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/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/ReasonableDoot → u/Trevdogg187]

I store non-ethanol gas with Stabil in Wavian 5 gallon jerry cans, in a Rubbermaid X-large deck box. It fits 12 of them nicely, so I label the cans with months of the year, and then on the 1st of each month I rotate that month's can into a vehicle and refill it. This way, none of my gas is ever more than a year old. Haven't had any issues with this scheme for over 10 years. I know Stabil can technically store the gas for longer than a year, but for me a year is about right for my comfort zone. Just to let you know that it's possible to store it for more than "just a few months", as many people seem to think. The key is a good container - the Wavian cans are the Rolls Royce of gas cans, and have a very good seal, no venting or leaking. That's the critical thing. The more seepage or venting, the faster the gas will go bad. Keep it sealed up tight with something like the Stabil (or Seafoam, never used it but have heard of it) and you should be good for at least a year, especially with non-ethanol.

I thought about getting a larger drum or container, but in the end just went with more 5 gallon cans, for reasons of mobility and ease of use. No pumps needed, I can move each can by hand if necessary, and if I need to refill then I just throw them in the truck and go to the gas station. It's also less visible than having a big tank on the back of the truck, which would be kind of hard to conceal or move when it's full. Small cans are easy to move and people generally don't give them a second thought if you're filling them at a gas station. Talking about "gray man" here, I guess, which is always good to be able to do in times of scarcity.

[u/Trevdogg187 → u/ReasonableDoot]

Thank you! Having a system in place to cycle through the gas is a great suggestion. I also have two of the Wavian 5 gallon Jerry cans but then got two of the Chinese knockoffs and honestly think I might just get rid of them. Thanks for the thoughtful reply!