Secure Rack or Holder for 20 lb LP Bottle

[greentruck]

I'm having trouble finding a secure rack or holder to carry a single 20 lb to install a LP cylinder on our M101 CDN's drawbar. Lots of dual racks out there, but none really designed for off-roading. The single racks are pretty much the flimsy "j-racks" and aren't lockable, for instance.

I came across a LP rack that really fits what I need installed on a M416 over on MUD, but no one seems to know what the source was -- perhaps it's homemade?

 

[Bennyhana]

This is what I'm getting by with until I too can find a suitable mount for my 20lb tank. My only gripe with it so far is since I still run the stock Lunette ring I have to cock the trailer a little so I can open my Jeep's taigate. So far the setup works....I've since traded the green crate out for a matching grey one.

 

[greentruck]

Hmm, pretty sure that one's not DOT-approved:sombrero:

One reason I'm getting a little anal on this is because the wife and I are planning long trips to some destinations in the Canadian north. So I need something that won't cause official border types to worry. People are touchy about things that look haphazard, regardless of fire/safety issues. I want something that looks like it's both secure and and will meet any safety reg I might run into.

 

[Lucky j]

I have not really look at those, but if you look at what camper are using and are able to copy or improve over the set-up, I don't think that theire should be any problems.

I is probably safer that a 20lbs tank barely attached in a truck bed.

My 2 cents.

 

[Robert Bills]

Although the tongue of a trailer is generally considered to be the safest place to mount a propane tank, the stock tongue length of a military 1/4 ton trailer is too short for a 20# tank.

Your options increase if you increase tongue length. [See photos in the link below for an example.]

However, if that is too big a project, your 20# tank will fit perfectly in a front corner of your trailer, easily cinched tight with a strap or chain hooked to eye-bolts through the tub on two sides. That is exactly where a BBQ tank resided in my trailer from the early 1960's until 2005. Simple, inexpensive, and it worked without incident throughout Baja, the California deserts and the Sierra Nevada mountains for more than 40 years.

 

[greentruck]

Robert,
Our M101's tongue has a 20 lb cylinder's footprint well inside the angles of the drawbar. I can imagine off-road situations where the space the cylinder sits in might be intruded by the tow vehicle.

This interference problem would come to the fore if there was a rear-mounted spare on the tow vehicle. Definitely wouldn't work there.

A new bumper and spare tire carrier are a long term plan for our Land Cruiser, but if and when it happens it will be after the trailer's tongue modifications.

The box I'm considering in lieu of finding something better will protect the cylinder so that it would take the brunt of any interference.

I don't expect to operate the trailer on any extreme trails, which is the only time where such a problematic angle could become a factor. I doubt I'd want to take an 80 series on such a trail, but I'm only hardcore if I get into something I wasn't expecting.

I'm not saying a different solution works for people. These cylinders are meant to be portable and depending on the situation, I see nothing wrong with strapping a cylinder inside an open trailer. I'm just surprised that a simple and secure option is so hard to find.

Lucky,
Not expecting to get hassled, everyone's real friendly in Canada. I just want it tied down so it doesn't worry me as maybe bouncing around through the back window in an accident. It's not the cops that worry me, it's those darn moose, etc wandering around on the roads:bike_rider:

 

[Token]

Yeah I've been looking for the same thing and having the same problem.. I'm about to resign to the J-mount deal, but it sure doesn't look very strong for offroading. The pic you posted looks like a one off custom deal to me..

 

[greentruck]

Here's the solution I went with, in the absence of better choices or the skills/tools to fab my own.

http://www.mygaragestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=1539

I got the smooth aluminum and will paint it OD to match the trailer. I'll add a bottle strap inside near the top, plus some way to lock it.

There is a crossbed reinforcement at the bottom of the front wall of the trailer tub that is 2" wide. I'll cut some channel or box aluminum to serve as a standoff from the bed in order to clear the tarp hook and the backside of the bed tiedown. Then bolt it together.

I'll update later once it's together, as well as document the potential interference at extremes of articulation to the back of the tow vehicle.

 

[Errant]

The holders used on RVs wouldn't be considered safe? http://www.pacificrvparts.com/Produ...67&StoreID=12&DepartmentID=171&CategoryID=585

 

[Robert Bills]

The holders used on RVs wouldn't be considered safe? http://www.pacificrvparts.com/Produ...67&StoreID=12&DepartmentID=171&CategoryID=585

I think its not so much a concern for safety as it is a concern for the tank vibrating loose on washboard roads.

 

[Robert Bills]

Here's the solution I went with, in the absence of better choices or the skills/tools to fab my own.

http://www.mygaragestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=1539

Slick looking box. Should be perfect for your application.

 

[greentruck]

Errant's item is for a dual tank holder. Not enough room on the front of a stock 1/4 ton trailer for that.

Robert, that's it. I want something that takes away worrying about the tank beating loose.

 

[JCMatthews]

What about this

Have you considered this http://www.adventuretrailers.com/accessories.html from AT. They are the offroad trailer experts.

 

[greentruck]

Thought about it, JC, but a 5 lb cylinder is not much bigger than those little throw-away cylinders that hang on the side of the grill. But hey, I could fit two of them on the front of our M101 CDN.

In the end, the universal character of the 20 lb cylinder trumps the smaller ones. Eventually, I'm going to get one of those spiffy new see-thru cylinders, so between the aluminum brackets and plastic bottle, I should be able to shave a lot of weight.

 

[Errant]

gt, what else do you have mounted on the a-frame of your trailer? I was just looking at my M100, and it seems like there would be plenty of room for two 20's. That's what I was planning to do, but, like you, I'm still trying to find a decent mount.