Go Go Godzilla

[nyyankees588]

It can be pretty straightforward (as long as you can find a good spot) to add an aux mini diesel tank. I have mine mounted on the backside of the swing away tire carrier - had to fab a DIY mount to attach it behind the tire - but its nice to have it relatively hidden and you can mount the tank so that it fills from the same side of the van as your van's tank.

[vandiesel]

Originally Posted by nyyankees588

It can be pretty straightforward (as long as you can find a good spot) to add an aux mini diesel tank. I have mine mounted on the backside of the swing away tire carrier - had to fab a DIY mount to attach it behind the tire - but its nice to have it relatively hidden and you can mount the tank so that it fills from the same side of the van as your van's tank.

I was thinking of that as well. I used to have meth injection and had that tank in the box. Rotopax was one thought. Can you post a pic of your setup? My heater is right there underneath my side cabinet all stealth.

[1der]

I would keep the diesel heater and remote mount a tank. As suggested, backside of tire carrier or I have used backside of the box on the passenger side. Both very doable. One nice feature of the separate tank is you can use kerosene which burns a bit cleaner.

A couple of gallons of diesel/kerosene will provide more total heat than two gallons of gasoline.

[nyyankees588]

These pics are a few years old, but it sits pretty much the same today. I would definitely suggest a more robust rotopax tank - I used the cheapo chinese tank that came with it and it has yellowed a lot over time and looks pretty ugly (in these pics it is brand new). Mine is mounted to a wilco tire carrier vs. the (possibly) more common aluminess bumper swing-away... but it's the same idea. My heater sits mid-ship behind the driver seat, so I had to carefully run a decent length of fuel line along the frame rails.

[nyyankees588]

Oh I should add - there were 2x existing holes in the tire carrier frame that I was able to use to attach a simple piece of 3/4" marine play to, then used 4x machine screws/nuts to attach the tank to the plywood for the actual mounting logistics. That mounting setup has been rock solid for the past ~3yrs.

Not sure about the aluminess carrier and how simple it would be to attach the tank to the backside of it.

[vandiesel]

That’s what I’m doing. Thanks for the recommendation and Ray for good guidance as always.

[86Scotty]

Gas van, diesel heater. I've done it twice. I would not want the expense or worry of a gasoline heater. Are they fine? Maybe but 1/100th as common as a diesel type which have a very proven track record for safety and efficiency, not to mention cheaper cost.

DC81E819-5749-43F4-B25F-7D5CCDAED054 by E A, on Flickr

[vandiesel]

That looks great. That spanking new box frame tire carrier is nice. I send min win for reinforcements and they welded it where it meets the latch. I never bothered to send it back for the right weld but may have to really check it now with more weight of the tank.

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by vandiesel

That looks great. That spanking new box frame tire carrier is nice. I send min win for reinforcements and they welded it where it meets the latch. I never bothered to send it back for the right weld but may have to really check it now with more weight of the tank.

I used a rotopax mount which I attached to the back of the storage box (added a plate on the inside for support & strength). Looks similar to what Eric pictured above, but on the other side.
For support, Aluminess used to sell "Swing arm rests" - They are/were hard rectangular plastic blocks with a beveled end which you attached to the top of the bumper - The beveled end faced away from the Van when mounted. When you close the swing arm, the bottom of the swing arm frame would rest atop the block. In theory this takes stress weight off the swing arm, and also kept them from bouncing around. With 100lb+ on the swing arms this serves as an added support which helps prevent fatigue at the welds and the load realized on the latch attachment at the bumper.
May reach out to see if they still have them (I still have an extra package I purchased a couple years ago, and it's actually labeled "Swing Arm Rests"), or make some yourself.
I installed a set (on each swing arm) just below the swing arm frame close to the bottom pivot weld, and one towards the middle of the bumper at the far front edge of the swing arm frame.

[225]

Which Dakota Digital dash are you using?

Since the cruise control is mechanical on that series of van, I'm hoping the new engine won't affect that.

I'm really excited to see this running.