Started on something else today, before the heat drove me back inside:
I had been planning for one 20-pound propane tank, but then I thought that two might be more convenient- that way, when the first tank goes empty, we switch to the second tank, instead of switching to cold showers and cold food. I crawled all over the truck with a tape measure, looking for another place for propane, a place that would hold two tanks. I found that the empty area under the passenger-side steps is just about the right size.
The bottom two steps are identical, but the bottom step uses the horizontal flange to mount, and the middle step uses the vertical flange to mount. So I pulled the middle step, cut the unused horzontal flange off, shot it with some olive green, and now I have enough room for two propane tanks.
I also noticed that the second step is not mounted flush with the bottom step on the passenger side, so I re-drilled the holes to move it outboard, so that it is symmetrical with the driver's side. It's nice to be able to get your feet more under you when standing on the second step now, instead of feeling like it's just a toe hold as you hang off the handle on the side of the cab.
I was going to paint the propane tanks olive green, but I found out that that's illegal. So I'm also going to make a sight shield to go behind the steps, to block the propane tanks from casual view- Once I trim it to it's final size, I'll epoxy it to make it waterproof, and then paint it olive green.
It's not a big deal, but I'm thankful to have found a place to stash them, and to have regained some room on our "front porch".