LOCKING FUEL TANK CAP

Robond, a Quebec company more often known for its truck wheel spacers, has developed a unique and secure fuel tank cap. It’s called, simply enough, the Fuel Tank Lock. The idea arose after a truck driver, frustrated by constantly having his fuel tanks emptied at truckstops, began to search for a more secure fuel cap – one that could withstand Canadian road and weather conditions while also preventing things like banana peels or sugar being poured into the fuel tank.

Locking caps aren’t new, but Robond says its version takes security to a new level. First off, the lock itself is
made by Abloy, a company known for its high-security locks used in such places as RCMP offices, automatic bank machines, airports, etc. A plastic cap screws onto the lock to protect the mechanism from the elements.

The distinctive feature of the Fuel Tank Lock is that it locks on the inside of the fuel-tank pipe. Once the cap is
locked, the mechanism deploys a system of plaques – they look something like spread-out tripod feet — that
secure the cap to the pipe such that it just won’t come off. One advantage of the locking cap is that a fleet can
have many caps that use the same key. A patent is pending.

Tests have been conducted inside freezers at -20 degrees C, and many destructibility tests have seen the locking cap unsuccessfully attacked by pipe wrenches, crowbars, sledge hammers, and pressure washers. As well, a truck driver has crisscrossed North American roadways for several months using the caps without incident.

The Fuel Tank Lock is an unventilated cap that can be adapted to fuel-tank pipes of 3.5 in. outside diameter (3
in. inside) with a vertical clearance of 5 to 6 in. between the body and the nozzle of the tank. Other sizing will soon be available. Manufactured in Quebec, it’s available in chrome and aluminum.

Robond is also working on a cap for reefer tanks that would use the same key as the truck’s main fuel tank
caps.

The Fuel Tank Lock is available directly from the manufacturer at 819-847-3133. See also the company’s
website (url below).


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