Manufacture of tripod fuel tanks stopped in 1996 and all fuel tanks of this type lost their HASNO certification then due to their unsteady nature.
Fuel companies and authorities since have generally looked the other way on such tanks to give those who bought them around that date a reasonable period of use. But this is starting to change as fuel companies deem the tanks are at the end of their 'natural lives'.
Federated Farmers says its members report fuel companies pressuring them to replace the tanks or risk not having them filled.
The company behind fuel providers Northfuels and Southfuels is one making noises about the long-term viability of the tanks. Sales and marketing manager Greg Cassidy says they have no immediate plans to stop filling these tanks but that point may be coming.
"It is my personal view that there will come a time when ERMA [the Environmental Risk Management Authority] says we can no longer fill those tanks," Cassidy told Rural News.
"I don't want to be in the position where farmers are telling us that we didn't warn them."
While Cassidy says thousands of the tripod tanks are probably still in use and at least one or two collapse every year. It is only a matter of time before one falls on someone, he believes.
"The vibrations from the truck driving away caused a recently-filled fuel tank to fall down near Christchurch... It was just lucky nobody was on top of it or it didn't hit the truck," he notes.
A new 600 litre fuel tank costs $2000- $2500 and even used tanks around $800.
Federated Farmers Grain and Seed vice-chairman Hew Dalrymple says farmers need to obey the law and should talk to their fuel providers if they have a tank which could pose a problem.
"Farmers are innovative people, I'm sure that this isn't a problem with just one solution."
