Today: Spare Tire Mount and Propane Tank Levels Indicator.
Okay, so I did more.
You know - more work on Lil' Queeny is coming up, but first I have to find her. All summer long we've had these other jobs and projects; they're like rabbits I tell you, rabbits! And if you've never had a truck camper in the garage, I'm here to tell you, floor storage under those wings? Awesome! You can pile neat little project piles all over underneath those!
And those piles often make real good foundations for new projects that can be stacked on TOP of those, and IF you are talented, you can even stack these things SO high, that with proper placement of project materials like a Jenga stack, you can end up with piles that are supported at their tops by well placed ceiling attachment fasteners, and those are easily found in one's coffee cans! Brilliant.
So I think Lil' Queeny is still there, but that whole age related memory thing comes into play too, and sometimes I half wonder if we didn't finish her up LAST year, and I just have her parked outside somewhere! But I can't find her. I think, and DW supports this theory, she's still in that same garage spot, under those project piles.
So everyday, I keep plugging away at those remaining projects, eye to the sky, knowing that very soon the outside stuff is all over.
So I tend to pre-tend; pretend that these indoor things aren't there, and I simply wander around in the yard, and now in the field, and I look over all these old and new piles and I think, "What do I want to do today?
So yesterday I was looking at Tow-Mater's spare tire. I don't want it laying on the ground, or leaning on a sagebrush - NO - Don't lean it on the pines! It took YEARS for us to get those to grow that big!
We haven't gotten onto the back-bumper gear-box yet, which was going to incorporate a spare tire holder - because we have all been too busy with too many projects. But I DID find a nice little out of the way spot to put the tire, until towing that is, when it can be thrown in the back of a pickup bed you know? Like we have always done?
Yeah, that spot was right behind the propane tanks on the tongue. It's okay for storage, but not for towing because the tire will damage the front wall sheet metal.
So I got's this idea, see? I took some measurements and then rolled the tire up to the shop and pulled out some parts. Set them out on half a work table because I have Ta-Ton-Ka's range and furnace on the other half.
Spare Tire.
Spare tire mount parts.
Now you all recognize the tray - a double propane tank tongue mount tray. That went to Alaska with us on the tongue of our enclosed cargo/car hauler trailer. Two extra tanks along with one in the pop-up Truck Camper, but just extra parts now.
And the threaded rod and butterfly nut.
But what's that bracket?
Oh, it came out of a coffee can on my shelf labeled "Large Brackets". If memory serves me, it was some kind of an emergency brake cable bracket on some vehicle in the past I took off to do something else.
The threaded rod fit in the larger far hole, but not in the near hole. However, I could tell it WOULD fit if the hole were tapped out. So I found the right tap...
And tapped it out.
Cool.
I kind of knew after measurements that this thing-a-ma-jig might work. Back to the field we went, tie-down in one hand, the other (the one with just one finger) rolling the spare tire.
Now - here's where we get tricky.
I threaded the rod into the bracket in this fashion. This is viewing from the front of the tanks.
That rod is slid forward to it's furthest. And from the back looks like this...
Which gives room to get the tire up in here without scratching paint.
Then after getting the tire in the right spot, the rod is moved to spear the wheel hole.
Then through the wheel hole.
It's tight, but especially if coming in from below, next you get the butterfly nut threaded on and pull the whole she-bang together.
Which cleared everything real well!
But I ran out of thread for a secure fit. The tire mounting was too wobbly. Wobbly is what causes things to wear and break. Firm, secure, snug is what causes weaker than designed parts to be "okay". Maybe.
I thought, "I could put the rod in the vice and run a die down it to thread some more, or.... I could get rid of all the excess schlop and do this job right!
So again, after another measurement or two, I went to the coffee can labeled "Turnbuckles & Eye-bolts, and found a fine specimen.
Here's how it fell into place, without all the other flim-flam!
BTW, it looks like it's hooked over the copper propane line, but it's snot.
That reminds me of a little diddy my Mom used to sing/say.
(When you're dancing with your huney, and her nose is sort of running, and you think it's kind of funny, but it's snot.)
Yeah, this method cleared all the propane lines, be they copper or rubber.
It pulled things in tight and keeps the tire from the trailer wall like this.
Nice tight little package!
Now throw a bicycle chain lock around the frame, tanks and tire and you're golden!
And while were in this area, can you find the red, yellow, and green clips in this photo? Where's Waldo?
See here's the problem, after starting on a tank, who can remember before the next trip, which tank is full, and which is in use? So before a trip, part of the pre-planning is always stopping by at the propane store. And maybe that's not necessary!
Especially since the kids aren't practiced, and because there's more than one of us using these tanks (me for testing appliances and the like), so I got's this idea back ago, see?
Green means "Full". Yellow means "In use" and the Red one down on the tray? That's for when a tank is Empty. All you do is rotate the clips to their proper place.
Bingo!
