Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Found a used propane tank (Manchester, horizontal, camper/van style) which mounts horizontally under a frame. That's the good news. Does anyone know if it can be rolled 90 degrees (rotated on its longitudinal axis) so I can access the filler & regulator and still have it work properly? I'm limited on space where I need to put it and don't want to buy it unless it will work. Here's a couple of shots showing how it looks and where it will go. Basically, there isn't room to install it like it was made and it would have to go in with the valves & filler pointing up at the sky instead of out to the side.

It has to sit here between the Benroy & the front tongue box (10 1/2" shelf space, 10" tank).


It looks like this now. I can remove the skid plate, but will it still function properly if I roll it up so I can get to the fittings, hook it up and fill it when I need to? The fittings will have to point straight up and it was designed to sit flat with the valves facing out horizontally.


Thanks for looking. All answers appreciated. tim

Yes you can make it work but you should have it hydrostatically tested.

Thanks SC. Do you know who does this testing, is it usually a local service "in town" somewhere to get it re-certified. The manufacture date was in 1991.

Also thinking I may be over-thinking this one. Here's a tank which will fit in the space & do the same job without all the fuss. This might be an easier solution to the problem. No worries about certification, etc. Just plumb it up & forget it. Decision, decisions....

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/it ... gal-/56053

DOT approved cylinders like the 20, 30, 40, etc pound portable tanks and the typical on ground stationary tank have expiry dates. That tank is an ASME tank and they do not need re-certifying. As long as they are not dented or badly rusted they are good to go. Whether or not they can be rotated around the axis depends on how the internal piping is configured.


I have an old 60 gallon (big one) ASME mounted on a trailer. I tow it in to town every couple years to fill and then haul it back to the mountains. Mine has connections so I can also refill 20# cylinders.

"Does anyone know if it can be rolled 90 degrees...?"

I'd take it down to your local propane company and ask them. It looks like you've got a good find there but it'd be a tough deal to get it installed in your trailer and not have it work. It's my belief that you want to take the gaseous stuff off the top of a propane tank, not the liquid that's below it. But where I got that idea, who knows?

Tony

Tim, I wonder how you would fill it? It looks like one you would mount it in a permanent (horizontal) position. If so, does that mean you have to take the whole rig to the propane supplier each time you fill it? Then again, maybe I am missing a key point in this project and you have a plan for that already.

First, thanks for all the input folks, much appreciated, one & all. It turns out the RV tank only functions as-built, with the valves etc. located as designed. The vapor is drawn off the top, not the liquid, as was stated above. The question about taking the whole trailer in for a refill was also a good one, a bit much to be sure. Here's what I've decided on now.

I'm going to buy one of these for about $60.


Manchester makes a similar tank (8.9" diameter), but it's a 10# model, so I figure I can always use the extra pound with the slightly larger tank. I'm going to run a combined 2 burner stove / oven unit, so it should last for a few weeks at a time on the road with coffee and a meal or two. I can always get a spare cylinder if I need more capacity and mount them next to each other, or keep it in the back of the truck as a spare. I spoke with a guy in Flagstaff a couple of weeks back, who said his 11# tank was last filled a few months ago, since they don't use it a lot.

It will fit in the space OK because it's only 9" in diameter and 16" tall. I'll just cut a circular hole in the diamond plate and run rubber trim around the inside edge of the hole to avoid chafing the powder coat. Two eye bolts and a couple of light chains will hold it in place. Then I can just remove it when it's time to fill it up again. This is an easier solution, cheap, readily available, & should work well enough.

Next I will need to think about plumbing. 1/2" black iron or 3/8" copper? thanks, tim

OK, just lost the post so I'm starting again (long week). I'm not thinking well, here's the new plan.

1 - Remove the box & shelf from the front, leave the spare tire where it is in the frame.



2 - Do away with the shelf, gone for good!

3 - Turn the box 180 degrees so it opens from the front instead of the back as it is now. It will be the battery box (vented), running wiring box, spares, storage, etc.



4 - Mount the 11# propane bottle in front of the box in the triangle between the front jack & the new box location. Just a shelf welded between the lower frame rails.

5 - This means I can build a 9'4" Benroy, instead of an 8'6" model, nearly 10% more volume & length for galley or headboard stuff.

Thanks again for looking. Comments? tim

Here's the basic design worked out now. The bottle is to the front, just behind the hitch. The tool box will be turned to face forward. I'm going to use 1/2" black iron pipe under the frame to go from the bottle to the galley area, with a flex line to connect the stove-top & oven, and one from the regulator to the black iron at the tank. Here's a side view of the finished design, just a schematic. The bump in height (closer to the front) is due to an angle of less than 45 degrees inside the frame, which I need to make to clear the spare tire in the A frame area. This should work out well enough. Thanks for looking. tim



Here's the bracket I'm going to use, a 9" from a local welding supply house. They sell different sizes of these which are very strong, galvanized & should last forever. Will weld a plate to the frame and bolt it in place. There will be two angle iron brackets under the frame to hold the tank bottom, simple & strong without any movement.
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/tools ... ank-holder

OK, here's the location & bracket. This is the last thing I had to do prior to starting the build. Hope to post some real progress soon.

I like it, but is there anything under the tank to keep it from sliding down during travel?

Yes, there are 2 - 2" X 2" angles welded to the bottom edge of the frame, with a flat strap welded between them which supports the bottom flange of the tank. The tank will sit on a hunk of thick mud-flap rubber to keep it from chafing on the bottom strap. There's 1/4" clearance from the frame on the three sides (front & both side frame rails) then the rubber coated clamp holds it in place against the tool box. It shouldn't be moving at all once it's fastened in place and there is no metal on metal contact with the bracket or the frame. It should last for a long time, plenty strong & tight without being too tight.

Here's the last shot for this thread, figured I should show the final installation. I have the hoses, regulator & tank location firmed in and done now. Holes are drilled in the tool box for the 2 stage regulator, the rubber 3/8" x 2" strap is bolted in place in the bottom of the mounting bracket. Here's how it looks with everything in place but not tightened down & hooked up completely. I found a stove-oven unit on Craigslist today (new in box, Camp Chef), so the galley layout can begin. I don't like building without the parts in hand, too many surprises to deal with if they aren't "handy" for the build. For more progress, see my build thread. Thanks for looking & for the support. Hope to be done in two years! tim