Thats a clever solution. There is a company in Canada that sells a portable unit w/ the fuel tank included in a pelican style case. It's a slick setup but it's also on the super expensive side.
I am debating where to mount my propane tank. I can get a smaller bottle to put on the back door w/ mounting rack or I think I might have room to fit a 30 gal horizontal tank underneath behind the gas tank where sportsmobile puts them. I have that tank already from a trailer but I will need to cut a big access panel to be able fill the tank without climbing under the van.
Nice progress! Curious how much standing room there is in the front area with the Tuffport top. I'm 6'2" without shoes and debating between that top from Wasatch Overland, or the 24" bubble from Fiberine.
I have a propex 2200 waiting to go in. I almost went Espar or chinese Amazon ripoff but I always have a small BBQ and sometime a propane firepit so I figured we will have to have propane anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by h.grenade
I am debating where to mount my propane tank. I can get a smaller bottle to put on the back door w/ mounting rack or I think I might have room to fit a 30 gal horizontal tank underneath behind the gas tank where sportsmobile puts them. I have that tank already from a trailer but I will need to cut a big access panel to be able fill the tank without climbing under the van.
I've got a Propex HS2211 and a GoWesty 4.6 gallon tank. The propex sips propane.....read the specs, it's in grams/hr. For the first few years of use I would get the tank filled at the end of riding season and it would take around 1.5 gallons. Now I fill it about every 3 years since the place I take it has 5 gallons minimum charge.
30 gallons would last me a lifetime. I suppose if you are running a fire pit, stove etc from the tank you'll want more capacity.
BTW there are DOT and ASME rated tanks. Think about your insurance liability if you are not using a DOT rated tank. I know that others mount ASME style tanks inside, but that's not a risk I'm willing to take.
Now I fill it about every 3 years since the place I take it has 5 gallons minimum charge.
I don't know about your propane supplier or if you have a home BBQ tank but I've always been able to get around the minimum charge by taking one of my BBQ tanks in to fill at the same time.
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Bob
2005 E350 Super Duty Ext Wheelchair Van
2002 Itasca 35U Motorhome
I don't know about your propane supplier or if you have a home BBQ tank but I've always been able to get around the minimum charge by taking one of my BBQ tanks in to fill at the same time.
Last time I brought 2 BBQ tanks.....so met the 5 gallon minimum for those, but sadly they treat the van/RV separately with another 5 gallon minimum....ouch.
@iBike - It's 6'4" in back and 6'2" up front. I'm 6'1" and I have about 1 1/4" of floor and insulation so not much room left in front. Mostly I am in there to relax not stand around so I think it will be fine.
@boywonder - Thats great to know. I do have a DOT rated hz tank but maybe 30lbs is overkill. Even with the 20lb on our TT we only changed it maybe once every 5-6 months. That was running the stove, fridge and water heater but only when we were not plugged in.
haha yeah a 30 gallon tank would be a monster. I don't have room for that! I did a bunch of research yesterday and here are my choices.
Option 1 - Get a 5.5gal ASME tank for $700-$800 but I would also need a NashFuel remote fill kit (another $200) so that I don't have to cut the holes in the side and do all of the work to seal that up. Still $900 is a lot. Definitely the better long term solution.
Option 2 - Get a 2.5gal (6lb) tank and a mounting kit and put it on the back overland style. That would be more like $300 and for another $100 I could just carry an extra tank if needed. The only problem with this is that I will have to find another spot for the MaxTrax and was hoping not to have to put them on the side, because of the extra drag.
Option 1 seems like a better idea but I still need to buy a winch, factory mount point somewhere, diff locker, ARB dual compressor, recovery gear, etc. Thats already around $6k. I can't wait to get on the road, but damn, everything is so expensive.
I did buy the under mount ASME tank and a NashFuel remote. I already have less water and a smaller black tank (cassette) so chores on the road will increase in frequency. I didn't want to add propane to the weekly list.
My entire goal with electrical, water, etc. is to hopefully last 4 days at any time without needing to do anything. Thats the minimum and it accounts for using my laptop and internet for like 6 hours per day. Time will tell haha
I finally got the interior edges framed. I just used self tapping wood to metal screws. Drilled pilots first to not split the fir, then just wood screwed the 1/2" panels to that. The whole area will get foam and fabric wrap, then I will do a top and bottom fabric wrapped trim panel.
Finished covering the back cutout area. What a huge amount of work for a small space! At least the cubbies are cool. They will be right over our heads when the couch is in bed mode.
Time to cut the ceiling panels and then hopefully finish up the TufPort later this week! The week after should be flooring, cabinet install and panels for the lower half of the van.
I hope this all helps someone down the road. I couldn't find any info on how to finish a TufPort. I wish that I would have built a "square" frame on the interior of it with extruded aluminum. Next time!
I would also need a NashFuel remote fill kit (another $200) so that I don't have to cut the holes in the side and do all of the work to seal that up.
Nice woodwork!
The GoWesty tanks (and I think manchester makes a few too) have the fittings very low down on the tank. I didn't have to cut an access panel in the side of my van with that tank. I did fabricate a raise/lower mech for the tank but I can get to the fittings when it's in the raised position for filling and turning on the valve.
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