ouR escaPOD mods

Well, it is 99% done. I mounted it and then discovered that the tanks overlapped enough so that they were hitting the Hensley hitch brackets, so I ended up having to move it a few inches back from where I I originally mounted it. That meant that my newly built bracket had to be modified. I only had to shorten the two arms that bolt to the old tank mount crossbar. Instead of using the front bar, now it bolts to the rear one, and the extra length was cut off. The only thing remaining is to do a little sanding and painting to make sure it won't corrode. The open ends of the tubes were plugged with all-purpose Bondo putty as were the holes where the round bracket was bolted. They show up in the picture as gray areas.

Unfortunately, the nice, new Camco dual-tank hard cover I ordered will not work.  There is not sufficient room to maneuver it under the Trailer Tray. I need to order a soft cover and find a new home for the hard cover. At least it wasn't too expensive. 

Okay, I got the dual-tank carrier in so the modification to carry two propane tanks on the tongue have begun. Considerations are in deciding where to locate the tank carrier and tanks. With the curve of the RPod's front, it is not possible to move the tanks to the location of the battery rack. It turns out that with the Hensley Cub's hardware, the existing location is the best to put the new dual-tank rack.

The first step is to remove the cover and tank, then to remove the ring and tie-down straps. Then, the square base needed to come off. That meant getting an angle grinder and cutting the welds that held it, then grinding down the remaining welds until the surface of the tank brackets is level. Then, since the metal under the square base was rusty, I took a wire brush and removed the loose rust before spraying it with Krylon Rust Converter Primer. Tomorrow, this will get a finish coat.

One other thing is that the Cub's brackets mean that the base for the dual-tank holder would not sit flat. I had some square tubing welding stock on hand which I cut to suitable lengths and gave them the same treatment. They also will get a finish coat tomorrow. Once that is done, I will be able to mount the base, using the two pieces of square stock as shims. I am still waiting for the auto-changeover regulator and for the dual-tank cover. Given that we are expecting rain this week, getting at least this done is helpful.

If you look at both a standard tank that is meant to be carried upright and one that is meant to be carried horizontally, you will see that there is a difference in valve placement. For the propane tank to work properly, the valve must be above the liquid level so that vapor is drawn off to go through the system. A standard tank would have the valve below the liquid level when the tank is full. A horizontal tank has the valve offset so that when it is installed, the valve is above the liquid level. That is my understanding of why it is not okay to transport a standard 20lb cylinder on its side.

Please move any further discussion to a separate topic. This is a discussion that deserves to have its own topic and is likely a good one to have pinned or part of a FAQ about how to transport propane safely.

The final part came in and I have now completed the LiFePO4 installation. The part was the extension cable for the power monitor so that I could mount the meter part grouped with the other utilities next to the shower door. I did not want to drill another hole, but instead I wanted to mount it so that if we trade to a different model RPod (or other trailer), I could take the LiFePO4 installation with me. To be able to do this, I made a little box and finished it. This box is just deep enough for the meter to be mounted. I used double sided 3M tape (the clear one) to stick it to the wall. The wire for the meter runs out of the side next to the voltmeter that I had installed previously. I enlarged the opening behind it just enough to get the wire through to run into the meter box. I am pleased with the way it looks. Even though I used paint instead of trying to match the stain color of the walls, it turned out to match quite well. Not exact, but it looks like it fits in. Here is a picture:

You're right not to carry a propane cylinder on its side. They need to be carried secured in an upright position.