Propane Tank Cover Trim

[DavePhelps]

Thought I would put this up here in case anyone else is having the same issue I had. Soon after leaving the factory, the plastic strip that lines the bottom edge of the tank cover started to come off. It was a very cheap piece of 'L' plastic kind of glued on here and there. Really, it was pretty ugly even when new. So I finally found this very nice 'U' channel on Amazon that fits perfectly. These trims come in a vast variety of sizes and colors. It appears to be a very high quality vinyl compound and has internal fins that grab the cover on both sides, so no gluing is involved. I just set it in the sun to warm up and gently tapped it on with a rubber mallet. Before doing this, I carefully scraped off all the old glue residue with MEK and a plastic razor blade, followed by a light scrub with a 3M WHITE scotch brite pad (love these for tough cleanup jobs on the trailer, no scratching)  Then I filed all the edges to make sure there were no sharp edges or bumps in the fiberglass. Then a good wash. Here's the product:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F9FXQLU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

This looks so much better to me, and the fit is great, better than with the stock plastic trim. It's supposed to be marine grade, so hopefully it will last. My Elite took 5 feet to do. Those with the Elite 2 will need to measure, but the stuff is available in different lengths. It's all in the details!

 

Dave

[Raspy]

That is really nice Dave.  I'm gonna do it too.

[Spike]

Very nice indeed.

[topgun2]

Dave - I am constantly amazed with the people on this Forum.  People perceive a "problem" or a way to make something "better" and then they find a way to do it.   I think that this is why this Forum is so good.  I know that there are not many of us and I can only wish that more of the present owners would actively join in sharing their experience, but, until that happens, I certainly appreciate the efforts of member such as yourself.

 

Bill

[JWalmsley]

We are always on the lookout on ways to improve quality. I am going to refer to our team about this.

 

Thanks for sharing Dave!

[Mike and Carol]

Dave, I ordered the trim from Amazon. I had my cover off this afternoon because I needed to fill one of my propane tanks. The trim was still intact but I can see this will be a nice improvement.

 

BTW, when I pulled the cover off I found a growing wasp nest complete with a half dozen busy wasps. Since I was at my storage facility with only my truck I had to rub my chin for a moment before coming up with a course of action. I got my can of WD-40 out of my truck box, raised the red tube into firing position, took careful aim and released a volley of WD-40. Two wasps flew away very erratically, three fell to the ground and one dangled from the saturated nest.  I knocked the nest off and smushed it into the gravel and then proceeded to remove the empty tank.  Another use for the trusty can of WD-40

 

 

[DavePhelps]

I'm glad some of you found this useful, and hope the trim works for your cover. I'm hoping that Oliver makes them all about the same thickness. The thickness of my cover fell within the specs of the trim. Filing really helped to smooth out that edge and even thing out. To me, it has made a huge visual difference for the better. My wife didn't notice..! LOL. Oh well, we all see things differently, that's for sure. Happy camping!

 

Dave

[ScottyGS]

Dave,

 

Thanks for posting this.  I have been wanting to do this for some time and finally got around to it.  The Amazon link still works.  I didn't measure the amount needed for the LE2 and just got the 10' length.  It took about 7 feet total so now I have some left over to store forever and never find a use for again. :-)

 

Installation was easy....   I pressed it on by hand.   This product has some type of malleable metal inside the vinyl cover.  It stays on very secure and makes the propane cover sit solidly as well. I was getting a bit of rubbing on the bottom fiberglass and this trim solves that problem.   You will need a good utility knife to cut to length.   The hardest part about doing this is finding suitable trim material and Dave has solved that problem for us.

 

Scotty

[DavePhelps]

Hey Scotty,

 

Glad it worked out for you. Mine still looks like new and has worked great!

 

Dave

[Frank C]

Did Oliver ever upgrade the factory installed trim based on this idea?

