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DOT approved 120 gallon / 420 pound propane tanks and filling

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shaggyant

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Since there has been so much talk about propane tanks and transporting them I thought I should ask a question I’ve had for a while.

They make DOT approved 120 gallon / 420 pound propane tanks and it looks like from a regulation standpoint I can transport one of these full since it’s DOT approve rather than the stationary ASME approval for home tanks.

https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...e-tank/ysn420dotfr/p-1551166125128-c-6878.htm

Seems like I could mount one to a harbor freight trailer and haul it to Tractor Supply or other refill location for fill up and then bring it back home legally.

https://www.indoorcomfortmarketing.com/general-guidelines-for-propane-tank-placement/#:~:text=All 20lb, 30lb, 40lb,,governing body for these tanks.

Is there something I’m missing? Anyone ever done this?
 
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Firebrick43

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shaggyant said:
Since there has been so much talk about propane tanks and transporting them I thought I should ask a question I’ve had for a while.

They make DOT approved 120 gallon / 420 pound propane tanks and it looks like from a regulation standpoint I can transport one of these full since it’s DOT approve rather than the stationary ASME approval for home tanks.

https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...e-tank/ysn420dotfr/p-1551166125128-c-6878.htm

Seems like I could mount one to a harbor freight trailer and haul it to Tractor Supply or other refill location for fill up and then bring it back home legally.

https://www.indoorcomfortmarketing.com/general-guidelines-for-propane-tank-placement/#:~:text=All 20lb, 30lb, 40lb,,governing body for these tanks.

Is there something I’m missing? Anyone ever done this?
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An individual may transport up to 1000 lbs of propane in an open truck or trailer without a hazmat endorsemet. The cylinder must be DOT rated, which you have covered. It has to remain upright and secure.

Remember you have to have the bottle reinspected after 12 years from manufacture and every 5 years after that to be transported.

Also does your TSC have a way to move the bottle to the scale fill on? DOT bottles that are transported on the highway MUST be filled on a scale. This is why most 120gal/420lb bottles are filled in place off of the bobtail.

With the danger of LPG I wouldn't recommend a HF trailer without at least upgrading the tires and bearings as they are notoriously unreliable in the past. But yes you can do what you want to do.
 
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jack stand

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I've hauled around 100# tanks forever without a question.
FWIW I strapped them securely against the headache rack (vertically) in pickups.
Probably over a certain gallon number you might need a hazmat/cdl, but a single tank and no apparent signal that it's a business once or twice a year....
Tanks of the size that you mention alone I wouldn't mess with, not to mention that trailer!
Put those 2 together and you'll make the front page news in one way or another. 🤣
Are you trying to save money? Having your own tank allows you to shop delivery prices vs being at the mercy of the dealer suppling you the tank even if they're collecting a rental fee.
 
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PCustoms

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I have to ask, why?

Tsc prices must be more then having it delivered. As jack says, you can shop and have the cheapest vendor fill at your property.
 
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fitter30

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Bought a used 500 gallon lp tank of a guy 300 miles from me put it on my 5x10 trailer chained it down drove it 90 miles to my house in St.Louis sat in my driveway for 5 days then hauled it to southern Missouri and a co worker wrote bomb on it. Didn't have a problem or having it filled. lp places by me have a minimum delivery amount 150 gallons just priced into the fuel.
 
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Firebrick43

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fitter30 said:
Bought a used 500 gallon lp tank of a guy 300 miles from me put it on my 5x10 trailer chained it down drove it 90 miles to my house in St.Louis sat in my driveway for 5 days then hauled it to southern Missouri and a co worker wrote bomb on it. Didn't have a problem or having it filled. lp places by me have a minimum delivery amount 150 gallons just priced into the fuel.
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ASME tanks such as your 500 can only be transported without a hazmat if they are empty/vented. Even with a hazmat they can only have 5 percent in them.
 
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Firebrick43

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fitter30 said:
Just had vapor in it but could haul 1000 lbs in a open trailer or pickup bed.
www.hazmatschool.com

How to Safely Transport Propane Tanks | Dos & Don'ts

Proper transportation of propane tanks is crucial to your safety and the safety of surrounding individuals. Learn how you can safely transport it today!
www.hazmatschool.com www.hazmatschool.com
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No you can't

Those rules, as per text, are specifically for DOT tanks only. There are no 500 gallon DOT tanks. They are ASME tanks and not designed to DOT regulations nor have the same inspections required to be transported on the road.

The rules for bulk ASME tanks are very different and you need a have to have a hazmat to transport them with any vapor in them, and even if you have a hazmat you are not allowed to haul over 5%. The only way for them to be transported without a hazmat is for them to be vented completely.

We have to pump out before transporting them down the road.
 
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shaggyant

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Firebrick43 said:
No you can't

Those rules, as per text, are specifically for DOT tanks only. There are no 500 gallon DOT tanks. They are ASME tanks and not designed to DOT regulations nor have the same inspections required to be transported on the road.

The rules for bulk ASME tanks are very different and you need a have to have a hazmat to transport them with any vapor in them, and even if you have a hazmat you are not allowed to haul over 5%. The only way for them to be transported without a hazmat is for them to be vented completely.

We have to pump out before transporting them down the road.
Click to expand...

Not completely true as there’s no way that the trucks delivering propane aren’t DOT approved and they aren’t less than 500 gallons in capacity.
 
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loganb

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shaggyant said:
Not completely true as there’s no way that the trucks delivering propane aren’t DOT approved and they aren’t less than 500 gallons in capacity.
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The comment was there are no DOT rated 500 gallon tanks. Not that there are no tanks larger then 500 gallons that are DOT rated
 
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shaggyant

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loganb said:
The comment was there are no DOT rated 500 gallon tanks. Not that there are no tanks larger than 500 gallons that are DOT rated.
Click to expand...

That seems like a distinction without a difference. Is the tank over 500 gallons and is it DOT rated? Check yes on both counts.
 
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PCustoms

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shaggyant said:
Not completely true as there’s no way that the trucks delivering propane aren’t DOT approved and they aren’t less than 500 gallons in capacity.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure arguing with a guy in the propane industry about propane is advised
 
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Firebrick43

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shaggyant said:
Not completely true as there’s no way that the trucks delivering propane aren’t DOT approved and they aren’t less than 500 gallons in capacity.
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Those are MC 330 and 331 tanks. The have to be mounted directly to the chassis and are covered in a different section of the CFR

They are constructed very differently than the asme tanks fitter30 was talking about, one you see at homes, businesses, and farms.

They use different steels, have much more stringent inspections including getting inside of them 10 years after made and every 5 year subsequent and then a hydro test following the inside visual. . Yearly outside visual inspection by a certified inspector and monthly inspections by the driver.

Once asme tanks (such as the 500 gal) leave the factory they are never hydro tested nor inspected inside again, just external inspections and measuring any external pitting.

Don’t conflate the three very separate types of tanks as one and the same, they are not
 
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