Putting a big "tool box" on the front of popup

[edwardr132]

I currently have only one LPG tank and am thinking about putting the "biggest plastic toolbox I can on the front since I don't have any front storage.

Anybody done this and how big did you go?  Hopefully pics and where you bought the plastic box as well....

How did you brace the plastic box to keep from losing it on the highway?  
Also what do you put in it?


I can't be the only one thinking about it  

[fritz_monroe]

Don't know about the toolbox, but if you need exterior storage, you could put a trunk on the back.  Oz & Us over on popupexplorer put a trunk on the back of his popup.  Here's a link to the pics of the install.  If I didn't have a front trunk, this is probably how I'd take care of it.

[tknick]

I would recommend against adding anything to the back of you pop up.  The frames are not made to support any weight back there.  Plus, the added weight past the back axle can create som serious sway issues.  If you want to add a box to the tongue of your PU you shouldn't have any problems as long as you don't exceed any of the max weights for your trailer hitch or PU.  In terms of bracing, I would use a piece of aluminum or other metal to create something like a fender washer.  You need something to distribute the force of the attachment point across the bottom of the box.  There shouldn't be too much wind acting on the box because of the tow vehicle.  That being said, it's always better to over engineer things.

Whatever you do, post some pics in case others want to do the same thing.

travis

[AustinBoston]

I'm with tknick on this - put it on the front for sway safety.

And, like him, I would start by planning on drilling through the bottom of the toolbox and using those big fender washers to secure it to the frame or the mount for the propane tank.

I would start with the dimensions of the mounting space, then buy the toolbox.  Take a careful look at where on the frame you plan on securing the toolbox.  The mounting location for the second propane tank already has holes drilled, so if you can use it you can avoid drilling holes into the pop-up frame.

Whatever you do, if you use bolts with nuts (as opposed to self-tapping screws that cut threads directly into the frame) make sure the nuts are lock nuts.  There are a variety of types of lock nuts.  Some are just ordinary nuts that have been struck so as to make the hole out-of-round.  Another type has a nylon insert.  In all cases, they can only be threaded a short way (1-2 revolutions) by hand, then they have to be threaded with a wrench.  Anything else will loosen and/or fall off over time.

Lockwashers are your friend and should be used on bolt/screw heads.

Austin

[edwardr132]

Thanks for the replies...


I am thinking about going about it a couple different ways;

1)  Putting the LPG Tank inside a big "tool box" and having it run almost the entire width of the popup maybe about 15-18" wide.   Think of a pickup truck box.

2)  Putting the Toolbox up to the LPG Tank; and having it stick out past the frame partially on the left side of the popup.

I was thinking about using a plastic truck box to keep the weight down and using the washer idea with lock nuts to keep it in place that Austin Boston mentioned. for scenario one;

The less expensive route is the biggest plastic toolbox at Lowes and have it conform to #2.

I was hoping somebody else has already attempted this with success and I could look at what they did.

The cabinet mod in the back I don't think I want to tackle.  I want to keep the bumper intact without any wood modifications in case I get bumped by a car while driving.

I currently own a Reese 350 WDH so I am hoping that putting the more weight on the front would not be a problem for the Odyssey.

I plan on using the trunk for storing chairs (need 6 for my family); and poles and the vinyl for the screen in porch; as well as ground tarp; other outdoor stuff such as maybe sandtoys and such....   Boy, I really could use a "huge" truck box.!!!!

[AustinBoston]

1)  Putting the LPG Tank inside a big "tool box" and having it run almost the entire width of the popup maybe about 15-18" wide.   Think of a pickup truck box.

I'd be careful with this; large LP tanks should be allowed to vent freely to the outside.  Even with a very slow leak, LP can build up to a level where you have a toolbox full of fuel-air bomb waiting to go off.  This would be especially true of a plastic toolbox because they can close so tightly.  

