Self Contained Fueling Jug

[Helijet]

Self contained fueling jugs:

Guys, we are trying to determine if there would be enough interest in Canada to produce a self contained 4 - 5 gallon kerosene fuel jug. It would hold the fueling leads, fliters and a compact unit containing the pump, battery and rechargeable battery. The most expensive item is of course the pump ( same as others use ) but in volume we will be able to get the cost down. What would you be willing to pay?

thanks
Dean Wichmann
www.helijet.ca

[AJCoholic]

Dean,
If you remember, Marc and I "built" our own last winter froma 5 gallon blue jerry can, a pump that Kelly got the specs for us on, and a 6 cell battery pack. Mine uses two switces, a DPDT center-off for choosing fill or empty and a momentary on in series to pump (so I can walk away while its filling). I have 3 feet of large Dubro Tygon, a set of filler fittings and a filter in the jug and in line (I modified a lawn mower filter).

I LOVE it, and never will go back to hand pumping. :)

As for cost, I imagine a fair price, somewhere around 50% more than what it cost to buy the parts plus some for labour would be attractive.

Realistically, to make it worth your while I would guess (yes, a guess) about $250 - $300 Canadian would probably me minimum, and a fair price if you use that "jetcat style" pump.

Depends I guess on how fancy the pump/battery mounting is, etc and what it costs you. After all, you are in business and have tomake some profit or its not worth your while.

[Helijet]

Andrew

Looks like we are in the ballpark then. I figured somewhere around
$ 225.00 CDN. Here is a cutaway of the design. Many thanks to Kelly Williams for his input.

Dean Wichmann
www.helijet.ca

[AJCoholic]

Looks great Dean. Very professional with the box and your name on it.

If I didnt have mine allready I would have gotten one. :)

The jersey modeller can sells for a lot more, considering the shipping of $40 US (from BVM anyway).

Andrew

[747drvr]

I'll second that ! Looks great. A lot more professional looking than my Cheapskate Modeller fuel jug !

Marc

[DP01]

Dean:

I'd be in for one if you can get the quantity necessary for production.

Dennis

[LGM Guitars]

that would certainly be a nice item to have Dean, let me know if it happens, i'd be interested in one :)

[nony]

I just saw the prototype this morning, and it looks fantastic. I will see if I can post a photo of it...

[Sundownee]

Looks and sounds great to me! As I am definitely in the market for one. A 10L clear jug and all the loose supplies just can't beat that setup.

Paul :rock:

[nony]

I have a pic, but it is too large to post, and it is probably more appropriate for Kelly or Dean to post it anyways........

What I saw was a legal blue kerosene jug that is wider, and not as high as the Scepter jugs, so it will be more stable (less tippy). The switches, battery and pump motor are enclosed in a plastic box that is more or less fuel proof. The pump, filter, and all fuel lines are external to this box. The lid is nicely machined aluminum with 2 festo fittings attached. All in all, a very professional looking package......

[Kelly W]

Hi Guys, Here's a few prototype pictures and some info.

The jug's max capacity is a little over 5 Gal / 20L. You can fill it with kerosene up to the 20L marker and add 1 quart of turbine oil to achieve ~5% mix, 1/2 quart to mix ~2.5%, etc... I always liked mixing in the final container, no mess.

The enclosure box is meant to be fuel resistant, although not fuel proof. To be explosion proof (and potentially gasoline safe), there's a great deal of standards that aren't covered in this design. That's the main reason the enclosure box was moved to the opposite end of the jug from that shown in the rendering. Not everyone uses a funnel!

The unit is equipped with an on-board filter that sees 100% of fuel flow when the user is refueling his/her aircraft. It is placed after the pump to catch any debris created in the pump head. Upon reversing the pump to defuel the plane, there's a check valve that allows a large % of fuel to bypass the filter. A small amount will backflow through the filter, but the bypass will cause a net flow of debris out of the aircraft's fuel system. This debris will probably be caught by the filter in the next few fill cycles. The hardware that's exposed on the top of the enclosure box is a set of charge ports (use banana clips or bare wire leads), a standard 5-Amp fuse, a detent-on/off switch (red) and a direction control switch. The on-board battery is a 6-cell NiCad pack. The battery is not fuse protected at the charge ports, just before the switches to protect from internal shorts or a jammed pump motor.

The machined aluminum cap uses an o-ring seal against the tank spout. Just trust me on the importance of that one if you transport fuel in your car! :oops:

Bart n' Wayne, thanks for your help in the little design review today.

Later' :)
Kelly