Newbie asks idiot question about carrying multiple compressed gas tanks.

[Wurlamatic]

Hello!

This is my first post. I am building my "expedition vehicle" (loose term, but the sort of things I'm doing go beyond most of the RV and vandwelling forums) which will also be my house, which is also a 1977 Vandura that I bought for about half a paycheque, 350/350 combo and overall in surprisingly great shape for less than a month's rent. I have just finished gutting it from being a campervan (ouch my neck) and I am finalizing my layout. Onboard I plan to have a 30 lb propane tank, a 17 gallon air tank/compressor, and a 110v MIG welder with the smallest practical argon tank I can find. I am wondering if anyone who has been around the block a few times can tell me if there is any inherent danger in having the 30 lb propane bottle mounted beside the air tank (which will be empty when driving) mounted beside the argon for the MIG welder, mounted beside the generator with a small petrol tank. They would kind of all be in a row on a heavy duty rack on the back bumper. Obviously no catastrophe is the best catastrophe, but is this a recipe for a nuke if I get rearended?

I'm a 23 year old guy and I can use these all separately, but I am wondering if there is some sage advice against putting them all beside each other. In my mind I see someone hitting me, releasing propane everywhere, having the air blow it *kinda* away, then having the argon ignite and blow a crater big enough to race in. Is that an overreaction? Or not? Or is it illegal, even?

 

[RedF]

The LPG and the gasoline are the only ones that are any danger of combustion. Argon is a shielding gas, it's not flammable; however the argon cylinder is a safety issue if the cylinder or valve gets compromised.

It surely wouldn't be my first choice to hang all that off the rear end of a vehicle. They aren't exactly fragile - they're all meant to be transported, but why take that chance, or stack the odds against you. Can you mount a fixed LPG cylinder to the chassis (under the body)? I'd do the same with the air tank just to get it out of the way. Ideally, the Argon (and the 30# LPG cylinder) should be secured in a protected location on the outside of the vehicle, or in an exterior vented cabinet.

From a legal standpoint, I think all you need is a safety cap on the argon cylinder to protect the valve while transporting.

Why do you want/need to take a welder with you anyway?

 

[Wurlamatic]

The LPG and the gasoline are the only ones that are any danger of combustion. Argon is a shielding gas, it's not flammable; however the argon cylinder is a safety issue if the cylinder or valve gets compromised.

It surely wouldn't be my first choice to hang all that off the rear end of a vehicle. They aren't exactly fragile - they're all meant to be transported, but why take that chance, or stack the odds against you. Can you mount a fixed LPG cylinder to the chassis (under the body)? I'd do the same with the air tank just to get it out of the way. Ideally, the Argon (and the 30# LPG cylinder) should be secured in a protected location on the outside of the vehicle, or in an exterior vented cabinet.

From a legal standpoint, I think all you need is a safety cap on the argon cylinder to protect the valve while transporting.

Why do you want/need to take a welder with you anyway?

Hello!

I'm going to live in the van, as a full-time RVer. If the welder isn't in the van, I don't have it, and I'd like to have it. If nothing else it's a way to make some money and/or some friends on the road once in a while. This is also why the compressor, 17 gallons for intermittent use of air tools.

I can keep the LPG tank under the van. I was planning on scrapping it because I don't like how close it is to the ground, I would have preferred it off the back door. If it's advisable anyway, I'll just save some money and put a skid plate under it. I would prefer not to mount the argon underneat anywhere, as I'd like to be able to go about with it, but I might be able to get away with keeping the generator away from the argon in the "tool unit" on the back. I'm going to run out of room under there pretty quickly, though. I was hoping it'd be contained in a bumper box. I think I'd be comfortable with the argon and the generator mounted on the back, if they're in separate (vented, of course) chambers - three chambers, the third being in the middle, for my general tool cabinet. The other option is to just run flux core, I didn't like it much the only time I tried it.

 

[rayra]

Found out your local regs for welding tank transport and go from there. I see propane tanks on the back of RVs all the time, doesn't seem regulated. Usually mounted well above the bumper.
I would think a rack up high that keeps things out of the path of a collision would be enough.

 

[highdesertranger]

well shielding gas doesn't work that well in open air situations. why not use flux core works in open air. then you would not have to carry the argon, then if you needed argon for a special project you could rent a bottle. highdesertranger

 

[Ryan87LX]

You could also use one of those CO2 systems to run the power tools. Very compact and from what I hear, long-lasting. I don't know how difficult they are to have refilled though. No need for the compressor then, which might free up some space for you.

 

[jeffjeeptj]

My cousin used to carry a small oxy/acetylene torch set in a fabricated cart on the back bumper of his car. It was amazing what the tailgaters did when they realized what it was, right in front of them. Eyes got real wide, usually some type of 'OMG' lip movement (we couldn't hear it), and then creating substantial following distance from them to us.
You might also consider a very large vise on a bracket in the receiver hitch. That tends to minimize tailgating, and it would be handy for your welding work. Maybe it was coincidence, but our service van got rear-ended a few times until we put a vise on as above, no more rear-enders.