Using hose clamps to mount accessories to side of tank?

[NW Dive Dawg]

Don't let the back-mount naysayers bug you. To each his/her own.

Of course you can use hose clamps to invent whatever floats your boat. If you're worried about scratching up your tank, it's probably unavoidable.....or you can slip some hose protector material or bicycle inner tube material over the hose clamps.

Sounds like what you are trying to invent is the old pony tamer system. I used that set-up for 20 years before switching to the Quickdraw system. The big difference is that with the QuickDraw there is nothing mounted to your primary cylinder so it's a super easy swap to any fresh tank. The first 2 pics are the old pony tamer system. The last pic is my QuickDraw system.

Anyway, the pics of the pony tamer will at least show what I think it is you're trying to make...

Good luck! Dive on!!

Pony Tamer, Pony Bottle Mounting System. $50.00 | DiveBuddy.com

Pony Tamer, Pony Bottle Mounting System. $50.00 - 1 replies - posted by mitrich in the For Sale category.

www.divebuddy.com

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@Scared Silly Somehow missed your comment earlier. How do those work? They look like regular cam bands, but for $60 I'm open to the idea.

@NW Dive Dawg As always, thank you for your helpful comment! Good suggestion with the inner tube liners, I'll probably do exactly that, and thanks for the reference pics, gives me some good ideas of how to proceed. One idea I'm currently floating around is to use hose clamps to mount a set of rods to my primary tanks, and then feed a set of cam bands from the pony through those, but I need to check the hardware store. This could easily get expensive enough that I might as well just buy something from a professional.

 

[34109411]

or use tubular webbing (rock climbing).

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@34109411 Idk man, I think all webbing is like, totally tubular dude

 

[J-Vo]

@OTF @34109411 ... I don't want it flapping around like it would on a sling. ....

I have run full speed on my DPV with 4 stages into flow no one can swim against and nothing is "flapping around". Having done exactly what your proposing a lonnnnnng time ago, I recommend simply slinging your pony and maybe bungee the valve back to keep it tight. You'll be surprised how it disappears.

Also, don't use hardware store hose clamps, you will want marine grade steel:

Cylinder Clamps

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@J-Vo Quality of the metal aside, these in your link are significantly cheaper than the ones at the hardware store of the same size. Thanks for the tip. And I'll likely try both configurations. My issue is I already have a bag, an SMB, and several other accessories clipped off when diving, and I don't want my chest/sides to get too cluttered, but perhaps with the pony replacing my octo it will simplify things enough to work. We will see.

 

[Still Kicking]

@J-Vo Quality of the metal aside, these in your link are significantly cheaper than the ones at the hardware store of the same size. Thanks for the tip. And I'll likely try both configurations. My issue is I already have a bag, an SMB, and several other accessories clipped off when diving, and I don't want my chest/sides to get too cluttered, but perhaps with the pony replacing my octo it will simplify things enough to work. We will see.

When diving in heavy current -- with the potential for dead branches and other debris getting washed down stream -- how do you envision untangling debris from a fixed back mount pony?

 

[J-Vo]

@SouthernSharktoothDiver all those other accessories should be in pockets/securely stowed when not in use.

 

[Tim Clark Diving]

I tried the cam band attachment like you are talking about and didn’t like it. However, I think you should try it and see if it works for your needs. Protect your cylinders with old bicycle inner tubes. You can get them for free from cycling repair shops. The narrow ones fit hose clamps pretty well.

I try to keep my chest clear and have gone a slightly different route. I sling my bailout on the side and secure the valve with a bungee similar to sidemount. The bungee is attached to the holes in my backplate similar to what others have suggested. I also attach my SMB to the backplate with three loops of bungee. I often carry one on each side. They are fairly large, and this might not work for more narrow SMBs. For smaller stuff like reels I use a DGX waist mounted pouch.

DGX Gears Horizontal Expandable Zipper Pocket

The DGX Gears Horizontal Expandable Zipper Pocket expands for those times when you need to carry more.

www.divegearexpress.com

It can easily fit a reel, small smb, mirror, and whistle. I sometimes carry a second one rigged with clips that I can attach tomorrow the bottom holes of my backplate if I need additional storage. I can unclip it when I need those items.

Sorry, not much to say about mounting a pony with cam bands but hopefully some other ideas for decluttering your chest.

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@Still Kicking I plan to mount it inverted, diminishing the area that might become entangled. From there, I spend most of my time flush on the bottom, where you have less trouble with entanglements above as you do below and to the side. Perhaps it will still pose an issue, but I intend to test it while tethered to my dive buddy, so if problems should arise, I have an extra set of hands to fix it. (I also intend to test it in still water before hitting a current, but that’s not as relevant to this discussion)

@J-Vo most of it’s stuff I might need in a hurry. I suppose I could pocket the smb, but I don’t know. I carry it mostly for use as a signaling device if I should get swept off course, and in that case I’d want it fast.