hddols Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 (edited) Just recently purchased an '88 Winnebago 20RB Toyota - it has the original LP tank located behine the drivers cab, is in great shape, and has a weep hole to prevent overfill. It works great and would be a shame to have to replace right now. I've noticed that some folks have posted comments about the difficulty having these filled if they do not have the new OPD valves-- I was wondering what veteran Toyota Motorhome owners have experienced with this traveling around the country trying to fill up on propane. What service centers are out there that will fill them? Will I have to just bite the bullet and replace the whole tank? Can you retrofit an OPD valve on older tanks? Any suggestions and comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Edited May 13, 2008 by hddols Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Hi, Is your tank a horizontal bottle (similar to grill bottle) or one of the tanks that mounts to the frame? If your tank looks decent, nice paint, clean, etc place one of the decals on it or near it stating that it is exempt from the newer OPD. A printable copy of this decal can be found on this website in the files section, just takes a little looking. I had two horizontal 20 lb bottles with the older type valves. I had trouble at two places getting filled. I had read that folks were having trouble getting the older ones filled even with the decal, they would cite too old must be reinspected, etc. I just went ahead and replaced them to avoid future problems while I was on the road. With the bottles, the valve assemblies can not be traded between the older and newer types, I don't know about the frame mounts (ASME). Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddols Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Thanks for the response - the bottle is a horizontal 6 or 7 gallon? 30lb - looks to be the original mfg. one. The Winnebago doesn't have a compartment as yours does that would protect the bottles - it's just attached to the frame just behind the driver -- are the bottles you upgraded to safe to be exposed like that? So there is no way to replace the valves on these? I will have to post a picture of the assembly when I have time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Hi, Actually, my bottles sit in a side compartment that is made to hold them. There is a lockable, vented door that closes over them (it's hinged at the top). The compartment is a metal box with a lock bar that holds the bottles in place, The regulator sits on the floor between them. It is so tight with both bottles, that they can't move and can be a minor hassle when removing a bottle for refill. If your bottle is mounted to the frame, you shouldn't have any trouble getting it refilled. Since mine require removing for refill, the attendents thought they were outdated grill bottles. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 my 92 itasca spirit has a 28 lb TANK mounted. As I understand it, tanks are mounted horizontally & have include OPD for a long time. The "weep" hole is another technique used during filling - if liquid comes out then it is full. I have filled mine 4 times since I got my unit recently - never seen liquid, the opd shut it off. cylinders are mounted vertically - they recently were changed to opd (different handle). Propane lockers should NOT be locked. the winniebago website has parts for later models which shows the tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 There are cylinders and there are cylinders......Grill-type cylinders (or bottles) are filled vertically and mount vertically. Cylinders or bottles made for motorhomes fill vertically but must be mounted horizontally as you can see in the pictures above of my cylinders. These are not the grill-type vertical bottles. One picture shows the older type bottle on the left and the newer type on the right, the other picture shows both new ones in the compartment. The older bottle also was filled vertically and mounted horizontally. My locked compartment door has more louvers on it than I can count, so it's not like it is in a closed area where leaking gas can accummulate and cause an explosion and/or fire. If I had my druthers, I'd rather mount one of the ASME tanks on the frame and use the compartment for a generator which I may do down the road. The original owner boondocked a lot and wanted more propane so he opted for this dual bottle set-up from Gardner-Pacific (Sunrader). He towed a generator with a small trailer. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 It’s my understanding that the frame mount tanks are exempt there is a bleeder valve on mine that has to be opened in order to fill it, it won’t fill if it is closed. When it gets to the point of being full it does spit liquid out of the bleeder and it never shows completely full. It has the old style valve handle but no one has ever questioned it. It also has a fill port and does not fill through the valve port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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