Rotopax Mount Question

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BizzyB

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I just got the DLX non-locking mount because I heard of a bunch of issues with their lock cores rusting out and didn't want to deal with that in the middle of nowhere. But I don't plan on leaving the gas can on all the time. I'm wondering what people do to prevent the mount from unthreading and getting lost when there's no gas can on it? Or are you just unthreading the clamp completely and leaving the base on it when not in use? That seems like a pain but I can do that if there's no other option.
 

472HemiGTX

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Unthreading it and storing it is your best option. That way it won't fall off or "walk" away. I have the lock cylinders on both of my mounts and haven't had a problem, but they along with the Master locks that I have on everything and my hitch locks get a little shot of WD-40 with every vehicle oil change.
 

BizzyB

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Still seems like even with the locking mounts they only lock the handle to itself (not to the base), so it could still unthread with no container on the mount. Really not trying to leave a gas tank on the side of my vehicle permanently for city driving. Oh well. As for the locking mount, I really wish they just had done what Yakima did with their lock cores and have some sort of cover for the key so water doesn't easily collect inside. I've never had an issue with any Yakima lock cores and I've never had to oil/lube them.
 
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BizzyB

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We can never make anything un-stealable if someone really wants it they will get it. That being said, growing up in Miami and living in heavily populated cities I've found you take as much reasonable accommodation as possible and make sure they have to work to get it. My rotopax mount on Leitner's universal mounting plates, the most secure I could make it was mount more rotopax on the reverse side, this way when rotopax are mounted on the front and the back, and using the locks, there is no way to get to the bolts mounted on the plates because the rotopax cover them up and you would have to remove the locked rotopax to unscrew the mounting brackets.

As you can see, this is without the "inside" rotopax mounted, someone could use a wrench or socket wrench to undue the bolts holding the rotopax brackets, but if they did, they could steal the rotopax but they wouldn't be able to get them off the bracket because you would have to turn the bracket to release the rotopax. I see this as too much trouble, I also always keep the tailgate locked just to make it a little more difficult getting in there.



As you can see with the "inside" rotopax mounted, the have to mount horizontally, the diesel rotopax are the older style where you can interlock them, so I only had to use one lock, because once interlocked, you have to take them off together to get them off the mounts.



If you don't have room to mount more rotopax, you could always fabricate or re-purpose a hasp type lock that you mount using the rotopax mount bolts, then the hinge part goes over the bolts and use a pad lock to make it secure.

I've also seen folks just run a covered steel cable bike lock through the handles and around their racks to secure them more.

But honestly, I've had my truck and prior truck sitting in and around Austin for almost three years and no one has ever tried to steal my rotopax.
Maybe you misread my post. I don't want gas strapped to my vehicle 100% of the time. I'm not talking about the effectiveness of the locks or whether you can steal the tanks or mounts. I know anything can be stolen if the thief is determined enough. I'm concerned about the T-handles (as they call them) unthreading while driving with no cans on and falling out cause there's no tension. Even with the locking mounts it doesn't prevent this (which it would if the cylinder actually locked the handle to the base instead of just locking the 2 handles to each other). The handles can still freely rotate in the base. I can unthread the T-handles completely when not using them, but it's just another thing to have to store.
 
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rsweet

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Unthreading it and storing it is your best option. That way it won't fall off or "walk" away. I have the lock cylinders on both of my mounts and haven't had a problem, but they along with the Master locks that I have on everything and my hitch locks get a little shot of WD-40 with every vehicle oil change.
Don't use WD40 on locks, it will attract dirt. Use a lubricant that is formulated for locks (dry).
 
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BizzyB

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It works. I usually check the "snugness" whenever I stop for gas. Also, I snugged it so that the handle is 90* vertical so there is a visual cue.
There's a part of me that just wants to drill a hole through it and mount some sort of "just in case" leash with paracord, but the mounts aren't cheap ha.
 
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510Steve

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There's a part of me that just wants to drill a hole through it and mount some sort of "just in case" leash with paracord, but the mounts aren't cheap ha.
At that point, I would just take it off and put it in the cab somewhere. Although the paracord leash would look cool!
 
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