Propane Tank Location (1 Viewer)

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ratchet

ratchet

SILVER Star
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
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15
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130
Location
Colorado
I am converting my FJ40 to propane. I am going to use forklift propane tanks and am trying to figure out where to mount them. Many people bolt them to the floor behind the seats but I would rather not do that due to the loss of storage space. In addition I put the top on the vehicle and would rather not have them in the cab.

I cant find a place underneath the vehicle without modifying the frame/sheetmetal. My thought was to build a spare tire carrier similar to this (thanks Man a Fre)
maf-1045new.jpg

maf1045nopen.jpg

Instead of the cooler rack/highlift on the passenger side I would mount one or two forklift tanks. The tanks are about 12 inches around and 28 inches long around so they would not stick out or up past the tire. It would be alot of weight (about 100 lbs if I can fit two) but generally the rear end is pretty light compared to the front anyway.

One of my concerns is safety. If I got rear ended the tanks would be right there. Also if I did an end over end roll the full weight of the vehicle could potentially be resting on them. I could build a little cage around them but then I am adding additional weight.

Anyway, if any of you guys have any (constructive :flipoff2:) comments I would love to hear them.

Richard
 
Just stick them behind the seat. they really do not take up that much room.

And, there is no reason for them to be leaking either.
 
bustanutley said:
I would say that, that is a bad idea
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Care to elaborate as to why? How is it any different than having a jerry can full of gas in that location? If anything it seems like it would be safer than that.

mace said:
Just stick them behind the seat. they really do not take up that much room.

And, there is no reason for them to be leaking either.
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I may end up putting them behind the seats but I was just trying to explore some other options. I think I can deal with the lack of storage if I have to. I agree there is no reason for them to be leaking but I still would rather not have them in the cab if the top is on regularly.

I was hoping to use propane as a long term alternative to fuel injection (FI) but if I can't find a better place for the tank it may just be a interim solution until I put a FI engine in. The cruiser is not a daily driver (which is one of the reasons I am even considering propane) but it is driven some.

Thanks for your input guys.

Richard
 
I dont think that it would be overly safe putting the tanks on the rear bumper if you rear ended ect...how is this more dangerous then a jerry can? well...propane is pressurized to what 300# plus? thats why... i have seen some tanks mounted to the underside between the frame rails in the rear (same place an aux tank is mounted. mounting in cab is apperently a big no no up here in canada if you are going to have the top on, as is running high pressure lines through the cab and im pretty sure that the guys over at gotpropane.com dont advise mounting it in the passanger cabin either. I will be switching over to propane at some point for my bush truck and mounting it to the roll cage behind my seats however i will only be running a bikini top...(it will be fresh...but ill get over it). just my .02
 
propane cruiser mount

I am doing the same thing as you and have found nothing for advice on this, I am going to buy a rear gate the four plus gate from man a fre and fab what needs to be done to mount 2 - 10 gal aluminum tanks in the basket side. my buddy is also doing this to his jxxp. I have seen the tank mounted under the bed but you can only fit 1 tank which is only 10 gal. plus i have a 22 gal gas tank in that spot that i want to keep. propane tanks are built WAY tougher than a gas can, I think if you did get rear ended that it would just dent the tank, if it did crack the tank i think it would just hiss propane out untill the tank was empty, propane is harder to ignite than gas and i see gas cans back there all day. so i don't know about you but im still doing it. Good luck with your project. I would love to see some pics of your gate if you go that route:cheers:.
 
To help mitigate the loss of storage space, you could built a storage platform the would be hinged at one end... I did that with my buggy when I was running pane and it was a big help.

Putting the tanks where they're exposed is a REALLY bad idea on any vehicle, 5x as bad on an off-roader.
 
ratchet said:
Care to elaborate as to why? How is it any different than having a jerry can full of gas in that location? If anything it seems like it would be safer than that.



I may end up putting them behind the seats but I was just trying to explore some other options. I think I can deal with the lack of storage if I have to. I agree there is no reason for them to be leaking but I still would rather not have them in the cab if the top is on regularly.

