Tongue Box

AnOldUR

Just starting this project. Box arrived today, so I removed the nuCamp and aftermarket box that came with my (used) T@B. The new box is set in place for reference, but not fastened. The first thing I though of was how it would impact turning radius. Waiting for my wife to get home to hook up and have someone to help keep an eye on it while turning. I'm less worried about backing up. I usually have a spotter to give warnings. It's more about a tight u-turn not hitting the box on my bumper. Any thoughts or anyone have a tub this big? The plan is to partition the box into three sections. The middle will be used for battery and propane and will be well ventilated. The two sides will be for storage (nothing too heavy).

Old ....

New ....

AnOldUR

Went to the school parking lot for a test run with box budgied down. This is probably very unique to the trailer/tow vehicle combination, but for what it's worth we're good to go ahead with the installation. It was close, but this is at a full lock turn. Room to spare.

dragonsdofly

@AnOldUR, that is the 60" Lund box, I presume. Quite a few of the members from years ago have this box installed. There are threads on it, if you search. There's even one member who mounted bike rails on the top of the box. Glad everything seems to fit, and has worked out with no infringement on turning radius. Congrats, and I'll bet it's gonna be great looking when completed. 

AnOldUR

@dragonsdofly ... Yes, it’s the 60” box. The searching I did turned up some posts of the Lund, but none with the 60”. Yeah, it was a relief to see there were no problems. I do like the look much better than before. The other reason is I’ll be moving the jack back in hopes of opening my tailgate.

dragonsdofly

@AnOldUR, in regard to the jack, a very creative former t@b owner invented a way to remove it that was extremely simple and better looking than some of the commercial applications available, like the Jack-E-up. I  remember being impressed. That former t@b owner also created a kit for in-frame front end storage that was so popular it was actually sold by the Teardrop Shop. You might want to take a look as it appears you are well on your way to being more than handy with your t@b modifications. Search a thread search a thread titled jack stand in the way of my tailgate by @Pop-T@B. Anyone out there remember this one? @Tabaz, didn't you have/do this mod?

Sharon_is_SAM

@AnOldUR - here is the removable Jack thread:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/1918/trailer-jack-in-the-way-of-my-tailgate/p1  We have one of these and it is very easy to use.

Tabaz

I do have the one from a former forum member.  Simply remove the three pins, and the whole jack slips out from above.  Fits perfectly, no messing with bolt heads.  Purchased on the old LG accessory site.  Not sure it's available any longer.

Tabaz

For those interested:
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3338/removable-tongue-jack

AnOldUR

Thanks @dragonsdofly @Sharon_is_SAM and @Tabaz . Good links and information! I'm sure I'll have to go with some form of a removable jack.

I have to make the decision to continue with this box or search for a better fit. The product description said, "This product measures 60-inches (L) by 18.5-inches (W) by 24-inches (H)" and from the pictures it looks taller than the front to back distance. What it actually measures is 60-inches (L) by 24-inches (W) by 18.5-inches (H).

If it had been as advertised, I would have had another 5.5 inches to swing the tail gate. Regardless of what I do with the jack, the tail gate may never fully open with this box.

AnOldUR

Still not done fighting with the Amazon seller to get the box returned, but it should all work out in the end. The numerous configuration and really bad descriptions of this style box makes it extremely difficult to get what you want. After days of searching and the bad purchase above, I found what I'll be sticking with at Tractor Supply at a substantially cheaper price. Personally, I like the looks a lot more and once I change the jack, my tailgate should now open. The storage capacity is a little less, but the original box was probably overkill. It's been raining all weekend, so won't get to install today, but here it is just set in place.

Old Box:

New Box:

Denny16

You do know you can not out an LP gas bottle in that box without cutting a large vent hole in the back of the box, which you will need for the gas line anyway.

I went through this with our TaB400, and after looking a several truck style boxes like you got, none of which would allow a standard 5-gallon gas bottle to stand up, we went with the new nüCamp 2021 TaB tongue box, fits better, looks like it belongs on the trailer and is tall enough to accommodate the gas bottle, and came with the proper gas bottle mounting bracket and appropriate vent holes.

Good luck with your tongue box install.
cheers

AnOldUR

@Denny16 ... Venting is a part of my installation plan, but it's a good reminder for anyone reading this thread.

For the Tractor Supply box, I brought a 20lb propane tank with me to the store and made sure it would fit. I won't argue with you about cosmetics. Personally I think the truck box up front has an equal appeal. It's just that we've been accustom to seeing the Boondock version. In truth, both look out of place with the lines of the teardrop design, but they are a necessity.

Dutch061

Propane is heavier than air, if you put 3 or 4 1" holes in the bottom, you will be fine. It will settle out the bottom if there is ever a leak.

Brad

P.S. I think the box looks great.

AnOldUR

Thanks @Dutch061 ...
Here's a snip of the regulations (may not be current):

5.2.6.1 Ventilation of Compartments Containing LP-Gas
Containers.  Compartments shall be ventilated at or near the
top and at the extreme bottom to facilitate diffusion of vapors.
The compartment shall be ventilated with at least two vents
having an aggregate free area equal to at least 1 sq/in for each 7 lb
(1 cm 2  per 500 grams) of the total LP-Gas fuel capacity ....

So, for a 20lb tank, two 1-1/2" diameter holes (one top / one bottom) should also work.

edit to add:
Another interesting thing is that it's illegal to have a lock on the compartment.

