Jerry Can holder

[kcowyo]

Has anyone mounted a Jerry Can holder to their camper?

I need to address a way to carry more fuel and I would like to avoid the expense and constant weight of installing an auxillary tank to my truck. I really only need extra fuel when the camper is on the truck as it costs me a couple MPG's. Adding it to a rack up top seems to defeat the purpose plus if it were to leak, I would rather it just run down the back of the camper than all over the roof and down the sides

I see the Wescott's have a fuel can holder on their camper. I've seen others with a custom rear bumper that includes a Jerry can holder. I'm not sure if I want to deal with the weight and cost of a custom fabbed rear bumper either.

Ben or Marty, thoughts and comments on the ease and/or wisdom of doing something like this? Is there a smarter solution to carrrying extra fuel?

 

[benburnett]

extra fuel

If I remember right, that set up in the picture is bolted right through the wall of the camper. I have no idea where Gary picked up the set up though. He would always bring all his stuff to us and tell us how and where to mount it on the camper.

My first thought would be a Jeep supply type of store. They should have a few differnt set ups for carrying extra cans around. I always see jeeps running around with 2 or three of those cans mounted on the back.

Sincerely,

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com

 

[homemade]

The gas can holder shown is easily available, JC Whitney sells it for ?~$23, Amazon.com has it for $16.95. One site had listed for less, made by Blitz. I think carrying gas like this is inherently unsafe.

I'm obviously bored, taking end of year vacation days.

 

[kcowyo]

I'm not looking for a holder, I'm wondering more about this from a strength and structural standpoint. Can the camper wall handle it OK?

Figuring a 5 gallon fuel can and carrier (and Scepter Cans are the best) weighs close to 50lbs, and while we're adding weight, how about another 25lbs for a Hi-Lift Jack. I'd like to mount these to the exterior back wall of the camper.

Is the back wall strong enough to endure an additional 75lbs while bouncing around on backcountry trails? Bolted through the wall, not to a part of the frame?

Most of my trips are to the middle of nowhere on rough trails with limited services. Mounting it to the back seems like a good solution, if the integrity of the rear wall won't be compromised.....?

 

[OutbacKamper]

KC;
Sorry, I don't have a better picture. I built a cheap/light weight/low tech bumper platform. Mine was used to carry a propane cylinder, ladder and to support the bottom of a 60" Hi-lift. You could easily support the same type of jerry can holder as shown in your top photo. Mine is made from plywood that was then covered on all sides in truck bed liner. The platform was securely bolted to the top of the bumper. One advantage of this system is that you end up with a very useful step that is wider than the bumper, at the camper door. I supported the Hi-lift by bolting a large aluminum angle to the back corner of the camper (the angle was approx 3"x5"x1/4" and about 12" long) then attach 2 bolts to the angle that project to the rear and align with 2 holes in the Hi-lift (the bolts were drilled for small padlocks) the jack is held on with metal plates covered in self adhesive foam and wing nuts. Most of the parts for this were canibalized from a bracket called "4x4 rac" or something like that.

Cheers
Mark

 

[simimike]

I think that if you get a full length holder and mounted it high on the wall you would be OK. At the top of the wall the frame is a 3 or 4 inch piece of metal. With a full length holder you would be spreading the weight over a larger area. I like Ben's idea of a Jeep or FJ40 pre made rack set up. Buying a pre made rack that may only need a couple of tabs welded on would hold all the stuff you need. I once saw a hitch receiver mounted swing out rack, I can't remember where. Time to search the net. Try Quadratec.com. Keep us informed on what you do. I'm starting to think about mods myself.

 

[benburnett]

wall weight

You can mount a high lift and cans to the back of the camper. We have done it while I was at FWC and I have seen other customers do the same thing. You do want to bolt the hold downs through the frame of the camper though. You can't do it just through the wall. When I say through the frame, I mean all the way through with the bolt's coming out on the inside of the wall in the camper. One example of this would be anyone who has the rear wall steps on their camper. These are bolted completely through the frame of the camper and have a rounded nut covering the end of the bolt inside the camper.

There is a metal plate that is 4" wide near the top of the frame on each side of the camper on the back. This plate is what the rear flood lights were mounted to if a customer purchased them. If you need the exact location of the plate, let me know. Jeff will remember where that is welded in. Just let us know the year of your camper and which model that you have.

Sincerely,

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com

 

[captainkettel]

Check this thread out

I started a thread on this fourm titled "Plastic Jerry Cans" on 11-01-06. There are several ideas about mounting brackets and carrying Jerry cans of various types. This might help...captainkettel...

