Ellsworth
07-03-2024, 06:00 AM
A while back I picked up a used 55 gallon drum.
It was free, and looked brand new.
It had a factory label: "Racing fuel"
The fellow who gave me the drum owned a race car and went through a few drums of fuel per year.
He told me how he would unload new drums from his truck, when they were full of high octane racing fuel:
Place a tire on the ground behind the truck bed (not mounted to a rim, just a tire).
Then roll the drum off the bed of the truck and they land on the tire, bounce off and roll.
I was familiar with the practice, but while I loaded the free drum into my vehicle I was left puzzled.
Either I had suddenly grown much stronger than I normally am, or that empty drum was lighter than the drums I used to move around.
So I did some research when I got home.
https://www.skolnik.com/blog/steel-drums-thickness-can-preclude-re-use/
https://www.skolnik.com/newsdesk.php?news_id=22
It was all made possible by an international rule change, and then it became a race to the bottom of the barrel.
Maximum profit. Who cares about the real economics of it (long term).
I did end up letting the person know that the drum appeared to be 'the thinnest allowable by the newest international regulation.'
And that at the price of free, I was still a happy customer.
Maybe they will think about the possibility of "drop, bounce, rock on pavement."
Maybe they won't care.
Its longevity as a burn barrel is very questionable.
It was free, and looked brand new.
It had a factory label: "Racing fuel"
The fellow who gave me the drum owned a race car and went through a few drums of fuel per year.
He told me how he would unload new drums from his truck, when they were full of high octane racing fuel:
Place a tire on the ground behind the truck bed (not mounted to a rim, just a tire).
Then roll the drum off the bed of the truck and they land on the tire, bounce off and roll.
I was familiar with the practice, but while I loaded the free drum into my vehicle I was left puzzled.
Either I had suddenly grown much stronger than I normally am, or that empty drum was lighter than the drums I used to move around.
So I did some research when I got home.
https://www.skolnik.com/blog/steel-drums-thickness-can-preclude-re-use/
https://www.skolnik.com/newsdesk.php?news_id=22
It was all made possible by an international rule change, and then it became a race to the bottom of the barrel.
Maximum profit. Who cares about the real economics of it (long term).
I did end up letting the person know that the drum appeared to be 'the thinnest allowable by the newest international regulation.'
And that at the price of free, I was still a happy customer.
Maybe they will think about the possibility of "drop, bounce, rock on pavement."
Maybe they won't care.
Its longevity as a burn barrel is very questionable.