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Old 08-12-2009, 05:30 PM   #61
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Originally Posted by VIKING View Post
Mike, I used the 1/2" stainless all-thread with two stainless nuts locked together at the bottom and top of the tube it goes through. This will never come off. I recommend it highly.
Thanks for starting this thread. A lot of people have gotten good info here.
Rich
Rich, did you buy this at a typical RV parts store? I've seen these but thought they were too large to fit in the cylinder mount.

Thanks for the tip.

Mike
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Old 08-13-2009, 06:48 AM   #62
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Propane tank hold down failures

Hey Buds,
From my experience it seems most (not all) failures are a direct result of over tightening. Whether it shears the rolled pin or damages the aluminum hold down clamp.
If you have a newer trailer with the propane tanks enclosed it becomes less necessary to "CLAMP" them down. They just need to be HELD down.

With regards to the failure of a propane hose, it is my understanding that the newer now required OPD valves would close off the supply of propane in the event of a hose failure.
Of course none of us want to experience anything like that, but it is good to know that "shutoff" is built into that part of the safety system.

While traveling we sometimes run our refrigerator on electric. And, sometimes on gas. We have solar panels and an inverter that enable us to do this.
Keep up the topic. It is an important one.
Thanks
Joe
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Old 08-13-2009, 09:09 AM   #63
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I got all I needed for my hold-down at Ace hardware. It's just a piece of stainless all-thread and four stainless nuts. I used the original stamped steel hold -down at the top. 1/2" all-thread had the same threads as the original rod.

Rich
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Old 08-16-2009, 01:43 PM   #64
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Fixed mine this weekend!

I could not find a replacement aluminum hold-down piece so I made my own. I started with a section of 1-1/2" square aluminum tubing that I got from a welder buddy of mine. It is some type of strong alloy, but I cannot remember the alloy type/number. I cut it to 10" long and milled curved slots through the bottom to match the radius of the propane cylinders. I rounded the ends slightly and gave it a few passes on my bench beltsander to match the finish of the factory cast wing nut. My 1/2" threaded rod is attached via a threaded rod coupling welded to the frame. I measured things so that the rod threads pass all the way through the rod coupling and also the wing nut at the top. The end result is not a pretty as it was with the factory cast hold-down piece, but it is much stronger and my tanks are very stable up there.

Cheers,
Chris
Escondido, CA
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Old 08-16-2009, 01:55 PM   #65
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If you've got bright shiny polished tanks you might want to opt for brand new OLD style hoses. It will help keep hapless thieves honest. Impulsive thieves are less likely to have a wrench in their pocket...

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That is good idea!

What about travel with charged tanks?
Y'all would dump gas before travel?
I'm not going to do that, but wondered if this is standard for TT
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Old 08-16-2009, 03:20 PM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VIKING View Post
Mike, I used the 1/2" stainless all-thread with two stainless nuts locked together at the bottom and top of the tube it goes through. This will never come off. I recommend it highly. Thanks for starting this thread. A lot of people have gotten good info here. Rich
Hi Rich:

I have the same set up as you, but for a slightly cleaner appearance slid a piece of cut-to-length 1/2" inside diameter clear plastic hose over the all-thread rod. I also put my old inverted U crank-down holder through the round holes on the top collar of the propane tank instead of just fitting its inverted V-notch over the top of the collar, in the belief if it ever loosens up the tanks will rattle around on the trailer a bit longer with the hold down inside the collar holes than with it loose on the collar top. But I really like the idea pictured earlier of a padlock through the tightening handle to both prevent it from loosening and to discourage casual tank theft.
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Old 08-17-2009, 02:57 AM   #67
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In addition to the potential for the crossbar to crack (because it is made from high strength but low elongation high silicone alloy), the tanks can come off the trailer because they wiggle loose and rotate to the open section of the handle. To prevent this, I devised this retainer system that positively interlocks between the hold down and the holes in the tank handle. It is easily made from parts at a hardware store or a farm store. It can also be used with the Cast Aluminum bracket.
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Old 08-17-2009, 03:15 PM   #68
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Hi Fred, Good day to you! Thanks for the idea of the clear hose over the all-thread. It's a definite improvement in looks and the threads won't catch so much dust and dirt. Great idea! I'll look into putting the hold down through the handles too.
Thanks,
Rich
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Old 08-18-2009, 12:23 AM   #69
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For newer trailers.

Hi, I was always fighting my propane tank cover and propane tanks to stay secured properly. Who's brilliant idea was it to have the wing nut hold the tanks and cover in place at once? Either the tanks were loose and the cover was tight, or the cover was loose and the tanks tight.

