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Mounting a propane tank


Gordan

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Well, I got the propane-powered Vanguard repower of my Sovereign working nicely, except for figuring out what to do with the 20 lb tank. There aren't a whole lot of attractive options; in fact, seems like the only thing to do is to mount it behind the seat, using a seat pan mounted bracket. I'd like to run some rear-mount implements such as a tiller and a leaf vac (if I ever manage to get one) and was wondering how much vertical room I need for those. The tank itself is mounted vertically and is about a foot in diameter. Good advice is greatly appreciated!

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Gordon,

I would try...

- 11# tank = 2.6 gal. about the same height (17") but only 9" diameter

- 4.5# tank = 1 gal. 12" tall x 9" diameter

It will be much easier to find a mount point for either and still give the same volume of fuel as the stock gas tank in the case of the 11#.

The down side is they are not as common as 20 pounders and therefore much more expensive :o

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I was thinking about a smaller tank, but another issue is that it's tough to find a refill station around here. Everyone seems to simply do the swap thing. As for mounting in front of the grille, I'd think that would be a good thing in the winter but not so much in the summer, with the engine heat blowing right at it... also would have concerns with clearing the snow plow. (I guess I didn't mention that.) All the new 20lbs have the OPD, doesn't that prevent refilling the smaller cylinders?

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Aw man, I've been wondering if someone on this board had done a propane ride - this is way kewl!

Those 20 pounders - at 4.24 pounds/gal, your getting mebbe 4.5 gallons?

And 90,000 btu/gal for propane vs 125,000/gal for gas - so mebbe 3.25/3.5 gallons equivalent mow time?

Anyways, I know they make 11 pound tanks too - have no idea if they are common, refillable, available in horisontal mounts (like fork trucks use) or cost effective.

But you have a neat, neat, neat thing going anyway!

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Nothing like driving around a bomb! :D I saw a local guy with a tank on a 700 series. It was pretty neat and he started it on propane, etc. He rigged the regulator and that was how engine speed was set. He said he runs all summer cutting a 1/3 acre lot on one 20lb lp tank. Pretty neat really, but with little kids who will start mowing, not so much.

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quote:Originally posted by Burntime

Nothing like driving around a bomb! :D I saw a local guy with a tank on a 700 series. It was pretty neat and he started it on propane, etc. He rigged the regulator and that was how engine speed was set. He said he runs all summer cutting a 1/3 acre lot on one 20lb lp tank. Pretty neat really, but with little kids who will start mowing, not so much.


id="quote">
id="quote">meh, da bomb!

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quote:Originally posted by Gordan

I was thinking about a smaller tank, but another issue is that it's tough to find a refill station around here. Everyone seems to simply do the swap thing. As for mounting in front of the grille, I'd think that would be a good thing in the winter but not so much in the summer, with the engine heat blowing right at it... also would have concerns with clearing the snow plow. (I guess I didn't mention that.) All the new 20lbs have the OPD, doesn't that prevent refilling the smaller cylinders?


id="quote">
id="quote">OPD means you have to stand cylinder vertical to fill is all.They make 10 & 20 pounder horizontals (mostly for the fancy-schmantzy boating crowd)http://www.propanetankstore.com/shop/category/horizontal/
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Not a whole lot of options...maybe hang it off to the side to allow front and rear attachments? Solutions from the past...

LP 725.jpg

LP conversion.jpg

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57e05e98bbdf2_LPconversion.jpg.f2d62961393c77134f9646c07691579f.jpg

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quote:Originally posted by Talntedmrgreen

Not a whole lot of options...maybe hang it off to the side to allow front and rear attachments? Solutions from the past...


id="quote">
id="quote">Those look great - now if Gordan's fenders were just a little wider...

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ALLIS_2.jpg.1f953ca09658850f4c2c86e79462639d.jpg

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That's a bountiful rear, right there!

So far, I think I like the notion of using little (1lb?) tanks the best, but there's one potential issue with that: will the little tank have enough surface area for good vaporization? This link, for instance, touts "the combined power of 42000 BTU/hr" for two bottles ganged together:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_93752-60627-R9708-A30C_0__?productId=4558108&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-OutdoorLivingRecreation-_-PropaneTanksAccessories-_-4558108&CAWELAID=1819408652&kpid=4558108&"cagpspn=pla"

That seems woefully inadequate.

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Have no clue on surface area & vaporization. Just thinking out loud: It has to vaporize for whatever the maximum flow rate of the bottle is - so not a problem?

In an earlier post, I indicated that that propane has 94K btu per gal, vs 125K btu for gas.

Plus:

Propane: 21,500 BTU per pound

Gasoline: 17,500 BTU per pound

And gasoline weighs just over 6 pounds/gal...

My Simplicity 3416H has a 2 gallon tank, which seems to be real common for the 16hp and under machines...

(Although I think my old Craftsman 6000 GT held 5 gallons)

And, given that the two fuels offer similar efficiencies in an engine...

Which makes it what - 10-11 pounds of propane to give the equivalent "work produced" of 2 gallons of gasoline?

Which led me to believe those 10-11 gallon horizontal tanks like they use on boats would be the sweetheart setup. Or, at the least, a conventional design (like a 1/2 height 20 pounder), that you could mount behind the seat...those you buy fairly inexpensively.

Any way you do it is cool with me - I think having a propane ride is just NEAT!

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quote:Originally posted by huffy

It's too bad refilling stations are scarce by you. One of these little 5lb tanks might come close to fitting in the space for the gas tank. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Reconditioned-5lb-Propane-Cylinder-BBQ-Mr-Heater-Fishing-Manchester-Tank-/111096236420?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ddda0984


id="quote">
id="quote">Those little guys could work out quite handily:- 5 pounds/1.2 gal propane- length 12 in, diameter 8 in, 10 pounds emptyIf you had two of them, side by side behind and tight to the seat, might still be able to use rear implements without issue and you wouldn't look like Mr. Bubble Butt. Besides, they are just cuter than a bugs ear!http://www.propanetankstore.com/dot-5-lb-100-lb/

5lb Propane Cylinder Manchester Tank.jpg

57e05e99ecd13_5lbPropaneCylinderManchesterTank.jpg.e09065e4a23fb3cc11de55183fb2917a.jpg

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