Denny16

While a lock on the box is appealing, the Reg’s state that the box must not be locked.  So as long as the built in locks are not used, left unlocked, no worries.

Your tool box looks nice, low profile and similar diamond plate pattern to the TaB.  The box that came with our TaB was not the original, but a big, black steel truck box, that was mounted backwards (opened from the back, towards the front).  Unlike your box AnOldUR, it did not look like it belonged, but something added as an afterthought.  Trying to buy a better looking box like yours online that would hold the propane tank, didn’t work, and after two attempts, I went with the new nüCamp TaB box that had just been released.  

Your new box has a nice long, low profile look, which raised my question about the tank fitting.  The similar boxes I found (wanted something a little shorter than yours), would not fit the tank standing up.  Taking in the dost of the modifications needed to make a smaller box work, getting the TaB box was a wash cost wise, and the dealer installed it as part of some other work they were doing (adding the Boondock axle).

Now go out and enjoy your new rig and setup!

cheers

lkc001

@AnOldUR I like the look of the "new box" better anyway!  Looks nice.  Did you also have to cut a hole in the back of the box to accommodate the propane hose hookup?  What did you use the mount the box to the trailer tongue, and how did you  mount the battery box?  Thank you!

AnOldUR

@lkc001 ... Didn't make as much progress today as I'd hoped, but I'll keep posting as things move forward. What I did get done was drilling the ventilation, gas and electric holes. Also sawed and mounted a 3/4" thick piece of polypropylene that the box will sit on. If the weather holds I'll get more done tomorrow. Thanks for the like.

lkc001

@AnOldUR. I’m following!  Did you feel like it needed more support or rigidity on the bottom— is that the reason for the base?

Denny16

Looking good AnOldUR, make  sure you add rubber grommets to the gas line and battery cable holes.
cheers

AnOldUR

lkc001 said:

Did you feel like it needed more support or rigidity on the bottom— is that the reason for the base?

The side walls of the box will provide the rigidity and support to keep the ends from sagging. The base plate is there because the aluminum diamond plate is relatively thin. Anything dropped into the bottom of the box could leave a nasty dent. Also, it will give me a solid base to anchor things (propane tank, battery...).

lkc001

So are you putting the plate inside the box or under the box mounted to the frame?

AnOldUR

@lkc001 ... The platform in the box may have been preferable, but there’s not much clearance between the lid and the top of the propane tank, so it went outside.
@Denny16 ... Grommets installed. Thanks for the reminder.

AnOldUR

Still need to decide how to partition off the storage areas, but that's it for today. If it doesn't rain, I'll work on the jack tomorrow to see how this works out for tailgate swing clearance.

lkc001

@AnOldUR looks great!  So it looks like you drilled through the tongue to attach the polypropylene sheet— then did you also run the bolts through the box then through the base then put nuts on the underside?  Also interested in the parts you used to cover the vent holes inside & outside the box also where did you get the polypropylene sheet? Looks very professional!

AnOldUR

@lkc001 ... Thanks and yes, there are six 5/16-18 bolts going through the frame and plate and into the box. Four of them were preexisting frame holes used to hold down the original tub. The plastic plate was cut down from a larger piece that's been kicking around my place for years. Finally found a good use for it. The inside vent grates are drain covers found at Home Depot. The outside covers are cut down light diffusers from LED flood light bulbs. (I took them off the bulbs to increase the intensity for use as grow lights. )

And one more example of my cheapness, I stole a heavy duty aluminum cake pan from my wife to keep the lp tank positioned.

lkc001

Clever idea on the cake pan until your wife finds out!!  Lolll  --was there some reason you didn't reuse the propane holder that was in the original round tub?  What type of drill/saw bit did you use for the hole drilling in the box?  

Dutch061

@AnOldUR , looking great!

AnOldUR

@Dutch061 ... Thanks. These projects can be challenging. It's a good feeling when they work out as planned.

@lkc001 ... I seriously thought about using the battery/propane holder from the original tub, but two main reasons not to were weight and resale. The steel framework that nuCamp used weighed 25lbs and was overkill inside the box. Also, I hope to be able to sell the original to someone who banged up theirs and wants to replace with factory parts. All the holes were drilled with a Ryobi hand drill. I had a 3" diameter hole saw for the vent holes.

lkc001

@AnOldUR. Thanks for the info— I’m writing all this down to attempt this myself— I have a bunch of Ryobi tools— would just need the round hole saw.  I’m surprised the propane holder from the old tub was that hefty!   I keep thinking of other questions— I hope you don’t mind— what kind of screws/or bolts did you use for the little tie down hardware used to strap down the propane & did you do the same kind of tie down for the battery?  

AnOldUR

@lkc001 ... The battery box is screwed down into the base plate with 3/4" long #10 stainless screws. The battery strap only holds the lid down. The D rings holding down the propane tank use the same screws. I thought about bolting thru, but didn't think it was necessary. I pulled up as hard as I could on the D ring and it didn't budge. I'll check again after it has some road time on it.

And don't hesitate to ask anything. If anyone can learn from my trial and error, I'm happy to share.

rcarlson1957

I used on bunch of these 2 in aluminum vents on the sides and back of my new box install. Used a hole saw and just popped them in. Put clear silicone around it on inside. They come in both silver and black.   20Pcs Air Vents 53mm Circular... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0858WRVGV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share