Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:59:56 -0400
Reply-To: Joe Federici <joefederici@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joe Federici <joefederici@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Any interest in a larger Westy LP Gas tank, Cheap?
In-Reply-To: <03b001c8a4f3$8f652d80$0b0ba8c0@RON>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
maybe you could mount it like was done in the adventurewagen. They
came stock with a 4 gallon/ about 20 pound tank. Because of the
larger size it was mounted to the underside of the floor rather then
between the two frame rails. This is someone problematic if you have
a wooded floor inside the van as the bolt heads would be under it but
in the 4 years I've owned my aw it's not really been an issue. You
can hold them with vise grips if need be. Also it was mounted to the
passenger side not the drivers but this shouldn't make a difference.
The up side is the tank site much higher.
JFF
On Apr 22, 2008, at 11:38 PM, The Bus Depot wrote:
I'm on the fence on whether to carry this or not, so I thought I'd
throw it
out to the list and let your collective wisdom guide me.
I've been offered a one-time closeout deal on a propane tank from the
OEM
supplier to Westfalia, which holds 2-1/2 times as much propane as the
stock
Westy tank. This same tank was actually used by Westfalia on a non-VW
camper that they sell in Europe.
The price would be around $160, with the valve. To put this in
perspective,
we sell the stock Westy replacement tank for $300 - almost twice that
price.
This larger tank retails for close to $500 (and wholesales for close to
$300). So it's clearly a good deal.
However, it's only useful to you if you can fit it on a Westy, and
that's
where I need your feedback. Today I held it up against my '87 and
came away
with these thoughts...
First of all, it is larger in diameter so it would reduce ground
clearance
by about 2-1/2 inches. That's not an insignificant amount, and you sure
don't want your propane tank bottoming out. Frankly, that is the
potential
deal breaker in my opinion. On the other hand, Eurovan Campers have
less
ground clearance than Vanagons and people use them all the time, so
perhaps
some people wouldn't view this as a major drawback.
Secondly, due to it's longer length, it would be a tight squeeze to
put it
where the stock tank is. The sink and water tank drains are there,
and while
it looks like it could be done it would be inconvenient. Especially
because
you'd have to drill new holes to mount it, and the sink/stove cabinet
is in
the way. The more logical location would be on the opposite side,
under the
sliding door, where there is plenty of room. There, it could either
replace
the stock tank, or with our Extend-A-Stay kit (on closeout for $39) both
tanks could be used. The latter seems like the best solution to me,
as by
buying the kit you'd also get the extra hoses and fittings you needed.
The tank attaches via two removable brackets (one on each end), each of
which bolts to the floor with 2 bolts. You install the brackets
first, then
slide the tank between them and bolt it in place. It seems to me that
in the
interest of spreading weight distribution, the best mounting method
would be
to fabricate a small steel plate and place it on the floor under the
carpet,
then drill the holes through that plate and the floor. The plate would
distribute the weight more evenly across the floor area, rather than
all of
the weight being at the 4 bolt points. Also the tank mounting brackets
would need to be drilled for an additional hole on each side for the
most
flush possible mounting. (Using the existing holes it would hang
down more
like 3" extra, rather than 2-1/2".)
So... The question is, is this tank useful for a Vanagon Westy, in your
opinion, or is it just too big? Would you buy one for $160? Comments?
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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