Propane transfer pump.

[mblair441]

I have 2 propane tractors which I want to fill from my home propane tank. The big tank has a liquid line, valves, hose and everything else I need, but
when I hook it all up, it fills slower than Christmas. In fact Im not sure its filling at all. ( yes, the relief valve is open on the tank)
Is there such a thing as an electric propane transfer pump for the home/ farm user? 12 volt or 110 ac would be ok.
Or, am I just impatient?

 

[Steve@Advance]

Would think it should transfer with just the pressure differential.

I used to fill forklift propane tanks from a storage tank with no pump. I don't remember it taking very long.

 

[Bob Harvey]

Gravity is a key factor in that type of transfer. I'm not sure I would be comfortable using an electric pump - unless it was installed and maintained by the propane co.

 

[16-30 oilpull]

The secret to bleeding it over is to significantly lower the pressure in the tractor tank and after you feel the gas flowing in the lines just the small valve on tractor tank is enough to keep it flowing. I have a valve that fits the vapor valve on the tractor and I open this a good bit and then open the liquid line from main tank slowly and feel a thump in that line, open bleed off valve on tractor and then close the vapor valve on tractor,flows petty fast. Hope this makes sense how I explained. Not really that complicated. Wear googles and rubber gloves to avoid getting burned. (pretty fast)

 

[Alvin 41]

Agree with 16-30 oilpul ,you need that 2'd venting on what would be the vapor return if you were using a pump like that at a commercial refueling station. Goes fast unless you open the refueling tank valve too fast and it automatically shuts off.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Any time I've had propane tanks filled they were put on a scale and weighed to tell when they were filled. I think if you need to be weighing them to insure you are not overfilling the tanks. It would also tell you if the bottles are filling.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

Temperature plays a big part in transfer speed . As little as a few degrees is significant . The filler bottle needs to be warm , the bottle to be filled colder .
You can do this by waiting until the sun is on the fill bottles and keeping the tractors to be filled in the shade .
Or if you can be bothered , ice water on the tractor tanks and hot water on the filler tanks.

 

[Jerry Coulter]

I made a transfer pump from an automotive air conditioner pump belted to a 110 volt sealed motor from a gas pump mounted on an angle iron frame. It is important to use a sealed motor. I got the hose and fittings from a local LP dealer. When filling the tractor, it is important to open the bleed valve and to shut the pump off when liquid appears. Be careful to just loosen the fitting to bleed off the fill hose prior to disconnect. And use gloves. Jerry

 

[ss55]

Your tractors fuel tanks will probably be higher than the fuel level in your bulk tank and you'll be transferring 100 to 200 pounds at each fill, so a pump will speed things up. I would work with your supplier and get a pump they recommend. They will see your setup the first time they refill your bulk tank, so I would avoid having something that could set off red flags with them. Will you need to keep the pump inside an enclosure?

 

[Dieseltech]

While a transfer pump would be nice to have, I've just used the pressure drop method for years. I park the tractor in a shady spot, then move it close to the main tank after it's warmed up in the sun. Bleed some pressure off the tractor tank and use the spit valve to know when it's full. I do the same for my 20, 30, and 40 LB cylinders. LP weighs about 4.25 LB per gallon, does not take much pressure drop to move the lighter fuel compared to gas or diesel fuel.

 

[Russ from MN]

I fill small tanks by using temperature and gravity

 

[Repairman60]

Our old neighbor converted a 67 Ford to run on lp. He was an old gas man had several years experience. He had a hand pump on his tank to transfer fuel to his car.

 

[Paul Janke]

There are hand powered pumps. The ones I have seen have had a cylinder with check valves and a wooden handle. The pump was set up so that it looked a lot like a floor jack. I don't remember the size of the cylinder, and I don't know what kind of seals are required. A hydraulic cylinder should work if the seals would hold up. For safety there should be a pressure relief valve in the fill line which would go back to the inlet side of the system. I think it should be no more than about 100 psi relief. I have considered trying to use a double acting cylinder using compressed air to operate it.

 

[shaun wallace]

Get fitting for vapor return open up some. Doesnt take long. Used to run couple pickups on LP. Had 120 gallon tanks on them. Depending on temp it was pretty quick.

 

[used red MN]

Guy we used to farm with in the 70s and 80s had propane
tractors. I think one trick he used was to run on just the vapor valve before fueling. Probably not much help on a hot day. He also had a piston type transfer pump. It had a small cylinder and larger cylinder hooked together with one shaft. It would use vent off pressure to move the large cylinder back and forth. This moved the smaller cylinder on the opposite end of the shaft which pumped the liquid. Think like pistons on the side of a steam locomotive. Probably not approved for sale by OSHA or fire Marshalls. I did see this for sale online, seems to represent the one talked about having the wooden handle.
One offering

 

[rlp in Co.]

I made a pump from a power steering pump one time. I had to braze a fitting on the pump. I used it for many years but the shaft seal finally started leaking. I made another one but for some reason I couldn't get it to work. It would just stall a electric motor. Don't know what exactly is wrong.

 

[RedGreenGuy]

I had MM670 LP. Gas company installed a John Blue LP pump. Fill line was to bottom of 1000 gal supply tank, so always filled with liquid. Guessing 7-10 mins to fill near empty tank.

 

[mblair441]

Gentlemen, thank you all for the great advice. Let me be more specific. My John Deere 730 is a factory LP that has a small nipple that you screw onto the top of the tank when filling, which releases significant pressure and allows it to fill much faster. The other LP tractor is a Ferguson 40 that was converted to LP by use of a tank off of a Massey Ferguson 50. As most of you know the F 40 and the MF 50 are mechanically the same tractor, although the F 40 did not have a factory LP option as did the MF 50. The LP tank from the MF 50 only has a small bleeder valve on the top, not a high volume Bleeder like the John Deere. I suspect thats why the tank fills so slowly. What is the best way to install a higher volume pressure bleed off, that would allow the tank to fill with liquid more quickly? Has anybody done this to a Massey Ferguson factory LP tractor?