DIY- motorcycle chain Jerry-can locking mount

KeyserSoSay

Adventurer
So I've just copied and pasted this from my build thread.
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My bumper and Jerry-can mounting system is kind of unique, but the use of a motorcycle chain to secure a Jerry can might be applicable to other's builds. I didn't find anything anywhere on it when I was in the Google phase, so I figured this thread might help someone else looking to do something similar in the future.
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This is #50-2 double chain. I wouldn't recommend going with anything smaller than #50, mainly because anything smaller will greatly limit your ability to produce a proper hook that will be as strong as the chain.
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EQhjsSl.jpg

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Next to figure out how to pull off my motorcycle chain Jerry-can mounting system. After much hemming and hawing, I bit the bullet and decided I'd have to mill proper chain hooks using stainless steel billet. Three pictures below show the progression of the billet to functioning hooks.
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97Le50i.jpg

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YvzBFN1.jpg

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W0bYZKC.jpg

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Then I had to work on mounting the hooks to my compression latches. Of course the latches are metric, but I got them figured out.
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urRkjyT.jpg

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Then I worked on hook mounts for my compression latches. I also wanted to protect these a bit as they are pretty much the weakest link- these are much more axe-proof now.
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N5e7WVG.jpg

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Prettied them up a bit, went with red since I envision these ending up lost in the sand at some point.
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L0u93QU.jpg

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Made some similar hooks for the ends of my chains.
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If I had this to do over again, I would have made both ends of the chain with these hook ends, and then made two sets of the stainless steel chain hooks (which was a bigger chore than they look) mounted on both sides of my compression latch. Then you could place your compressor latch anywhere you want, and cinch the chain from both ends. I will very likely do this down the road.....
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WRASVtu.jpg

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Tried to think of a good (easy) way to build ridged mounts to the bumper. These simple little hooks took me more work than they look like, but I wanted them to be sledge-proof.
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iMPYW7Y.jpg

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But I got them welded up, painted up, and then cut out my rubber mats to accommodate them.
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tcumVC3.jpg

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So, it works great. As far as security, It would basically take an angle grinder to defeat it. I love that it's adjustable, notice that in these pics I've replaced a Jerry-can with an ammo box- I could mount any number of items or combinations with this chain, equally secure. It is a little bit of a pain getting everything linked and snug at first, but after you get the fine-tunning out of the way, it's much quicker and easier. I haven't taken it off road yet, but everything is VERY snug, I credit this to the rubber pads, and I also wedged foam between the cans.
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nidyGVN.jpg


X
 

KeyserSoSay

Adventurer
Nice work! Love the turtle hood orinament!

Thanks, that's a DIY as well (outlined in my build thread)- the miniature helmet I got through the internet. The rest is thanks to "Super-Sculpey" clay, it's a polymer clay that, once baked, is a hard machinable plastic. I can think of 100 different uses for that stuff on an expedition vehicle, especially when it comes to custom interior mounting and fairing solutions.

2PcbIg5.jpg


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rayra

Expedition Leader
lol, my kind of fabricator! Like it all.


Maybe a large shrinkfit sleeve on most of the chain? Maybe a bicycle innertube?
 
I like your creativity and fab skills BUT you only secured the cans and not the most important contents. Simple siphon steals your fuel and water can be contaminated with anything.
 

KeyserSoSay

Adventurer
I like your creativity and fab skills BUT you only secured the cans and not the most important contents. Simple siphon steals your fuel and water can be contaminated with anything.

Have no fear, that's coming next in the form of metal covers over the fuel lids that the chain also clinches down when tightened.

I'll post them on this thread when they're built, but should be a pretty simple and effective solution.
 

KeyserSoSay

Adventurer
lol, my kind of fabricator! Like it all.


Maybe a large shrinkfit sleeve on most of the chain? Maybe a bicycle innertube?
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I do have lots of heat-shrink big enough to do this, but dismissed it because it limits how short I can cinch the chain. I had not thought of using a loose rubber (inner-tube) sleeve, which is a great idea and I'm going to try it. I'm not too concerned with the naked chain rubbing on the plastic cans, but we'll see if that changes as I put miles on this rig.
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I posted this because I thought the chain and cinch latch would make a great solution to securing a Jerry can onto an expedition rig, it both cinches it nice and tight, and keeps it secure from theft at the same time, without a bunch of flat-strap bracketing that is often only feasible for a specific can type. It would also work well for securing a propane bottle or tool box, and the best part is it could be used to (as I have done here) to potentially cinch down all three things in alteration.
 

ripperj

Explorer
Nice execution, just FYI the "pin" on the stationary non hook side could be a piece of flat stock sideways( same thickness as your round stock
Posted just because everyone loves a armchair QB :)

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KeyserSoSay

Adventurer
Nice Job!
A quick suggestion... You might want to Line-X the chains. I did that on the side steps on Casa. It has been issue free for 7 years now. View attachment 417948
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Nice, I had the same idea for some side steps on my rig and will surely take your advice on those. Line-X (or liquid rubber) on the cinch chain would likely not allow my hook to cinch in every link for adjustable length like it does now.
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Nice execution, just FYI the "pin" on the stationary non hook side could be a piece of flat stock sideways( same thickness as your round stock
Posted just because everyone loves a armchair QB :)
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For sure, Would like even better to just have a slit in the bumper and have a solid slider on the chain end that slips into the slit. I initially intended the chain to stow up under the bumper (or maybe retracted by a rotary spring like a garage door) and pull the end out of a slot in the bumper when I needed it to attach the cans, but I'd have had to have designed it earlier into the build and fanciness was getting lower and lower on my list of concerns. for example,If I guy was making a tube bumper, he might-could store the chain inside the tube retracted on a long spring. If you only needed a short section of chain for adjustability, you could use cable with a short section of chain at the end. In fact, I had considered using a "come-along" mechanism for tightening the chain on this bumper- which would be cool and make cinching up the chain quick, easy and tight- (maybe skip the motorcycle chain all-together and go full cable) - You'd have to design a way to house it and lock it closed.I was going to mount it up under the bumper enclosed in a housing with a removable crank on a 1/2" square drive I'd use as a key. After building out the bumper, I decided I didn't want anything up under the bumper or have to skin the underside of the bumper.
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There's 100 different ways, 50 of them are probably better then the one I built. I didn't invent the wheel here, but I've not seen any examples of this being done, and I just thought the proof-of-concept was worth sharing.
 

ripperj

Explorer
Totally worth sharing, I learn something from every build here. There are a hundred things I wish I did differently on my Alaskan build, but if you go back and redo everything you never get done :)
Wasn't even remotely being critical

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KeyserSoSay

Adventurer
Totally worth sharing, I learn something from every build here. There are a hundred things I wish I did differently on my Alaskan build, but if you go back and redo everything you never get done :)
Wasn't even remotely being critical

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

No worries, I didn't take it as criticism or mean to sound defensive. I was just highlighting that the version I made here is just a jumping off point to cooler stuff to be done with the idea. Having built this, I'm already getting the itch for version 2.0, but have way too many 1.0 projects in the que that need to get done first.
 

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