5lb Propane Tanks: before I spend $70+ for one, how much did you pay and where?

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Kozysnack

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So my buddy let me know he found a place to have the tanks recertified with new valves. He was told to use the tanks till they were emptied, then he could get the empty tanks recertified for $75 but that would include a full tank of propane, or he could trade them in at any reseller but would likely only get 20lb tanks from them. Seems like a racket for sure!
wow...but I guess that is a bit of a savings from buying new large LPG tanks. Wouold this give him 12 more years with the tanks?
 

Overland4Heroes

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I'll have to second the Viking Tank. I have an 11lb unit and you should have seen the look on the guy at the propane service station when he picked it up. This version only weights 10lbs empty which is what the 5lb steel version weights empty.

I have both on my truck and originally went with the 5lb for cooking and the 11lb for the propane firepit whenever we were in an area that we could not have wood fires. But after a few days my 5lb valve got stuck and I ended up having to switch back to the mini propane bottles for cooking. After a few days of that I found it easier to just use the mini propane bottles and the setup was much quicker and you can get them from most supercenters after all the refill shops have closed for the day.

The 5lb tanks are handy for mounting on SUV's and tight spaces that's for sure. One thing that I would do to your tank is add a scuba diving tank bottom to it. You can see mine in the picture. It makes a world of difference when it comes to setting it on the ground. But if weight is your biggest concern, then I would look into the Viking Tanks. They are expensive, but most things we buy for compact and weight savings always are aren't they. I use to be big into hiking and oh man what you pay for the words ultra-light is insane. But once you have pulled this thing out of your rig several times you will be thankful. The only caveat is that there are some refill stations that will not fill them. I think this is mostly because they are unfamiliar with them, unless there is something I'm missing, but most of the stations had never seen the tanks before and only one refused to fill it over the course of 10 refills.

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Kozysnack

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WRNX949 is my GMRS, haven't taken my test yet but working on the HAM
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I'll have to second the Viking Tank. I have an 11lb unit and you should have seen the look on the guy at the propane service station when he picked it up. This version only weights 10lbs empty which is what the 5lb steel version weights empty.

I have both on my truck and originally went with the 5lb for cooking and the 11lb for the propane firepit whenever we were in an area that we could not have wood fires. But after a few days my 5lb valve got stuck and I ended up having to switch back to the mini propane bottles for cooking. After a few days of that I found it easier to just use the mini propane bottles and the setup was much quicker and you can get them from most supercenters after all the refill shops have closed for the day.

The 5lb tanks are handy for mounting on SUV's and tight spaces that's for sure. One thing that I would do to your tank is add a scuba diving tank bottom to it. You can see mine in the picture. It makes a world of difference when it comes to setting it on the ground. But if weight is your biggest concern, then I would look into the Viking Tanks. They are expensive, but most things we buy for compact and weight savings always are aren't they. I use to be big into hiking and oh man what you pay for the words ultra-light is insane. But once you have pulled this thing out of your rig several times you will be thankful. The only caveat is that there are some refill stations that will not fill them. I think this is mostly because they are unfamiliar with them, unless there is something I'm missing, but most of the stations had never seen the tanks before and only one refused to fill it over the course of 10 refills.

View attachment 209292
Okay I just order a Viking. Now to run to Tom's Dive shop to get a boot for my Fire King 5#
 

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Looks like the 5lb Flame King tanks are back in stock everywhere. $55 on Amazon, but you might be able to find them cheaper with some hunting…
 
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