M116A3 Build

[S. Heisley]

Wow! It looks like a new tank!

[Shadow Catcher]

You may need to have it hydrotested prior to filling.

[John61CT]

Specialist propane dealers are common and employed certified techs

Out of dozens I've patronized, every one had very reasonable prices.

Note that this is an area you should not just buy valves etc based on price, end up with cheap Chinese very inferior. Do not trust eBay!

RegO is the good stuff, they might need to special order something.

[lfhoward]

Thanks for your concern, John and Shadow Catcher. You’ll be glad to know the new valves are Reg0 and are high quality. The tank itself had hardly any rust as the previous owner garaged his VW Westfalia and the tank was out of the weather for most of its life (he ended up getting a larger tank). It’s an AMSE tank that is made out of thicker steel than DOT rated tanks which would have to be hydro tested and recertified after 12 years. AMSE tanks like this don’t require recertification.

[John61CT]

Great stuff!

Still well worth pretending that it does and paying an experienced pro, what maybe $20 to $50? to verify all's been done correctly. . .

[lfhoward]

Great stuff!

Still well worth pretending that it does and paying an experienced pro, what maybe $20 to $50? to verify all's been done correctly. . .

I hear what you’re saying and it’s good advice. About 5 years ago I had to redo the brakes on my Jeep, including replacing some sections of double flared 3/16 brake line. The project took a couple of weeks to get right, since it was my first time doing that sort of repair. I did my research and took my time. When I was done, I took the vehicle to a local mechanic to have them look over my work and make sure everything was safe, and it was. I agree with you that the same principle applies here. No sense blowing the trailer up any more than not being able to stop at speed, right? I’ll get that taken care of before the first fill.

[lfhoward]

Winter camping in PA! 12-18 inches of snow predicted in the next 12 hours.

Here is the setup. I’ll be sure to make sure snow doesn’t build up on the awning and side tent roofs.

[BigDave_185]

I’d bet the snow load doesn’t bother the tent. Especially if you cook and warm it up. Should run just like a good tent and hold the weight


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lfhoward]

Most of the heavy snow came before midnight.


The height of snow on the tongue box was probably double by morning. After midnight, we got sleet and high winds.


In the morning the snow had drifted to 2 feet in some areas and eroded to 6 inches in others. I guess we got about a foot.


I went out to sweep the tent roof and the awning several times in the night. The side tent was fine. The tarp I have over the trailer’s rear door sagged quite a bit under the weight.

Enjoying the day today. Got to go for a sightseeing drive, get a yummy hoagie from a local place for lunch, and enjoy the quiet of the afternoon back at the campsite.

[featherliteCT1]

Have you been using your Propex heater?

[lfhoward]

[youtube][/youtube]

Have you been using your Propex heater?

Not yet! I still need to install it. This trip is a way to get away someplace pretty and focus on finishing up the semester’s grading. Once I’m on winter break I’ll have time to get the Propex installed.

It’s ok though, because my campsite has electric. The camper has always had an electric baseboard heater. Once the Propex is installed though, I won’t be restricted to electric sites in the winter! Looking forward to that.

[eLink]

That looks amazing! Part of the motivation behind my own camper build is for camping near ski resorts. This is how I envision my setup as well!

[lfhoward]

That looks amazing! Part of the motivation behind my own camper build is for camping near ski resorts. This is how I envision my setup as well!

Thanks eLink! The setup works pretty well. For the side awning and side tent I went with a company out of Chicago called ShadeMaker. They build awnings for everything from popups to large RV’s. This was the smallest size they offer and fits perfectly. I looked into ARB and similar adventure awnings and decided this one works best for my needs.

[lfhoward]

Looking forward to getting that VW horizontal propane tank off my basement shelf and installed onto the trailer. Waiting for the weather to cooperate. We’ve had warm but rainy days and clear but cold (below freezing) days lately. Looks like more of the same through New Years.

[lfhoward]

Today was the day I mounted the VW propane tank.

When I got to the trailer, it had a buddy.


The Superstrut could only fit between the frame rails in 3 foot sections, so they had to be joined together once in place. They formed very sturdy brackets to attach the tank to, and were fastened to the frame rails with heavy duty beam clamps (similar to how the military flat bed is attached to the frame rails).


This older photo shows how the tank is fastened to the Superstrut.


The tank looks like it was made to fit right there. It’s solid and doesn’t move at all now that it’s installed.


It’s tucked under the front and side so that nothing sticks out or hangs down too low.


The regulator is capped off until I can install the heater and run the gas line. My gas sniffer verified no leaks at this point even with the valve set to open.


Between the valve and the regulator is a tee leading to a Coleman-1 lb bottle style connector, so it would be easy to hook up our camping stove via an extension hose. That connector also gives us the option of running our Propex heater from an auxiliary tank if we were to run out of gas in the main tank.