 

[marty]

gas can holders

marty here. it is true that jeff and myself were the prime builders of the weekend warrior eagle camper. and jeff in fact did weld lots of extra channel stock into the frame to support the gas cans. it is my opinion that the standard frame will in fact come apart if you use it to support that much weight. sorry for not having better news for you. the high lift jack is also held in place with bolts going threw extra channel. the same for the sand ladders he has for it. happy new year

 

[benburnett]

gas cans

I apologize for the earlier post. I forgot about the extra channel that was added to Garys camper for the extras that he put on the campers. After thinking about it, most of the customers that I have seen with the cans in back had them on a platform of some type that they had in the receiver hitch.

Sincerely,

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com

 

[kcowyo]

Fair enough.

That's really good to know, thanks Marty and Ben. I didn't want to find that out the hard way.

A bumper platform may make for a stronger base anyway. I hadn't considered that as an option. Thanks for the picture and planting the seed Mark.

 

[bluefly]

Possible fuel carrying options

________________________________________
KC,

Greetings, and thanks for sealing the deal for me on a FWC with your informative, entertaining, and engaging reports on the Expo forum!

I’ve been following this thread while preparing to install a propane box in the Eagle shell model that I picked up. Which started me thinking- If it works for propane, why not gas? If you’re willing and able to make an investment to do some upgrades, I think it’s possible for you to put additional fuel in the camper itself, where it won’t stress the camper frame or impact clearance in the back as a bumper mount might. You’d end up with a more efficient heating system that doesn’t draw down your battery, the diet cokes you want in the Engel fridge in your back seat, and additional range for your adventures.

First, ditch the cooler and the forced air furnace. Buy that Engel, then you can go to Baja. For heat, get the small Olympian catalytic heater (about $250) and plumb it to the best mounting place inside the camper- or get a stand kit for it and stow it when not needed. I haven’t installed mine yet and so can’t give a review but they are compact and come highly recommended. (It might be possible to keep the stock forced air heater- I don’t know how your set-up is configured.)

Option 1: Build an airtight box, similar to your propane box, large enough to accommodate your jerry can, that would fit in the space where your furnace/cooler was. Find a louvered hatch door that will seal to that box that will allow you access. You’d have to figure out if this would work on the floor with access through the back where your existing hatch is, or up higher, through the driver’s side of the camper.

Option 2: Forget the jerry can and mount a tank in that space. This option would solve the possible problem posed by option 1: hatch fitment between the existing aluminum framing in the walls. I imagine there’s hardware available to properly vent it through the wall and attach a fill fitting. A siphon and short piece of hose could run it directly to your fill for your stock fuel tank.

As I sat down to post this it was with your situation in mind, but lol, now I realize I’m in the exact same situation as you regarding fuel capacity. If option 2, (which now seems more promising to me) would work, I should consider it myself while I’m still in the systems planning stage. The downside, of course, is loss of space in an already backpack-sized camper. In your case you might actually gain some space if you go with the fridge in the cab idea.

What do you think? Any downsides/safety issues not considered here?

Any and all comments welcome for those of us with this issue.

Donna

 

[kcowyo]

Well hey Donna!

I saw the username here but didn't make the connection. Now I recall you made the Gunsight Pass trip with some of the ExPo folks last year. I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed some of my more long winded diatribes and I hope you're enjoying your FWC even more.

While I like your ideas, there is no way I would sacrifice my heater to carry more fuel. I think the six people who were huddled in my camper around the heater vent during the Death Valley trip would agree! If I lived in a more temperate climate, maybe. But the heater is my favorite part of the camper. I wouldn't even trade it for one of those fancy fridges!

I try to keep as many upgrades to the truck & camper as adjustable as possible. That's why I'm thinking of a lightweight rack where I can carry an extra fuel can if necessary or I can just leave it at home for shorter trips. My truck is my daily driver too so I don't want to laden it for everyday use with the weight of an auxiliary tank that I only need to use for a few trips per year. Plus I want to keep my spare tire underneath the truck which is the most common location for auxiliary tanks.

As far as remodeling my camper, well, I'm just not ready for that yet either. I'm very happy with the options I have considering I bought it used. However there are other options I would like to have also. So I'll make do with what I have for now and maybe down the road, with what I've learned my needs really are, I can upgrade to a new unit with each and every option I want. I'm sure Ben & Marty would be happy to accommodate!

Carrying extra fuel, to me, is nerve wracking. I don't want to smell it when I'm trying to sleep, I don't want to risk it leaking out into the camper while bouncing around off road. Plus I want to keep it lower than the top of the truck's bedrails so the weight doesn't effect my center of gravity. I would also prefer to keep it out of direct sunlight if possible and out of harm's way in case someone were to back into me, which are the only two potential drawbacks I can think of to doing a bumper mount carrier. Even a wall mount, like I mentioned in my first post, would not really be ideal as I imagine the camper door would not be able to open fully with a can & carrier mounted there.

Clearly I have given this a lot of thought. Maybe too much thought as I'm no closer to an ideal solution than I was when the need first came up.

*NorthCoastFishing, thanks for posting that pic. Every suggestion helps!

 

[bluefly]

Possible fuel carrying options II

KC, hey, thanks for the hello and generosity in sharing your thoughts on this.