I was hoping to use propane as a long term alternative to fuel injection (FI) but if I can't find a better place for the tank it may just be a interim solution until I put a FI engine in. The cruiser is not a daily driver (which is one of the reasons I am even considering propane) but it is driven some.

Thanks for your input guys.

Richard
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I'm now running propane and I can tell you that you are comparing a liquid, in a non pressurized tank to propane at very high psi.

Think about it for a second and put them in back. If the tanks leak, you WILL smell it.
 
I don't know where ratchet is from but here in california it is :ban: (illegal) to mount propane tanks inside of an enclosed cab and no propane company will fill your tanks or let you pick them up unless you are in a truck or have an external mount. So to mount the tank in side the cab he would have to owne a truck to pick the tanks up every time he has them filled. Sounds like a pain in the :censor: to me.
 
NOR CAL CRUISER said:
I don't know where ratchet is from but here in california it is :ban: (illegal) to mount propane tanks inside of an enclosed cab and no propane company will fill your tanks or let you pick them up unless you are in a truck or have an external mount. So to mount the tank in side the cab he would have to owne a truck to pick the tanks up every time he has them filled. Sounds like a pain in the :censor: to me.
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I don't do much road driving in my 40 so I transport the tanks which come out easily in my pickup.

There are some real sacrifices to propane but its ease of use and install and lack of significant wiring make it a dream on the trail.

California has some fo the dumbest laws. My highly flammable, not sealed gasoline tank was UNDER the passenger seat and in the cab of my 40, yet they won't fill a propane tank that is going to be clamped into the bed. Awesome logic there.
 
Slowerthanu said:
I don't do much road driving in my 40 so I transport the tanks which come out easily in my pickup.

There are some real sacrifices to propane but its ease of use and install and lack of significant wiring make it a dream on the trail.

California has some fo the dumbest laws. My highly flammable, not sealed gasoline tank was UNDER the passenger seat and in the cab of my 40, yet they won't fill a propane tank that is going to be clamped into the bed. Awesome logic there.
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Propane tanks "VENT". Meaning when the sun comes out and heats the inside of your rig and the tanks up the gas expands and the vents on the tank lets out the extra pressure.

We had one tank at KOH that could be heatrd venting for over a day on and off in the sun. Even with the tank in the trailer it would still vent (pretty sure the local idiot that filled them overfilled that one) when kept out of the sun. We ended up putting it back outside in the sun to keep the fumes out of the tool trailer.

We used it up first prerunning. :meh:

This thread is so full of bad fail ideas that its kinda a win. :eek:

Look at these videos before you think about disregarding propane safety recomendations. I live close to the Atlas foundry. When it blew up, folks though there was an earthquake. It sent parts of the truck all the way UP onto and over the freeway overpass.

Dont take LPG safety lightly.

YouTube - propane accident
 
Chop Shop said:
Propane tanks "VENT". Meaning when the sun comes out and heats the inside of your rig and the tanks up the gas expands and the vents on the tank lets out the extra pressure.

We had one tank at KOH that could be heatrd venting for over a day on and off in the sun. Even with the tank in the trailer it would still vent (pretty sure the local idiot that filled them overfilled that one) when kept out of the sun. We ended up putting it back outside in the sun to keep the fumes out of the tool trailer.

We used it up first prerunning. :meh:

This thread is so full of bad fail ideas that its kinda a win. :eek:

Look at these videos before you think about disregarding propane safety recomendations. I live close to the Atlas foundry. When it blew up, folks though there was an earthquake. It sent parts of the truck all the way UP onto and over the freeway overpass.

Dont take LPG safety lightly.

YouTube - propane accident
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Thanks, I remember that explosion well.

I don't have doors, or a hatch, or a top very often.

I don't take it lightly, I would rather roll with my tanks in the cab than roll with them outside of the vehicle.

I can clearly smell propane, it is a safety concern as much as gasoline.


Last I checked, this sport was somewhat dangerous no matter what.
 
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