I'm looking at options, which include new tank etc as mentioned above or refurbished old tank, tested and with new valves. The road clearance distance with the bigger replacement tank is of interest, hence my request for a photo from Jim. An interesting Samba photo is one chap who cut out a semicircle out of his floor supports to get the tank higher...hmmmm
Here is a side shot of my stock height Westy with Gas-It underslung tank. The clearance to the driveway is 7". My old original tank was badly corroded so I got this fitted about 5 years ago.
Thanks for that, so unlaiden 7" (17.5cm) clearance whereas my original Westie tank had 26cm (10.5") clearance unlaiden to tank. Food for thought, but as Jim has said, no issue so far with speed humps his way.
I really like the new tank. Bigger capacity so lasts for ages and it has a gauge so you can tell when its getting low. No issues with clearance since I have had it. Also the valves etc. are all nicely protected under a cover. One thing I didn't get and maybe should have is a bayonet connector to run a gas BBQ. I just paid £42 to refill a CXampigGaz 907 whereas I am still using the LPG I bought in January 2022 at the huge cost of £11
After puzzling for a bit about the clearance left with your 200mm dia tank, I realised the clue was in the thread title. The Gasit tank has fixing feet already attached that I'm presuming add a few cm to the overall depth of the tank. The LPGshop ones I was looking at don't have the feet and so their steel fixing band means the tank has a clearance of 21cm (unloaded van). The lowest point on camper (Rod end of track rod) has 19cm clearance unloaded. So that means the tank would be above this and inline with this which is good. Thanks for all of the information.
But the track rod end will always have 19cm clearance as it goes up and down with the wheel, unless there is a puncture. The middle of the bus gets closer to the ground as the suspension goes up or when the bus goes over a speed hump. The pics that get posted are with the bus static and unloaded and it looks like there is plenty of clearance, and there is, stationary on a flat road. Measure the clearance where the tank would be with the bus loaded, deduct the tank diameter, the mounting feet, suspension travel and the height of a speed hump. Then decide if there is enough clearance. I have a side step and it has never grounded, although it gets close, but I would not be happy with a tank full of gas skimming a few cm above the road.
My old Westfalia tank and skid plate shows no marks on the body or plate, so 40 years of use suggests 26cm clearance is OK. Good point Geoff (@77 Westy) about the track rod. I'll get a few stout chaps to sit in the bus and see what the ride height drops too. Could I assume the minimum is where the bump stops make contact after 4 or 5cm.
Bertiebot bus has 7” clearance under the tank, the ride height suggests the bus is unloaded and obviously it's stationary. Loaded might drop the ride height an inch and suspension travel is probably a couple of inches. Speed bumps should be no more than 4” high. So, if the bus is loaded and the suspension compresses going over a speed bump the tank is going to be uncomfortably close to the ground. And if the bus is slightly lowered...
Excuse my ignorance guys...if we're doing an underslung, or an in-van leisure gas, can it be filled at a standard LPG pump at a filling station, like you would for propulsion LPG? What is the difference? Like, if you have your van converted to LPG, can it run both the engine and the leisure system? Sorry, I am not a smart man
I fill mine with autogas at the petrol station. It's cheap and works just great for my cooker and Propex heater.
It is just a sad fact that LPG filling points at garages are being replaced with EV charge points as they are more profitable and trendy.
I fill mine at lpg stations and it works fine for propex heater and cooking / fridge in van - uk getting harder to get lpg but Europe they are everywhere I have a campingaz cylinder as a back up
Has anyone had a lpg conversion done and had the tank do propulsion as well as the propex/cooking? Basically I've had a revelation today where I abandoned my plan to get a Crafter and I'm just gonna sink money into making my van GOOD.
You would need 2 tanks or a special one with 2 tank off points. The engine side needs the lpg in a liquid so bottom of the tank and cooking/heater uses gas so would be the top of the tank.
