Power tank Mounting Idea - but don’t know how to pull it off

[Wisluggo]

I’m thinking about buying a 10 pound power tank, and I would like to mount it in the rear area utilizing some of the holes that were for the 3rd row. I would also like to mount it using some sort of quick disconnect so I could remove the whole tank and mount when not being utilized.
I don’t have too much of a shop; so my question is two fold

1) does anyone have some pics of how the tank is mounted in their truck?
2) would talking to a metal fabrication shop be my best option for creating my idea?

 

[RobW0]

I’m thinking about buying a 10 pound power tank, and I would like to mount it in the rear area utilizing some of the holes that were for the 3rd row. I would also like to mount it using some sort of quick disconnect so I could remove the whole tank and mount when not being utilized.
I don’t have too much of a shop; so my question is two fold

1) does anyone have some pics of how the tank is mounted in their truck?
2) would talking to a metal fabrication shop be my best option for creating my idea?

I know @TheGrrrrr has a Powertank. I believe he has his mounted on his roof rack. You should be able to see some pictures in his build thread.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I can tell you that the power tank is awesome, but an ARB compressor is a better option unless you need the power tank for other things. I no longer carry my power tank and am trying to sell it. Happy to chat with you about pros and cons. PM me.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Yikes, for the price of a PT system I would buy a used CO2 cylinder and regulator for home brewing and use that. Especially as then once at camp ya can pour a cold one.

Edit to add: I am a home brewer with a full kegging system so if you want to go that route ping me.

 

[TeCKis300]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought most sought PTs once they're in the 37"+ tire sizes?

 

[Wisluggo]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought most sought PTs once they're in the 37"+ tire sizes?

Don’t know, I like the idea of the speed, the portability, and the lack of an install in my truck.

 

[kcjaz]

Yikes, for the price of a PT system I would buy a used CO2 cylinder and regulator for home brewing and use that. Especially as then once at camp ya can pour a cold one.

Edit to add: I am a home brewer with a full kegging system so if you want to go that route ping me.

CO2 might leak out of your tires much faster than air. That for sure happens on bike tires. Car tires may be different as I think the reason CO2 leaks from bike tires has something to do with the rubber used for the tubes. Car tires are not the same rubber. I would do some research before using CO2. I suspect it would be fine for short term.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

CO2 might leak out of your tires much faster than air. That for sure happens on bike tires. Car tires may be different as I think the reason CO2 leaks from bike tires has something to do with the rubber used for the tubes. Car tires are not the same rubber. I would do some research before using CO2. I suspect it would be fine for short term.

Can confirm. It’s truly annoying. When I got home after using the Powertank, I would drop the pressure in my tires back to about 15psi and air them back up with my garage compressor to avoid the seep. I found that with the CO2 I would lose pressure over just a couple weeks. Maybe 5psi in 10 days.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

CO2 might leak out of your tires much faster than air. That for sure happens on bike tires. Car tires may be different as I think the reason CO2 leaks from bike tires has something to do with the rubber used for the tubes. Car tires are not the same rubber. I would do some research before using CO2. I suspect it would be fine for short term.

I have not filled using CO2 so learned something new.

So in that case, two options. Buy a used scuba tank and fill it with 40% NITROX or instead of filling the CO2 cylinder with 100% CO2 fill it with stout gas which 25% CO2 and 75% N2. Either way both solutions are less expensive. I keep an old scuba cylinder around for filling tires as well as having several CO2 CO2/N2 cylinder for beer. Personally I would go with a scuba cylinder as it is easier to refill but may not get as many tires inflated as a CO2 cylinder.

 

[REKCUT]

Ive run CO2 for years but am going to switch to arb twin. Price of CO2 is getting crazy. $35 to fill 10 lbs bottle. Im doing that 3 or more times a year. Used to be i could get it for half that

 

[TheGrrrrr]

Ive run CO2 for years but am going to switch to arb twin. Price of CO2 is getting crazy. $35 to fill 10 lbs bottle. Im doing that 3 or more times a year. Used to be i could get it for half that

i pay $20 to fill my 20lb bottle at the welding supply place by my house. Everywhere else is double triple or quadruple that much with the paintball places wanting $85.

 

[grinchy]

A xxl quick fist Or similar. amazon has lots of clamp options for waaay less than a premade bracket. You just need to know the bottle diameter.
a flat bar bracket that you bend up in a vise to match your mounting bolts location and tank. If you need a crosspiece get a $20 riveter. Paint to suit.
drill or drill press to make holes.

