Cargo Trailer Conversion - Propane Issue

JaxDad wrote:

Sushiholic11 wrote:
I am in the middle of converting my 14x7 cargo trailer into a "toy hauler" travel trailer.

Bob

I hope you only plan on boondocking or otherwise dry camping with it.

Very few if any parks will let you in with a homemade rig unless you've gone the extra mile to get it certified.

guess I've been to the "wrong" places. I have a 7x14 cargo trailer converted to a "mini" toyhauler. It has gas, living quarters etc. Since 2004 in addition to using it as a toyhauler for bike riding, we and now our son uses it as a camping trailer in parks. I've never ever had anyone even blink an eye about it when registering it or using it. In fact, many times people, including the park employees come buy to look at the inside to see how we set it up.

And I've seen many other people in parks and campgrounds that bring in a cargo trailer as well. most don't have propane, but I've seen some others that do. And they are "homebuilt" as well.

Does a park/campground have the right to prohibit entry for lack of certification? Absolutely.

Yes, you can buy separate regulators so that you can tap between them to get the approximate 16 psi to go to a remote quick coupler. One of my first RVs had a Marshall regulator that was actually two piece with a quarter inch nipple between the first and second stage. I added a tee, an isolation valve and a 25 foot hose with the connector like the disposable tanks, I forgot the CGA#, to run any kind of camp grill I want. I kept that regulator and move it from RV to RV. I've had to make some new viton internal parts for that regulator over the years but its still working.
As far as being legal… I've been gas appliance certified since 78 and Factory Mutual, Zürich, boiler inspectors etc. gave me their blessing to repair controls,safety valves and anything else I needed to repair on large industrial equipment.
Besides being totally cheap junk, the only special thing about these RV regulators is they have the changeover built in to the first stage regulator. It works by setting the lead tank delivery pressure to be slightly higher than the lag tank delivery pressure so that the lead tank will run out first and the decrease in pressure allows the lag tank to deliver the gas and the lead/lag indicator shows that the system is now running on the lag tank. Craig

Ralph Cramden wrote:
What or who determines legal anyway?

Maybe the RVIA certification label which is a joke and not required to begin with?

The goobermint sets out life safety standards, in a sticks & bricks, it’s a building code, electric code, gas code, fire safety items, etc., etc.

With an RV it’s covered by the NFP 1192 standard it covers more than 500 safety specifications for electrical, plumbing, heating, fire and life safety established under the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard for Recreational Vehicles.

No, the RVIA seal is NOT required, but compliance with NFP certainly is. There are several private companies that can do the work, several small RV manufacturers go this way instead of using the RVIA system.

BTW, every park I’ve seen people refused at was in the US. In almost every case it was when the person registering put down what their ‘RV’ was. In one case we had pulled in late and in the morning when they came around they gave him the option of moving to an unserviced ‘tent’ site or leaving.

I don’t stay in too many ‘high scale resorts’ in my 23 year old class C m/h.

I have however seen a dozen or so, including a good friend who has a converted cube van, get turned away from campgrounds for not being legal.

In one instance he was allowed in, but had to take a space in the ‘tent’ section where there was no water or electricity.

Ya I'm good, we don't stay in parks where that would be a problem. If anyone ever did say anything then I would just say that is how it came from factory.

I'm fairly certain that many rigs have added on rigid steel pipe with quick disconnects aftermarket and without inspection or certification.

Sushiholic11 wrote:
I am in the middle of converting my 14x7 cargo trailer into a "toy hauler" travel trailer.

Bob

I hope you only plan on boondocking or otherwise dry camping with it.

Very few if any parks will let you in with a homemade rig unless you've gone the extra mile to get it certified.

Thank you for the input. It looks like I am on the right track as that was the exact setup I had in mind.

Bob

Sushiholic11 wrote:
My question is this, is the 10-15 psi first stage a readily available part?

Fleetwood for years installed a regulated high pressure feed on the curb side of their Grand Tour popup models that terminated with the same threaded fitting used on 16.4 oz propane canisters. They achieved this by using 2 separate regulators, the first being red that reduced tank pressure to ~ 16 p.s.i. The output of this regulator was T'd with one leg going to the curb side threaded fitting and the other leg feeding a second regulator that would further reduce pressure to 0.5 p.s.i. which was then fed to the interior devices inside the camper. I used that regulated high pressure feed on the side of my Santa Fe to power the supplied high pressure stove that came with the camper and my Weber Q grill (without removing it's regulator). Worked just fine.