Final Assembly of a Propane Delivery Truck

The Final Assembly team mounts the unit back on the chassis. They use a special overhead lift that attaches to the lifting lugs of the vessel, allowing minimum contact with the painted surfaces. Then the hold-down bolts are inserted and torqued.

The unit is moved into the final assembly stall where it’s completed. The lights are fastened to the pre-installed brackets and all wiring is attached to special stainless steel stud-welded bolts. When the wiring is completed and tested, plumbing is installed back into the system, including the new/rebuilt meter and new hose reel. The electronics are installed in the cab, and fluid levels and tire pressure are checked.

Getting Ready for Inspection

Before leaving final assembly the entire unit and chassis are washed. The interior of the cab and windows are cleaned, and, if required, lettering decals are installed. The unit then goes to the meter department for pressurizing and purging. The vessel is filled with enough propane to prove and calibrate the meter. Once the unit has been completed and is operational, it’s signed-off by two BT&T technicians. A packet with manuals and documentation is placed in the truck, and it’s now ready for delivery or customer pickup.

All bolts used in final assembly are stainless, unless additional strength is needed, and then steel bolts are used such as the hold-down bracket bolts. BT&T doesn’t use any self-taping screws on its units. All lights are installed with stainless bolts and nuts to help prevent losing a screw if a replacement light is introduced.

All of our new units go through this same rigorous process, unless tank repair or modifications are not required.

View the Final Assembly photo gallery by opening any photo below. Click on the photo to end the show.