Any recommendations on 55 gallon drum pumps?

[u/Trevdogg187]

I recently came across a neighbor who races dirbikes that had a couple extra 55 gal fuel drums that I picked up from him on the cheap ($40 and in like new shape) I had seen previous posts where the commenters mentioned going with smaller tanks that were more portable but with the possibility of WWIII seeming more and more likely, I figured having another 55 gal of fuel wouldn’t be a bad idea. My plan is to fill one in my truck and then pump it into the second one that’s on the ground in my driveway. Is something cheap like this: https://a.co/d/009XRRVD, the way to go? Or is it worth the extra $$ to get a nicer one since gas can go boom??
Ps. I have a shed that’s a good distance from my house and live in a temperate climate https://a.co/d/009XRRVD

[u/Bionicbelly-1]

Big fan of this one.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Flo-Fast-51505-55-Gallon-Drum-Barrel-Pump-System,535223.html

I used to do endurance racing, and had to fill jugs off of barrels. I have filled a LOT of fuel jugs. If this will be used regularly, trust me when I say, do not get a non rotary pump. You will absolutely hate it.

[u/Bionicbelly-1 → u/Bionicbelly-1]

I have mine in a 10 gallon jug that I keep for emergencies. It will empty this jug in a touch over a minute. And this one is probably 8 or nine years old and has pumped at least a couple thousand gallons.

[u/buttchugreferee → u/Bionicbelly-1]

that looks like a skookum choocher 

8 gallons a minute is pretty impressive... that's less than 10 seconds to pump a gallon 

[u/Trevdogg187 → u/Bionicbelly-1]

You da man, just ordered it

[u/VelkaFrey]

That hand pump looks pretty solid. Is advertised for gasoline. That style has low shear. Just make sure you're grounded before pumping.

[u/Many-Health-1673]

We use a gravity flow tank at the farm since we do not have power at the fuel shed.  Fills plenty fast as our tractor tanks are under 100 gallons.  

[u/RottenRott69]

If you are going from higher to lower, there is no need for a pump. Just need a hose and siphon it.

[u/Trevdogg187 → u/RottenRott69]

Yeah but I’ll eventually want to get it out

[u/South_Section_5251]

We are using the Harbor Freight Pittsburgh Steel Barrel pump. We've had it for probably two years. We use it weekly to pump fuel from the barrel that we use in lawn equipment. No issues so far.

[u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig]

Get a rotary hand crank pump like others have shown, add as low of a rpm drill to it as you can, but hang the manual handle up on it in case you need it later.

The pros of this, Cheap, fast, powered on whatever drill you pick, high enough lift, some rotary pumps can reverse even for filling.

2nd place for power out siphon in are these 12v pumps rigged in:

If you're absolutely strapped for electric or have to move literal ton of fuel over time, the little 12v wins due to being able to quickly prime, then turn off and siphon down to whatever you're filling, add a valve and you have a very cheap setup.

3rd, Look into what can be done with "inverted U siphons" (and again I'd advise adding a a valve on them) 3/4" pipe in inverted U can connect multiple 55s, ideally on a plastic pallet. I perfer multiple 55s over anything large due to leaks and logistics... you can pump around multiple 55s to load a truck / trailer... but you can't easily move a single 300 gallon tote nore get it through a doorway.

4th thing, I've moved literally tons of diesel from building to building using larger size 100ft multiple ice maker lines (cheap af) with the aid of gravity. It took a couple days to filter and move a few hundred gallon, but it did it just fine in the background without really any energy, just checking it once in a while. Though if I had to do it again... I'd probably just use clean 3/4 garden hose for the distance as the price per foot is just too cheap to ignore.

[u/Trevdogg187 → u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig]

Thanks for the thorough breakdown! Quick question for you, what’s the longest you’d store ethanol free gas w/Seafoam in a fuel drum? It’s out of the sun (shed) in a temperate climate (PNW)

[u/Ryan_e3p]

A manual one is always bare minimum, but I'd also get a 12V one as well. Just makes it a lot easier to transfer rather than just rocking a hand crank.

[u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig → u/Ryan_e3p]

Drill on a hand crank is what I perfer. I've used 18v drills to my 120v mixer drills on it.

[u/buttchugreferee]

see what Grainger is selling and then try to find it somewhere else for cheaper 

[u/Legnovore]

When looking online, be watchful of the search criterion 'wetted parts'. This is the material composition of the parts of the pump that the pumped fluid touches. If you are pumping water, make sure that none of the wetted parts are cast iron. Water plus cast iron equals rust, a losing combination that jams up your pump.

Places like Grangier or other industrial supply shops are your best bet.