6 in. clearance and Roads in these places

[pamerica]

One of my main problems with most of the roads I have seen in my short time out here full-timing, as mentioned in another thread, is that my van has only 6 in. clearance.  This is due to the safety shield to protect the propane tank that is attached under the body of the van.  I am posting photos here that show what I mean.  Someone on here seems to not quite believe me about this amount of clearance...so here you go.

I hope the photos show.  If not I will try again.  It took me a bit to learn how to resize them, and thanks to whomever posted the steps for adding photos.

This is an older Class B and I have been doing my best to keep it in as good a shape as I can.  I like it a lot and hope it provides me with a few more years of traveling.  So I am not looking to change it for something else; I need to be mindful of where we drive.

Regarding the definition of the roads in all these places:  I have been in the Flagstaff area since July 11.  The monsoon rains do a number on the red muddy roads, making all kinds of huge ruts and very difficult to traverse roads.  Most of what I have seen, anyway.  Plus there are a lot of rocks here that you don't always see at first.  I have seen some better roads, but not many.  So, since this is my first and only, so far, experience out here, this is all I have to go by.

And as far as only going carefully and slowly...I would have been in deep do do if I had only done that, with the hills, big ruts, mud and rocks.  I even hydroplaned on mud...this place was a mess.  Now it's dried out some but the ruts remain.  When it was that wet and muddy, if I had gone slowly, I would have been stuck.  In deep mud a mile up a hill off the road.  I know...I was given the advice from camp mates to gun it, don't stop, just keep going.  It was very bad.  I almost got stuck several times, but gave it the gas.

Now that it has dried out some, the ruts remain and they are often more than 6 inches deep. At the campsite I was at, anyway. So I had to make alternate arrangements.

What the roads are like in the Quartzsite and such areas, is something I will learn. Someone told me yesterday that I can do it with my van, so that's good to hear.

 

[highdesertranger]

it's kinda hard to get a clear idea with those pictures. I can't really tell what I am looking at. this is a common problem with RV's, when they build them the really don't take stuff like this into consideration. can the tank be moved up at all? can you get taller tires on it without rubbing? for every inch taller tire you gain 1/2 inch of clearance. highdesertranger

 

[pamerica]

Hello highdesertranger.  I had to lie down on the ground to take these pictures. There is no way to move the propane tank. It is attached right to the bottom of the van with some kind of short hangers or something.

Maybe I can get a better view of this another day.

That safety shield is about 3 or 4 feet long.  It can't go anywhere either.

I'm not really complaining about this.  I love that I have propane for the stove, refrigerator and hot water. This was never an issue before on city streets.  I just have to be mindful of what I'm doing. 

And I can't forget that these types of roads cost me over $400 for two new tires and repair on the 3rd. And they were fairly new tires with only fifteen thousand miles on them and I paid over $200 each for those originally also. I guess I didn't have the right type of tires for these kinds of roads.

Thanks for the tip on other tires. WheelEstate told me the same thing today.  I guess we all learn along the way.  For the newbies out there, it's still worth it.

 

[pamerica]

highdesertranger pointed out something about my two photos that I hadn't thought of. 

I know what I'm looking at but how the heck are you supposed to?

Okay, the white thing with the red mud splotches on it is the propane tank. That other straight long thing hanging down is a piece of metal that is also attached to the underside of the van that protects the propane tank from getting too close to rocks and the road. This is what cuts the road clearance.

I hope that makes it a little more clear.

 

[highdesertranger]

so is that white thing attached to the propane tank or the van? if it is a separate skid plate I would just build a bullet proof one and not worry about it. highdesertranger

 

[SternWake]

I have firestone ride rite airbags on my rear leaf springs.
I usually keep 15PSI passenger and 25 PSI driver side to keep wheel well clearance even on all 4 corners.

But If I pump one bag upto 100PSI, then the other, then go back to the first( which fell to ~80psi, then back to other bag, it raises the rear over 5 inches.

Does nothing to help clearance of differential, but would increase GC in the middle of the van.

The van rides horribly with this much PSI in the bags, and the increased angle puts more strain on the driveline U joint.

I could use some coil spring spacers to increase GC up front, and Gabriel make some coil over shocks which could actually fit inside the existing coil springs in on my dodge but I would never choose that option.

Timbren makes some load assisting bump stops for up front, but I do not trust those either.

Been a while since I required ground clearance but getting out and walking any iffy areas beforehand has saved me from bottoming out and breaking something, or getting stuck, and I have made it to campsites where I was the only other 2wd vehicle.

I've not actually used my airbags for a ground clearance issue. mostly for leveling the van in curbside camping, and in general just to keep rear from sagging as my leafs are tired tired tired.

 

[sephson]

There is no way to move the propane tank.

