I guess generally companies that make things are of the opinion that the general population is getting dumber. I recently had my snowblower serviced in preparation for winter. Before I stored it in its \u201cspot\u201d in the garage, I put gas in it \u2014 pretty simple operation, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, it used to be. For years, I\u2019ve put gas in my lawnmowers, chain saws, leaf blowers, etc. Never had any problems with that task. But \u2014 recently, gas can manufacturers, maybe with assistance or encouragement from the government, have decided that the cans must now be spill-proof and child resistant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Used to be that a gas can had a spout, with a little cap on it (to keep dirt\/dust out) and you just poured the gas, via the spout, into the gas tank of whatever machine your were using. I\u2019ve done that for probably 70 to 75 years. I rarely, if ever, spilled any gas \u2014 and in all that time I never had any neighborhood kids break into my garage to open my gas can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you\u2019ve bought a gas can recently, you know that it doesn\u2019t have a spout with a little cap on it \u2014 it has a new, improved safety contraption \u2014 here\u2019s how it works: first remove the new improved spout that is now inside<\/em> the gas can, by using two hands to defeat the \u201cchild-proof\u201d mechanism. After the new improved spout is removed, remove the dust cap. Then attach the new improved spout to the gas can (just like in the old days, except it has to be oriented just right to prevent spills) and \u201ccompletely\u201d tighten it to the can. Then you must \u201cunlock\u201d the spout by turing the base of the new improved spout counter-clockwise. Next, you must put the hook \u2014 built into the new improved spout \u2014 onto the rim of the gas tank opening that you\u2019re filling. Once that hook is in place, you must push (the entire gas can full of fuel) down to allow the gas to flow into the tank you\u2019re filling. (I might add that holding a five gallon gas can full of gas takes a bit of strength. All these steps must be repeated each time the spout is used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As I mentioned, I\u2019ve used gas cans for over seventy years \u2014 I don\u2019t remember ever spilling any. Now, using the new improved, and safer gas can I almost always spill a little. I guess generally companies that make things are of the opinion that the general population is getting dumber. I recently had my snowblower serviced in preparation for winter. Before I stored it in its \u201cspot\u201d in the garage, I put … Continue reading
If you\u2019re ever at a garage sale and they have an \u201cold fashioned\u201d gas can \u2014 buy it!!
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"