Got my mount for my CO2 tank bracket done today. Pretty simple deal really. Took a piece of aluminum diamond plate (3/16” nominal thickness, but effectively 1/4” with the “diamonds”) I had in the shop, cut it on the band saw to the width of the bracket x 18" long. This particular piece had been used for something in the past, so it already had a few conveniently placed holes in it to help mount it, and I drilled a few more where needed.
Before mounting it, I painted it with some Dupli-color truck bed lining paint because I think the black looks better...and because it was an old piece of diamond plate that needed some flaws hidden.
I bolted the bracket to the diamond plate, then held it up (actually, my wife held it) next to the camper so that the back of the bracket was flush with the camper wall, and the diamond plate slid under horizontal plywood under the fridge. I fastened the plate to the plywood with some #14 x 3/4" wood screws, and then triangulated the bracket by drilling through the back wall (and one of the vertical aluminum frame members), then bolted it through into the space behind the fridge with 2" backing plate I made from some aluminum bar stock. Finally, I cut a leftover piece of horse stall matting (heavy duty 3/4” thick rubber) to minimize noise, and abrasion to the bottom of the tank from the bolts attaching the bracket to the diamond plate.
The resulting mounting system is quite solid, has virtually no movement or apparent vibration concerns, and should work quite well.
Now.... I'm sure there's plenty of folks out there asking: What the hell is the CO2 for? Good question. Answer: It's a "replacement" for compressed air. CO2's characteristics relative to "air" (~79% Nitrogen & ~21% ) are very similar, and as such can be used as a "replacement" for many common uses. My primary use will be as a means to air tires back up after some off road situations. But obviously, it could also be used to for airing up inflatables, blowing out filters, and even running air tools during repair situations or tire changing.
A 10 lb cylinder of CO2 has the capability of airing a 33" tire from 15 to 30 psi ~40 times before running empty. And because of that volume capability, can run air powered tools better than most on-board air compressors, even in combination with storage tanks. CO2 when compressed is stored in a liquid form, and converts to its gaseous state when released. This allows much greater volume than a same sized tank of compressed air (i.e., a scuba tank), BUT the downside is weight. Being stored in a liquid state means it has mass, unlike stored air.
The total weight of the liquid CO2, the tank (aluminum) and the bracket (stamped steel) is about 30 lbs. Roughly the same as about 3 gallons of water plus the bracketry to hold. So its not outrageous compared to what some folks have mounted on the rear of the camper, but it does give cause for monitoring the mounting system for any signs of stress. The liquid CO2 doesn’t have the same “sloshing” factor as gasoline or water, so it think the stresses relative to that will be minimized. Additionally, I don't anticipate taking the tank on all trips, so it wont be a constant weight on the bracketry.
I’ve carried an identical bracket on my rock crawler Jeep for almost 20 years, and have had it in much more adverse conditions than I ever expect to have my truck and camper, so I’m quite confident in the brackets ability to retain the tank, though will be adding some rubber weatherstripping to the tank to make it slightly more snug, and will have to put a small cable lock through the latch to keep it secure.
Overall, I think this’ll be a nice addition for the occasional need use, and adds to the self contained nature of my truck and camper.