I built this propane mount for $25. It’s the mount, a couple bolts to hold it to the swing arm, and a short piece of flat bar to hold the bottom

i will also join the chorus that a suitable air compressor is a fine alternative solution. I have a twin and a homemade four tire inflator. Pretty great. Sit inside while airing up. No mosquitoes. No cold. Listening to tunes, Use the tpms pressures to know when to pop out and turn it off. Less than 10 min to unpack hook up inflate and put away.
With my skinny 35s

 

[Wisluggo]

Interesting comments on the co2 seeping faster than air or nitrogen. I had no idea.

 

[Ryan Marley]

Just fab’d this up today. Very solid. Up and out of the way.

 

[Ryan Marley]

Just 1.5 cents worth of observations on the trail re power tanks vs ARB twin…

When I ran 35’s, I would occasionally air up right next to folks using power tanks, so it was interesting to see how timing went against my ARB Twin. With my compressor, the tendency was (unless I was distracted, haha!!) that I could beat them airing up, even though I was aired down lower than they were…and they were on smaller tires.
-Not because the ARB was faster during actual fill, (though its not bad)…but rather because there was less to fiddle with. The Twin underthe hood means a button press & easy access with a lift of the hood. No tank to retrieve and re-mount. Turns out by the time they got out the power tank, hose, set it down multiple times (possibly in the mud or whatever the ground was), etc., and then put it back wherever it was mounted, I was consistently filled just as quickly if not before.

Worth considering too is that power-tanks are big, heavy, and one more heavy object to find a safe spot for on/in the truck.

**I can definitely see where power tanks shine—like for huuuuge buggy tires, or the high PSI to deal with re-mounting a popped bead (though I’d still wager a spray can and a lighter will still pop beads better than anything through a filler tube)… the convenience & speed of the of ARB twin is tough to beat.
-Plus…if you have ARB diff-lockers, you need the compressor anyway…

In @TheGrrrrr ‘s case, he’s gone a step further with his all-4-tires-at-once hose thingy… hecki v pressure only once for all.

PS. Another air-related observation… where technically fast is ‘t always oractically faster:
Staun deflators aren’t usually quicker to deflate that stem pullers. BUT… Again, stem-pullers mean you fiddle with one tire at a time.
So even though Stauns might deflate slower1:1… with a set of 4, I don’t have to wait for each tire. Because By the time I’ve threaded the 4th tire deflator in the set, the first tire is almost done. So… no standing there during each deflation. Over-all it ends up faster than the “technically* faster stem pulls.

So anyway… Both examples of the “faster” individual tool not necessarily being faster over-all.

On the third hand… Power Tanks are great for some applications for sure. For example… If your trail buddy needs air, but is stuck behind you on a narrow trail…a Power tank’s mobility would be great. But in all the trail s so far…, I’ve not run into that scenario. But it could happen…

I use a 4 tire inflator system with the bottle. I can hook up all for tires and take my 37’s from 10PSI to 35 in less than two and a half minutes. I don’t have to remove the bottle which was a must for me. Have a Viair compressor that will overheat half way through the 3rd tire. Took me like 15-20 minutes to air up before. I can do roughly 15-20 fill ups on a 20lb bottle.

 

[gluaisrothai]

I use a 4 tire inflator system with the bottle. I can hook up all for tires and take my 37’s from 10PSI to 35 in less than two and a half minutes. I don’t have to remove the bottle which was a must for me. Have a Viair compressor that will overheat half way through the 3rd tire. Took me like 15-20 minutes to air up before. I can do roughly 15-20 fill ups on a 20lb bottle.

I keep the tank wedged between front of drawers and rear passenger seat. Takes me no time to lift it out and go wheel to wheel. I have 32.5” tires, the CO2 brings them from 15psi to 42psi in 30-40 seconds each. Just have to watch for cold nip from the valve after a few tires.

But yeah the price for a fill has increased from $15 to $44 in the last three years. And I do have to flush the CO2 out when I get back home to avoid pressure decay.

 

[Ryan Marley]

Finished product

 

[gluaisrothai]

2021 Land Cruiser HE

This video hosted by SmugMug; your photos and videos look better here.

www.smugmug.com

If this video link works, this is how long it takes a Powertank to inflate a 285/65/18 from 23 to 40 psi. Tank pressure was nominal (i.e. vapor pressure for CO2 at 55 F) and regulator set to 250 psi.

Regulator nice and frosty after four fills.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Finished product

Nice fabrication. My only suggestion would be to move to a hard connection rather than the soft strap for the cylinder. Or at least have a second strap around the cylinder so to prevent is from sliding out. A second strap such as one used for a scuba diving tank would work.