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Old 03-13-2016, 09:46 AM   #1
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30lb LP Tanks on an Expandable

Might be an easily answered question, but can you replace the 20lb LP tanks on an expandable with 30lb tanks?

We're picking up our ikss tomorrow and plan on switching the tanks. We did not measure clearance from the fold down bunk end.

Thanks!
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Old 03-13-2016, 09:58 AM   #2
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Don't see why not. You may need a longer threaded rod for the attachment of the bottles and the hose going from the regulator to the TT chassis may be too short. You will probably need a taller tank cover. Other than that, I don't go through 60# in a whole season. How long does 40# last you?
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Old 03-13-2016, 10:01 AM   #3
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The only thing I can think of other then what Jeff64 said is the added weight to the tongue of the trailer.
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Old 03-13-2016, 10:59 AM   #4
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We are going from a fully enclosed surveyor tt to an expandable. The surveyor was our first tt. It came with 30lb tanks, so we don't know what it's like with 20lb tanks.

I usually take the 30lb tanks in and top them off mid summer. We do a lot of April/May and Sept/Oct camping when it's cool (still do a lot in the summer, but early and late are our favorite times), so we do use a decent amount of propane, but I've never kept track of it.

We try not to use LP for water heat and we don't often use stove top and never use the oven.

Dealer said they could switch them out, no problem. Also told us the underbelly on the ikss was fully enclosed and heated though before I got down and took a look! LOL!

Bottom line, I figured I'd ask the community to make sure before I start making arrangements for something that may not work. I'll ask them about the gas line length, I did not think of that - so thanks for the tip.
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Old 03-13-2016, 11:26 AM   #5
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On both of our prior hybrids 30lb bottles would not fit. A 30lb bottle is almost 24" high and the bunk door would hit them when lowered. Those were both non FR hybrids and the bunk doors were hinged higher from the floor than a Roo or Shamrock. The 23IKSS and 21DK have the front A frame dropped below the main frame rail to accommodate the through the frame slides, so you would have a few more inches (probably 4) of room on those models.
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Old 03-13-2016, 11:36 AM   #6
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There is not enough room to place 30lb tanks in the stock location and still allow for the front bunk to open. On my Roo 19 there would have been no issues with hose length, or the length of the threaded rod for the hold down though.

I moved my batteries inside, for various reasons, and this allowed me to move my LP tanks back and place a tool box where the tanks used to be. By doing so it lowered them also. When I measured there is now just enough extra height to use 30 lb. tanks The neat thing is that the original cover for the 20 pounders sits on top of the frame still so the extra height is underneath the cover so you don't need to change it either

We just got our Roo last September and I still have the 20lb. tanks on it but I could change them out now for a long trip. The other thing that I have thought of is on a long trip you might want to take one 30lb tank and your oldest, crudiest 20lb. tank. That way you don't have to search for a fill station on the road but can just exchange the 20 pounder wherever is convenient.

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Old 03-13-2016, 11:56 AM   #7
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Mr. Havercamp has a point. If you have a 23IKSS or 21DK you might have enough clearance, since the tongue is lower than the main frame on those models.

Here are a couple of pictures of my setup. Note that the wood was a temporary solution to try things out and get things mounted quickly before a trip last fall. I plan to replace it with a simple metal support. Metal doesn't rot as fast as wood!
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Old 03-13-2016, 12:16 PM   #8
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We are ready for our 3rd season with our ikss and we still have the original 20 lb bottles with the original propane. Apparently we don't use much. We camp mainly in state parks with electric hookups, no water at site. So we run a small electric heater for spring and fall and seldom use the furnace. I've probably used more propane in the bumper mounted grill than in the furnace.
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Old 03-13-2016, 12:24 PM   #9
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30# tanks

When we went from our hybrid to a TT ,the TT came with 30# tanks and we switched them out for 20s. We camp in Ontario from May to October for a total of about 6 weeks and in 5 years of trailer camping (some of it dry) we have never even had to add to the tanks in the summer. We mainly use the propane for heat & sometimes to heat water. We just felt the smaller tanks added less weight & were easier to refill when needed. Stick with the 20#.
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Old 03-13-2016, 01:19 PM   #10
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30lb LP Tanks on an Expandable

All great advice. Thanks for the help. There's a lot to be said about the ease of exchanging 20lb tanks vs 30lbers. There's always a lot of 20's ready for exchange at campgrounds. We'll probably stick with the 20's.
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Old 03-13-2016, 01:25 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon-roo View Post
Mr. Havercamp has a point. If you have a 23IKSS or 21DK you might have enough clearance, since the tongue is lower than the main frame on those models.

