40-lb 10-gal Aluminum Propane Tank Upgrade

[Ahroc]

Hi

I’ve had an itch for these tanks. And I was worried about… will the front window still open? I purchased the tanks from Vintage Trailer Supply and opted to spend a little more for built in gauges. The aluminum tanks are about 10-pounds lighter than comparable steel tanks. They are also several inches taller than comparable steel tanks. I also purchased the Airstream aluminum tank-clamp and spinner-nut for fun (note, these are ½”). Removed my old 3/8” all-thread and hardware. Drilled out the nut in the bottom of the tank pan to ½”, and coated the resulting bare metal with a little primer. Purchased ½” stainless all-thread, nuts and washers from a local hardware store. In trying to keep as low a profile as possible I ended up cutting the ends off the spinner-nut to make it a little shorter so it could spin between the tanks. Purchased 20” tank connection hoses as the valves on these tanks are at an angle to clear the gauges, the 12” hoses would not quite make it. I have ended up with about ½” clearance between the tank shroud and the front window as it opens, yea! I work for a sheet metal shop and will build a new (full-height) tank shroud at some point in the future.

Happy Travels!