Protective cage for fuel tank installed between vehicle side members

In combination with a vehicle of the type having a pair of longitudinally extending side members each having an inwardly extending flange and a vertically extending web section connected to said flange that presents an outwardly facing vertical surface to which a fuel tank mounting and protective cage is secured, a fuel tank mounting and protective cage, comprising:

• a right side structure having a generally rectangular shape and including flat mounting plates that are secured to an outwardly facing vertical surface of a side member, said right side structure having a lower longitudinal edge;
• a left side structure having a generally rectangular shape and including flat mounting plates that are secured to an outwardly facing vertical surface of the other side member, said left side structure having a lower longitudinal edge;
• a shelf structure having a generally rectangular shape;
• said right and left side structures and said shelf structure being weldments constructed mainly from low carbon, high strength steel tubing having a rectangular cross-section;
• the lower longitudinal edges of said right and left side structures, extending below said side members, formed from said steel tubing and having flat downwardly facing surfaces;
• said shelf structure including longitudinal extending edges formed of said steel tubing and having flat upwardly facing surfaces;
• said shelf structure being dimensioned such that said flat upwardly facing surfaces align with said flat downwardly facing surfaces of the right and left side structures;
• and
• securing devices, accessible from beneath said shelf structure, releasably securing said flat upwardly facing surfaces flush against said flat downwardly facing surfaces to form bend resisting joints between the longitudinal extending edges of said shelf structure and the lower longitudinal edges of said right and left side structures.