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Side Mount Jerry Can Holder for JK Wranglers

36K views 81 replies 21 participants last post by  Bob Sanders 
#1 ·
The driver's side holder designed by jscherb and manufactured by MORryde arrived yesterday. I think it took me longer to collect tools and study the instructions and components than to install it.

First, the can tray is bolted onto the mount with four self locking nuts and bolts. Next, the top bolt of the lower door hinge is removed and the lower Torx screw is removed from the windshield bracket. The final preparation step is to remove a few fender screws so that the fender can be pulled slightly outward and a J-nut can be inserted onto an existing square hole at the top rear of the fender flange. After reinstalling the removed bolts, the J-nut bolt, and a self tapping screw, place the adhesive backed rubber mat onto the inside of the tray bottom and attach a couple of rubber bumper buttons inside the tray at the top. Tighten any loosened fender bolts and it's done.

If you use a NATO jerry can, I recommend the TEMCo or one of similar design since it has recessed, welded flanges and fits nicely into the holder. I have another NATO jerry can that has flanges that are not recessed but stick out from the can halves and it will not slip into the can tray without permanently reshaping the can sides inward first.

This mount is rock solid! I drove around the neighborhood gravel roads and had absolutely no rattling with the jerry can strapped in.

It came well packed and cushioned internally by bubble wrap sheets. the pics also show the various attachment points, the assembled holder, and a secured jerry can.

My thanks to jscherb and MORryde for a fine product!!
 

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#9 ·
My model for the JK is JP54-018.

There is one optional self tapping screw that is supplied. Use is suggested but not mandatory. The screw head is shown in the pic with the installed empty mount. You can see the screw head and mounting flange on the left upper tab of the mount assembly just above the bolt head on the fender flange.

Good printed instructions with pictures are included in the box.

The custom fit ratcheting teidown strap is included along with all required fasteners except for oem screws/bolts to be reinstalled.
 
#10 ·
...If you use a NATO jerry can, I recommend the TEMCo or one of similar design since it has recessed, welded flanges and fits nicely into the holder. I have another NATO jerry can that has flanges that are not recessed but stick out from the can halves and it will not slip into the can tray without permanently reshaping the can sides inward first.
I have two of those cans with the non-recessed flanges, they're Chinese-made and available pretty cheaply on eBay. They are out of spec, the flange makes them wider than a standard NATO can, but they can easily be made to fit.

As Art said, you need to bend the sides of the cans inward a bit so the flanges don't stick out so much.

For the first one I modified, I used two short lengths of 2x6 and a couple of woodworking clamps. I put the 2x6's on each side of the can and used the clamps to squeeze the can sides inward a bit.

For the second one, I used a different technique - I put the can on the workbench with one side facing down. I put a board on the other side of the can (which was facing up at this point), and used a 5-lb hammer to hit the top board. The blows quickly moved the can sides inward a bit.

Both methods with fine, the clamp method is perhaps a little more gentle on the can than the hammer method. These techniques are only necessary for these cheapo out-of-spec cans, in-spec NATO cans fit fine, as do Jerry cans and Sceptre containers.

Here's the now in-spec cheapo cans in the side mount on my JKU:





What it looks like with a jerry can (BTW notice in this photo there's a CB antenna just behind the can - the driver's side mount includes a mounting hole intended for a CB antenna):



It also accepts Rotopax mounts. There is a Rotopax version which is identical to the jerry/NATO can version except that it does not include the can tray and is less expensive because of that. You supply your own Rotopax mount, and you could also carry multiple Rotopax containers on each side, depending on the Rotopax mount you choose.

]


My thanks to jscherb and MORryde for a fine product!!
Thank you :)
 
#14 ·
Rock sliders generally mount to the frame and/or the bottom of the tub/rocker panel - this mounts high on the fender and not near the frame or bottom of the tub, so unless there's some type of high-mounted rock slider I'm not aware of, these mount to a completely different place than rock sliders do.

Also many rock sliders require drilling the tub; this bolts to existing factory bolt holes that aren't used by any rock sliders that I'm aware of, no drilling required.
 
#18 ·
I've done literally dozens of install/uninstall cycles in the process of testing first my design prototypes and then the pre-release samples from the company, plus at least 500 miles of road testing with a full jerry can, and there's been no harm to the paint. But a gasket isn't a bad idea, it would be easy to cut something yourself. Don't make it too thick, the fit is pretty exacting.

