Some upgrades for the box truck

With the very nice weather today, I was able to get some things done to upgrade my box truck set-up.  As most know, due to limited resources available to fill a propane belly tank, I decided to go with standard 20 lb bbq-style tanks.  In this area, every gas station has diesel and bbq tank exchanges, so it makes it very convenient.

Today, I installed a dual tank carrier like those found on the tongue of cargo trailers.  I placed it right over the steel grating that protects the transmission of the truck and bolted it down using grade 8 bolts and 1/4 inch metal plates.  It was over-kill, but it is holding propane tanks, so I wanted to be certain they stayed in place.

The only problem was that it looked horrible.  Not only was it exposed to the elements, but it advertised the presence of propane tanks to way too many people.  My insurance company, law enforcement, sensitive customers, and thieves all had a front row seat and that didn't seem like a good thing.  The set-up is perfectly legal as their are no hoses connected, yet it just seemed like trouble.

So, I went out and installed a plastic tank carrier and man, what a difference it made.  It looks like a factory item and doesn't draw any attention at all now.





Next up will be the heater install in the box.  I just received it today and looks like a good product.  All aluminum coils, powder coated steel, and a pretty decent installation kit in the package.  For the money, I don't see how you could go wrong with dual fans and 30,000 btu output.  Hopefully, I get the location figured out and install it next week.





(More to come....)

Nice...love that heater!

It looks custom Rob. But for the long commercial jobs you have you'll have to carry a spare.

I thought about that too Mo, and you are probably right as this will only get me 7-8 hours of propane. There is a gas station 2 miles from my main commercial contract that I normally stop at to top off my fuel tank, so I just plan on swapping out a 3rd tank there on the way.

It isn't ideal for commercial, but it does get me approx. 14 hours of heater use on residential so that shouldn't be too bad.

Looks good

You sure you just can fit two tanks in that box.

The carrier only holds 2 tanks. I though of going with a much taller tank holder and go with a 100 pounder, but I want this to be more stealthy.

I do have some empty compartments right now where I could strap some inside, but I am not sure about the legality of that set-up.

I am going to give this a try and see what happens. I might end up with another belly tank with the dual tanks being a back-up system if I find a convenient resource for propane.

Having your own tank at home is starting to sound better and better.

I have a 250 gallon tank at my house but I dont use it to fill my belly tank. My local propane dealer doesn't have a problem filling it. Have you tried you local RV dealership?

My local is over 35 miles away in the wrong direction as is the U-haul station. All I have are 20 lb tanks at my fingertips.

I'm hoping to discover an unadvertised resource once I start working with it.