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slowmover · 01-08-2012, 07:13 AM

Propane works "best" when the fuel price differential is great enough that the reduced amount of energy per liquid measure is offset. These days it is not much of a mpg gain in re fuel cpm. Utah, I think, has a very low price. Other areas of the country not so much. On the other hand propane is easy to find, tanks are cheap, and the tech to make it work is straightforward (be very careful nonetheless) in comparison to CNG.

I do like the idea of an additional fuel, but the tradeoff of reduced storage space may not be worthwhile. On a Class C perhaps it would be possible to fit a much larger propane tank of standard RV spec. Again, it would have to be weighed against extra diesel tankage. Both fuels are stable (diesel treated), and a reading of a commercial backup generator page the other day (BALDOR) was making the point of diesel having some advantages over gaseous-powered generators long term. Were your RV mine I would be looking to the Ford truck enthusiast forums to see who has done what with the 7.3. IMO, it's a fair amount of expense for a small benefit, unless,

1] One foresees difficulty in obtaining diesel under some scenarios, where maximizing liquid fuel is beneficial given that a gasous fuel is already aboard. And,

2] Where additional propane capacity is seen as being good for the use of the RV as in a rally or event where a ton of cooking and lighting is needed for big groups outdoors, etc; i.e., the Orby-C is the support vehicle).

If these two items dovetail then further investigation of costs and trade-offs is worthwhile as best I can see.

For what it's worth, I flip back & forth on wanting an all-diesel travel trailer, or adding propane tankage to the truck that the trailer have additional propane for current appliance mix and uses (beyond stretching out the diesel). The latter approach appears cheaper at present. Plus, I'd be able to add a lighter weight ONAN propane versus large/heavy diesel-powered generator (4k or larger to run A/C) to the truck bed more easily than modifying the trailer.

This link to RV Salvage yards in AZ might uncover a horizontal side-fitting tank to retrofit. See Manchester Tank, I'd want a 100# tank (11.5/gls) as a place to start.

.

01-08-2012, 07:13 AM	#151 (permalink)
slowmover Banned Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 2,442 2004 CTD - '04 DODGE RAM 2500 SLT Team Cummins 90 day: 19.36 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,422 Thanked 737 Times in 557 Posts	From another thread: Propane Propane works "best" when the fuel price differential is great enough that the reduced amount of energy per liquid measure is offset. These days it is not much of a mpg gain in re fuel cpm. Utah, I think, has a very low price. Other areas of the country not so much. On the other hand propane is easy to find, tanks are cheap, and the tech to make it work is straightforward (be very careful nonetheless) in comparison to CNG. I do like the idea of an additional fuel, but the tradeoff of reduced storage space may not be worthwhile. On a Class C perhaps it would be possible to fit a much larger propane tank of standard RV spec. Again, it would have to be weighed against extra diesel tankage. Both fuels are stable (diesel treated), and a reading of a commercial backup generator page the other day (BALDOR) was making the point of diesel having some advantages over gaseous-powered generators long term. Were your RV mine I would be looking to the Ford truck enthusiast forums to see who has done what with the 7.3. IMO, it's a fair amount of expense for a small benefit, unless, 1] One foresees difficulty in obtaining diesel under some scenarios, where maximizing liquid fuel is beneficial given that a gasous fuel is already aboard. And, 2] Where additional propane capacity is seen as being good for the use of the RV as in a rally or event where a ton of cooking and lighting is needed for big groups outdoors, etc; i.e., the Orby-C is the support vehicle). If these two items dovetail then further investigation of costs and trade-offs is worthwhile as best I can see. For what it's worth, I flip back & forth on wanting an all-diesel travel trailer, or adding propane tankage to the truck that the trailer have additional propane for current appliance mix and uses (beyond stretching out the diesel). The latter approach appears cheaper at present. Plus, I'd be able to add a lighter weight ONAN propane versus large/heavy diesel-powered generator (4k or larger to run A/C) to the truck bed more easily than modifying the trailer. This link to RV Salvage yards in AZ might uncover a horizontal side-fitting tank to retrofit. See Manchester Tank, I'd want a 100# tank (11.5/gls) as a place to start. .