Gas forklift bottle level indicator

[novocaine]

Depends, is having to have bottled gas for basic cooking arrangements better than a gas network that delivers it straight to your home a better system?

granted you can't run your forklift off it though (not with a pineapple long hose)

 

[Gerry]

Why not get a smaller bottle for a backup then just run the big one empty, stick the small one on while you get the big one replaced and repeat.

Gerry

 

[sunnybob]

Depends, is having to have bottled gas for basic cooking arrangements better than a gas network that delivers it straight to your home a better system?

granted you can't run your forklift off it though (not with a pineapple long hose)

Oh yes. 13 euro for a 10kg bottle which lasts almost 6 months. suits me sir =D>

I have a 500 litre tank as well for the central heating. That makes me flinch when I have to refill it every other week in the winter. :shock:

 

[bourbon]

This is the kind of bottle I was on about. Got a very strange look when I asked another FLT driver to take a photo of it. I done have a camera on my phone.

 

[ColeyS1]

This is the kind of bottle I was on about. Got a very strange look when I asked another FLT driver to take a photo of it. I done have a camera on my phone.

Amazing amazing amazing ! Is that the gauge in the middle ? I wonder if they only supply that type of bottle to people who also have a bulk tank ? Had a quick look earlier at making the scale idea a bit better. The old brackets that hold on the bottle are all old twisted and knackered. I don't think it would be an easy task to fix the scales a bit better without addressing that problem first. Thank you for the picture, much appreciated!

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[bourbon]

Glad to be of help. Holders are usually bolted onto the weight with four bolts. Take it off, get some heat and a bloody great lump hammer and bash it back into shape, also make sure the pipe isn't sticking out too far as it's easy to catch it on stuff.

 

[ColeyS1]

I took it off earlier and put a blow lamp on it. Either it didn't get hot enough or I didn't have a big enough hammer [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH] it's beginning to dawn on me that I just need to have a little more faith in the forklift. The wood delivery guy deliberately planned the drop for mid day because he knew it never performed well/at all when it was cold. I don't reckon I'd be able to get a bottle with a gauge unless I've got a bulk tank to go with it- I will ask the question though [WINKING FACE]

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[bourbon]

The guy who supplies your gas will be able to tell you more than I can. If it's not feasible, then change to another supplier. The fittings will be the same, but the gas is a hell of a lot cheaper

 

[skelph]

Having driven gas powered forklifts for quite a long time before I retired I know that the tank on that forklift has the correct valve - the propane tanks that are used upright (i.e. vertically with valve uppermost) have a completely different valve. On the base of a forklift tank there should be an arrow painted on and when fitting the tank to the forklift the arrow should always point downwards. Without specialised equipment you can't refill a forklift tank yourself. One thing I learned very early on was to wear thick gloves when changing cylinders - if you let gas escape and it hits your hand it burns your skin because it's so cold. I don't remember seeing a fill indicator gauge on the cylinders we used but maybe we used a different supplier or maybe things have changed since my day.
The other thing I learned about gas powered forklifts was that the gas always ran out when you were either far away from the gas cylinder cage or when you had a load halfway off the lorry (that one isn't nice when you have a helicopter engine on the forks!).

 

[bourbon]

ahh. now there's a trick that very experienced (read old) FLT drivers know. When the gas is about to run out, on my truck anyway, It will 'miss' once or twice. I know then it's time to high tail it towards the tank! If I'm lucky and there's no one getting in the way I can make it to the tank without running out. If not, It's the walk of shame, with the bottle on you shoulder, with all the other drivers laughing. To be fair, we've all done it, so someone will put the bottle on their forks and give you a hand. I did forget to say about the arrow It's always worth checking

 

[autotrans]

spray bottle with warm water you will see where gas inside is at by the condensation line!

 

[Rosso]

Hi, I used to drive these a few years ago. When we started a shift all we did was loosen the clamp and give the bottle a quick shake. You can easily tell if it’s nearly empty. Also the truck will start to feel flat when accelerating then it’s time to head to the bottle store for your spare.

 

[ColeyS1]

Hi, I used to drive these a few years ago. When we started a shift all we did was loosen the clamp and give the bottle a quick shake. You can easily tell if it’s nearly empty. Also the truck will start to feel flat when accelerating then it’s time to head to the bottle store for your spare.

It's been unreliable for so long I still question why it could be conking out. Welcome to the forum by the way !
I had a bit of an engineering day today.
The replacement bottle is coming on Wednesday so today was the last chance I'd have to mark the empty level on the scales.

If the needles near 15 kg and the forklift is playing silly pippers, chances are it empty. I leveled up the bottle brackets with some wedges and now the bottle clamps work really well.

A piece of metal ties the two clamps together and also provided a good place to fix weld the chain which is fixed to the bottom end of the scales. A lick of yellow hammerite would help finish it off.

I asked calor about bottles I'd seen with level indicators on them but supposedly bulk tanks are different to the connections I use now.
On the whole I'm pleased with it. It'll be interesting to see where a new full tank shows on the scales, thanks for your help chaps.

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