I guess I should make one correction to the "no harm" comment, although this has nothing to do with gaskets - you will chip the paint off the bolt head for the one door hinge bolt that secures the bottom of the bracket. I think the bolt is zinc plated, and the factory paint just doesn't stick very well to zinc. The good news is that bolt is hidden in the door jamb, so it won't show on the outside.
 
#19 ·
I have a build thread on ExPo, but would like to share it here too.

Just a few pics to show how it looks. I have both the driver's and passenger's side. However, the black was too distracting, so I sprayed two coats of Rustoleum Oregano to match the Jeep's commando green color. It is on the lighter side, but enough to show that there is a mount present. I wanted to try out the driver's side first followed by the passenger's side.

Below are pics with different cans - 20L Scepter(water), 10L NATO Gas can and a .50cal ammo can. The big 20L has to be mounted as shown with spout pointing to the front. Placing it the on other side will hit the mirror when the door is full open.

The mount doubles up as a place to hold tools too when working under the hood.

Also.. I took out the trail badge to place on the mount.









 
#20 ·
Also.. I took out the trail badge to place on the mount.
Our swedish Rubicons are already pre adapted from factory for mounting the side mounted jerry can holder as we have no trail badge to remove as we dont get one :lmao:

Your jeep looks great, maybe better to have a green water can, can be bought cheap here for 25.99 dollar

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#21 ·
I have a question on the standard mount versus the Rotopax mount. Rotopax containers are more expensive (which is somewhat offset by the lower expense of the MORyde Rotopax mount) and you can only use Rotopax containers (versus ammo cans, etc.)--but otherwise, why didn't those of you who have already done this go Rotopax instead of Jerry Can?

Also, jscherbe, how many of what capacity of Rotopax containers can be mounted per side?

Thanks!
 
#25 ·
I got my jerrycan holder today here in Sweden

I glued some rubber cut from bike inner tire for the 3 places where the bolts are to eventually protect the paint.

We hade some problems first that the door would not get closed so we moved it a little bit and then it worked, its a tight fit.

I mounted the tray at the lowest point to the right and then I could not really open the door because the mirror hitted the LCI water can. I moved the tray up to the left and then I could open the door and the mirror dont hit the watercan, maybe 1cm left.

It looks awesome :iamhappy:

Some direct photos from the garage





 
#31 ·
The Rotopax container in these photos is a 2-gallon; 1, 1.75, 2 and 3 gallon containers can be carried on this side mount.





Multiple containers can be carried on each side using the various extensions Rotopax offers; the also offer locking and non-locking mounts: Mounting Hardware : Gas Pack : RotopaX.com (the Rotopax mount of your choice is purchased separately)

The company also offers a Rotopax carrier that mounts on their HD tailgate hinges:

 
#33 ·
If you're interested in the locking straps quartermiler posted, I took the liberty of updating the photos quartermiler's photos with a bit more detail. The straps he used are available at amazon (Jerry Can Mounting Straps Steel Mounting Strap - Multitools - Amazon.com) and also Twin City Surplus (Twin City Surplus - Your Outdoor General Store for Work and Play! Camping Gear, Military Surplus, Hunting and More!) and may be available from other sources as well.

The series of photos below shows the original straps (left two photos), and the shortened straps (right two photos). The back side of the strap needs to be shortened to be the proper length to hook into the slot in the side mount holder. Length will vary depending on exactly what can style you have, but the final length is going to be roughly 5". The original strap has a swivel hook on the end that's attached with a rivet; you can either drill out the rivet, shorten the strap, drill a hole at the end for a new rivet, and then use a pop rivet to reattach the hook, or you could just eliminate the swivel hook altogether and bend the shortenend end of the strap into the proper hook shape and length.



One thing you may find with this style strap is that the can may move or rattle a bit in the holder - the strap isn't adjustable so other than latching it you can't tighten it down any further. I modified a set of these straps a few years ago to eliminate rattle - I installed adjustable locking latches. At the time I picked up my latches on eBay, but McMaster-Carr has similar latches that include the padlock loop, their #13435a31 or #13435a32 should work well in this application: McMaster-Carr



This series of photos shows the strap with the original latch (left), and the adjustable latch (right two photos). The original latch is riveted to the strap, so I drilled out the rivets to remove it. Then I drilled new holes in the strap for the mounting holes in the new latch, and used pop rivets to attach it.



