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Bolting tank in boxer

TWC

Well-known member
Messages
342
Location
Northampton
Just setting up a new van and decided it’s qbout time to get a proper bolt down tank. I’ve got the frame for a 500L from the cleaning warehouse and have spoke to a couple of places about getting it bolted through the Chasis but the reaction I get is it can’t be done.

What else can you bolt it too if not the Chasis that’s going to have any chance of holding it in place should the worst happen?

if anyone’s got any photos of the underside of their van (particularly a boxer/relay) it would be very helpful to me?

And finally I see several vans have tanks lengthways down the van rather than across. Do you not get a lot of water movement when you stop at the lights?

thanks in advance

 
I have mine in with 3 bolts through the floor and big spreader plates, plus 2 bolts into the existing lashing points, I took out the lashing points and put bolts into the holes.

The local welder/fabricator did this for me for £120, he also rebuilt my second-hand frame and painted it. If you're going through the chassis you have to make sure its done right or you might weaken the chassis.

 
As above most use reinforcement plates under he van rather than going through the chassis , so spreading the load over a greater area 

 
my 500L wydale tank and pure freedom frame are bolted through the original eyelets and have pieces of angle iron fitted to the frame base in each corner,my local garage fitted it....they said the new connect vans have a false floor so its a pain to try and bolt through the van floor.....garage charged me £80......its solid......?

@spruce could be your man as I am sure he is currently fitting out his new van which I believe is a Citroen Relay 
i think he s been fitting that van out for years just like is home made diesel hot water system!?

 
Just setting up a new van and decided it’s qbout time to get a proper bolt down tank. I’ve got the frame for a 500L from the cleaning warehouse and have spoke to a couple of places about getting it bolted through the Chasis but the reaction I get is it can’t be done.

What else can you bolt it too if not the Chasis that’s going to have any chance of holding it in place should the worst happen?

if anyone’s got any photos of the underside of their van (particularly a boxer/relay) it would be very helpful to me?

And finally I see several vans have tanks lengthways down the van rather than across. Do you not get a lot of water movement when you stop at the lights?

thanks in advance


If you have a Boxer/Relay/Ducato from 2006 then they are all the same van.

I have a 2012 Boxer 333 swb which I have found to be a real challenge to fit a 650 liter tank width ways to. (Width of 650 liter tank = 575mm. Width of 500 liter tank = 620mm.)

A fellow windie also has recently purchased a 10 plate Relay and also found that the width of his 650 liter tank with a PureFreedom frame to not be an easy fit. He fitted his across the width of his van behind the bulkhead. I've told him his front axle is overloaded but he wasn't worried about that.

The problem is the positioning and spacing of the cross section chassis box sections and the main chassis rails the rear suspension is secured to.

I've had a 51 plate Citroen Relay swb and now use an 04 plate Relay. Both had the tank lengthways as widthways behind the bulkhead overloaded the front axle with the tank full + fuel + 2 windies. The trouble with lengthways is the wasted space on the offside behind the driver, especially as access is restricted with a pole rack on that side. No matter where I postioned the tank I could get the center of one of the cross chassis sections but the problem is that I miss the other chassis section for the other side of the tank.

I have my tank frame bolted into place at the moment as a look see (no tank as that's in the other van). I have cut and made up some spreader plates but they aren't fitted yet. I will put the van up on ramps tomorrow sometime and take a couple of photos to show you where the bolts are.

As your tank is wider you will find the you will be able to 'catch' the centers of one of the cross sections but not the other. They will have to be spreader plates on the floor. I had also thought I could use several lengths of channel iron and use that the bridge the chassis cross sections but the handle brake cables are in the way.

My tank is going to be fitted nearly over the rear axle so I've chosen to use that section to go through the chassis. The front bolts will be into the floor of the van.

I have another problem. I want a bolt to secure the short side section of the frame as well. Unfortunately I can't as these bolts would come through on the inside of the chassis very close to the edge. 

This is why this has taken me so long.

 
That’s really good of you @spruce your a legend. 

Gonna have a crawl under mine when I get home tomorrow and see if the different tank size will make a difference. 

Won’t having the tank that far back cause any problems with the handling?


The back axle has a load limit of an additional 900kgs on the 333 before the maximum axle weight is reached. The whole tank sits just forward of the rear axle so I don't envisage any handling issues. But the proof is in the eating as they say. I can't recall the exact weight distribution figures I worked out, but I think the full tank added 550kgs to the rear axle and 150kgs to the front including the tank's weight but excluding the weight of the frame.

Where the tank is isn't in my chosen place. I wanted it slightly further forward but that meant the front bolts would be through a cross member rather than the rear bolts. That just didn't make sense to me. Moving it even further forward meant that the front space would have been too small to be of much use access wise.

I have to be honest and say that fitting this tank has been full of compromises. I've lost my mojo to get it finished.

I also wanted to put a bolt through each side of the frame to stop that flexing/moving, but there is just no way to do that

A fellow windie has a Vivaro and Purefreedom initially fitted his 650 liter tank width ways behind the bulkhead. He also does carpet cleaning so later decided to move his tank back to a similar position mine is so he can carry his carpet cleaning machines in the front. He hasn't experienced any handling issues.

Yes, there will be less weight on the front drive tyres, but I didn't find my current van any better off in the snow with a full tank of water or an empty one. It still got stuck.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well that’s good to know about the axel weights. 

Just had a recommendation from a local windie on a place that fitted his tank so going to give them a call next week. Not brave enough to do it myself with my diy skills. 

Im like that character on the Kenny Everett show (showing my age now) who always ended up having accidents

 
Well that’s good to know about the axel weights. 

Just had a recommendation from a local windie on a place that fitted his tank so going to give them a call next week. Not brave enough to do it myself with my diy skills. 

Im like that character on the Kenny Everett show (showing my age now) who always ended up having accidents
 Mine is a Boxer 333 which has a higher payload (1390kgs) than the 330 (1100kgs). Maximum axle weight changes with the model in question.

 
Yes I be got the 330 so max rear axel is 1650 but will still be more than enough if I put the tank in the same place as yours. 

 
Yep got a local fabricators to make the spreader plates and they even drilled the holes and bolted it all in for me for £90. They had fitted tanks in vehicles for the council so knew what they were doing

 
Yep got a local fabricators to make the spreader plates and they even drilled the holes and bolted it all in for me for £90. They had fitted tanks in vehicles for the council so knew what they were doing
£90 that's a bargain, my new van is getting conversion done at moment, floor sprayed tank installation , pole rack  16 hundred, that's with old tank taking out  & fitting in new van

 
Ouch

Although I didn’t enjoy prepping the van and painting the floor with protectercote. It’s actually scratched off in a couple of places where I drag barrels and step ladders in and out. 

Will be giving it a touch up in the summer as just putting a 2nd van on the road but waiting till summer to paint the floor as it cures better in the summer I’m told

 
Ouch

Although I didn’t enjoy prepping the van and painting the floor with protectercote. It’s actually scratched off in a couple of places where I drag barrels and step ladders in and out. 

Will be giving it a touch up in the summer as just putting a 2nd van on the road but waiting till summer to paint the floor as it cures better in the summer I’m told
I've heard protectacote is not the best option, the guy who's just done my van said it is garbage, isotopes some one said use, do some research

karl73091 said:
I've heard protectacote is not the best option, the guy who's just done my van said it is garbage, isotopes some one said use, do some research
Sorry isoflex

 
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