- a fire extinguisher must be in the cab (it is prohibited to store it in the back);
- The bracket must securely hold the car fire extinguisher when driving or in an accident.
Since the annex regulating the use of fire extinguishing agents in a car is advisory in nature, its implementation rests with the driver’s conscience. And at the same time, it is the subject of discussion with the traffic police inspector. But the point about the bracket is of a practical nature. If your car has a one-volume body (station wagon, SUV, minivan), a fire extinguisher will definitely be in the cabin. Imagine what this “projectile” weighing from 5 to 7 kg can do, flying freely around the car in the event of an accident.
It's good if the car has a standard mount. In other cases, the cylinder simply lies in the car enthusiast’s bag, or is “glued” to the casing with Velcro straps.If you spend one day off, you can make a reliable bracket in the garage from scrap materials.
For a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher OU-2 (weight 7 kg), the following tools and materials will be required:
- steel plate 1.5-2 mm (in our case with molded sides, which is useful for rigidity);
- a piece of plastic drain pipe of suitable diameter;
- a wide belt from an old sports bag (tensile strength is important);
- fasteners (bolts, screws, rivets);
- if necessary, a wooden block;
- thick cloth;
- drill, hacksaw, files, workbench with vice, riveter;
- glue, sealant, paint.
Let's start making the bracket
We adjust the steel plate, cut the strap from the bag and the plastic pipe so that it covers the fire extinguisher, but does not interfere with its removal.
We do a fitting. The straps are not simply overlapped, but form a loop on the standard buckles for strength.
Fastening using the so-called “contact tapes”, in common parlance – Velcro. After marking, it is sewn to the belts.
We drill a hole for the neck of the fire extinguisher and level it with a file.
The edges of the steel plate must be bent at an angle of 90° to prevent longitudinal movement of the fire extinguisher.
We bend it evenly using a vice.
After fitting, we mark the stop for the bottom.
We cut out the corner in the same way and bend the second end of the bracket.
We carry out final fitting and adjustment of structural parts.
To ensure rigidity, the end stops must be secured, otherwise they may bend even during sudden braking, not to mention an accident. To do this, we cut out scarves from suitable metal.
They are fastened using rivets and a riveter.If you have a welding inverter, the task becomes easier. This design was assembled with the simplest tools.
The result is a fairly rigid structure that can withstand much more weight than a fire extinguisher.
We try on the assembled bracket at the installation site. In this case, this is the luggage compartment of an SUV (station wagon) near the “fifth” door. To avoid damaging the floor carpet when marking, we apply masking tape.
We mark the holes using an awl, carefully cut the holes and remove the sound insulation point by point along the diameter of the holes.
We drill holes in the bottom of the body. Important! We first determine the exit points of the drill from the bottom of the car so as not to damage the tubes, hoses, and wires under the bottom.
Tip: It is convenient to collect drilling chips using a small neodymium magnet.
Don't let the "extra" holes in the bottom scare you. There are quite a lot of them in any car: fastening seats, floor console, trim. The main thing is to be sure to treat the edges to prevent corrosion. Special anti-corrosive paint is used.
We install wooden oblique guides on the bracket to tightly fix the fire extinguisher along the axis. You can use plastic, it all depends on the materials you have.
After final painting, the product looks no worse than the factory one.
Carefully drill holes and secure the former drainpipe to slanting guides.
We determine the attachment points of the fixing belts: approximately along the length from the edges of the fire extinguisher.
Using sealant, glue the belts from below to the plate.
You don’t have to worry about strength; these places will be bolted to the floor of the car.
To preserve the pile upholstery of the bottom, we glue a cloth (flannel) pad.
After the glue has dried, we screw the structure to the floor of the car.
It turned out to be very reliable and quite aesthetically pleasing. This arrangement does not interfere with luggage storage and provides quick access to a fire extinguisher. Velcro can be unfastened with one movement of the hand, at the same time, it firmly holds the heavy cylinder during any shocks.
For information
Many fire extinguishers of this type have a rigidly fixed socket. It interferes with optimal placement. An adapter in the form of a rubber hose costs less than 50 rubles, and its use optimizes space.
This bracket can also be positioned vertically. The main thing is to use for fastening not the interior trim, but the power elements of the body.