One other thing... I found that the lock would sometimes rattle against the strap and I hate rattles so I solved that problem with a short length of Velcro One-Wrap around the strap and the lock:

 
#34 ·
The side-mount comes with an excellent ratchet strap that does a great job of securing the can so that it doesn't move around or rattle, but it doesn't have a provision for locking, so here's another locking solution that can be implemented for about $7 including the lock. It's an easy DIY project, just requires a drill and a 1/4" drill bit.

Supplies needed:

* Small u-bolt. I used a Stanley/National #112, which should be available in most hardware stores for maybe $2.00 with a zinc-plated finish. It's also available in stainless for about $2 more. This comes with 2 nuts; for this application 4 nuts are required; they're very common 1/4-20 nuts so most DIY's would likely have two on hand. I also used 4 washers, one under each nut.

* Bike lock or chain lock. I used a Master 8152D combination lock that I picked up at Walmart for $4.77. It's a bit long for this application, but a Master 99DSPT Gun Lock with a 14" cable would probably work well too, it's about $7.50 (Walmart didn't stock this one).

The photo below shows the u-bolt as used, with the extra nuts and washers. The strap that comes with the u-bolt can be used if you like, but is not necessary in this application.



The u-bolt gets installed in the top of the side-mount main frame as shown below. Two holes are drilled, and nuts are placed on both the outside and the inside of the frame and tightened down.



BTW the hole to the right of the u-bolt is the CB antenna mount hole, which is provided in the mount from the factory.

The lock cable is then threaded through the handle of the jerry can and the u-bolt.







That's all there is to it, a $7.00 solution. The u-bolt is secure because the nuts are inside the main panel of the side-mount and can't be accessed when the side-mount is installed. The side-mount itself is secure because one of the nuts attaching it to the Jeep is inside the door opening and inaccessible with the door is closed and locked; one of the other bolts is under the hood so if you've got a good lock that one's inaccessible too.
 
#36 ·
jscherb, the adjustable latches you recommend are a perfect solution for having a good fit and I urge everyone to consider them. They are also far more secure than those that come on the straps I modified. I will get a couple of pairs of these and retrofit my straps. I had to modify the latch loop used on my straps to make it secure.

FWIW, I took a trip to Texas this weekend and the jerry can holder drew lots of attention. Folks would pass by and then drop back to do a double-take and I even had questions from fellow jeepers when I parked by them.

You are the guru of wrangler accessory item design! Thanks for all you do for us.:)
 
#41 ·
I just returned from six days in Utah plus a drive of two days each way through Colorado and the Rockies to get there. Almost 3200 miles driven with the driver's side mount and a Nato jerry can full of fuel. What a test! Three solid days of fun in Canyonlands and driving Moab district 4 x 4 trails including Potash Road and Shafer Switchbacks, Long Canyon and Pucker Pass, Hurrah Pass and Gemini Bridges. Oh, and there was also a 7.2 mile trek to Tower Arch over the most extreme and irritating washboard road (more than six miles of it) I have ever seen! The side mount can holder is as solidly attached to the JKUR now as it was on the day it was installed.

My hat is off to jscherb for his design and the folks at Morryde for manufacturing a perfectly reliable product. Well done, jscherb!!

:iamhappy:
 
#42 ·
Thanks for the report! Any trail pictures showing the jerry can holder?

BTW I try to do trail testing of all of my designs, I did most of those same roads/trails in April testing the Excursion Rack spare-mounted carrier...

Long Canyon:



Bull Canyon trail (to the bottom of Gemini Bridges):

 
#43 ·
jscherb, I only have a couple of pics available as all my time went into making videos. These pics were taken by my wife. If you look closely (click on the pics to enlarge), you'll notice my NATO jerry can is backward in the mount. The spout should be toward the door for proper clearance from the mirror.

I'll be getting a passenger side mount ordered later this month.

I had a number of folks looking over the can/holder and one fellow came over while we were gassing up along the highway to comment that this was a neat idea.
 

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