Re: propane filling question ... do it at home?

You once could buy the fittings both male and female. One  fitting for the
van side and one for a regular 20lb BBQ tank. You then attached those to
special high pressure hose with a special crimp tool. Then you could fill
your tank whenever you could get your hands on a full 20lb BBQ tank (turned
upside down).... 2 big problems..... #1 they don't sell those parts but to
licensed gas fitters... maybe you know one who can make up such a now
illegal adapter for cash ;^)....problem #2... that darn physics again....
filling  it this way will only top your tank up to about half.... The
pressure equalizes between the two tanks... that's why they have the
expensive PUMPing station...

this work around was figured out by a few people who were once told there
tanks were out of date and could not be legally refilled in their state
until they were retested, restamped and relabeled... but good old Yankee
know-how prevailed.