Just a minor correction. There's no easy way to move the tank. It would require some steel fabrication, welding and significant modification to your vehicle and probably incur a fair bit of expense, but it could be done.

That said, six inches is only a half inch less clearance than I have on my little Kia. I've been on some pretty rough roads with that car and done just fine. I just take my time getting where I'm going.

 

[pamerica]

so is that white thing attached to the propane tank or the van?  if it is a separate skid plate I would just build a bullet proof one and not worry about it.  highdesertranger

That white thing is the propane tank. The big piece of metal that you see hanging down there is the only thing protecting the tank. Well, there is a little metal faceplate in front of the gauges and the place to put the propane in.  It would be great to get rid of that metal that is called the safety shield.

And wonder what it would take to build what you call a bulletproof box around that tank.

To tell you the truth, I didn't know about these things before and I do wish I could get a class B where the guy doesn't have to get under the van to fill the tank.

I have so many new parts on this, including the propane tank, that I think I would be lucky to get half of what I have in it.

 

[DannyB1954]

If somebody put the tank and protector on, somebody can take it off. I would guess they are both bolted on, but even if they are welded, somebody can take them off. a friend here has a car lift if you pass through pahrump. He has cutting torches and a welder as well. Maybe moving the tank to another location is the key, (like sideways behind the rear axle). Or convert to a standard tank.

 

[pamerica]

Well, I still want the tank and what would I then have to protect it?   Don't I wish we could put that tank someplace else.  But that's silly talk now because this old geezer shouldn't have any more money put into it except what's absolutely necessary.  Shhhh.... don't let him hear I said that.  His name is Bob, short for Bucket of Bolts.  But he has been good to me for all the time we have been together, three and a half years.

The tank is cylindrical, about 3 feet long, maybe.  I don't know how you could mount it sideways. And when you said convert to a regular tank, where would that go and how would that get hooked up?

Thanks for the invite to the car lift, DannyB1954

 

[DannyB1954]

The driveshaft needs to go up and down, but not sideways. Maybe the tank can be mounted sideways near the rear axle, (either in front or behind). If it can go behind, than the axle will protect it from any impact. If you can move the tank out of harms way, you will not need a protective shield. My RV has the same type of tank, but doesn't have a shield because where it is it is unlikely to get hit.

On propane tank racks, they make all kinds. Some even go on a roof rack. You have to look where one would fit. I don't know where your holding, or even gas tank is.

 

[SternWake]

Well the driveshaft will go side to side a little bit when the engine shifts on its mounts when applying torque, but that's picking the fly **** from the pepper.

But since I'm already there with magnifying glasses and tweezers, relocation the propane tank behind the rear axle leaves it vulnerable to departure angle impingement insread of between wheel impingement. Sorry for the incorrect word of impingement, my shoulder is bothering me.

Temporary additional ground clearance, like I can do via my Airbag helper springs, would likely be cheaper than relocating this propane tank just for ground clearance, or getting a narrower diameter horizontal mount propane tank.

Does the OP know which horizontal mounted propane tank is used? I looked into these a while back and thought the minimum diameter I could find was 12.5 inches or so.

Are you sure it is mounted as close to van floor as possible?

 

[DannyB1954]

Well the driveshaft will go side to side a little bit when the engine shifts on its mounts  when  applying torque, but that's picking the fly **** from the pepper.

But since I'm already there with magnifying glasses and tweezers,  relocation the propane tank behind the rear axle leaves it vulnerable to departure angle impingement insread of between wheel impingement.  Sorry for the incorrect word of impingement, my shoulder is bothering me.

So what do you figure the sideways movement of the driveshaft at the rear differential is? What do you see it as being at the engine. The engineers at Dodge put the gas tank of my Dakota not very far from the driveshaft. They started doing that with trucks to protect the tank from a side impact, (it is on the inside of the frame).

On departure angle, as long as it was higher than a line between the bottom of the rear tire and the rear bumper, it would not matter unless we are talking about rock climbing the rubicon trail. What is your solution to a low hanging tank in between the front and rear tires?

 

[SternWake]

I figure the tail of the transmission might move 3/4 inches sideways under max torque. Not really a concern in the relocation of a propane tank. perhaps some former hot rodders would know how much the transmission tailshaft moves under max torque. 3/4 inch is a guess based on once handling a transmission mounting bushing long ago.

And my 36 gallon tank hangs below my bumper, It does have some gouges in it as does my trailer hitch. My trailer hitch might have saved me once when i got rear ended in Mexico, possible preventing my tank from rupturing.

One Solution for the low hanging propane tank would be to raise the suspension. I can do so with my rear airbags, and perhaps gain 2.5 inches midway between the wheels those times when i need more clearance. Also the suspension is so stiff bumps would not allow compression nearly as much, with 100PSI in the bags. But super stiff suspension and offroading are not happy bedmates.

