Propane tank removal and refinishing.....

[Eyez Open]

So this MH is a 83 HR Imperial, back in the day it ran on gas&propane...no longer. However that leaves with a very old but in good shape 7' long 18" inch high propane tank..and it needs some love.

It is on the passengers side it starts about 18" away from the front wheel and ends up at the side entrance door. Yes it is long and tall i believe it holds 80 gals....It cannot be dropped straight down not enough clearance, Ive thought about jacking it up on one say say 10 inches but what that might do to the frame itself scares me. I have no access to a pit to work from so i am asking....has anyone been there done that? This tank has a new value of about 1500 dollars in the box...so i am just going to drop it wheel off the old paint and and repaint...I think..i hope...kinda maybe. W%

[ClydesdaleKevin]

If the rust isn't so bad that it looks dangerous to you, just clean the rust that you can see from the access door and underneath, and just paint what you can reach and see.  That will make it easier to get your propane filled, as some propane places are sticklers when they see too much rust.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Run the tires on that side up on boards set on top of each other to rise up as you go further up them. I assume you are leaving yourself with no propane at all?  No heat, hot water or cooking?

[Eyez Open]

If the rust isn't so bad that it looks dangerous to you, just clean the rust that you can see from the access door and underneath, and just paint what you can reach and see.  That will make it easier to get your propane filled, as some propane places are sticklers when they see too much rust.

Kev

Yes i do agree with you on that, it is a ASME tank with surface rust....looks terrible asthestically yet the walls themselves would never rust thru in my life time. However for my own peace of mind i really need to drop it and refresh the components. It actually does contain 60 plus gallons of propane and that is a lot of fuel...The actual work itself is minimal if done right...that is the issue i have no work experience with RV's and old RV's at that...Life experience tells me to focus on what Not To Do rather than what to do..

[Eyez Open]

Run the tires on that side up on boards set on top of each other to rise up as you go further up them. I assume you are leaving yourself with no propane at all?  No heat, hot water or cooking?

Actually i have the luxury of rebuilding this RV and not inhabiting it at the same time. I can say the entire system of propane works quite well, It is quite amazing to see 80's tech and design withstand the test to time and still function so well.

You do not see a issue with leveraging so much weight on side of the frame/suspension?  Recently i had the front end lifted and blocked up about 10 inches for a week. The frame..actually the floor did shift, I've laid some new flooring down and have found maybe a 1/4 inch of shift that occurred and is still occurring..Again i have no actual work experience with such matters busting up springs axles..tag axles now does concern me. Building a ramp did not accour to me.

[Rickf1985]

You always want to try to support the frame in a manner that the weight is spread out over as wide of an area as possible. The easiest way to do this is to us the factory suspension mounting points as you jacking points. Put stands under the axles whenever possible and if you can't go under the axle, say you are removing the axle, then you go to the frame where the springs mount. You will just about always find that there is a crossmember at that very spot for extra strength. If you run it up on ramps, always use solid ramps, nothing hollow underneath. Once up where you want it be sure to block both front and back of the tires on the other side so it can't roll forward or backward. Now it is supported by it's own suspension just like it is any other time. Taking out the propane tank will have no affect at all on the frame. All frames are designed to flex to some extent, if they didn't they would break.

[TerryH]

All frames are designed to flex to some extent, if they didn't they would break.

As is your house, bridges you use every day, high rises, etc. You won't notice it in your house. On a bridge, stopped in your lane with traffic moving in other lanes you will feel bouncing. If you didn't the bridge would have collapsed. 60 floor high rise, look out a window at the horizon. You will see and likely feel the building move. If you didn't, the building would not be standing.
As to the 1/4" shifting of your flooring. common practice is to always allow at least 1/4 to 3/8" for expansion/contraction and normal movement.
To reiterate Rick, if it didn't flex it would break.