theboondork's RV blog

my propane tank, how high is too high?

9/12/2023

These pics won't click themselves ya no.

The end of the line for a narrow gauge train in Fairplay Colorado.

There is not a high 80 in sight on the ten-day weather forecast, and all of the nighttime temperatures are in the low 50s, causing me to bring out one of my winter blankets. So it looks like the beginning of Fall is finally upon us.

The downside of these chillier temperatures is I have to run my furnace for 15 minutes or so in the morning to take the chill off the Lance. This means I'll be using more propane now, and especially in the near future.

Back in August, when I wasn't using my furnace at all, I was getting, on average, about 23 days of use out of a 5-gallon propane cylinder. And because I usually eat at my daughter's house, that meant that most of my propane use was my refrigerator. and since I will be using more propane as Fall and Winter sets in, I've been considering my propane tanks location in the Lance, and the difficulty of changing out the empty propane tank with a full one .

The propane tank is mounted rather high in the Lance [see the picture below.] and I have to lift the empty tank out of a rather small cubby and then put the heavy full one back in, which requires putting it in at an angle so it will go In the small hole that's barely big enough for the tank. Even standing on my 10-inch step stool, I still have to lift the tank as high as my head to get it in its proper location.

I'm doing it now and have done it since I bought the Lance, but I can tell that changing out tanks is getting more difficult for me as I rapidly approach the age of decrepitude, and lifting a full propane tank as high as my head may one day be impossible, especially if my bad back starts acting up. So, I need to do something to solve this problem before I reach a point where I can't get a full propane tank into the Lance's storage cubby at its current nosebleed inducing height.

But the Lance is small, and there's not a lot of room for something the size of a propane tank, so I don't have many options available. The Lance is set up to only carry one 5-gallon propane tank, and I'm already carrying a spare tank in the passengers floorboard of my truck.

I saw a camper van the other day with a rack built onto the back of the van and a spare propane tank tied down in the rack. That worried me because if he were hit from behind, the propane tank would be the first thing hit. And since tailgaters are a common problem for us slow-moving RVers, getting hit from behind is not an impossibility.

I am still trying to determine what I will do, and am considering any and all thoughts or ideas. I know there are few options available in a truck camper, but I also know that at my age, lifting a full propane tank over my head is not something I want to be doing every couple of weeks this Winter.

theboondork

My propane tank in its current factory location. Lifting a full tank up that high is difficult, and I've seen some much younger folks than I struggling to get it up that high in their truck campers.

you may notice that the tank barely fits in it's cubby, in fact the tank has to be tilted to get in it's very small location, which wouldn't be a problem at ground level, but with your hands and arms up around face level it makes it difficult....Maybe not difficult for Arnold Schwarzenegger, but difficult for me.

And yes I'm doing it now, but I've had a bad back for at least 40 years and lifting a full propane tank up head high is not doing my back any good, and I'm pretty sure the situation will only get worse. So I need to come up with a solution for this problem before I reach a point where I can't change my on propane tank.

Fat tire E bikes are very popular in the Colorado mountains now days.

A tourist shop in Fairplay Colorado.

14 Comments

Glem

9/12/2023 06:00:35 pm

They aren't commonly available but 10lb tanks holding 2.4 gallons could be a back saver. Don't know how they would fit but may be an option in your declining years. You could always see if Barney could come and do it for you.

Tom

9/12/2023 07:22:22 pm

Smaller tanks is a good idea but that means I would have to fill them up more often, and change them more often. But they would be lighter to lift.

I would like to talk Barney into changing the tanks for me, especially if it's raining, but he would have to come out farther west so he wouldn't be so far away.

Tom

OFM

9/12/2023 08:21:21 pm

Speaking of Barney, A couple of years ago his 30# bottles aged out and had to be replaced, So Barney in his old man wisdom went with 20# bottles so he could lift them up onto the trailer tongue more easily. It was definitely the right move to make.

9/12/2023 10:11:28 pm

The Arctic Fox still has a pair of 40 pound tanks in it that even though they were pretty heavy I only had to lift them about waist high so it was still doable because I could lift them mostly with my legs. But getting these 20 pound tanks head high feels like I'm having to use every muscle in my body, including parts that don't have any muscles.

Tom

9/13/2023 06:25:03 am

I really agree with you. A 20# bottle weighs 30# full and I cannot get one that high and manipulate it into a truck camper mounting location. Good luck on a workable solution.

9/13/2023 09:42:54 am

I will need some luck; it seems like I may be asking the little Lance to do more than it's capable of.

