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MarkR-- More fantastic drawings, I wish I could draw like that, outstanding work. Sounds like you've got a handle on it now, and thanks for starting this very timely thread, as I am about a week away from getting to the drain/venting plumbing on mine. My tank was also from PPL and looks quite similar to yours, I think mine is model H664.
Toastie-- I can't wait for you to get back to work on your trailer. I love watching your progress.
Ryan-- First I'll say my gray tank mounting idea is completlely ripped off from Frank aka 62Overlander, if you haven't checked out his Annalumanum blog you should. And I'd say mine is definitely "over-engineered" but that's okay. I'm adding some weight in some areas, but I'll be subtracting it in others, like when I toss my giant broke-down furnace next year. If you checked through my blog, you'll see that I replaced the rear three frame x-members with new steel c-channel, and the x-member that supports the new gray tank happens to be one of the new ones. This was fortuitous for two reasons, the first of which is that it's stronger than the old x-member that was there. But the second reason is that the old x-members has a very shallow lip and, as you say, it's 46-year-old steel that was thinning in some areas. The new one is a full c-channel, just like the main frame rail, and has plenty of "lip" to support the tank flange. And the other long-wise support is the removeable one of course. There is no support at all on the back edge (no tank flange there anyway), but the two supports for the long sides should be plenty adequate.
So, due to the frame x-member replacements I performed, I didn't really face the same issue that you're talking about. Potential solutions for your issue would be to weld in a new steel x-member made of c-channel, or to weld a new lower "lip" onto an existing x-member, in order to support the new gray tank.
I also don't plan to drive great distances with a full gray tank. Ideally I'll be able to dump it somewhere nearby when I exit a campsite. But, I believe my supports are engineered to withstand a long pull if need be.
Great thread, very informative.
-Marcus
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