Yet Another Cylinder Rack

[NothingClever]

I bolted a 2x4 frame on the inside of the truck bed wall and use these offroad straps to secure tanks vertically. Hundreds of trips with multiple tanks and they are rock solid. I use them on my boat too.

Familiar with the Quick Clamp products (great kit) from my overlanding days.

As advertised, ”Holds 50 lbs”. A twinset is already well past that in a static state. Add some momentum from a collision and I think the odds of material failure (hence a loose tank and a bigger problem) start to go up significantly.

I think what works on a boat is not necessarily applicable for highway travel where collision with a hard object is a much more likely contingency.

 

[Still Kicking]

@Jack Hammer and @Can't Talk ... Diving - For folks that need a simple rack, please feel free to add your photos so other folks can see the options.

 

[happy-diver]

Wow if you had to transport a family of four divers you'd want a plywood plantation



I'm almost speechless

 

[NothingClever]

From this:

To this in less than an hour:

Both photos are missing quite a bit of kit that takes up the visible space.

For the SCUBA configuration, it’s missing a DPV and the exposure suits and surf robes on the hanger bars that run fore and aft on either side of the van.

For the track day configuration, it’s missing my track leathers, paddock canopy, seat, table, track fan, AL80 SCUBA cylinder with extra long hose for tire inflation, and the fuel cans. The wood case on the left is to store the ramps that are great for solo loading and unloading but also super abrasive because of the star-shaped punch outs for traction.

So, yeah - I see the permanently mounted SCUBA rack in the back of a pick up is a good thing but my needs are different and I’m happy with how the SCUBA rack turned out.

Version 1.1 SCUBA rack will be a vertical rack that anchors (securely but temporarily) to the right wall (where the motorcycle is). That‘s for solo trips.

Version 1.2 will be a slide out tray underneath a bunk bed in the aft-most section of the cargo area. That’s for trips with my wife.

 

[Gone for diving]

Is that a transit? What's the head room?

 

[NothingClever]

Is that a transit? What's the head room?

Yes, it’s a Ford Transit 250 with a 148” wheelbase, medium roof and extended length.

Short answer is 72”.

If you’re under 6 feet tall you can stand up. If you build up the floor with 3/4” plywood and laminate flooring and put in a ceiling, that will shrink the head room. I went with 1/2” plywood and single piece vinyl garage flooring that is waterproof and makes it easy to sweep out sand or dirt.

Over 6 feet tall and you’ll have to dip your head.

 

[NothingClever]

Pulled out the vinyl floor and 1/2”plywood subfloor and started cutting the easy pieces for the floor insulation. Tomorrow (I hope) will be the contoured pieces for along the walls.

Going to use 3M 90 contact adhesive in the corrugation valleys to glue the insulation with the aluminum side down.

Once glued and cured, I intend to roll over the insulation to compress it a bit. It currently sits a tad higher than the corrugated peaks where I will use double-sided VHB tape or construction glue to bond the plywood subfloor.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

@NothingClever Either here or in its own post.. but please do pics and a full right up. This is something I have been kick over for a while now but with a smaller but similar ride.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@NothingClever

How do you make such nicely rounded cuts?

 

[NothingClever]

@NothingClever

How do you make such nicely rounded cuts?

The pictures are deceptive. Upon closer inspection, some of my cut outs for the cylinders are pretty sloppy - enough to make a high school shop teacher wince (let alone a real carpenter).

For the cuts that turned out OK, I cut two boards at a time (clamped together) with a jigsaw and taking my time. Clamping the two boards together favors uniformity in your cuts.

It helps to drill reference holes along the inside (waste side) of the arc to minimize binding of the jigsaw blade against the wood. I still had to clean things up with a rasp bit and a shoulder bit with my router.