Tom

Larry Worsham

9/13/2023 06:32:59 am

I will give this more thought. You could put a Y coupling/valve on the camper inlet fitting and run a propane hose to the ground and hook an extra tank to it sitting on the ground. Keep the tank in the camper off and run off the ground tank while parked for a while. When traveling you could run off the camper tank thereby sharing the usage and extending the life of the camper tank. This would be similar to the trailer regulator that has a valve to switch between tanks. I purchased a 3 step platform step ladder and use it when I have to deal with stuff like you have to on the camper. It is more stable and easy to store. There are no easy solutions IMHO. Unfortunately TC don't have permanent tanks like most motor homes.

9/13/2023 09:35:06 am

That's pretty good, Larry; I think that would work well if I can't come up with something better. The problem is that sooner or later, I will still have to lift a tank up into its factory location, and I'm worried about simply not being able to, whether due to my bad back or my geezerlyness. The other problem is I pride myself on being able to have the truck ready to run to the store in a couple of minutes and having to disconnect a propane tank and the hose and put it all away would make coming and going a bit more difficult. And if for some reason. I had to quickly drive away in an emergency, such as people trying to rob me, and I was out of ammunition; the propane tank bouncing along behind me could slow me down.

I got a two-step folding step ladder from Amazon last year, and I took it with me last winter and tried to use it on a couple of occasions. The problem was, since I boondock most of the time, the ground where I would put the step-stool next to my propane tank cubby was usually uneven and soft, so the step-stool was usually not level and sinking into the ground. And since it took both of my hands to lift up the propane tank, I didn't have a free hand to hold on to the camper as I climbed the little step-stool, so I finally deemed it too dangerous and planned on leaving it home this winter.

But your idea of the Y coupling like I have on the Arctic Fox for automatic tank switching gave me an idea that might solve my problem... or blow me and the Lance into a low Earth orbit. And my new idea is just different enough from your idea that I may not be forced to give you full credit for the idea if I do it. I will spend some time thinking about it.

Tom

9/13/2023 01:50:15 pm

Nothing external is perfect. I gave up the idea of escaping when I went to a travel trailer. Even when I had a TC I had to much crap. I would just leave it in an emergency but a propane tank tethered wouldn't work. Ammo is not a problem but not always the best solution.

I agree ladders are becoming an issue and I am only 73! I have this 3 step with a little platform that works for me but I like to have something to hang onto. I prefer the wife to handle ladders as she is only 72 with a bum knee!! (not)

Yeh, you can't avoid that one tank.....I wonder if there is a permanent mount tank....but you would have to go to the propane place to fill it adding another bit of inconvenience.

Here is everything on tanks https://flamekingproducts.com/

9/13/2023 03:15:49 pm

I think the words truck camper and too much crap are frequently found together.

I can deal with my telescoping ladder to get up on the roof of the Lance because I have both hands free to hang on. But trying to balance myself on a rickety stepstool with one leg slowly sinking into the sand while both hands are trying to lift and tilt a full propane cylinder was a little too sketchy for me.

Just as you suggest, I've always felt that having a built-in propane tank was more of a problem than a benefit. I know every class A has built-in tanks, as do most class C's and even some class B's I've seen. But I've always enjoyed the freedom of having mobile tanks, so I don't have to park near the fill station or, with my trailer, take them in the truck to be refilled.

But between your suggestion and Linda's suggestion an idea is starting to coalesce in my head, fortunately I have plenty of room in their for just about anything to coalesce and even expand.

Well isn't that cute? The first thing I saw on the website you recommended was a refillable one-pound propane tank, I had never seen that before, in fact I've always heard refilling those expensive 1 pound tanks was a definite no-no. And now here's a tank manufacturing company with a refillable 1 pound tank. I wonder if it's a special kind of tank made specifically to be refilled?

Tom

Linda

9/13/2023 01:00:38 pm

Could you keep the tank in the truck cab and run a hose to the camper?

9/13/2023 02:49:38 pm

I've been giving my propane tank location problem much thought today, Linda. Larry gave me an idea about a long propane hose and you have given me an idea about where to locate the tank, so you're both on the right track. I have a few more things to consider to bring everything together.

Tom

9/13/2023 04:59:15 pm

I have seen truck campers with a long trailer hitch from the truck frame towing small trailers behind the camper. That is another idea for you to throw away.

9/13/2023 06:53:38 pm

Any suggestions are always welcome Barney, especially from someone who has your many, many, many, many times infinity, years of experience because you never know what might be a good idea, or a clue that will lead to a good idea.

For the rodeo guys a truck camper is a very common thing because they can pull their horse trailer behind it. Or fishermen like to pull their boat trailer behind a truck camper. So pulling a trailer is a very common job for a truck camper.

But in my case I have come to love my mobility so much that I'm afraid pulling a trailer, even a tiny one would bring back memories of tires and bearings, brakes and reduced speeds, and Heaven help me.... The embarrassment of all my futile attempts at backing up.

Tom

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my propane tank, how high is too high?

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