17 replies to this topic

[kcowyo]

Fair enough.

That's really good to know, thanks Marty and Ben. I didn't want to find that out the hard way.

A bumper platform may make for a stronger base anyway. I hadn't considered that as an option. Thanks for the picture and planting the seed Mark.

[bluefly]

________________________________________
KC,

Greetings, and thanks for sealing the deal for me on a FWC with your informative, entertaining, and engaging reports on the Expo forum!

I’ve been following this thread while preparing to install a propane box in the Eagle shell model that I picked up. Which started me thinking- If it works for propane, why not gas? If you’re willing and able to make an investment to do some upgrades, I think it’s possible for you to put additional fuel in the camper itself, where it won’t stress the camper frame or impact clearance in the back as a bumper mount might. You’d end up with a more efficient heating system that doesn’t draw down your battery, the diet cokes you want in the Engel fridge in your back seat, and additional range for your adventures.

First, ditch the cooler and the forced air furnace. Buy that Engel, then you can go to Baja. For heat, get the small Olympian catalytic heater (about $250) and plumb it to the best mounting place inside the camper- or get a stand kit for it and stow it when not needed. I haven’t installed mine yet and so can’t give a review but they are compact and come highly recommended. (It might be possible to keep the stock forced air heater- I don’t know how your set-up is configured.)

Option 1: Build an airtight box, similar to your propane box, large enough to accommodate your jerry can, that would fit in the space where your furnace/cooler was. Find a louvered hatch door that will seal to that box that will allow you access. You’d have to figure out if this would work on the floor with access through the back where your existing hatch is, or up higher, through the driver’s side of the camper.

Option 2: Forget the jerry can and mount a tank in that space. This option would solve the possible problem posed by option 1: hatch fitment between the existing aluminum framing in the walls. I imagine there’s hardware available to properly vent it through the wall and attach a fill fitting. A siphon and short piece of hose could run it directly to your fill for your stock fuel tank.

As I sat down to post this it was with your situation in mind, but lol, now I realize I’m in the exact same situation as you regarding fuel capacity. If option 2, (which now seems more promising to me) would work, I should consider it myself while I’m still in the systems planning stage. The downside, of course, is loss of space in an already backpack-sized camper. In your case you might actually gain some space if you go with the fridge in the cab idea.

What do you think? Any downsides/safety issues not considered here?

Any and all comments welcome for those of us with this issue.

Donna

[kcowyo]

Well hey Donna!

I saw the username here but didn't make the connection. Now I recall you made the Gunsight Pass trip with some of the ExPo folks last year. I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed some of my more long winded diatribes and I hope you're enjoying your FWC even more.

While I like your ideas, there is no way I would sacrifice my heater to carry more fuel. I think the six people who were huddled in my camper around the heater vent during the Death Valley trip would agree! If I lived in a more temperate climate, maybe. But the heater is my favorite part of the camper. I wouldn't even trade it for one of those fancy fridges!

I try to keep as many upgrades to the truck & camper as adjustable as possible. That's why I'm thinking of a lightweight rack where I can carry an extra fuel can if necessary or I can just leave it at home for shorter trips. My truck is my daily driver too so I don't want to laden it for everyday use with the weight of an auxiliary tank that I only need to use for a few trips per year. Plus I want to keep my spare tire underneath the truck which is the most common location for auxiliary tanks.

As far as remodeling my camper, well, I'm just not ready for that yet either. I'm very happy with the options I have considering I bought it used. However there are other options I would like to have also. So I'll make do with what I have for now and maybe down the road, with what I've learned my needs really are, I can upgrade to a new unit with each and every option I want. I'm sure Ben & Marty would be happy to accommodate!

Carrying extra fuel, to me, is nerve wracking. I don't want to smell it when I'm trying to sleep, I don't want to risk it leaking out into the camper while bouncing around off road. Plus I want to keep it lower than the top of the truck's bedrails so the weight doesn't effect my center of gravity. I would also prefer to keep it out of direct sunlight if possible and out of harm's way in case someone were to back into me, which are the only two potential drawbacks I can think of to doing a bumper mount carrier. Even a wall mount, like I mentioned in my first post, would not really be ideal as I imagine the camper door would not be able to open fully with a can & carrier mounted there.

Clearly I have given this a lot of thought. Maybe too much thought as I'm no closer to an ideal solution than I was when the need first came up.

*NorthCoastFishing, thanks for posting that pic. Every suggestion helps!

[bluefly]

KC, hey, thanks for the hello and generosity in sharing your thoughts on this.

In your position I’d likely have a similar view. Since I’m building from scratch I have more latitude in considering alternatives, especially with the previous owner throwing some of the equipment, like the heater, into the deal when I bought the camper.

