Propane tank locks for my TT

capacitor wrote:
My buddy had both 30lb tanks stolen from his trailer parked in his driveway. He bought new ones and did the same thing the OP did. I followed suit and did it also.

I have ring cameras on my toyhauler in a rv storage at my relatives mobile home park I watched a guy steal both my tanks at 3am cops took a report and the video but didn't do a thing, my tanks were the expensive ones with the built in gauges, I'm going to do that mod.

GDS-3950BH wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

BurbMan wrote:
Not a good idea....if there was ever a fire, those tanks need to be removed from there quickly to avoid an explosion. I would not want them locked to the trailer in any way shape or form.

It may even be illegal so fire fighters can remove them quickly...think if the back of the trailer is on fire, you don't want to be trying to remember where the key is...and yes, I've seen this exact scenario play out (minus the lock).

Also, there was a seasonal campground we stayed at and they caught the staff who stayed in their camper over the winter swapping out tanks from the rigs that were left there over the winter...so yes, it happens.

If the back of the trailer is on fire you had better hope it lit up while you were towing it past a manned fire station. Being in a VFD for 40 years I've seen my share of RV's go up and a fire in the rear usually amounts to fully engulfed in less than 5 minutes. Were not going to try to remove propane tanks, or enter a burning RV, unless we have some reason to believe it's occupied. Short of a travel trailer with front mounted tanks, we're not going searching for tanks in closed compartments. We're going to stand off and hose it from a distance using the onboard supply in the pumper. By the time we laid out a line to a hydrant the thing would most likely be a smoking frame.

If we wanted to remove tanks on a burning RV locked as in the video posted by the OP we would have that lock off in 10 seconds with one of these.



That said I am sure you have no shortage of Goobers who answered the alarm from their departments social club next door to the station after downing a six pack, and are out to be the hero.

My bolt cutters don't make near as much noise as your saw and are quicker. Locks are to keep honest people honest.

Richard

msmith1.wa wrote:
What about older rigs that still have POL fittings where a wrench is needed? Do you really think a firefighter is going to spend the time needed to remove the tanks in this case?

Yes they are going to try and remove the tanks if it is safely possible to do so.

What about older rigs that still have POL fittings where a wrench is needed? Do you really think a firefighter is going to spend the time needed to remove the tanks in this case?

capacitor wrote:
I think the OPs idea is a good one. For those of you that are afraid of your trailer blowing up, don't do it. I would chose to fight the fire with my fire extinguishers than waste the time to remove the tanks and then let the trailer burn. You would save your tanks tho. No-one has mentioned how to go about removing horizontal tanks in case of a fire. I guess the rig is toast.

By the time you are thinking about if the propane tanks should be pulled, the trailer is likely a total loss. At that point, it's more about protecting nearby people and RVs.

GDS-3950BH wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

BurbMan wrote:
Not a good idea....if there was ever a fire, those tanks need to be removed from there quickly to avoid an explosion. I would not want them locked to the trailer in any way shape or form.

It may even be illegal so fire fighters can remove them quickly...think if the back of the trailer is on fire, you don't want to be trying to remember where the key is...and yes, I've seen this exact scenario play out (minus the lock).

Also, there was a seasonal campground we stayed at and they caught the staff who stayed in their camper over the winter swapping out tanks from the rigs that were left there over the winter...so yes, it happens.

If the back of the trailer is on fire you had better hope it lit up while you were towing it past a manned fire station. Being in a VFD for 40 years I've seen my share of RV's go up and a fire in the rear usually amounts to fully engulfed in less than 5 minutes. Were not going to try to remove propane tanks, or enter a burning RV, unless we have some reason to believe it's occupied. Short of a travel trailer with front mounted tanks, we're not going searching for tanks in closed compartments. We're going to stand off and hose it from a distance using the onboard supply in the pumper. By the time we laid out a line to a hydrant the thing would most likely be a smoking frame.

If we wanted to remove tanks on a burning RV locked as in the video posted by the OP we would have that lock off in 10 seconds with one of these.



That said I am sure you have no shortage of Goobers who answered the alarm from their departments social club next door to the station after downing a six pack, and are out to be the hero.

The one I was involved with, the folks at the park quickly struck hoses and kept it at bay but not enough water to put it out. Result was the fire department got there while it was still largely confined to the compartment around the fridge, so they quickly yanked the propane tanks since the fire wasn't close to them yet.

Sure you can pull equipment out to hack your way in but quicker still to just not lock them. Or do you prefer to pull out the jaws-of-life when the door is still perfectly functional and nothing trapping the individual?

valhalla360 wrote:

BurbMan wrote:
Not a good idea....if there was ever a fire, those tanks need to be removed from there quickly to avoid an explosion. I would not want them locked to the trailer in any way shape or form.

It may even be illegal so fire fighters can remove them quickly...think if the back of the trailer is on fire, you don't want to be trying to remember where the key is...and yes, I've seen this exact scenario play out (minus the lock).

Also, there was a seasonal campground we stayed at and they caught the staff who stayed in their camper over the winter swapping out tanks from the rigs that were left there over the winter...so yes, it happens.

If the back of the trailer is on fire you had better hope it lit up while you were towing it past a manned fire station. Being in a VFD for 40 years I've seen my share of RV's go up and a fire in the rear usually amounts to fully engulfed in less than 5 minutes. Were not going to try to remove propane tanks, or enter a burning RV, unless we have some reason to believe it's occupied. Short of a travel trailer with front mounted tanks, we're not going searching for tanks in closed compartments. We're going to stand off and hose it from a distance using the onboard supply in the pumper. By the time we laid out a line to a hydrant the thing would most likely be a smoking frame.

If we wanted to remove tanks on a burning RV locked as in the video posted by the OP we would have that lock off in 10 seconds with one of these.



That said I am sure you have no shortage of Goobers who answered the alarm from their departments social club next door to the station after downing a six pack, and are out to be the hero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1LGKieTxY

Edit: I guess the forum doesn't play nice with youtube. It is a pretty scary watch.

Moderator edit: Here is your video. I agree it is a very scary watch! You did not post it properly is why it didn't show for you and not the fault of the forum.
If you wish to see what I did, just click "edit" and then the return arrow when you are done looking.
Barney

Scary truck fire!

capacitor wrote:
I think the OPs idea is a good one. For those of you that are afraid of your trailer blowing up, don't do it. I would chose to fight the fire with my fire extinguishers than waste the time to remove the tanks and then let the trailer burn. You would save your tanks tho. No-one has mentioned how to go about removing horizontal tanks in case of a fire. I guess the rig is toast.

Funny fireman don't see it that way.
5th wheels all have there tanks in an enclosed compartment.
The doors to that compartment do not have locks. All other compartments on a 5'er have locks.
The doors are without locks to allow quick access to the tanks.

Horizontal tanks are permanently mounted in motorized vehicles. They are not removable. Why you wonder? Because motorized vehicles are passenger carrying vehicles and are required to meet a higher safety standard.
Factory tanks must be permanently mounted and cannot come free or get lose in an accident. An LP tank would be a very dangerous projectile. If the impact of the tank alone didn't get you the explosion would.

I think the OPs idea is a good one. For those of you that are afraid of your trailer blowing up, don't do it. I would chose to fight the fire with my fire extinguishers than waste the time to remove the tanks and then let the trailer burn. You would save your tanks tho. No-one has mentioned how to go about removing horizontal tanks in case of a fire. I guess the rig is toast.