Transporting O/A tanks

[graywolf]

one place I get tanks refilled won't release them to me unless they are secured vertically.  Which is a pain.

the other place just lets me strap them down on their sides in the truck bed so they don't roll around.  Which works fine.

i know about letting the acetylene tanks stand for a few hours before using any gas, but does it really matter how they are moved?


is there a DOT rule?

[sawmilljim]

I think there is .I use propane and get three large oxygen at a time .I just toss them in the truck . I wish I had one more big bottle . I think the way you haul them should be your business not the sellers but I do see their point in our now sue happy world .

[1shotwade]

The idea of vertical storage and transport is for safety reasons.The critical part of the tank is the neck/valve area. While in the service I attended a safety class where they demonstrated this. They had set up a see thru barrier and took a tank and snapped the head off with a sledgehammer. It became a missile and punched a hole 3 feet thru a 1/2 solid steel bulkhead. If the tanks are vertical it lessens the probability of damage to this area and the chance of it going horizontal and causing catastrophic damage.

Wade

[sawmilljim]

If you have the tops screwed on good I bet that guy would need a lot bigger hammer to knock off the valve .

[graywolf]

Yes, the caps! I NEVER move a tank without the caps screwed on. I've seen videos of tanks flying.

[Deleted]

The place I get mine at lays the tanks in the truck bed flat. 

[Deleted]

From OSHA:
"1926.350(a)(4) When cylinders are transported by powered vehicles, they shall be secured in a vertical position."

My supplier does not care how I transport cylinders. They don't load them. They will put the cylinder on the dock. The customer is responsible to load, secure and transport.

In an open pickup, I normally transport 150's and smaller upright. The 250's and 300's get laid down since the top of the box does not reach the mid-point of the cylinder when it is standing. I block them to keep them from rolling and use ratchet straps to secure them.

As stated, Acetylene cylinders that have been transported horizontal must be placed upright for a period of time. I usually let them sit until the following day. I have never found a definitive amount of time specified anywhere.  I just found one reference that states the cylinder needs to be upright at least 4 hours before being placed in service.

[oxankle]

Place in Tulsa caught fire and tanks were flying all over. One TV camera caught a tank that must have been 100 feet in the air over a freeway.

I hauled my tanks flat, but I know that the acetylene in an A tank is dissolved in acetone, which itself is carried in some kind of porous materiel. Once laid flat the tanks must be stood up to allow the acetone to flow back into normal position.

acetylene can be violently explosive if allowed to accumulate. A few years back just before a strike some ironworkers in Tulsa would fill condoms with acetylene from their torches, shove them into the air and shoot paper clips from rubber bands to create really loud boomers. Wound up getting their company shut down for good.

[Rustaholic]

There was a shop teacher in high school that was always filling balloons with acetylene and setting them off. It was almost a daily thing back then. I always thought that was a great thing to be showing to teen age boys. Now Sparkler Bombs on the other hand are so safe they could kill you.

[Deleted]

Dec 17, 2015 14:38:40 GMT Rustaholic said:

There was a shop teacher in high school that was always filling balloons with acetylene and setting them off. It was almost a daily thing back then. I always thought that was a great thing to be showing to teen age boys. Now Sparkler Bombs on the other hand are so safe they could kill you.

My older brother filled balloon's all the time and set them off. 

I'll think of some other crazy stuff later. LOL