Gasoline powered equipment can still be useful after TSHTF

[WillyPete]

Watchman Comment: This is a good post but use your God-given intelligence when you read it! I don't think Willy is advocating you going to a gas station now [in normal times]. IN NO WAY WILL WE ADVOCATE BREAKING THE LAW. We're assuming we are talking about a future scenario when there is no longer rule of law, society has broken down, there is rampant lawlessness and we are trying to survive. Do NOT even attempt to do this now or you may find yourself in the slammer, sharing a cell with Tyrone.

For possibly longer than anyone fully realizes.
The main issue with using any gasoline powered equipment is usually obtaining the fuel to operate it. When it's out of gas, it don't work.
I have been thinking about this issue for awhile and have a fairly simple solution.
Purchase, or otherwise obtain, a 12 volt DC electric fuel pump that would be used in the fuel tank of a vehicle, 20 to 30 feet of fuel hose of an appropriate size to fit the pump outlet and 20 to 30 feet of two conductor wire, rubber coated preferably but vinyl coated lamp cord will work if you clean it off when you're finished and maybe 20 to 30 feet of thin gauge stranded steel wire.
The trick is to find gas stations and get the top of the underground fuel tank open. Those fuel tanks are buried horizontally so getting your pump to the bottom is not difficult. The point being, even the best fuel pumps inside the tank, or mounted outside of it, will not remove every last drop of fuel from those containers, there will be a fair amount left at the bottom of the tank.
To assemble your fuel removal rig, fasten the wires tightly to the pump power leads and insulate them well. Fasten the fuel tubing to the pump outlet tightly as this will be bearing a fair amount of weight while the fuel is pumping and fasten a pull wire to the pump as an aid in lifting and lowering.
Open the tank, lower the pump device to the bottom of the tank, put the top end of your fuel line into a container, attach the power leads to a battery and fill 'er up, you now have some fuel for your gasoline powered equipment.

[side_job]

One thing I might add. You may want to take the measuring stick (usually found at every gas station) and see what level the tank is. Especially if it has been sitting for a while, the bottom will probably be a watery sludge, with the usable fuel in the upper 2/3rds. Measure the tank, and mark your hose/wire to lower to a good level. FWIW.

Remember between now and then, use Staybil or another additive to get your fuel fresh.

SJ

[WillyPete]

Good idea! I had figured on just lowering slowly until I got it into the fuel, or whatever is there, then powering it up and filling up my containers. I'd keep the outlet end at a place where I could observe what is being pumped and to shut it off if whatever is coming out is not what I want.
I imagine that this techniques will only be usable for a short while, those tanks are vented to the outside and atmospheric intrusion will certainly deteriorate the fuel in the tanks to such a point that it's a useless activity.

[Toepopper]

Sometime during the Clinton era the petroleum distillers changed the formula of gasoline so that it would not have a very long shelf life. This prevents people like us from storing it for a long time. I bought a new chain saw and on the first page of the owners manual it says to use gas that is no older than 30 days. After one year the stuff turns to shellac and will not power anything with pistons. However, the gas they use in aircraft is designed to have a longer shelf life so purchasing a 55 gallon drum full at your local small airport will keep your pistons popping for a longer duration. There is a gasoline additive called STABIL that will lengthen the shelf life of gas to 5 years. Might be a good idea to keep a few bottles in your supply cache. Also, diesel fuel has a storage life of about 7 years before it starts to deteriorate back into crude oil. I have also experimented with running small Honda generators on a mixture of gasoline and corn alcohol and they ran just fine on this fuel.

[308gun]

You can also get gas out of any left behind trucks/autos/boats/aircraft etc. , and could you not lower a small jar/bottle to get the gas up if battery was dead, also during the Carter gas shortages people were going to the boat/marine docks to get gas out of the boats not in use! I had gas saved for storms that was left over had gas saver in it, but after about 8 months the gas started to go bad ... had to put new plug, and gas treatment in my mower using old gas...also during one bad winter in Pa. I could not get Fuel oil because lots of the roads were closed due to high snow , but was able to get some kerosene,,to run my oil heater...also I am told you can use cooking oil to run a diesel motor... 308gun

[WillyPete]

I had thought about obtaining fuel from all the abandoned vehicles that may be left on the roads and decided that it could be done for a short period of time before it was all taken by others.
A jar may be usable but, it would have to be narrow enough to get through the tank fill opening. That precludes any large jars or other containers plus, dipping and lifting will possibly require more time being invested than just lowering the pump and firing it up. The pump does not draw a large amount of current so it may be possible to keep a solar panel attached to the battery while using the pump to keep the battery draw lower.
I've heard, and read of being able to use vegetable oils in the place of diesel, I think the motors must be set up to use it, it can't be used in a stock motor. Something about the corrosive properties of vegetable oils against rubber or other hose material.
Then there's the feasibility of obtaining sufficient vegetable oil stock in a PAW. Most people will take it as a foodstuff, not a motor fuel so, there may not be enough left anywhere to obtain to use. Don't know but, it's something to be considered.