The fill valve on my '77 Westie tank can accept either a female connector 
(on the outer threads that are clearly visible) or a male connector 
(on the inner threads inside the filler tube). This latter connector is 
the one most normal barbeque tanks accept and is the one I use to connect 
to a portable tank for filling purposes.

Your task is simply to assemble a flexible gas line with male flare 
fittings on both ends. One attaches to your portable tank; the other 
attaches to the Westy tank. Note that this connection will be 
straight-forward on the portable tank but somewhat recessed on the Westy 
tank (due to the allowance for the female fill connection.) I used normal 
flare nuts on a short piece of copper pipe and hose-clamped to a 
flexible/translucent gas hose. (Hey, I was in Mexico, OK ?!) These 
(narrow) nuts make using a wrench difficult on the Westy tank, but it 
works.

If you have the dough, I don't see why you couldn't attach a tank 
connector to each end of a Coleman gas hose...

Propane lesson:
Your LP tank is filled with liquid propane; it exits as gas propane. 

Fill procedure:
-Close the gas valve to your Bus. Make sure no sparks are lurking.
-Connect the two tanks with a hose like the one described above.
-Invert and elevate the portable tank. (I hang mine upside down 
from the rain gutter.)
-Open the valve on the portable tank.
-Open the bleeder valve on the Westy tank (or the equivalent on your 
tank) and wait until liquid starts coming out of the bleeder.
-Close the valve on the portable tank.
-Close the bleeder valve. (Be careful not to freeze your fingers off.)
-Disconnect hose.   

Note that this procedure is probably not approved by the LP Gas 
Distributors of America (if there is such a body) and might be illegal. 
Oh, well....

+ Morris Arthur                                       morris_arthur@unc.edu
+ Center for Multiphase Research                 http://cmr.sph.unc.edu/CMR
+ Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC   http://www.sph.unc.edu/envr

On Sat, 4 May 1996, john wakefield wrote:

> Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 10:37:43 -0700
> From: john wakefield <jwakefield@4dmg.net>
> To: marthur@gibbs.oit.unc.edu
> Cc: JWakefield@4dmg.net
> Subject: Re: Fill propane yourself
> 
> Morris,
>   A while back you wrote:
> > 
> > I occaisonally fill my tank from another (portable) tank. 
> 
>   Where can I buy the required connectors to do this from my perfectly 
> good older barbeque propane tank into my 83 Westie tank?  The local 
> Camper supply place says it can't be done with stock off the shelf stuff 
> but for lots of money they will "get something special made up" to make 
> this commection. 
>   Seems you've gotten past their level of ignorance, and I'd like to join 
> you in knowing how to do it for a reasonable price.
> 
>   Thanks a lot,
>   John Wakefield
> 
> 
>