Where to mount a fire extinguisher?

[BC9696]

Anyone found a good location to store a fir extinguisher in their Ram 1500? Everything in the cab is "tight" and I don't want it to get in the way of passengers but mounting it to the bed seems like a bad idea too cuz it gets damn hot in their under the tonneau cover. Ideas?

 

[Jessica Smith]

IMO anything in side the cabin is a waste, and actually more dangerous than having nothing.

My thought process is say, "HOLY CRAP!", you just noticed a fire in the cabin. The cabin is a very small enclosed space with a ton of plastics and things that if they burn will do massive damage to lungs in a short period of time. The only safe thing to do is to exit the vehicle ASAP, where every millisecond counts, and not be hunting for and unlatching a fire extinguisher to save a vehicle that is protected by automotive insurance anyway.

Second, I worry about leaving a pressurized device inside a cabin that if it releases its contents unexpectedly could prove a hazard (might blind you on the highway), or could be sensitive to the extreme temperatures at least in Southern states of the US where the greenhouse effect of the glass can cause temps to potentially reach 130oF (I've had black plastics on the dash melt before in Texas).

So if anything, I'd have it in a rambox if equipped or maybe somewhere in the bed, and if anything I would think the bed would be COOLER than the interior can get, since its unlikely to get above ambient since its not a perfectly sealed environment and is in the shade.

 

[JV Ram]

Keep my fire extinguisher under my driver side passenger seat. More then likely you’re not going to have a fire in your cabin. It will more then likely start in your engine bay. I’ve never responded to a car fire where it originates in the cabin itself. It’s good practice to keep one in the truck but car fires are usually pretty quick and it may have no effect.


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[ThunderMug95]

Id mount it in the bed near tailgate...that way when you get to it, you can do a doubletake and use your brain to see if its going to help or not and be abke ti get a headstart running away.

 

[Joes1500]

I would never mount one in the cabin. I have seen a couple wrecks that the bottle came loose out of the holder. That little cam lock to make it easy and quick to remove when needed, also opens easily when not wanted.

I would not want that bottle flying around inside the cab in wreck.

 

[Eclipse Aries]

I second the tail gate idea. If the fire is in your vehicle it's (1) probably in the engine bay, (2) moving to there rear of the vehicle gives you space and time to decide if this is really the hill you want to die on.

 

[ram1500rsm]

Keep my fire extinguisher under my driver side passenger seat. More then likely you’re not going to have a fire in your cabin. It will more then likely start in your engine bay. I’ve never responded to a car fire where it originates in the cabin itself. It’s good practice to keep one in the truck but car fires are usually pretty quick and it may have no effect.


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Mine is under the driver seat too and i think the same if a fire will start it'll happen around the engine bay area.

 

[Purplert]

Ehh I’d let it burn then buy a power wagon lmao


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[Badger 13]

I have owned Dodge / Ram trucks since 1967 and have always had a fire ext. mounted in the cab, with no issues what so ever. Never used on my trucks, but they have been used on other people's vehicles.

 

[TRCM]

This fire started in the cab under the dash...I knew what it was, but had nothing to put it out with since my ex had removed the fire extinguishers from the truck. I started when a leaf got against the open element fan resistor dodge used to get as 3 speed fan that you can see in the middle of the 1st pic hanging down from the dash.

 

[Badger 13]

That sucks, but it appears that you can repair the damage anyway. I've been thinking of getting a "Halatron" fire extinguisher for the truck in addition to my ABC one. That way if I needed it, it would not leave the mess of an ABC extinguisher.

 

[Jessica Smith]

This fire started in the cab under the dash...I knew what it was, but had nothing to put it out with since my ex had removed the fire extinguishers from the truck.

Ouch! But I thought you boys came from the factory with a firehose attachment... remember to stay hydrated folks!

 

[TXCOMT]

Since I did the rear seat mod on my Reb, I've got a fire extinguisher in a toolbag behind the left passenger side...I'd have to run by there if I was exiting the rig anyway, so it's a simple matter of popping the door open, lifting the seat and grabbing the bag.

TXCOMT

 

[22hemi13]

Yep. Fire extinguisher in toolbox. It’s not for my truck I’ll let it burn. It’s to help or save somebody else.

 

[TRCM]

Ouch! But I thought you boys came from the factory with a firehose attachment... remember to stay hydrated folks!

I did consider that (I am serious), but didn't think my hose would get the water where it needed to be..............

That was a sweet 79 ramcharger, healthy 360 cid (built by me, not mopar), strong 727, NP205 t-case, D60 front, D70 rear

 

[Pull Ya]

A little off but not far--maybe the water leak in the 3rd brake light will put the fire out. LOL
Jay

 

[dRAMbuie]

This fire started in the cab under the dash...I knew what it was, but had nothing to put it out with since my ex had removed the fire extinguishers from the truck. I started when a leaf got against the open element fan resistor dodge used to get as 3 speed fan that you can see in the middle of the 1st pic hanging down from the dash.

We did a case study on this exact scenario when I took a course on root cause analysis a couple years ago.
It happened on a minivan, and basically was deemed to be the result of poor maintenance (not cleaning leaves out of the cowling).

Ever since, I make a point of opening my hood and cleaning out the leaves from time to time. Even though modern vehicle design prevents this from happening.

 

[TRCM]

We did a case study on this exact scenario when I took a course on root cause analysis a couple years ago.
It happened on a minivan, and basically was deemed to be the result of poor maintenance (not cleaning leaves out of the cowling).

Ever since, I make a point of opening my hood and cleaning out the leaves from time to time. Even though modern vehicle design prevents this from happening.

Every time I open the hood, I clean the leaves out on vehicles where it matters.

On that body, opening the hood did nothing for you......only way to clean the leaves out would have been to remove the wipers, motor, & cowling panel, and then completely pull the heater box & A/C core to get top everywhere.

Basically, dissect the dash...sorry, not a maintenance item anyone is going to do.....and even if they did, all it would take is 1 stray leaf to blow in and get into thru all that to do the damage.

That maintenance item is also not mentioned in any owners manual or on any maintenance schedule anywhere.

 

[bdc2]

I opened up the glove box the other day and it was full of elm seeds. I don't even know how that happens.

 

[dRAMbuie]

Every time I open the hood, I clean the leaves out on vehicles where it matters.

On that body, opening the hood did nothing for you......only way to clean the leaves out would have been to remove the wipers, motor, & cowling panel, and then completely pull the heater box & A/C core to get top everywhere.

Basically, dissect the dash...sorry, not a maintenance item anyone is going to do.....and even if they did, all it would take is 1 stray leaf to blow in and get into thru all that to do the damage.

That maintenance item is also not mentioned in any owners manual or on any maintenance schedule anywhere.

I think you took my comment too literally.
It's not a required maintenance item per se, but something that - in the case of the minivan - would have prevented the fire from occurring.
I was not suggesting you didn't maintain your vehicle properly. Only drawing a parallel to a recent experience which I found interesting.
Having driven several classics, I definitely understand the challenges of keeping those old cowlings free of debris. Not something you'd do on a regular basis, that's for sure.