Because propane is heavier than air, vent holes would have to be in the bottom of the toolbox.  Now you have a toolbox that lets water in and lets small objects out while driving.  :mad:

I have not done exactly what you want, but I did add a battery tray and box.  It's a steel tray that I drilled through and into the frame, then screwed down to the frame.  I don't recall if I used sheet metal screws or self-tapping screws, but the screws are threaded directly into the frame of the camper.  The battery box is plastic with a 2" nylon strap that goes around the tray and holds it on.  It's clear that you have something much larger in mind.

Austin

[edwardr132]

I am thinking then about moving the LP tank to the front of a truck type box and centering it instead of inside the box.  That would require more work.  Can you think of any issues of doing that?

[wavery]

I am thinking then about moving the LP tank to the front of a truck type box and centering it instead of inside the box.  That would require more work.  Can you think of any issues of doing that?

Actually, I think that your first idea may have been the best. Moving the propane tank forward will increase your tongue weight (slightly) and reduce what you could carry in the box.

The entire idea is a give & take situation. The whole PU concept is a matter of compromises.

There are plenty of enclosed propane tank carriers on the market. There are acceptable ways to vent the bottom of the box in a way that it will allow propane gas to exit the box and not let water in. You could simply put a cover over the hole, under the bottom of the box. Put a small hole in the bottom of the cover an a fairly large hole in the back of the cover. If any water finds it's way into the cover, it will drain out of the hole in the bottom of the cover.

On the inside of the box, you would need to put a cover over the hole. That cover should be about 1/2" high and have several holes in the side, all the way around. That will keep you from plugging the vent with items that are placed in the box.

I used this exact system on my sailboat. In 14 years and 80,000 miles of crossing large oceans, I never had any water get in. Trust me, those boxes got drenched a LOT more than your trailer ever could.

I will caution you about that though. Anything that you put in the box will smell like rotten eggs for a while after you take it out. I kept cushions in my propane boxes. No matter what I did, that smell would permeate them. It seems like the odor just bleeds through the steel on the propane tanks and/or the hose.

[fritz_monroe]

Why not put an internal divider to seperate the propane tank from everything else. Then there's no worry about any small items falling through the holes, and you can make the openings as big as you like.

As for not putting anything on the rear of the pup.  For the most part I'd agree, but since it's Oz & Us that did the mod, you can count on everything having been well planned out and executed.

[chasd60]

You may as well just cut the tongue off and extend it.

Lee (firefyter-emt did)
http://www.yankeetoys.org/lee/frame.htm

[CAPEd CODger]

Here's what I did when I had the 'Cod.
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1050073024037314420MfVdAp

Best of luck in your quest for space.

Bob

[popupcop]

If you use a wide "pickup type" toolbox, you will very likely bend it with your TV bumper when you make a tight turn backing.  
 
I once owned a small (30 inch by 12 inch) metal toolbox that was made for a truck.  It might be the best size but you would have issues with where to put the propane.

[AustinBoston]

You may as well just cut the tongue off and extend it.

Lee (firefyter-emt did)
http://www.yankeetoys.org/lee/frame.htm

I miss having Lee around.  I thought he was back when he & his wife made appearances some months back, but then, poof! gone again.  

For a project like that, I would consider him brave, creative, but he proved to me that he was very skillful with his hands.

Once posted a 4-wheeling video where he missed bashing the door of his tow vehicle by just a few inches.

Austin

[edwardr132]

FYI..

Well I found pics of what I was thinking about...
They are at

http://popapete.com/images/proj_images/DCP_0545.jpg

Hopefully the file attachment worked.

[fallsrider]

FYI..

Well I found pics of what I was thinking about...
They are at

http://popapete.com/images/proj_images/DCP_0545.jpg

Hopefully the file attachment worked.

I think I would consider that carefully before doing it. From the looks of the picture, a TV collision would be just waiting to happen. If you turned too far to the left, either backing up or going forward, the toolbox and your TV would be trading paint!