Gear rack ideas for bed of trucks ?

[Six Feet Under]

If you have a truck bed, see if you can't run a 2x4 board across from side to side near the tailgate. That's what I did (my bed liner had a slot where one would fit perfectly) and it kept two sets of doubles from sliding around the entire bed. If you shove a bag of some sort or some fins between the valves then they won't smash into each other, either. I had built a wooden rack out of 2x4's with eye bolts screwed into it on the front and sides that would hold five 7.25" tanks upright, but once I got into cave diving and then sold my truck, I had no use for it and gave it to a buddy that just got OW certified.

I keep all of my lights, regs, and parts in separate clear plastic Sterilite or Rubbermaid boxes from Walmart. They stack securely enough that they usually won't fall over when I'm driving to/from a site. The tanks just get ratchet strapped into the cargo area of the 4Runner or stuff is stacked around them to prevent them from rolling/sliding out of the spot I put them in when I was packing the car.

That said, I think Tony Flaris has the best setup I've seen for keeping gear organized.

[ericfine50]

That is what I was thinking of doing, just wanted to check.
Thanks for the quick reply.

[IowaCaveDiver]

I do the same... rubbermade totes, scooters, drysuit bags and more tanks help to keep things from sliding around. Rhino lined truck beds are also better than bed liners in my opion.. I've had both.

I like to line the tanks up valves pointed backward at the very back of the bed near the tailgate, then drop my totes and other items forward of the tanks. I find that quick acceleration doesn't move them as much as if they were against the cab. Then when we get to the site we don't have to climb up into the bed to get the tanks, we can just drop the tailgate and start toting them to the water.

[diveconjeff]

So I don’t have a real truck. I have a Honda Ridgeline. Rather short bed.

I put an all weather precut carpet floor in specifically for sliding tanks. I like to keep my tanks forward for THREE reasons.

1. Too far to the back and my headlights go too high when driving at night. I hate being on either end of that. I want to see the deer...
2. In the event of an emergency maneuver (avoiding the deer), I do not like all that weight that far back. Could make recovery a huge challenge, if not impossible.
3. In an emergency stop, the tanks are not going to gain momentum and come into the cab.
4. Acceleration with a full truck has never been an issue for me. Not with a V6.

(Ref Monty Python?s Spanish Inquisition on Youtube for my numbering if you are wondering)

However, the Ridgeline does have a two way tailgate so when I open like a door, I can easily reach the tanks.

For a full size bed, I did see one of those slide out bed floors that would be just fricking awesome.

[ericfine50]

http://www.colminnxracks.com/slide.php - something like this would be sweet.

[moose_grunt]

That said, I think Tony Flaris has the best setup I've seen for keeping gear organized.

Paging Tony Flaris?

I'm also searching for a better solution than a bu ch of tanks banging around in the bed as I drive down rough roads.

Jim

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[Rich]

Pool noodles are the easy solution...

Safe diving,

Rich

[twaldo]

Is how I used to do it, I need to make a new wooden rack, not so tall next time. The valves are pointing to front of truck so the boots can lock in the tanks and keep them from sliding forward. The next rack I build will have an angle so that I can flip the valves to pointing to the back of the truck with the tank bottoms angled down to a 2x4 that would then keep them from sliding to front of the truck but will also have notches cut to prevent side to side movement.

[GregO]

I have used mortar mixing tubs to hold tanks. A pair or set of doubles fit great and you can throw a stage or al40 in there easily. I can then slide them if I need to get to something else. The mortar tub can also act as a dressing room floor.


Right now I am using pvc and rope anti rollers and tie them down so they don?t slide.

Also, I just found these big ant crates. They are kind of expensive but the size is just a little larger than Mexico crates.

https://smile.amazon.com/BIGANT-Heav.../dp/B073V64TGK


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[cmint]

Is how I used to do it, I need to make a new wooden rack, not so tall next time. The valves are pointing to front of truck so the boots can lock in the tanks and keep them from sliding forward. The next rack I build will have an angle so that I can flip the valves to pointing to the back of the truck with the tank bottoms angled down to a 2x4 that would then keep them from sliding to front of the truck but will also have notches cut to prevent side to side movement.

What are those weird black plastic looking things on the bottoms of your tanks?


Also, shouldn't at least two of your tank bottoms be round?


Asking for a friend.