My fix was to first allow the tanks to use the same notch on both sides of the hold down bracket. [was second notch on one side and third notch on other side] From the factory, this couldn't be done because of the regulator bracket was a bit too wide. I cut the bottom of the bracket on an angle, on each side, to fit better between my tanks. My next step was to drop the the notched bracket down between the handles instead of on the top of the tanks. This made the tanks sit tightly in place, in addition to using a connector nut to hold the tank bracket down tight. Now my tanks are mounted in place tightly and won't work loose. Lastly I made a sleeve out of copper tubing to take up the added space between the hold down bar and the tank cover. With a body washer on top, under the wing nut, I can now tighten the tank cover properly. Note: I drilled holes in the wing nut and the tank bracket for a pin or lock, but never used it yet.
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Old 08-31-2009, 09:47 PM   #70
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I read the above accounts of broken hold down rods for the tanks. I bought the allthread to replace the original 32 year old rod. There is a single pin that secures the original rod to the frame cross piece. I cannot drill the pin out. It is harder than the carbide drill bits. I hammered it to see if it would dislodge but it did not move. Any tips on how to remove the pin so I can install the allthread?
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Old 08-31-2009, 11:27 PM   #71
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The service manual says to use a 3/16" drift punch rearwards on the pin, while holding a heavy bar or hammer against the ring above the pin.
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Old 09-02-2009, 10:09 PM   #72
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removing pin

You can also use an angle grinder on the pin--very quick removal!
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Old 09-13-2009, 06:18 PM   #73
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The thought of dragging my tanks was just too much for me and because of this thread I made the change this weekend. Went to Home Depot and bought the shaft and assorted hardware and began the work. My old shaft was held in place by a screw and nut, it was the by product of moving the shaft higher when I switched to aluminum tanks (they are a little taller then the steel ones). It was a quick and simple change over.
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Old 03-18-2010, 09:58 AM   #74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by azflycaster View Post
The thought of dragging my tanks was just too much for me and because of this thread I made the change this weekend. Went to Home Depot and bought the shaft and assorted hardware and began the work. My old shaft was held in place by a screw and nut, it was the by product of moving the shaft higher when I switched to aluminum tanks (they are a little taller then the steel ones). It was a quick and simple change over.
Richard,
I'll have to take a look at this at next months Rally. I saw the threaded rods at Home Depot last week and it got me thinking again about this changeover.
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Old 03-18-2010, 11:10 AM   #75
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This is the exact thing I did last year. Stainless allthread with two nuts above the holding bracket, and two below it to lock the rod in place. It's a really simple fix. Someone added a plastic tube or length of hose to the allthread on one of these and it looked great. I'm thinking of adding a length of aluminum tubing to cover the threads on mine, that I could polish along with the tanks.
Sweet!

Rich the Viking

Quote:
Originally Posted by azflycaster View Post
The thought of dragging my tanks was just too much for me and because of this thread I made the change this weekend. Went to Home Depot and bought the shaft and assorted hardware and began the work. My old shaft was held in place by a screw and nut, it was the by product of moving the shaft higher when I switched to aluminum tanks (they are a little taller then the steel ones). It was a quick and simple change over.
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Old 03-18-2010, 11:30 AM   #76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VIKING View Post
This is the exact thing I did last year. Stainless allthread with two nuts above the holding bracket, and two below it to lock the rod in place. It's a really simple fix. Someone added a plastic tube or length of hose to the allthread on one of these and it looked great. I'm thinking of adding a length of aluminum tubing to cover the threads on mine, that I could polish along with the tanks.
Sweet!

Rich the Viking
Rich,
Did the top wing fasteners (whatever you call them) fit exactly on the threads?
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Old 03-19-2010, 01:26 PM   #77
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I have a steel wingnut on mine, so I brought it to the hardware store with me to find a compatible stainless allthread piece. I believe they all use standard threads but there are a lot of different wingnuts and brackets, some steel and some aluminum. You might be able to see it in this picture if you enlarge it.

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Old 03-19-2010, 04:11 PM   #78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VIKING View Post
I have a steel wingnut on mine, so I brought it to the hardware store with me to find a compatible stainless allthread piece. I believe they all use standard threads but there are a lot of different wingnuts and brackets, some steel and some aluminum. You might be able to see it in this picture if you enlarge it.

Rich the Viking
Thanks, Rich. Mine's pretty much the same. That's a good idea. I'll just take the top wingnut with me.
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Old 03-19-2010, 05:19 PM   #79
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I think you'll like this conversion Mello Mike.
When I got my new #30 tanks I went to remove the old ones, which were shorter. I gave the wingnut a VERY half-hearted twist with ONE hand(thinking I was wasting my time and would need a wrench and some 3-in-1 oil) and the whole rod, regulator and hold-down came off in my hand, and I was barely able to keep the tanks from falling on the ground. The drift pin was nothing but a faint memory and dark stain on the rod. It's a miracle I didn't have a "disaster thread of my own to start.

Rich the Viking

P. S. Mike, you look like a dead-ringer for a young James Garner. Amazing!
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Old 03-28-2010, 04:19 AM   #80
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I installed a new threaded rod for the holding tanks this last week. I spent about 13 bucks for the rod and a few more bucks for the washers and bolts at Home Depot. A very quick and easy modification. Well worth it.
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