In your position I’d likely have a similar view. Since I’m building from scratch I have more latitude in considering alternatives, especially with the previous owner throwing some of the equipment, like the heater, into the deal when I bought the camper.

Since my previous post, I’ve been mulling this over further and would love some feedback on my current thinking from all of you as y'all have much more experience and vehicle smarts than I do. I’ve decided that I’m not willing to sacrifice interior space for something I’ll need on only a small percentage of my trips. And like you KC, I’m not willing to put gas in my sleeping compartment, though I’m comfortable putting it in a sealed hatch vented to the outside. I don’t have the same qualms with propane, however- just want it safely stowed outside my living space (driving or camped). So… read on!

Instead of building a second compartment I’m now thinking to use the propane box I’m currently building in. One of the goodies I got with the camper was the 20 lb. horizontal tank. I decided to not use it and got an 11 lb. tank, giving me a nominal addition of interior space and more importantly, cutting 15 pounds of weight from above the bed rail.

However, I’m now thinking to keep the full length box for the larger tank and not cut it down as per my original plans. On trips requiring extra fuel it will give me room for an auxiliary gas tank directly above my stock fuel fill. Six gallons would weigh about the same as a full 20 lb propane tank (which weighs 41 lbs.). I can tie down the propane tank in the camper on the floor to the front on the passenger side to help offset it. I’m not too concerned about the propane inside the camper while traveling- when stopped to camp it will come out and put back in its exterior compartment and the reserve fuel stowed on the ground.

The only fuel tank I’ve found that would use the capacity of the full-size propane box to good advantage is pricey, but has the advantage of being flexible and once drained, rolled up and stored easily, which I like. It’s a Nauta flexible tank made for marine use: they are supposed to be quite sturdy, don’t slosh when half full like a rigid one, and both the 6 and 9 gallon size would fit the 14x14x19 inch dimensions of the propane box.

I found the best price and info at http://www.ahoycaptain.com/shop/nauta_ob_tank.html

The six gallon size would increase my range by 90 miles or so and for the first day/s of the trip when the tank transfer routine is required would be easiest to handle. Hmm… or perhaps I could plumb an additional propane inlet that would allow me to use the propane tank on the ground beside the camper and just do the switch once...

Any comments on this version of a proposed solution? KC, I think it meets some of your objections. It would entail some bother on longer trips, but not much, keep the weight forward, and in my case, allow me to bring either the small propane tank or large propane tank and additional fuel (or not), depending upon expected weather, time out, and distance between fuel stops.

Looking forward to implementing a plan soon,

Donna

On edit: If anyone knows of another fuel carrier that would stow safely in a space 14x14x19 give a shout!

 

[chnlisle]

I can't tell you guys how often I MM'd this subject when I had the T-100. I finally realized that none of the options were adequate and bought a Dodge with 34 gal tank and a CTD. It was one of the best things I've ever done. I figured you only live once.
Jay

 

[kcowyo]

Well that Nauta Portable Tank is very interesting....

My initial reaction to seeing it is, "Ooh, I could store that actually in the truck bed on the passenger side, and access it via the front trap door for the turnbuckle."

I have a good amount of space inside that front corner of the bed and no bench seat, so accessing it would be a breeze. It wouldn't actually be inside the camper, it would take advantage of that wasted space between the camper body and truck body and if it were to unknowingly leak, it would be leaking in the bed of the truck, not in the camper and drain out either the back of the truck or though one of the drain holes in the front of the bed.

That would keep the weight low and centered, just forward of the rear axle. It would be out of direct sunlight but with good air circulation around it and not subject to "curious hands" or rear end impacts, like on a bumper mount. And of course it's portable so I could take it only on trips when I know I would need more fuel for longer range. It would also allow me to share fuel if I came across a fellow traveler who has run out of gas, good karma points....

This idea has real merits. Thanks so much Donna for bringing this up and sharing the link. I'm off to drink coffee and do some research!

 

[bluefly]

Aha! That would be sweet if that would work, good thinking!

I just came in and was about to post that my 2.5 gallon blitz can fits nicely in the propane box, with plenty of room for another. When empty I could hang them off the back of the camper in a gunny sack of some sort until my budget allowed for the fold-up nauta. But your post sent me right back out to check the wheel well space in my Taco: it looks like a no go for me. I’d really be tickled if it works for you though!

Since you have a bit of room there, have you ever considered a custom built tank in that space?

Good luck! Looking forward to the results of your coffee and research… er, the results of your research.

Donna

 

[craig333]

My thought was to use something like this http://offroadrecovery.zoovy.com/product/G8007
and I think if you get it bolted directly through the aluminum frame it would work fine. Just I couldnt figure out any way to know you were drilling exactly center. Short of taking the siding off and I'm not willing to do that. I use two of those on my Jeep and they do hold a can extremely secure and are lockable too.