[ScottyGS]

Not sure of the answer to that. But... I just looked at the new pictures of the LE2 on the website and it looks like they made an improvement to the trim.  Our 2016 had very thin plastic trim.  It started to crack after the first year.  I pulled it off and just left it bare for a while but then the fiberglass started to rub so I knew I had to make this upgrade.

 

For new owners... if you are in the ordering stage...  I would not worry about this.   If Oliver beefed up the trim and that works for you .. fine.  If not... it's an easy cheap upgrade.   Either way it will be all good.

 

Scotty

 

 

[KenB]

Hull number 351 that was picked up this past June has the original style trim, or at least not the trim style shown in the amazon link.  No trim issues to report yet.

[JohnZ3]

<b>Has anyone considered using this over the "gray" fiber glass edge on the twin beds? That is between 3/16" to 1/8" thick. Thanks.</b>

 

 

[NCeagle]

On 7/11/2017 at 3:12 PM, DavePhelps said:

Soon after leaving the factory, the plastic strip that lines the bottom edge of the tank cover started to come off. It was a very cheap piece of 'L' plastic kind of glued on here and there. Really, it was pretty ugly even when new.

Hull 688 has this issue.  The trim keeps coming loose during every trip.  I've tried some duct tape because I didn't want to glue the strip on.  That hasn't worked.  I got super lucky when search actually found this thread!  I do believe this is the first time a forum search has provided a result I was looking for.  😉

The link is still good after nearly 4 years!

[taylor.coyote]

i stumbled over this post while looking for something else.  I have been unhappy with the factory trim. This looks like a killer solution. Just ordered the trim.

Has anyone presented this to the factory for production of new trailers??

[ScubaRx]

27 minutes ago, taylor.coyote said:

i stumbled over this post while looking for something else.  I have been unhappy with the factory trim. This looks like a killer solution. Just ordered the trim.

Has anyone presented this to the factory for production of new trailers??

Did you have to order 25 feet?

[taylor.coyote]

i stumbled over this post while looking for something else.  I have been unhappy with the factory trim. This looks like a killer solution. Just ordered the trim.

Has anyone presented this to the factory for production of new trailers??

 

Yes, Have more than i can use.. I would be happy to share 

[ScubaRx]

1 hour ago, taylor.coyote said:

i stumbled over this post while looking for something else.  I have been unhappy with the factory trim. This looks like a killer solution. Just ordered the trim.

Has anyone presented this to the factory for production of new trailers??

 

Yes, Have more than i can use.. I would be happy to share 

I'd be happy to share the cost and shipping with you.

[SeaDawg]

I'm adding  screenshots of the product for the day the Amazon link stops working. 

That looks really nice. I bought some u-shaped trim at an auto supply for ours years ago. 

[Patriot]

Thank you Dave Phelps!

I completed this mod today on the LP tank cover or dog house. With the extra material left over I decided to install it on the twin bed shelf edge which is a little rough. It just makes for a much nicer complete fit and finish. This appears to be a pretty high quality moulding. It has quite a strong bite on the edge once installed. Leave it in the sun for a few minutes and it goes on with hand palm pressure with very little effort. 

[ScubaRx]

Looks very nice.

 

[Mike and Carol]

Good idea to use it for the beds.  Those edges can be a little sharp.

[taylor.coyote]

I'm home and installed the trim on my trailer today. I needed a couple of inches short of 6'.  A tip on the installation. I used a rubber mallet to set the trim. Also, to get the trim running all the way to the back edge of the housing, i had to cut off the back of the trim the last 1/2" inch or so. When done, it looks nice. You will find the cover sits a bit higher (trim is thicker than factory's).  the trim stands a bit proud. I think the trim will catch water and grit a bit like a rain gutter. I live on the very damp north coast of California amongst  the old growth redwoods. I'm guessing I will have something green wanting to grow in the trim in time. Likely, I will need to pull and clean and possibly replace on occasion. I think it's a good solution but time will tell.