Since my previous post, I’ve been mulling this over further and would love some feedback on my current thinking from all of you as y'all have much more experience and vehicle smarts than I do. I’ve decided that I’m not willing to sacrifice interior space for something I’ll need on only a small percentage of my trips. And like you KC, I’m not willing to put gas in my sleeping compartment, though I’m comfortable putting it in a sealed hatch vented to the outside. I don’t have the same qualms with propane, however- just want it safely stowed outside my living space (driving or camped). So… read on!

Instead of building a second compartment I’m now thinking to use the propane box I’m currently building in. One of the goodies I got with the camper was the 20 lb. horizontal tank. I decided to not use it and got an 11 lb. tank, giving me a nominal addition of interior space and more importantly, cutting 15 pounds of weight from above the bed rail.

However, I’m now thinking to keep the full length box for the larger tank and not cut it down as per my original plans. On trips requiring extra fuel it will give me room for an auxiliary gas tank directly above my stock fuel fill. Six gallons would weigh about the same as a full 20 lb propane tank (which weighs 41 lbs.). I can tie down the propane tank in the camper on the floor to the front on the passenger side to help offset it. I’m not too concerned about the propane inside the camper while traveling- when stopped to camp it will come out and put back in its exterior compartment and the reserve fuel stowed on the ground.

The only fuel tank I’ve found that would use the capacity of the full-size propane box to good advantage is pricey, but has the advantage of being flexible and once drained, rolled up and stored easily, which I like. It’s a Nauta flexible tank made for marine use: they are supposed to be quite sturdy, don’t slosh when half full like a rigid one, and both the 6 and 9 gallon size would fit the 14x14x19 inch dimensions of the propane box.

I found the best price and info at http://www.ahoycapta...ta_ob_tank.html

The six gallon size would increase my range by 90 miles or so and for the first day/s of the trip when the tank transfer routine is required would be easiest to handle. Hmm… or perhaps I could plumb an additional propane inlet that would allow me to use the propane tank on the ground beside the camper and just do the switch once...

Any comments on this version of a proposed solution? KC, I think it meets some of your objections. It would entail some bother on longer trips, but not much, keep the weight forward, and in my case, allow me to bring either the small propane tank or large propane tank and additional fuel (or not), depending upon expected weather, time out, and distance between fuel stops.

Looking forward to implementing a plan soon,

Donna

On edit: If anyone knows of another fuel carrier that would stow safely in a space 14x14x19 give a shout!

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[chnlisle]

I can't tell you guys how often I MM'd this subject when I had the T-100. I finally realized that none of the options were adequate and bought a Dodge with 34 gal tank and a CTD. It was one of the best things I've ever done. I figured you only live once.
Jay

[kcowyo]

Well that Nauta Portable Tank is very interesting....

My initial reaction to seeing it is, "Ooh, I could store that actually in the truck bed on the passenger side, and access it via the front trap door for the turnbuckle."

I have a good amount of space inside that front corner of the bed and no bench seat, so accessing it would be a breeze. It wouldn't actually be inside the camper, it would take advantage of that wasted space between the camper body and truck body and if it were to unknowingly leak, it would be leaking in the bed of the truck, not in the camper and drain out either the back of the truck or though one of the drain holes in the front of the bed.

That would keep the weight low and centered, just forward of the rear axle. It would be out of direct sunlight but with good air circulation around it and not subject to "curious hands" or rear end impacts, like on a bumper mount. And of course it's portable so I could take it only on trips when I know I would need more fuel for longer range. It would also allow me to share fuel if I came across a fellow traveler who has run out of gas, good karma points....

This idea has real merits. Thanks so much Donna for bringing this up and sharing the link. I'm off to drink coffee and do some research!

[bluefly]

Aha! That would be sweet if that would work, good thinking!

I just came in and was about to post that my 2.5 gallon blitz can fits nicely in the propane box, with plenty of room for another. When empty I could hang them off the back of the camper in a gunny sack of some sort until my budget allowed for the fold-up nauta. But your post sent me right back out to check the wheel well space in my Taco: it looks like a no go for me. I’d really be tickled if it works for you though!

Since you have a bit of room there, have you ever considered a custom built tank in that space?

Good luck! Looking forward to the results of your coffee and research… er, the results of your research.

Donna

[craig333]

My thought was to use something like this http://offroadrecove...m/product/G8007
and I think if you get it bolted directly through the aluminum frame it would work fine. Just I couldnt figure out any way to know you were drilling exactly center. Short of taking the siding off and I'm not willing to do that. I use two of those on my Jeep and they do hold a can extremely secure and are lockable too.