Fire is one of the fastest ways to kill your rail buggy and yet one of the easiest things to protect against. Invest in a great extinguisher and mounting system.
I must admit that I have been worried about the possibility of a fire in my rail since I bought it, especially considering I don't have full-coverage insurance (just standard liability). Fuel lines rot, gas tanks can leak, and carbs can go haywire... there are many ways a fire can be sparked in an instant.
Well, I finally got around to mounting a fire extinguisher and I am kicking myself in the butt for not doing it a LOT sooner. While this is not the cheapest project I have performed, I stand to potentially lose everything in a fire, which would prove to be MUCH more expensive in the long run.
Here are the parts that I purchased for this project:
- Tek208 Quick Release Fire Extinguisher Mount (1.5 inch Roll Bar)
- Amerex B417 2.5lb Dry Chemical Class ABC Fire Extinguisher (2-Pack)
This project included the following tasks:
- Make certain to purchase the mount for the correct diameter tubing (1.5 inch in my case)
- Connect extinguisher to the new mount (without tihtening everything completely)
- Place the extinguisher (with mount attached) on your rail to figure out exactly where you want it
- Once you determine exactly where you want it placed, bolt the mount down tightly and lok-tite it
- Tighten the mounting on the extinguisher after confirming location
- lock the mount, ensure everything is tight, and test the quick-release function
Here is another view of where I opted to install the extinguisher. I will also be installing a duplicate of this setup on the other side (passenger) in the near future so I will have two fire extinguishers, just in case:
