IBC tote question... - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

Tlauden · 08-14-2011, 03:05

Well today I found a guy here in my town selling them big IBC Totes! I went and bought one. Well $40 later I had it back at the fire house and was pondering some stuff. Obviously they aren't baffled, so there is alot of "slosh" room. Has anyone ever had problems going down the highway and them making a truck (ram 1500 for example) start swaying/acting weird. I figure at half full, roughly 150 gallons. That's ALOT of weight. I don't know how much oil weighs but I'm figurin it's more than water....

And While talking about weight, do you guys actually move these suckers around full? Or pump from tank A to tank B?

These were my two biggest dilemmas so to say.... Now I just gotta go wash the 1 inch of molasas out of it

smells good though hahah

Thanks again,
Tyler

orren · 08-14-2011, 06:58

If it floats on water then it must be lighter. Water = 8 lbs/gallon, oils around
6 lbs./gallon.

I've used totes and they're not too bad about sloshing. Not a lot of room for the liquid to move like in a tanker. Of coarse, the bigger the vehicle the better the ride. I would be more concerned about weight and stopping distances especially with a 1500.

Good luck,
Orren

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tlauden

Well today I found a guy here in my town selling them big IBC Totes! I went and bought one. Well $40 later I had it back at the fire house and was pondering some stuff. Obviously they aren't baffled, so there is alto of "slosh" room. Has anyone ever had problems going down the highway and them making a truck (ram 1500 for example) start swaying/acting weird. I figure at half full, roughly 150 gallons. That's ALTO of weight. I don't know how much oil weighs but I'm figurin it's more than water....

And While talking about weight, do you guys actually move these suckers around full? Or pump from tank A to tank B?

These were my two biggest dilemmas so to say.... Now I just gotta go wash the 1 inch of molasas out of it

smells good though hahah

Thanks again,
Tyler

jj · 08-14-2011, 07:53

I was moving fuel oil in a 275 gal. IBC for one heating season. 1979 GMC one-tone dual wheel with a wheelbase long enough for a 12-foot truck bed. I only put 250 gallons in at a time. Yes, it did slosh some, yes, you could feel it in the driver's seat. The big truck and dual wheels soaked up a lot of the motion. It really wasn't too bad. The inability to predict and plan for other loose nuts and their activities on the highway is what stopped the process. A shame, the self-delivered fuel was cheaper. Try it for yourself, starting with a partial fill and work up to your comfort level. Remember though, if something goes wrong, Mr.Man is going to be looking at that tank capacity and your lack of Haz-Mat paperwork or endorsements appropriate to that capacity.

Tlauden · 08-14-2011, 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by orren

If it floats on water then it must be lighter. Water = 8 lbs/gallon, oils around
6 lbs./gallon.

Good luck,
Orren

Thanks. I didn't even think about that detail haha

And thanks guys, maybe instead of pushing the truck to it's limits, I'll use this as an excuse to get a 2 ton trailer!! I'm thinking a trailer I really wouldn't have weight issues, just maybe swaying...

paulfarber · 08-14-2011, 12:49

A full tote is just over a ton (8 * 275 = 2200) so you will need to be aware of the weight. If you fill it up that should eliminate sloshing and you are just dealing with a 2200 load and its inertia.

Without a forklift you are not moving a full tote. If you have debris free oil then a trash pump is the quickest (most have 1in+ input) but you will spend a ton of money of non-collapsible hose. Those things are just not cheap.

Us small timers will use a gear driven pump. 5-10gpm.. so think 30 minutes to drain a tote.

One thing about IBC totes is that you should ever use a bulkhead penetration (cutting the plastic is a no no) and not all of the threads on the valves are standard. I have a metric threaded one. The adapters are available, but I pump from the top opening.

Tlauden · 08-14-2011, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulfarber

Without a forklift you are not moving a full tote. If you have debris free oil then a trash pump is the quickest (most have 1in+ input) but you will spend a ton of money of non-collapsible hose. Those things are just not cheap.

Us small timers will use a gear driven pump. 5-10gpm.. so think 30 minutes to drain a tote.

Thanks, The setup i am working on will only require a pump for loading it into the truck and then filtering, I am actually working off a Ledge type setup so once i have a full tote, i back my truck up, connect the hose to the one in my truck and put it through the opening on the storage tote and let gravity do the rest

Although im keeping an eye out for a cheap old trash pump to do my collecting

for now though i might stick with 55 Gal barrels for collecting, 2 at a time, 110 gallons seems safer than almost 300.

here's some pics in case i didnt explain it well enough, once i get the setup i want ill start a build thread on it

1&2 is one of the tanks with WVO in it, i will shortly get a second tank right beside with WMO. pic 3 is the top side view. perfect level with the ground, pic 4 i just threw in, it was my retrieval vehicle

Tanks for the advice though!!!

paulfarber · 08-14-2011, 21:53

Does the seller have any more totes for $40? That's an insane price for here in PA. I cannot find them for less than $100. I could use 2 more. I have 4 now and the **** things are just so useful. Stacking them is just a huge bonus.

Tlauden · 08-14-2011, 22:59

Yes, he has a bunch more and said he gets them on a regular basis. If you would like, tomorrow I can get his contact info to you. I don't have it with me right this moment. They come from a food company, but they need cleaned. The two we got (my chief got one and I got one) had molasses in them but they cleaned up beautifully with some hot water. I'll PM ya tomorrow with more details.

paulfarber · 08-14-2011, 23:28

Please do! Thanks.

Ill be in the Deuce full of totes on 81

dodgedougak · 12-10-2011, 21:17

Does anyone know of a source in the Pacific northwest for these IBC totes? I would like to get a couple of the 220 gallon size or four of the 120 gallon size.