Propane & RV Tip

Because cooler weather is coming, I decided to get the propane tank that is nearly empty refilled. I took the tank to a local RV dealer and got the shock of my life when they charged me $41.93 for 7 gallons of propane. Next time I think I’ll find a local propane dealer and have them fill it up. Man, that’s an outrageous price.

TIP: Here’s a tip you may or may not already know about. Those plastic crates that are used for carrying gallon containers of milk are great for transporting the 30# propane bottles that most fifth wheels use. The bottle fits in the crate perfectly and doesn’t allow the bottle to fall over in transport.

I forgot to take a photo when the bottle was in the crate.

Great idea, What's the fine for getting caught with a stolen milk crate ?

It was "fine" when I found it on the side of the road. LOL

Seriously, Richard that's a great tip. I saw many campers come into the KOA and bring their bottles 20# & 30# up to the tank to be filled and they were sitting in an old milk crate. Found on the side of the road of course.

Great idea! I was going to build something, but now I'm going to keep a sharp eye!

John

$41.93 for an empty 30# cylinder is hwy robbery!!

Our local RV dealership marks theirs up alot also, totally uncalled for IMO. I called around to see who has the best prices. Just pd $21.73 to fill an empty 30# cylinder last Friday at our local rent-all place cuz they were convenient, but the U-Haul place would've been even cheaper.

TC

Thanks for the tip. We have some "milk crates" that we bought at Walmart years ago. I think they are exactly the same size as a real milk crate - not quite as heavy. They must be in the attic, haven't seen them for a while.

I wonder if the price of propane has gone up everywhere. The KOA in Chattahoochee and Fort Wilderness at WDW were always pretty reasonable. Might not be anymore.

Tater

Yeah, $6 a gallon is abit stiff..... In July, I paid $2.19 per gal in a RV park in The Dells, Wisconsin.... boy, is that cheap... course I do remember when you could get propane for $0.18 per gal too..........but that was sometime ago, ha..

We have probably close to a dozen of those crates laying around. At least 3 of them came from WallyWorld, cheap and lightweight. We use the WW ones in the trunks of cars, 2 in one car and 1 in the other. They're handy to toss those plastic bags from the grocery store into and when you get back home that cantaloupe/spud/can of chili isn't all the way up by the rear seat. Four of them are metal, 2 standard sized ones and 2 that are about 1.5 times the size of the others (more like a cinderblock shape). They get filled with wood blocks for the jacks, work swell as steps to get in/out of the bed of the truck, help organize the basement, a handy table to put your cooler on, or if you have a standard cab, like we do, use them like the ones in the cars except in the bed of the truck when you run to the store (we also have a cover over the bed so people can't see what's back there).

We have a couple of those bigger ones - they are made of heavier stuff than our square ones.

We have a mesh carrier (could be used for laundry or other things) in the trunk of our car. It has dividers to make 3 compartments, and it folds flat when we aren't using it. We use it for bags of stuff - mostly groceries. It works great for keeping the the small stuff from rolling around.

I used to have a couple of those tank feet things that CW sells to transport my cylinders back and forth. What a piece of crap they were!! The plastic broke apart in no time flat!!

TC

Usually we get a good enough deal on propane at the campgrounds that it isn't worth it to drive to our local propane dealers. So, generally, Scruffy can prop the tank in the truck so it doesn't tip. At Fort Wilderness, he just sets it on the back of the golf cart, and secures it with a bungee cord. Roads are smooth, paved, and mostly level, except the bridge over by the pet walk area, so he doesn't have a problem.

Tater

I have noticed that over the years that weight of propane has apparently increased dramatically. That's the only reason I can think of that would explain why it is becoming so much more of a strain to lift the propane bottle back into the Wildcat.

Yeah, like the guy who wanted me to take his 100# tank off of his truck to fill it ....... NOT! We had many in western NC who heated their homes with propane and used the big 100# tanks. He thought it would be safer if it wasn't on his truck. I asked him if he wanted it filled here or someplace else. It stayed on the truck.

Very wise thinking, Mike.

When taking the tank in to fill, about $2.69+tax in Lake Havasu and $3.29 in Soldotna IIRC, I generally lay an old towel on the seat (rust/dirt protection) and use the seatbelt to strap the tank into place.

I have noticed that over the years that weight of propane has apparently increased dramatically. That's the only reason I can think of that would explain why it is becoming so much more of a strain to lift the propane bottle back into the Wildcat.

I'm in total agreement.

You shuld never transport a propane tank inside the pasenger compartment. I work for a propane co. and this can be a bad thing if the tank leaks. I would say almost all of the time a propane co. would have the best prices because they sell it to the KOA's and gas stations.

Same here.

schrowang wrote:It was "fine" when I found it on the side of the road. LOL

Does that mean it was only lost not stolen.
Sean

It means he did his civic duty in helping keep the roadside clean. It was neither lost nor stolen. It was recycled and put to better use.

Just filled our 30# for the WC and a 20# for the bbq = $27.00. Just filled the tank at our house in Florida $6.45/gallon. Talk about robbery.

WOW

I just had our 30# tank filled at a local tool place on Saturday that also sells welding gases and propane. They had a sign out front that they fill 20 lb. tanks for $ 15.00 which is a pretty good price. They charge by the lb. and it's .77 per lb. It cost me $ 23.00. I'll be going there again.
KH

KHUBER wrote:I just had our 30# tank filled at a local tool place on Saturday that also sells welding gases and propane. They had a sign out front that they fill 20 lb. tanks for $ 15.00 which is a pretty good price. They charge by the lb. and it's .77 per lb. It cost me $ 23.00. I'll be going there again.
KH

That's not too bad, $3.23 gallon (a gallon weighs 4.2 pounds).

Just paid $2.85 gallon.

I have seen surplus and dollar stores selling the heavier crates from defunked dairies. Admittedly, is there anything that's more of a thrill than pulling into a place for propane and realizing that the crate your tank is in you lifted from the place 2 years earlier and the name is still on it. Not me though, I was told this happened to someone else... tee hee?

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