Anybody have a good setup for hauling 15+ tanks?

I am not sure of the best place to post this as it is an odd ball topic but I suppose here is as good as any.

I frequently haul up to 25 or more tanks around. I have a short box truck with a rolling tonneau cover. I'd like to be able to store gear in the front of the box with the tonneau partly closed and have a rack at the back for the tanks. In Canada, if you are transporting more than 5 tanks they have to be securely stored upright. I have been designing a ladder style rack to strap the tanks to but I was wondering if anyone on here has built a setup before or has any suggestions. I have a big shop and lots of fabricating experience so I can build just about anything and can weld aluminum... but the challenge would be finding the most ergonomic setup. It would also be nice to be able to remove the rack when not in use.

I would also like the setup to store my 4-5 personal tanks and 2 stages laying down with the tonneau closed when not transporting other tanks.

Personal tanks are 2 S120's, 2 S80's and Al80... all other tanks are Al80's.

Thanks for any input and photos would be great as well if you have them!

Just a thought... you may want to build a series of ladders that cross the bed of the truck. I would build each ladder individually and then have runners on each side of the truck to attach the ladders to. I would make each opening a standard size for the largest tank diameter that you plan on carrying. You could get fancy and add rubber weather stripping on the insides of the openings to protect the tanks from scratches etc. Also, I would possibly adding bungees for each tank to hold them in place. That way if you only need to carry 10 tanks you can install enough ladders to keep 10 tanks secure. Aluminum would be my choice for strength/weight ratio as well as being less corrosive.

my 2 cents...

Shinythings:

.... In Canada, if you are transporting more than 5 tanks they have to be securely stored upright.

Click to expand...

:lookaround: oops!

What kind of truck are you hauling 25 tanks in? Are you sure that you are not exceeding your truck's GVWR?

What is a short box truck? Is that what we call a pickup in the US?

Because in the US, a box truck is a commerical up to 15 ton truck like this:
Box truck - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ask Chugwhump He does this frequently.

beanojones:

What is a short box truck? Is that what we call a pickup in the US?

Because in the US, a box truck is a commerical up to 15 ton truck like this:
Box truck - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Click to expand...

Normal pickup.
Just the difference in bed length.

If it is a pickup, then the way to carry tanks and all gear is to have a trailer built, and pull it with the pickup. It's a big up front cost, but what it saves in vehicle wear and tear is enormous. Get a metal frame built, and then fill it with weather proof wood. on the bottom and sides.

The trailer can be sized width wise as needed and lay in slots on the sides at tank diameter distances. Put in a row of tanks, drop in the plywood divider, put in the row of tanks, drop in the plywood divider, rinse, repeat.

We don't have to stand up the tanks in transport so we just have a single slot divider for when the tank count is low

OR:

If the trailer is out, then the simple trick with tank racks in truck beds is that the ranks work best put over tank, rather than being loading the tank rack with tanks. This also eliminate problems with booted tanks etc.

I believe al80's are about 35lbs full so if I had a maximum 25 tanks that would be about 900lbs. I think my truck is rated for 1500lbs payload but I also have overload air bag suspension so I think it should be fine even with 4 divers and full kit.

I think the trailer idea May work in some areas but my LSD's are hard enough to get into without the trailer and many local dive sites are in cul de sacs or down narrow lane ways which makes in impractical.

I like the multiple ladder idea. Two double sided ladders could accommodate 20 tanks. On the rare occasion I take that many tanks I can double up. I more typically haul 10-15 tanks but up to 25 on occasion. I'll have to sit down and start sketching out a plan for ladders and some slider rails for them to mount to.

They're actually closer to 40lbs when full depending on valve. Depends, I find the trailer vastly superior because you can unhitch it and not have the weight in there if you need it. I'm a firm believer in legit SUV+trailer over pickup truck. If you buy an enclosed trailer what you can do is built say a 50' fill whip, just run to a hydraulic shop, it's pretty cheap and run that into the shop compressor room, then have a fill station inside the trailer to do all of your filling without having to touch the tanks. Big enough whip inside of the trailer and you're good to go. Granted this is obviously the much more expensive way of doing it, but the ability to have all gear out of the weather is important