LP Tank mounting brackets - weld or bolt?

[boywonder]

The cardboard mock-ups are brilliant!

[dhally]

Just don't do both, since the body is rubber mounted to the frame!

Looking at that tank, I would think that 4 ea. 3/8" dia. long carriage bolts would work, one on each corner and through-bolted through the floor. Body washers at the floor, double nuts top and bottom and it ain't goin' anywhere.

[rockbender]

Originally Posted by dhally

Just don't do both, since the body is rubber mounted to the frame!

Looking at that tank, I would think that 4 ea. 3/8" dia. long carriage bolts would work, one on each corner and through-bolted through the floor. Body washers at the floor, double nuts top and bottom and it ain't goin' anywhere.

This seems too simple! I was concerned about the momentum of the tank during acceleration/braking/cornering simply hung with all thread/bolts through the floor to allow too much movement. However, I am thinking now that if I sandwiched a piece of unistrut to the bottom of the floor and then put double nuts on the tank that it would provide plenty of structure. It is certainly worth drilling a couple holes to find out. The beauty of this option is that it will allow me to micro adjust the tank up and down with ease so that it is just low enough to allow for filling. As soon as I get the time to check this out I will add pics.

thanks!

[boywonder]

Rockbender: What are you planning on using for the propane line? Is your line going to pierce the van floor?

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by rockbender

This seems too simple! I was concerned about the momentum of the tank during acceleration/braking/cornering simply hung with all thread/bolts through the floor to allow too much movement. However, I am thinking now that if I sandwiched a piece of unistrut to the bottom of the floor and then put double nuts on the tank that it would provide plenty of structure.

You could use unistrut spacers or EMT spacers, or aluminum tubing etc. Obviously the bigger the diameter, the stiffer the spacers will be for fore/aft movement.

[rockbender]

Originally Posted by boywonder

Rockbender: What are you planning on using for the propane line? Is your line going to pierce the van floor?

Propane and the related piping is going to be new to me. I was just going to get the tank mounted to begin with and then figure it out. I assumed that I would be needing to run copper up from the tank through some sort of rubber boot/grommet in the floor and which point it will go into a T and provide fuel for a Propex furnace and Dometic/SMEV cooktop. If it is after the regulator, I don't see why a flexible hose wouldn't work either - it just likely won't last long? A guy that I ride bikes with has a Sprinter that is set up with propane so I was planning on taking a look to see how the 'pro's' have installed it.

I wouldn't want small movements in the tank to be working a copper line back and forth - one of my main reasons for looking at the overkill bracket approach to begin with. If you have any tips, tricks, or guidelines on running the lines I'd love to hear them.

[boywonder]

I'm thinking much the same thing, although I'm considering mounting the propex heater under the floor (outside).

Did you also purchase the regulator from GoWesty?

Is the SMEV the single burner stove/sink combo?

[rockbender]

Originally Posted by dhally

I would think that 4 ea. 3/8" dia. long carriage bolts would work...

So I was laying under the van this evening and had a BRILLIANT idea to just use carriage bolts to mount the tank!

Add a piece of unistrut to increase the stiffness of the body connection and reduce the effective length of the threaded rod:


Bolt up your propane tank (this pic is before double nuts on the bottom - they were added):


The thread rod allows adjustment not only up and down, but also a bit of a tilt so that I'll be able to get the tank tucked up just as far as possible and still be able to access the fill tube:


The mount seems to be rock solid. There is a bolt on the side of the frame that only clears the tank by about 1/4", but there is no way it is going to move that far to make contact. Hopefully the body doesn't shift 1/4" in relation to the frame!

BW - I don't have a regulator yet. I went ahead and got the propex that mounts inside. I considered the exterior mount, but I'm not sure if I've got a good spot or not for it and I think it will be a simpler install in my case to do the interior. Getting the majority of the furnace noise outside of the van certainly has merit and the more interior space you can keep available the better. If you have a good spot to put it, I think that would be a cool setup.

The stove is a SMEV teardrop unit. It just came in today and is in the wrong orientation (big burner on left instead of right). I'd love to have a clean flush mounted single burner but haven't really found any good options. If I can't get the correct orientation tear drop I will probably just go with the double burner SMEV (we aren't doing a sink this time around).

dhally - I owe you a beer. That was too easy.

[BroncoHauler]

My only concern with bolts that long would be a lack of lateral support on the tank. Seems like the potential for a lot of leverage on the bolts due to sideways motion/vibration, possibly fatiguing the bolts themselves.


Herb

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

My only concern with bolts that long would be a lack of lateral support on the tank. Seems like the potential for a lot of leverage on the bolts due to sideways motion/vibration, possibly fatiguing the bolts themselves.
Herb

Column load some sleeves (EMT, AL tubing, unistrut, etc) between the van floor and the tank flange, the larger diameter the better. Get the tank where you like it and just measure for sleeve length......and of course lose the nut above the flange so that you can column load the sleeves. 3/4"-1" EMT is cheap at Home Depot.