Bottle Transport Safety

[bajajoaquin]

I have been taking a class at the local college on gas welding (to supplement my MIG), and am at the point of looking at buying a rig for myself. The only issue I have is transporting the bottles. I've put a shell on my truck.

I know that you're not supposed to put acetylene bottles in trunks or enclosed vans, but how much venting is necessary? Here's a pic of my truck and shell (never mind that I'm stuck in the sand):



With the big windows open, is that adequate ventilation? I could probably figure a way to prop the back door open.

Otherwise, I'll fab a hitch-mount rack for bringing bottles to and from the LWS.

[urch55]

If all you are doing is picking up filled bottles and taking them home or to a shop there is no problem. Just make yourself a holder of some sort so the bottles won't roll around. And don't camp out in your truck camper with the bottles inside. The reason why welding supplies stores don't want the bottles in a car trunk in case some one rear ends you bad enough to crush the trunk compartment.

That would be a bad idea to make a hitch mounted holder for your bottles. You might as well put a bulls eye on it. That is an accident waiting to happen. What do you think would happen if you are stopped at a traffic light and some one runs right into you.????
Just make sure the valves are turned off tight and put them in a holder in your truck bed and be done with it. Holder can be horizontal or vertical. But always use the acetylene bottle in the upright position.

[Rocky D]

I agree, the tanks will have caps on them, anyway for added protection, but be sure you can keep them from rolling around. Don't do like this guy:

[Roger]

Acetylene mixed with air can explode within a wide mixture range of 2.5% to 80%. Small leak in a trunk and electrical spark will cause an explosion. This is why it shouldn't be carried inside car trunk.

Propane in air explosive limits is 2.1% to 9.5%.
Natural gas in air explosive limits is 5.0% to 15%.

These gases are heavier than air so low vent is desired. Can't have too much ventilation.

Driver of truck with O2 tanks was lucky he didn't get nailed or tanked.

[urch55]

I agree, the tanks will have caps on them, anyway for added protection, but be sure you can keep them from rolling around. Don't do like this guy:

Rocky I bet some one got their A$$ chewed out or worse. Brakes must have worked great.! That pickup looks over loaded with all them bottles. They can count their blessings that a bottle didn't go though the back of their head.

[bajajoaquin]

Thanks for the replies. I figured it would be fine, but I just wanted to check.

[garfish]

My LWS delivered them to my house because I wasn't far off their commercial resupply route. No charge. Doesn't hurt to ask.

[monckywrench]

You weld, so make an appropriate trailer with a secure, strong bottle rack. Build it like a rig trailer if you wish to operate that way in the future. Trailers are very nice to have for many things.

Idiot with the oxygen cylinders should have had a skid to hold and secure the bottles instead of relying on the back window to stop them. A headache rack (they call them that for a reason) would have been nice too.

It's easy for weldors to have basic equipment that can be made by welding!

[Ohio Mike]

So I have to ask, how do folks with open pickups secure their bottles during transport? The bigger the cylinder the taller the unit and harder to secure in the upright position. Strapping to a headache rack would be good if I had one, but I don't really care for them on a standard pickup body.

[urch55]

So I have to ask, how do folks with open pickups secure their bottles during transport?

Mike.. I made up a saddle that I lay down my bottle in then I strap it down on the floor of the pickup bed.

[Sberry]

I usually toss them in the back of the pickup but here I was going somewhere with the crane truck.

[hiluxxulih]

So I have to ask, how do folks with open pickups secure their bottles during transport? The bigger the cylinder the taller the unit and harder to secure in the upright position. Strapping to a headache rack would be good if I had one, but I don't really care for them on a standard pickup body.

Here is the way I transport cylinders in my pickup (just going from the welding supply place to home) , a 5/8" 4x8 sheet of plywood with three 2x4 bolted to it and a 1x1 bolted in the middle for if i only pickup one cylinder .

[SidecarFlip]

I just put mine on the floor of my SUV or pickup and cross block them. Never open an acetylene cylinder in a horizontal position. Acetylele is dissolved in acetone so it will come out if horizontal.

[BGuyer]

When I transport anything hazardous, gasoline in cans, propane bottles, or acetylene, I strap everything down securely, with blocking, so they can't possibly shift. Then I add another strap.

Straps are cheap. Accidents are expensive.