Storage CO2 Tank and Hose Solutionn

[AnzaJeep]

I recently got a Cherokee XJ for our family expeditions and wanted to take advantage of the blank canvas to design some usable storage for all of our gear. I did a ton of searching on this site and others and came up with the below solution:

Rack - Came on top of my first 4x4 (that got me into the sport). I don't know much about it, but could take some measurements and pictures and see if someone can identify it. It fits perfectly next to the spare and between the hatch and back seat.

Rack Mount - This is sort of a temporary fix as I will ultimately firmly attach the cross bars to the passenger side, and weld up a bracket that will span the spare tire and would affix back to the rim. For now I'm using expandable bars that came with a pet cargo system and it is working fine. It withheld 50+ miles of serious offroading last weekend and didn't budge.

CO2 Tank Bracket - This was purchased for $36.99 at West Marine, model no. 1219534 and attached to the floor and wheel well.

CO2 Hose and Storage - This was a revelation that came to me after watching guys fight with their coiled hoses. I used 3" ABS slanted down for easy deployment and stowing, and put a fitting on the bottom so the whole hose would not slide out and a cap on the top cause I thought it looked good. The coiled hose came from Home Depot for $19.99 and can easily reach all four tires.

 

[Carlyle]

Very nice, I especially like the hose being protected as I've busted mine before as it sat in with the rest of the junk in that compartment.

 

[kjp1969]

I like it- that's a slick way of dealing with the hose. Heavy stuff under the rack would be less likely to fly around in a rollover too. What about access to the spare tire? I can't tell from the pics, but does everything have to come out to get the spare out and the flat back in?

 

[AnzaJeep]

I like it- that's a slick way of dealing with the hose. Heavy stuff under the rack would be less likely to fly around in a rollover too. What about access to the spare tire? I can't tell from the pics, but does everything have to come out to get the spare out and the flat back in?

That is the major flaw in the design - even when I get a more permanent mounting system in, it will still rely on the tire for the driver's side support. Although, in 8 years of off-roading I have never had a flat (knock on wood), so when it happens I'll just have to break everything down.

It performed flawlessly when we were out last weekend; I had a cooler, Rubbermaid box, and recovery gear and tools below, and chairs, bags and soft stuff strapped to the top. The only problem for the whole trip was due to operator error

:arabia:

 

[kjp1969]

I'm sure you've thought of this already, but have you ruled out a support from the left rear of the rack to the floor? Perhaps something that would let you shimmy the spare out without undoing the rack?

 

[TigerPaw]

Looks like your rack is the Yakima roof basket. Nice, sturdy little rack for storing lightweight gear. Cool set-up!

 

[AnzaJeep]

I'm sure you've thought of this already, but have you ruled out a support from the left rear of the rack to the floor? Perhaps something that would let you shimmy the spare out without undoing the rack?

I really havn't ruled anything out for suporting the driver's side of the rack; I'll have to see if it is even possible to get the tire out and keep the rack in. The reason I was leaning toward compressing the bracket to the tire was to keep the maximum amount of floorspace free. I'll have to check into it.

 

[TheGillz]

Newb ?? What is the CO2 for? Reinflating tires?

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

Newb ?? What is the CO2 for? Reinflating tires?

Yes.

 

[wjtoy]

Awesome Anza Jeep. Looks like the perfect bunk bed set up for little kids..... :sombrero:

 

[AnzaJeep]

Awesome Anza Jeep. Looks like the perfect bunk bed set up for little kids..... :sombrero:

Thanks for the compliment. Too funny you said that, I have an 18 mo and a 3 1/2 yr old and was thinking the same thing; the kids tucked away in the XJ and mom and dad in the tent! :camping: