When you ship through eBay, once you go to print the shipping label, any restrictions will pop up and you have to either verify you meet the criteria, or you can't ship. Nothing has ever popped up. Plus, a bazillion of these things are sold and shipped through the system, so I just don't worry about it.

Personally, I ship DRY tanks. I close the vent screw in the cap on the tank and make sure the cap is tight. I put the tank in a strong, plastic trash bag and seal it. I ship in an over-sized box so I have plenty of space for padding. I print the label, slap it on the box and ship it. I have no clue how everyone else does it, but if there was any flak, I'll guarandamnty you, eBay would be all over it. Heck, I have a brand new flare gun I bought for my boat. Ebay jumped all over my butt and pulled the listing. I've had that happen with quite a few items. Never heard so much as a hiccup regarding fuel tanks. Frankly, it surprises me, but it's a pleasant surprise.

[Arty]

Seriously. Do you tell them it’s a used gas can? I don’t know about USPS specifically. But, I know they won’t let you fly with an empty gas can from a backpacking stove no matter how clean it is. I’ve also dealt with moving companies that wouldn’t move a lawnmower even if the tank was empty.


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Correct. Moving companies won’t touch a gas can, or anything that had gas in it.

[Thumper]

Well duh, empty the tank!

From Red Ball’s website -

Items movers won’t move: Power Equipment with Fuel.

The list of things movers won’t move also includes power equipment with fuel in the tank. This includes motorcycles, lawn mowers, weed eaters, and so forth. Before movers will move these items, you must drain the fuel or run the item(s) until the fuel reserve is completely empty. Be sure to do this at least 24 hours before loading.