Keeping propane stove level/stationary

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Matlock

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
827
Reaction score
43
Before I reinvent the wheel I thought I'd ask how everyone keeps their single and two burner propane stoves fairly level and stationary when in use inside your vehicle.

I have both the single and dual burner in Coleman and another popular brand. I don't care for the light weight nor the lack of pot support on the chintzy grating they all have. Even if the stove is perfectly level it's easy to move if bumped and that usually results in me grabbing the handle of the pot so I can eat my dinner from the pan and not the floor. The contents of the pan is eventually going to end up all over everything. I've had dozens of close calls.

I've tried velcro on the bottom of the stove and that sorta works ok but does nothing for leveling. Also, the burner grating with a 5 or 6" pot is always a problem. These stoves do not come with enough metal grating in the right places to give me any confidence my small pots are supported.

Is there an aftermarket burner grating option I can buy that just lays on top of what comes with the stove and allows my pots to sit without the worry of tipping over if I don't reposition them perfectly every time I stir the contents?

Any ideas, experience with this?

For the record I do have an induction stove but too often it's unavailable due to low battery w/ little sun.
 
Before I reinvent the wheel I thought I'd ask how everyone keeps their single and two burner propane stoves fairly level and stationary when in use inside your vehicle.

I have both the single and dual burner in Coleman and another popular brand. I don't care for the light weight nor the lack of pot support on the chintzy grating they all have. Even if the stove is perfectly level it's easy to move if bumped and that usually results in me grabbing the handle of the pot so I can eat my dinner from the pan and not the floor. The contents of the pan is eventually going to end up all over everything. I've had dozens of close calls.

I've tried velcro on the bottom of the stove and that sorta works ok but does nothing for leveling. Also, the burner grating with a 5 or 6" pot is always a problem. These stoves do not come with enough metal grating in the right places to give me any confidence my small pots are supported.

Is there an aftermarket burner grating option I can buy that just lays on top of what comes with the stove and allows my pots to sit without the worry of tipping over if I don't reposition them perfectly every time I stir the contents?

Any ideas, experience with this?

For the record I do have an induction stove but too often it's unavailable due to low battery w/ little sun.
Before I reinvent the wheel I thought I'd ask how everyone keeps their single and two burner propane stoves fairly level and stationary when in use inside your vehicle.

I have both the single and dual burner in Coleman and another popular brand. I don't care for the light weight nor the lack of pot support on the chintzy grating they all have. Even if the stove is perfectly level it's easy to move if bumped and that usually results in me grabbing the handle of the pot so I can eat my dinner from the pan and not the floor. The contents of the pan is eventually going to end up all over everything. I've had dozens of close calls.

I've tried velcro on the bottom of the stove and that sorta works ok but does nothing for leveling. Also, the burner grating with a 5 or 6" pot is always a problem. These stoves do not come with enough metal grating in the right places to give me any confidence my small pots are supported.

Is there an aftermarket burner grating option I can buy that just lays on top of what comes with the stove and allows my pots to sit without the worry of tipping over if I don't reposition them perfectly every time I stir the contents?

Any ideas, experience with this?

For the record I do have an induction stove but too often it's unavailable due to low battery w/ little sun.

I have a single burner stove in my van. I keep it stationary with two bolts that go through the 'table' it is on. It is easy to remove it if I have to.
Originally the bolts had butterfly nut, but I used a regular nut, because there was not much room at the feet of the stove where I drilled the holes.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20210702_182225629 (2).jpg
    IMG_20210702_182225629 (2).jpg
    234.3 KB · Views: 14
Freelander, thanks for the link, those are better than what I'm trying to use.
Sofisintown, I hadn't considered fastening the stove to the counter. I like it. Maybe to not lose the counter area I could fasten .... no maybe just drill a hole to align with the stove base holes and just insert 4 short bolts through the stove base and into those holes I drilled in the counter top. For a removable coleman that stays put once on the counter.
Also, take Freelander's wedges and drill a clearance hole in them to shim before inserting the bolts. Excellent!
 
Freelander, thanks for the link, those are better than what I'm trying to use.
Sofisintown, I hadn't considered fastening the stove to the counter. I like it. Maybe to not lose the counter area I could fasten .... no maybe just drill a hole to align with the stove base holes and just insert 4 short bolts through the stove base and into those holes I drilled in the counter top. For a removable coleman that stays put once on the counter.
Also, take Freelander's wedges and drill a clearance hole in them to shim before inserting the bolts. Excellent!
I stack them 2 or 3 high, they are made of rubber and don't slip.
 
Yikes ! $399.99
In a boat, indispensable. In a parked vehicle, a little pricey. But thanks for the link it's always good to see what folks with money are buying.
Definitely spendy. Plus, am I missing something here? I see how the contraption would find 'level' in the swing direction - but is it adjustable on the arms too?
If not, it won't solve the problem that the OP posed.
 
Before I reinvent the wheel I thought I'd ask how everyone keeps their single and two burner propane stoves fairly level and stationary when in use inside your vehicle.

I have both the single and dual burner in Coleman and another popular brand. I don't care for the light weight nor the lack of pot support on the chintzy grating they all have. Even if the stove is perfectly level it's easy to move if bumped and that usually results in me grabbing the handle of the pot so I can eat my dinner from the pan and not the floor. The contents of the pan is eventually going to end up all over everything. I've had dozens of close calls.