Another solution might be cutting a hole in van floor and allow the propane tank and its shield to sit higher. Put a tightly sealing metal box over it on the interior., perhaps with hinged access hatch for ease of filling.

Another solution could be relocation of the tank to behind the rear axle, if there is any room there for it.

or perhaps a smaller diameter horizontal mounted tank.

To me the easiest cheapest thing would be the suspension air bags, if only 2.5 inches of extra clearance is acceptable, and if the bags could actually lift the OP's vehicle as much as my bags can lift mine.

if the OP's rear leaf springs are both tired and overloaded, the rear airbags could return ride height to normal, which of course would raise the ground clearance for the tank. Likewise if the front springs are tired and carryng more weight than intended, thicker coil springs could return original ride height.

I have upgraded my front coil springs to slightly thicker and it did return the ride height nearly 3/4 inches on the drivers side.

So is the OP's suspension not only tired, but also carrying more weight and causing ride height to lower and thus ground clearance too?

I know it would have been better in my situation to replace my tired leafsprings with a new pack, but in 2007 I decided on the airbags instead. It drove so much better afterwards, Less lean around turns and less of being pushed around by big rig slipstreams on the highway. Later on KYB gas a just shocks improved the springy bounce over bumps.

In 2010 I rebuilt my front suspension with the thicker stiffer coil springs, and once again handling and ride height improved.

I was considering the coil spring spacers but went without.

In 2011 I went from a 235/75/15 tire to 30x9.5x15 tire and this gave me another ~1/4 inch ride height too.

So I'd recommend addressing any ride height issues due to overloading, and/or weak tired springs. Not only good for ground clearance but also handling and safety.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

But that's silly talk now because this old geezer shouldn't have any more money put into it except what's absolutely necessary.  Shhhh.... don't let him hear I said that.  His name is Bob, short for Bucket of Bolts.  But he has been good to me for all the time we have been together, three and a half years.

I love it! Bucket of Bolts! Sounds like you have the makings of a lifetime relationship.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Disclaimer: I'm probably talking out of my hat and I know nothing about RV tanks of any kind, just have a design background.

That being said, when I look at the first photo it appears the big problem is the protective shield. It appears the tank is close to or a tad above the lowest line of the vehicle. Perspective is hard to get in awkward angle photos of such a small area. Maybe if you get one of the tribe or another experienced person to actually get under it and look then a clearer idea of whether there might be a simpler solution to increase your ground clearance could be attained.

Remember y'all, I'm talking out my hat so don't laugh too hard.

 

[Yogidog]

Hey? good for u for asking. I'll put in my thoughts. On this because I looked it but if course take it or leave it. If u are like me I am hesitant to change, modify things sometimes especially if I have put money into it and attached to it. Through being on road for a bit I have realized, it is a constant trade off I can have good gas mileage and travel alot and I give up comfort, u saw what I am in, u know I speak the truth there! 

So what I have learned to do is write out what I want, I want to be able to go down any road, I want to be able to camp with others, i want the propane tank where it is, ect. Then I prioritize one over the other till I have them in a list. I have come to accept I won't be able to have them all, it sucks? 

As far as practical solutions these are what I would consider. Find out more about the bullet proof thing from her like u did ask. 

I think it is sagging, any weight that could be out of van would help, it would also help gas mileage again if u choose this sacrifices would have to be made.

I would try those first because if low cost.

If it didn't help I would think of taking Danny up on his offer to look at it, I'd go with u if he would still have me there!

As far as others solutions that is a forgiven language to me so no thoughts.

Campgrounds would absolutly work for u but then it limits who u can be with and that goes back to the list of priorities.

Take what u like if this and leave the rest!

Hoe to see u soon

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Ok...I didn't crawl under Pam's rig, but looked under. The tank is fine where it is, high enough.
The problem is a vertical plate someone added as a heat shield between the tank and exhaust pipe. It extends a good 3" below the tank, needessly. It could be cut off...if its actually needed (again, didn't crawl under). 
With step fairings, this van only has about 7" clearance and the tank is about 7 1/2".
Cut the plate and that's the max clearance.
My guess is that air bags would be a reasonable addition due to age and weight of a Coachman tall top van.

 

[DannyB1954]

If it didn't help I would think of taking Danny up on his offer to look at it, I'd go with u if he would still have me there!

Everybody is welcome to come to Pahrump, but for what it would cost in gas, you could have a shop cut that heat shield down.
You might be able to have the exhaust pipe moved and then eliminate the need for a shield.

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks Jay for clearing that up. I would just trim the plate up. then if you wanted more clearance air bags would be a good choice. highdesertranger