Mounting plate for tank and pony bottle

[billgraham]

I currently use an old faithful Pony Tamer system. One pin pull and the entire pony set-up can be removed without touching or affecting the main tank........but you do need to have the female "receiver" bands installed on all primary tanks for this system to work...

I actually like the Trident Quick Draw and am considering swapping to that since the connection lives with the BC strap which makes it much "friendlier" and convenient if hauling a 19 or 13cf to the tropics...or anywhere where I am not bringing my own main tanks.

PS...... Slightly off topic, but I also have a small 2in SPG that lives with my Pony reg so that I can easily verify status prior to and during any dive.

I think that's the same manufacturer for the one I have in the shed somewhere, mine is just older!

 

[mdwalter]

I've looked at the options for back mounting a pony bottle and I'm not thrilled with them.
...

Is anyone aware of a mounting system that allows main and pony to be removed without touching the other one? Maybe a piece of tee profile material mounted to the back plate with a set of straps on each side, or perhaps a W shaped plate that holds the tanks in the correct separation?

First off, let me state for the record that I recommend slinging the "pony" either like a stage or in side mount. This solves all the problems associated with mounting it out back (hard to see, hard to reach, vulnerable to snags, vulnerable to bangs, etc.)

That said, if you really have your heart set on mounting your "pony" to the back plate, what about just using another single tank adapter mounted in 2 of the holes along one edge of your back plate? Or, if that is too far out to the side, maybe drill 2 holes 11" apart closer to the center, such that your "independently mounted" "pony" is almost touching the main tank on one side. This would require no or minimal custom machining on your part, put the "pony" in about the same spot it would be with the tank-mount adapters, and accomplish your goal of swapping the main tank without having to touch the "pony" at all.

Again, my advice is "don't do this" but if you insist on doing this, maybe try it this way.

 

[NYCrecdiver]

I have my pony attached to my main tank.
The 2nd stage is clipped to my chest D-ring.
The tank is always on.
For a while I ran an SPG from the pony - but recently found a cheap transmitter.
In both cases, in an emergency, I'm not sure why you would be concerned with handling the pony?
You need to ensure it has enough air (which you would do pre-dive and during dive) and you need to ensure quick access to the pony's second stage.
For a while, I even had the pony's second stage around my neck via necklace. But now its clipped off to chest d ring.
Reaching for my pony second stage is akin to reaching for your octopus on a traditional setup.

I use the Shark pony mount.

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I also use the shark mount and like it. Use it with a 13 cf pony but mounted upside down. This way I can easily reach the valve. The second stage hose routes up with 2 rubber straps along the pony and second stage is clipped off my shoulder D-ring.

 

[happy-diver]

 

[Ross19966]

I’m going with a AL30. Going to try slinging it first just because I have the stuff laying around to rig it up. If it gets in the way, I’ll switch to back mount.

 

[Ghost95]

I have a pony tank holder that is all webbing without hard plates. I hate the idea of hose clamps and plates mounted semi-permanently on any tank for fear of not getting them rinsed well enough and starting a corrosion problem.

I think I got the pony harness from Divers Supply years ago and it has worked very well with a 13cf pony. I haven't been able to find another one lately and may have to see about getting a copy made at a sail shop if this one ever fails.

Basically the harness is a smaller diameter cam strap that has a verticle piece of webbing sewn to it that you feed your main tank cam strap through. There is another non-cam strap that sits lower and kind of stabilizes the pony.

The harness stays mounted on your BC/BPW's main cam strap and you just mount the pony when you're ready to dive. You don't have to remove the pony to change tanks either. Just pop your main cylinder off and and replace it. The pony will be in the same place when you set your new tank.

I run a 13' pony upside down, charged while descending, and then turned off on bottom. A 48" hose runs between the pony and my back, over my right shoulder, and down to a chest clip. If i need to use it I can breathe off it without feeling like it's binding and it hasn't snagged on anything. If I have to pass it I turn it on, pull it from the chest clip, lift it over my shoulder and then down to my right. Doing this pulls the hose from between my back and the tank and allows some (some) freedom of movement for the diver on the pony. I've actually had to use this twice for someone who ran out of air on accent and it worked well. The people using it we're pretty calm and we even managed a safety stop.

Being able to give a slung bottle to someone might be a better option but this works for my needs. I think you could run a 19' pony but any bigger than that I don't think would work. I don't think it would be stable enough. 30's on up should probably be slung and that's what I do if I carry my 30.

You have to understand the limitations of this setup. It's not a tool to increase bottom time but rather a fully redundant accent gas supply. There's no screwing around on the bottom on a 13' pony, you activate the pony, you're on your way up. Also understand that if you share this your buddy will be attached to you in relatively close proximity. I like the system though.

One other thing about back mounted, small, pony tanks. You need to be properly weighted with a minimum amount of air in the wing. If you're heavy and need allot of air to compensate, the pony can compress the wing on one side and throw your trim off. I dove pretty over weighted once and the wing kept trying to roll me to the right. With proper weighing I barely notice the pony.

Good luck finding what you're looking for. I like a small back mounted pony for recreational dives up to 100'.

One other thing I like is that I can leave the pony harness attached even if not using a pony. It looks ugly and may present a snag hazard if you're in that type of environment but it doesn't add much weight or drag.

Update: after searching I found that the Zeagle pony mount is similar to what I'm using. It uses two cam bands, one for each strap which would increase stability.

 

[happy-diver]

Hey mate which one of these beauties has 100 dives in the ocean with far from religious ablution procedures

Hey mate see the doovers that sit behind or thread through a cam band for the pony doover to slide into

Any more time consuming impractical hardship threads for the handing off tech entangled sloppy slingers

 

[NYCrecdiver]

Hey mate which one of these beauties has 100 dives in the ocean with far from religious ablution procedures

View attachment 764469

Hey mate see the doovers that sit behind or thread through a cam band for the pony doover to slide into

Any more time consuming impractical hardship threads for the handing off tech entangled sloppy slingers

Are these rubber sleeves from Piranha on there or shrink or webbing tubing?

 

[NYCrecdiver]

ve to pass it I turn it on, pull it from the chest clip, lift it over my shoulder and then down to my right. Doing this pulls the hose from between my back and the tank and allows some (some) freedom of movement for the diver on the pony. I've actually had to use this twice for someone who ran out of air on accent and it worked well.

One other thing about back mounted, small, pony tanks. You need to be properly weighted with a minimum amount of air in the wing. If you're heavy and need allot of air to compensate, the pony can compress the wing on one side and throw your trim off. I dove pretty over weighted once and the wing kept trying to roll me to the right. With proper weighing I barely notice the pony.

Is your pony your plan A to donate air? I donate my long hose from my primary tank first.

I have not noticed my pony getting in the way of my wing, even fully inflated when testing my setup on land. I have it slightly rotated towards the back so my wing can take all the space it needs. What might help me is that my primary is mounted on an STA.

 

[Ghost95]

I don't run a long hose primary. I run a normal hose, air McDoodle (Air2) and sometimes a pony. The longer hose on the pony is probably easier to donate than me switching to the Air2. Honestly though it's more of a solo situation most of the time. May of 2018 was the last time I saw another person underwater.

And yes, I know the Air2 will kill me