http://bobconfer.blogspot.com/2017/07/only-government-could-mess-up-gas-tank.htmlby Bob Confer
July 14, 2017
Have you purchased a portable fuel tank for your garage or boat in recent years and wondered why they are, respectively, such pieces of garbage or so expensive?
You can’t help but be frustrated with what has happened to the once-simple gas can.
The modern no-spill units you use to fuel up your mower, chainsaw or ATV are anything but no-spill, as the clumsy spouts and necks lead to immeasurable amounts of wasted gas ending up on your power equipment and garage floor. You likely approach the same gas cans with trepidation because they look like bloated little powder kegs ready to explode on hot summer days because they are no longer manufactured with vents.
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At my factory, we’ve lost business in a few waves because we didn’t have the technology necessary to meet these crazy regulations.
In 2010, we made the last of our portable fuel tanks for marine use. The production of those tanks kept 8 people busy for three-quarters of the year.
That same year, fuel tank business for lawn mower manufacturers also tanked for us. We were making more than 60,000 mower tanks a year. Once the law went into effect, our customers’ tanks could be used only for aftermarket repairs of old mowers and production dropped to only 2% of what it was.
This week officially marks the end of an era for us at Confer Plastics as we will be making the very last of those aftermarket items. We had been making gas tanks since the early-1970s. Going forward, we’ll never make one again.
We could have stayed in the gas can business, but it would have required a $4 million investment in a high-tech multi-layered machine necessary to make them.
More at the link
