Bosque Bill
Senior Member
There have been many posts on the best way to carry auxiliary fuel (or water) on our truck campers. I was inspired by the design of the late Jeff Lawrence where he build an enclosed Rotopax carrier to mount underneath the section of the camper that hangs over the cab. I didn't want to hang the gas from the back of my camper or any place that might be struck in a minor collision or get caught on a branch, etc.
This is for my FWC Fleet on my 2013 Tacoma Access Cab, but the concept should be applicable to any brand camper and truck.
I designed a carrier that would hang from under the camper, could carry up to three 2 gallon Rotopax, and had locking doors. The doors are not hinged, but mount with pins so they can be completely removed. They also feature a bolt latch with combination lock, Combi-Bolt, so there wouldn't be a padlock to clank and rattle.
It is mounted with SS 1/4-20 hex-head bolts and nuts. The bolt heads are counter-sunk inside the camper so they will not interfere with the bed slide. I sealed the holes and flanges with white, waterproof silicone.
I had Trucks Unique of Albuquerque fabricate the carrier. It is steel painted white. They did a good job, however, the final dimensions were somewhat larger than I'd specified. [update: turns out having a little more vertical space was a good thing, as the Rotopax will expand slightly in the heat (and at elevation) when full of gasoline. It's a good idea to not fill them to the brim, but leave air at the top which will compress as the gasoline expands.]
The final size was 60" by 15"(not counting the 1" flanges) by 4"; about an inch wider and half an inch taller than I'd wanted. Consequently, I placed a sheet of half-inch pressure-treated plywood in the truck bed over the mats and mounting brackets (needed due to the Tacoma's composite bed) to lift it up a bit. Final clearance from top of cab to bottom of carrier is 3/4", which should be just fine. Jeff's carrier had the same clearance and he reported frame flex was only about a quarter inch at that point on his Toyota.
Feel free to ask any questions about details of construction, installation, or any aspects I forgot to mention.
Here are photos. Remember you can click to enlarge and view in sequence.
The carrier after installation and before mounting the camper on the truck:
Here it is with the camper on the truck:
Here is close-up of the door:
Here is door slightly opened:
And here, with the door off, you can see one of the Rotopax gas cans:
This is for my FWC Fleet on my 2013 Tacoma Access Cab, but the concept should be applicable to any brand camper and truck.
I designed a carrier that would hang from under the camper, could carry up to three 2 gallon Rotopax, and had locking doors. The doors are not hinged, but mount with pins so they can be completely removed. They also feature a bolt latch with combination lock, Combi-Bolt, so there wouldn't be a padlock to clank and rattle.
It is mounted with SS 1/4-20 hex-head bolts and nuts. The bolt heads are counter-sunk inside the camper so they will not interfere with the bed slide. I sealed the holes and flanges with white, waterproof silicone.
I had Trucks Unique of Albuquerque fabricate the carrier. It is steel painted white. They did a good job, however, the final dimensions were somewhat larger than I'd specified. [update: turns out having a little more vertical space was a good thing, as the Rotopax will expand slightly in the heat (and at elevation) when full of gasoline. It's a good idea to not fill them to the brim, but leave air at the top which will compress as the gasoline expands.]
The final size was 60" by 15"(not counting the 1" flanges) by 4"; about an inch wider and half an inch taller than I'd wanted. Consequently, I placed a sheet of half-inch pressure-treated plywood in the truck bed over the mats and mounting brackets (needed due to the Tacoma's composite bed) to lift it up a bit. Final clearance from top of cab to bottom of carrier is 3/4", which should be just fine. Jeff's carrier had the same clearance and he reported frame flex was only about a quarter inch at that point on his Toyota.
Feel free to ask any questions about details of construction, installation, or any aspects I forgot to mention.
Here are photos. Remember you can click to enlarge and view in sequence.
The carrier after installation and before mounting the camper on the truck:
Here it is with the camper on the truck:
Here is close-up of the door:
Here is door slightly opened:
And here, with the door off, you can see one of the Rotopax gas cans:
