The house batteries are installed on the passenger side of our EB. So the options for the installation of a propane tank were between the differential and frame brace, behind the rear wheels, or on the drivers side opposite the barn doors.
The water tank is planned for the area between the diff and the brace. The compressed air tank is behind the rear wheel on the passenger side and the area behind the drivers rear wheel is reserved for a future shower setup.
That left only the drivers side between the body and frame. The issue with that location is that it is almost impossible to mount brackets to the frame in that location without dropping the fuel tank to access the spare hole in the frame. In addition the tank needed to fit between the rear HVAC piping and the emergency brake cable. Careful measurements showed there was 9-1/2 inches between the piping and the E-brake cable.
Several people on the forum got propane tanks from
GoWesty. The tanks are made by Manchester and come in three sizes; 3.3, 4.6 and 5.9 gallons. The 4.6 and 5.9 gallon tanks are both eight inches in diameter. We decided to go with the 4.6 gallon tank because the available space is only 33-1/2 inches clear and the 5.9 gallon tank is 31 inches long.
The main difference between the 4.6 and 5.9 gallon tanks other than physical size is the location of the discharge connection to the regulator. The 4.6 gallon tank has it on the left and the 5.9 has it on the right.
Running across the van in that area are two floor supports. These were drilled in two places and back to back metal channel framing was bolted to both of the supports.
One supports is flat on the bottom and the other curves down as it approaches the van body. The metal channel framing was staggered in this location to allow it to extend further towards the body.
More metal channel framing was connected to those and 1/2 inch threaded rod was mounted to the framing. Photo looking froward.
Photo looking towards the rear showing the heater piping and E-brake cable on the right.
Was concerned about the regulator coming off the left side of the tank. This meant that the regulator could take a hit when on the trail. It also would not fit between the tank and the heater piping. The solution was to relocate the regulator above the tank and pipe the high pressure propane to it. Am not sure if this will be a long term problem or not?
The tank slid onto the rods and was bolted in place. As you can see in the next two photos there is not much room to spare.
There was just enough room at the front of the tank to install the piping connections the tank. I used electrical duct on the outside of the pipes to help cushion them incase they came in contact with the van body or other components.
The tank bash plate hangs about an inch below the running boards and several inches above the muffler which is the lowers component in the central area of the van.