Propane holder problem!

[Bobbie54]

I just replaced the long center screw in the propane dual tank holder because it wouldn't screw in enough to stay in place. Everything looked okay. Last month I went on a 10 day road trip, Checked propane today and found this: (the screw is badly bent.)

I noticed the two tanks can't sit each at its own side (right and left) because the crosspiece is not long enough to hold both. Wondering if that causes one to rock? I replaced the original screw because it was slightly bent and now the new one is worse.

[Brian B-P]

A photo would help. I've never heard of a crossbar that wasn't long enough to properly span the two tanks with the tanks positioned as intended.

[Bobbie54]

Darn, I did post a photo, don't know what happened to it. Here it is again. I'll have to get another one showing the position of the tanks with the cross bar. Can someone measure the length of their crossbar? (The thing with notches.)

[gbaglo]

I'd let the threaded rod drop down the hole to where it is bent and bend it straight.

[CharlesinGA]

The crossbars usually have three notches in each end to capture the tanks. Has yours possibly been cut off short to make removal easier?

New crossbar only https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Exce...8441749&sr=8-4

New entire tank mount for 20 lb... https://www.amazon.com/Manchester-Ta...8441749&sr=8-8

Charles

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'd let the threaded rod drop down the hole to where it is bent and bend it straight.

It WAS straight. What bent it? It won't do any good to unbend if it just happens again or worse, breaks.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by CharlesinGA

The crossbars usually have three notches in each end to capture the tanks. Has yours possibly been cut off short to make removal easier?

New crossbar only https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Exce...8441749&sr=8-4

New entire tank mount for 20 lb... https://www.amazon.com/Manchester-Ta...8441749&sr=8-8

Charles

It has 3 notches, looks just like those. But the tanks aren't both at the ends of the tank mount as the one shown is in the picture. And something is causing the screw to bend.

[Bobbie54]

Here are some more pictures. Glenn, it won't work to screw in to the bend as then it would be too short. I'm reluctant to get a new screw without knowing why they are bending.

[CharlesinGA]

Probably an optical illusion in the pic, but the tanks look like they are tilted outward and not sitting flat on the tray, assuming the tray is flat.

Now the rod in my trailer (see my signature) has a relatively thin threaded rod like yours, but another trailer I have has a much thicker rod, don't recall the sizes right now but there is a considerable difference in size.

On my current trailer I had concerns that the tanks could rock fore and aft, which could allow them to contact the set screws of the Sway Pro hitch brackets, so I made a brace from electrical conduit to stabilize them. I'll attach a pic.

Charles

[Bobbie54]

I think it is an illusion but I'll check. I never had any problem with the 15 with the propane tanks rocking so I can't figure out what is creating a problem here. This is the second bent rod so it isn't like I hit a bump once.

We can't change the rod diameter as it screws into the holder at the bottom- but maybe the manufacturer changed it.

I guess I didn't mention above that the original screw was also bent (and kept coming out.)

[gbaglo]

Looking at the picture again, I don't understand how it could bend there, without being in contact with anything. If it were able to drop further into the hole, and the tanks could shift, then perhaps it could bend at that location.
To do that, the wing nut that secures the tanks would have to have not been fully screwed down.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Looking at the picture again, I don't understand how it could bend there, without being in contact with anything. If it were able to drop further into the hole, and the tanks could shift, then perhaps it could bend at that location.
To do that, the wing nut that secures the tanks would have to have not been fully screwed down.

I turned the screw so I could get the metal part of the bracket away from the side of the tank- the bend was to the side before. So it looks like one of the tanks banged up to it to bend it. But that shouldn't happen if they are held correctly. Everything was still tight.

Wait.. I remember something now. I did do a short trip without that bracket cranked down- it fell off or something in the driveway. I bet that they rocked on that trip and since I didn't try refilling a tank afterwards (but did find and reinstall that wing nut thing- ) I didn't notice the rod was bent. It happened when I replaced the rod, though I'm surprised I didn't notice it then. Mystery solved- now I need new rod number 3! (First one I think bent due to being jammed into the opening since it was stripped.)

[ghosthunter]

You could prevent that I think.

Before you install new rod take it to the hard ware store and buy a foot long section of conduit or pipe that the rod will slide through. Just a little bigger. When you re-install the rod slip through the pipe or conduit you bought before threading it in base.

That may stop it from ever happening again.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

You could prevent that I think.

Before you install new rod take it to the hard ware store and buy a foot long section of conduit or pipe that the rod will slide through. Just a little bigger. When you re-install the rod slip through the pipe or conduit you bought before threading it in base.

That may stop it from ever happening again.

It has to fit through the holes in the regulator holder, though. Might be do-able, though.

[Brian B-P]

As long as the hold-down is properly installed, it will never get bent. Rather than putting effort into protecting the threaded rod from something that should never happen to it, I would put the effort into fixing the root problem.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

As long as the hold-down is properly installed, it will never get bent. Rather than putting effort into protecting the threaded rod from something that should never happen to it, I would put the effort into fixing the root problem.

The root problem being my forgetting to screw it down or at least not tightly enough. But at least now I know what likely happened and I won't forget that again. (Although the original problem was the first rod which was stripped at one end and not inserted right so that it worked loose very quickly.)

[John in Santa Cruz]

2 or 3 different dual tank trailer setups I've had, if you position the tanks all the way 'out' on the tray, the hold-down bar is NOT 'on' a notch. I find I have to move one of the tanks about 1/2 or 3/4 inch inwards and use the 2nd notch on one side to hold the tanks down flat.