I've tried velcro on the bottom of the stove and that sorta works ok but does nothing for leveling. Also, the burner grating with a 5 or 6" pot is always a problem. These stoves do not come with enough metal grating in the right places to give me any confidence my small pots are supported.

Is there an aftermarket burner grating option I can buy that just lays on top of what comes with the stove and allows my pots to sit without the worry of tipping over if I don't reposition them perfectly every time I stir the contents?

Any ideas, experience with this?

For the record I do have an induction stove but too often it's unavailable due to low battery w/ little sun.
I have el brackets around my stove that keep it in place and a number of paint sticks pieces to use as shims. Go to any welding shop a get a piece of grating to go on top of your stove grating then your pots won’t be tipping over.
 

Attachments

  • AB9FDF2F-BE00-4E97-A6F3-3051D6E6CE29.jpeg
    AB9FDF2F-BE00-4E97-A6F3-3051D6E6CE29.jpeg
    156 KB · Views: 1
With me leveling is not a problem, but I have a 1 quart (I thinks) pan to heat soup, stew & tea in, it tips very easily. I took a 28 ounce peach can & cut both ends out. Cut it in quarters, to the last ringed coragation. Took me 30 seconds to figure out the operation, 2 1/2 minutes to cut & bend the ears back, & I'm still looking for the camera to show how it worked out, but it solved my problem of pot tipping over on stove top.
 
The second link I listed above shows a two way gimbal and a perimeter to keep the pot from sliding.
If you look around you can find many DIY gimbaled stoves and some elegant ones, like these; all pivot in both directions.
None of the solutions above allow for two direction pivoting or containing the pot like the OP also asked about.
A piece of grating will keep the small pots from falling into the burner as HONU mentioned.
 

Attachments

  • two way gimbal.jpeg
    two way gimbal.jpeg
    22.3 KB · Views: 4
  • cast iron gimballed stove.jpeg
    cast iron gimballed stove.jpeg
    235.2 KB · Views: 4
  • brass gimballed stove.jpeg
    brass gimballed stove.jpeg
    86 KB · Views: 4
Had a cabin cruiser owner with a gimbal grill that was grilling a thick steak while fishing with his little dog at his side. Got a fish on and lost the rod and reel over the side but since he was beached it landed on the shore so he jumped over the side and landed the fish. While doing so his little hungry dog grabbed the steak knocking some of the flaming grease off the burning steak on the highly polished teak deck. By the time he got back on board and got off with his dog everything had burned to the waterline.
 
my 2 burner stove fits on top of one of those gray shipping bins you see outside Dollar General.
I use the bin to store pots and stuff.
When I cook in the van I use that as the countertop. To level I usually have to account for the high crowned street which has the van an inch or two lower on teh passenger side.
So I roll up a small throw rug and wedge it under one side of grey crate.
When it's too far off level oil pools on one side of the frying pan, and boiling water tends to rattle itself toward the front edge.
At parks and rest areas sometimes I use a little MAP fuel stove and my backpacking mess kit.

It s fun to hike to a gazebo and cook a couple hot dogs or some ramen.
 
I have both the single and dual burner in Coleman and another...burner grating option I can buy that just lays on top of what comes with the stove and allows my pots...
.
www.fisheriessupply.com/boat-galley/eno-stove
.
Notice the stove-top restraints engineered to hold a pot in in a tempest.
The restraints are available as a stand-alone.
Ask around for 'boat cooker restraints'.
 
Great replies. Gives me some ideas / better options than I was thinking. TY
The cutting and bending of a metal support mentioned above got me to looking to ace hardware.
Couldn't think of the name of this stuff until I saw it. expanded metal.jpg
Easy enough to snip the size I want Then bend some ears to hold onto those skinny grate bars on the coleman.
My expresso pot will be safe as well as my toes from spilt scalding water.
 
For pots that are too small head to Amazon and use the keywords
Gas stove trivet reducer. Lots of styles of them around. They sit on top of the existing burner rings and add more sections in the center for supporting small pots.

As to leveling install some threaded inserts into the metal bottom by the corners of the stove. Then you can get threaded bolts from the little specialty bins at a hardware store. Some of those come wiith a rubber foot already on the fastener. Then you can turn those feet in or out to level the stove.

So a little bit of shopping, drilling, etc, and for not a lot of dollars your problems are solved.
 
I am not that entrenched into the First World to have a stove level problem. I seldom set up my "fancy" kitchen. It's a 5 gallon bucket with my Thermarest butt pad for seat. My single propane burner sits on a plywood square on a 3 gallon bucket. To level the bean pot I use stones under the plywood as needed.
 
.
.
re -- expanded metal
.
For our ExpeditionVehicle, I fabricated our porch deck of expanded metal.
For traction, I used 'raised' instead of 'flat'.
.
For our bed platform, I used 'flat' to support the mattress for plenty of ventilation.
.
To anybody planning a project:
* get your material well-before you need it.
I am a semi-retired welder-fabricator, I see metal prices doubling every couple months... if any is available.
.
If your plan changes and you don't need the material, advertise it.
Naturally, I would never advise profiting from somebody else's lack of foresight...
 
Last edited:
Top