Who used bungee cords to hold down a propane tank?

[cracker39]

In a post somewhere, someone showed me a photo of their 20# propane tank mount using bungee cords. How well does it work and can you show me the photo again?

Any other good ideas for a home-built propane tank mount? I am planning to use a sheet metal base with pieces welded on to surround the base of the tank so it won't move laterally. What I'm still trying to settle on is how to hold down the tank on the base so it won't come out of the pieces that keep it from moving around on the base. I've also seen a mount made with metal strapping and am considering that as well.

This is just about the final piece to build for the PT and I'm open to ideas for the hold-down parts and pieces. This is my drawing of the tank on the metal base with four pieces welded to the base to surround the base of the tank.

[S. Heisley]

Dale, Mike Young (MYoung) recently posted something about that in his thread. Is this what you were looking for?...:

[Dale M.]

Personally I think Bungee cords are a little risky.... For all the years I have been exposed to travel trailers (50+) I have never seen a problem with propane tanks secured with some sort of bolting application.... Usually one of two threaded rods and a clamp bar across top with large wing nuts or whatever....

Keep in mind that propane in tank is a liquid, and it will slosh around, and it will put strain on and release anything elastic ....

Really think something a little better than a elastic band to secure something that can go boom is called for...

Dale

[mikeschn]

I agree with Dale.

Here's what I did!



Mike...

[cracker39]

Mike, that's about as simple as you can get and I think it would work for me. I presume that you heated and bent the threaded rod to hook onto the top of the tank. I'm thinking that I might use your ida.

The photo I saw had four of the strong rubber bungee straps with hooks on either end. They hooked onto the base and up to the top of the tank like your rods do. I too am just not sure about using them. Securing the tank with metal hold downs seems more secure.

The one I saw with galvanized strapping had four pieces bolted to the base and they ran up the sides of the tank to where it starts to curve in. Another piece ran around the tank, bolted to the tops of the four vertical pieces and fastned tight with a bolt and nut or wingnut. Inside the strap that ran around the tank were about 8 or more pieces of foam between the strap and the tank. I can only presume that the foam pieces were epoxied to the strap.

[High Desert]

Dale, have a look at tsmiley23's build. He created another great looking propane tank holder;


http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=42660&start=45


I also agree about using some type of hard mount. A tank is the last thing a person needs moving around. Bungees just look like trouble from my experience.

[cracker39]

Mike, your rig looks like you have to access the nuts to loosen the holddown from beneath the mount. Here's my idea. Attach two pieces of threaded rod to opposite corners of the base with nuts and lock washers on both sides of the base so the rod is permanently attached. Make two holddown brackets from the same metal that I'm using for the base, each about an inch wide. the "hook" goes over a lip of the tank and a hole in the outter end of the bracket goes over the end of the rod and is secured with a washer and wingnut. Only the two brackets come off leaving the rods attached to the base and the tank is lifted out for refilling



I went out to weld on my four pieces to hold the base inone place, but being outside in the carport, it's too windy for the MIG welder. I'll have to wait to see if the wind dies down this evening. I guess I'll go to Home Depot for some parts and another cutting disk as I wore the only one I had left down to the nub cutting out the base and other parts.

[cracker39]

Dale, have a look at tsmiley23's build. He created another great looking propane tank holder;

That is a very nice tank holder. I just don't have the tools to bend metal that precisely. I use a vice and a hammer...lol.

[cracker39]

thanks to the suggestions, I fabricated my tank mount yesterday, coated it with rustbullet and assemmbled it today. It's hard to see, but in the bottom right photo there is a washer and wingnut on the top end of the rod holding the end of the clamp down. The tank is one I've had for years and it is the old style. I'm hoping I can trade it back to Blue Rino for a full tank of the new kind. But, the tank is nearly full now and I've been filling 1# bottles from it.



Now, I'm considering some kind of shield to go around it in front.