Tank Rack in back of truck?

[J_glenn06]

Hey all i am thinking about building some sort of tank carrier for the back of my truck for when i go diving. I will need to be abel to take it out when i need to. The tanks will be my set of doubles, 2 al 40s and some Al 80s. With The 80s will be for open water students also. So i am looking for something that i can use for my cave diving and tech diving but also use to carry open water students tanks. I would like for the tanks to stand up so i could have a little room for other gear. But i guess they could lay down also (just put the gear on top of them. So my question is anyone have or had something like this for travel? If so could you tell me about it or post pictures so i can have an idea at what im looking towards? Or should i just talk to the owner of the store i work at and get a small tralier lol? Thanks

This might work what do you guys think?

http://www.pvcplans.com/scuba.htm

Joseph

[JahJahwarrior]

I had a tank rack...then I bolted boards to the sides of the bed and strapped my doubles upright to it...then I took those out and just lay everything down int he bed. If you want to save space, stack them all on top of each other near the cab, then you still have bed room for other stuff. No need for a trailer, especially with that few of tanks. I've carried up to 15 tanks in the bed stacked at the cab with plenty of room for everything else.

[Sludge]

How difficult are you trying to make this? You can make racks like in my trailer in about an hour with a couple of 2x4s, a sabersaw, and a box of eye screws from Lowe's.

If you want to save space, stack them all on top of each other near the cab, then you still have bed room for other stuff. No need for a trailer, especially with that few of tanks. I've carried up to 15 tanks in the bed stacked at the cab with plenty of room for everything else.

It's illegal to transport gas cylinders horizontally. If a DOT official sees you riding down the road, expect a hefty fine. (Or do you have a cover on your truck bed?)

[J_glenn06]

How difficult are you trying to make this? You can make racks like in my trailer in about an hour with a couple of 2x4s, a sabersaw, and a box of eye screws from Lowe's.






It's illegal to transport gas cylinders horizontally. If a DOT official sees you riding down the road, expect a hefty fine. (Or do you have a cover on your truck bed?)

Do you have pictures of your whole trailer setup? Im kinda liking the deal you got going on. For my plesure and soon to be my open water students.

[JahJahwarrior]

Russell- We've been pulled over before (my buddy was driving, and he was weaving back and forth while joking about how he was so worn out he couldn't drive straight, and someone called us in thinking he was drunk) and the officer didn't say a thing. I do have a cover, but I don't use it much (hard topper, cuts down on mpg), and my buddy has no cover.


It's definitely better to strap them down vertically and all, safer if you get in an accident.

[Sludge]

Not by a cop. A DOT Enforcement Officer. They ride around mainly enforcing tractor-trailer laws.

[matt_w]

How difficult are you trying to make this? You can make racks like in my trailer in about an hour with a couple of 2x4s, a sabersaw, and a box of eye screws from Lowe's.






It's illegal to transport gas cylinders horizontally. If a DOT official sees you riding down the road, expect a hefty fine. (Or do you have a cover on your truck bed?)

I would be interested to see how many people have ever been fined by the department of transportation for transporting any number of scuba cylinders containing breathable gasses for personal use, regardless of how they were secured. In Texas anyway, DOT regulations the state chooses to enforce are encoded in the traffic code. I am fairly certain that is true of most states. Things like taillight placement are not ticketed because DOT says that is where they should be place, they are ticketed because states have coded that requirement into law. The US DOT does have some regulatory power over interstate commerce, I am not sure they have any enforcement power, I would assume they use some other department. I could be wrong.


Edit: PSI provides a pretty good explanation of what HAZMAT is. You will see in their explanation that states make laws based on DOT guidelines: HAZMAT and SCUBA

[saturation]

It's illegal to transport gas cylinders horizontally. If a DOT official sees you riding down the road, expect a hefty fine. (Or do you have a cover on your truck bed?)

You know, this has been done for quite sometime by recreational scuba folks for some time, including cave divers. Is it truly illegal to transport compressed gas cylinders horizontally for non-commercial carriers?

Can anyone clarify? Note, the last sentence at the bottom from the Code of Federal Regulations:


From DOT rules:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-...1999&TYPE=TEXT


[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 2, Parts 100 to 185]
[Revised as of October 1, 1999]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR177.840]

[Page 705-709]

TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

CHAPTER I--RESEARCH AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION

PART 177--CARRIAGE BY PUBLIC HIGHWAY--Table of Contents

Subpart B--Loading and Unloading

Sec. 177.840 Class 2 (gases) materials.

(See also Sec. 177.834 (a) to (j).)
(a) Floors or platforms essentially flat. Cylinders containing Class
2 (gases) materials shall not be loaded onto any part of the floor or
platform of any motor vehicle which is not essentially flat; cylinders
containing Class 2 (gases) materials may be loaded onto any motor
vehicle not having a floor or platform only if such motor vehicle be
equipped with suitable racks having adequate means for securing such
cylinders in place therein. Nothing contained in this section shall be
so construed as to prohibit the loading of such cylinders on any motor
vehicle having a floor or platform and racks as hereinbefore described.
(1) Cylinders. To prevent their overturning, cylinders containing
Class 2 (gases) materials must be securely

[[Page 706]]

lashed in an upright position; loaded into racks securely attached to
the motor vehicle; packed in boxes or crates of such dimensions as to
prevent their overturning; or loaded in a horizontal position.

[sskasser]

I had a tank rack...then I bolted boards to the sides of the bed and strapped my doubles upright to it...then I took those out and just lay everything down int he bed. If you want to save space, stack them all on top of each other near the cab, then you still have bed room for other stuff. No need for a trailer, especially with that few of tanks. I've carried up to 15 tanks in the bed stacked at the cab with plenty of room for everything else.

15 tanks? That's it? Here's 14 tanks (four on each side, two in the middle, and two on the floor behind each seat) in my special tank hauler earlier today. The trunk is full of BCD's and regs...and I still have room for a passenger

[mfascuba]

15 tanks? That's it? Here's 14 tanks (four on each side, two in the middle, and two on the floor behind each seat) in my special tank hauler earlier today. The trunk is full of BCD's and regs...and I still have room for a passenger

[

NICE!! But where does the scooter go??