Any experience with Lite Propane Tanks?

[nevadatear]

Did a forum search without any luck. I am looking at the fairly new composite clear propane tanks called "lite cyclinder," particularly the 10lb one for the tear. Current price is $85 for either the 10 or 20 lb, which is at least twice a regular 20# but they are half the weight and you can see the level of fuel, both of which are very appealing. Anyone with any review of these?

http://store.uhaul.com/master_product_detail.aspx?id=602&cid=9038

[rladams39]

A friend of mine has 2 of those on his camper, they are really nice, Only down side is you would have to be able to find a place clost to your campsite to get them refilled if you ran out.

Also wonder how well they would hold up out in the weather?, Most would be under a cover of some sort i guess...

[caseydog]

There was another thread on this very topic about a year ago. Maybe someone who is better than I at using this forum'd search function can find it.

CD

[nevadatear]

CD, Yeah, I remember it too But I sure can't find it by searching.

[caseydog]

CD, Yeah, I remember it too But I sure can't find it by searching.

I haven't figured out the key to the search function on this forum. I type in some keywords, and tell it to search, and get just about every post ever written on just about every subject.

CD

[nevadatear]

Thanks for the thoughts. Being that we live in a one stoplight town, trading out at walmart has never been anything we have done, so that isn't really a discouragement. And since we can see the level of the tank, I should hope running out wouldn't be a problem. That happens to us now, running out, and no one who fills propane here is open on Sunday, so we are used to punting. We would always carry a spare 1lb bottle. We use about 1 1/2 bottles per weekend now, soo... These tanks, I think, are different from the ones that came out a few years ago. They are supposed to have the same valve. The way I am thinking right now, the added cost for the subtraction of weight is a pretty good deal.

[asianflava]

Bruce has one on his Boxcar. Maybe you can PM him.

[Shadow Catcher]

My understanding is that some places refuse to fill them. I feel you could force the issue as they are certified. Found the previous thread.

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 69526081a1

http://www.litecylinder.com

[High Desert]

You could do like you said and pack a extra bottle but are you going to refill your bottle in your home town every time? Slowcowboy.

Why not? Anyone that carries a bigger tank does that every time anyway. Lots of places sell propane in this part of the country, not just the distributors. Top off before you leave town and no worries. I can't tell how many times I've refilled the tanks on my rig and have never taken them to a plant. And that is in several states worth of travel over several years. And from the prices I see on those exchange stations in this area a person really pays big for the convienience. I personally prefer to pre-plan a bit and save the money.

sorry Debbie, drifted off topic a bit there. I think those are slick, had not seen them before.

[Shadow Catcher]

U-haul will fill them.

[nevadatear]

Yup, highdesert and shadowcatcher. I have never traded out a tank, just not on my radar. We refill at the local U-haul here, and one other gas station and the local propane place (not amerigas) That is actually much less of a hassle than trying to find a place to trade out in my neck of the woods. Although the local hardware store does trade out, it is almost twice the cost of having it refilled! The next closest is Walmart at 60 miles away. I would rather spend the money on the tank than the gas I am going to use up. The hassle of refilling the same tank is a non-issue. I used to be married to a hot air balloon pilot. Refilling a measly 10 lb propane tank ain't got nothing on them! . Slow Cowboy I appreciate your thoughts, but for me, trading out is the hassle, not refilling!

[bdosborn]

I have one and I really like it. I liked it so much I got another one for the grill. They don't weigh hardly anything, they don't rust and you can see how much propane you have left. The valve is the same as the metal ones and I haven't had any trouble refilling them.

http://www.propaneproducts.com/lite-cylinder.html

Bruce

[Hillmann]

That seems like a lot of money to spend for very little benefit. The site says 30% lighter but most of the wight of is the wight of the propane inside the tank, you will only save a pound or two, which depending on your situation might or might not be worth it. And as far as seeing the level of fuel that might be worth it but if you plan to top it off every time before you go on a trip it really doesn't matter. As far as not being able to exchange it, if you plan on using something other than a 20lb tank you wouldn't be able to exchange it anyways so that isn't really a valid concern. The only reason other than cost that I would worry about is how impact resistant is it, if you plan on mounting it on the tongue of your trailer. But lets face it having ten gallons of gas splashing around in your gas tank is pretty dangerous as well but we don't think any thing of doing that all the time

[Tear Fan]

Been using one for years now, and still have no complaints. If you want it, get it . . .

BTW, the people at my Ace Hardware think nothing of filling the tank, and if you run out on a weekend - or even week-long - trip, you've got a leak somewhere!

Tear Fan

[SandyD]

I was also interested in these purely for being able to see how much fuel was in the tank.

I haven't seen one in person, only online. From what I can see, it doesn't look like you can attach them to the front of the tear if you're using a base screw to hold them in place.

Has anyone had luck with those magnetic strips you can place on the metal tanks that reads how much fuel you have? I've seen those but most reviews say they're worthless so I haven't tried one yet.