Here are a couple of pictures of my setup. Note that the wood was a temporary solution to try things out and get things mounted quickly before a trip last fall. I plan to replace it with a simple metal support. Metal doesn't rot as fast as wood!

I like this mod - we'll see what happens tomorrow when we pick 'er up!
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Old 03-13-2016, 02:26 PM   #12
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Dealer said they could switch them out, no problem. Also told us the underbelly on the ikss was fully enclosed and heated though before I got down and took a look! LOL!
obviously, the dealer doesn't know what they're talking about. NO hybrid TT has enclosed and heated underbelly!

so, don't think they have a clue about room for a 30lb tank.

we usually only use ONE 20lb tank per camping season. so we wouldn't even think to change to 30lb tanks, even if they could fit.

i agree that they probably wouldn't fit with the front bunk door down. it would hit the top of the tanks.
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Old 03-13-2016, 02:46 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maris View Post
When we went from our hybrid to a TT ,the TT came with 30# tanks and we switched them out for 20s. We camp in Ontario from May to October for a total of about 6 weeks and in 5 years of trailer camping (some of it dry) we have never even had to add to the tanks in the summer. We mainly use the propane for heat & sometimes to heat water. We just felt the smaller tanks added less weight & were easier to refill when needed. Stick with the 20#.

We camp the same season (also Ontarians) and when I had my 20's I usually had to fill both throughout the season. First bottle would run out about 1/2 way through and need to be refilled in July or August, the other would run out around the end of the season. But we also use the propane for the majority of our cooking. Either on the stove inside or on the Camp Chef outside connected to the propane quick-connect. Switching to the 30's made sense for our camping.




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Old 03-13-2016, 03:36 PM   #14
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I like this mod - we'll see what happens tomorrow when we pick 'er up!
The nice thing is that there is no drilling required so you have no impact on the frame 'waranty.' It also gets the weight of the LP a bit further from the pivot point of the ball and down lower. That is a good thing from a physics standpoint even if you stick with the 20s.

One word of caution, this spring I see that the tank cover is rubbing on the front fiberglass and scuffing it up, so I will be putting something on either the fiberglass or tank cover to remedy that.
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Old 03-14-2016, 06:55 AM   #15
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I don't believe that 30 lbs. tanks will fit under the front bunk.

FWIW we use less than 20lbs. propane a season and probably camp 25 days a year. We book hydro sites and generally only use propane for travelling (the fridge) and cooking.
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Old 03-14-2016, 08:16 AM   #16
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two factors to consider... height is 1st, can tell you that they wont fit under the bunk of our 21DK. weight is another but not as much.
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Old 03-14-2016, 07:31 PM   #17
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Turns out the 30lb tanks did fit with plenty of clearance in the manufacturers normal designated spot on the 2016 Shamrock 23 IKSS.
Increased tongue weight, etc. did wheelie out of dealership.
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Old 03-15-2016, 11:13 AM   #18
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I thought that they might since all I gained for height when moving mine back was the height of the tongue rails plus about an inch for the platform they were on. As noted above, your tongue is below the frame, giving you that difference.

Now don't forget that the weight of those full tanks is a pendulum and the further they are from the trailer axles the more they contribute to sway conditions. I would still try to move them back and down, but YMMV.
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Old 03-15-2016, 05:23 PM   #19
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I thought that they might since all I gained for height when moving mine back was the height of the tongue rails plus about an inch for the platform they were on. As noted above, your tongue is below the frame, giving you that difference.

Now don't forget that the weight of those full tanks is a pendulum and the further they are from the trailer axles the more they contribute to sway conditions. I would still try to move them back and down, but YMMV.
Sway is usually impacted by being to LIGHT on the tongue, not too heavy. I think all he has to worry about it too much tongue weight for his TV.
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