Camco 59173 36-Inch RV Propane Pigtail Hose

The Camco 59173 is the little pigtail hose that keeps your RV running on propane. It connects your propane cylinder to the regulator on your camper or trailer, and it's the part most people don't think about until the old one cracks or starts weeping at the fitting. If you've got a travel trailer, a fifth wheel, or a motorhome with a standard two-stage regulator, this is the hose that ties the tank to it.

One end is a Type 1 ACME nut. That's the big hand-wheel connector you thread onto a 20 lb or 30 lb refillable propane cylinder, the same tanks you'd swap at the hardware store or fill at the propane counter. No wrench needed on that end. You spin it on by hand and it seats against the tank's ACME valve. The other end is a 1/4 inch inverted male flare, which is the standard inlet you'll find on most RV and trailer propane regulators. Thread it in, snug it with a wrench, and you're connected.

It's 36 inches long, which gives you enough slack to route the hose cleanly from the tank rack to the regulator without pulling it tight. On a lot of trailers the tanks sit on the A-frame up front and the regulator is mounted right there between them, so 36 inches leaves room to loop the hose so it isn't kinked or under tension. A hose under tension is a hose that works its fittings loose over time, and this length helps you avoid that.

Flow-wise it's rated for 200,000 BTUs per hour, which is well beyond what a typical RV propane system pulls even with the furnace, water heater, fridge, and stove all running. So the hose isn't the bottleneck. It just feeds the regulator, and the regulator steps the pressure down to what your appliances want.

A few honest notes so you order the right part. This is the version without a regulator and without built-in thermal protection. It's a straight feed hose, a pigtail, meant to replace a worn hose on a system that already has its own regulator. If your setup uses a regulator with an integrated pigtail, or you're building an auto-changeover two-tank setup, make sure the fittings match what you have before you buy. The ACME nut and the 1/4 inch inverted flare are the common RV combination, but it's worth a two-minute check under the tank cover.

You can also run this hose to a 4-port brass tee as an auxiliary propane supply, which is handy if you want to add a quick-connect for a grill or a fire pit off the same tank. Same fittings, same idea.

Installation is straightforward. Close the tank valve first. Always. Thread the ACME nut onto the cylinder by hand until it's firm, then connect the flare end to the regulator and snug it with a wrench, not gorilla-tight, just enough to seal the flare. Then open the tank slowly and do a leak check. Brush a little soapy water on both fittings and watch for bubbles. No bubbles, you're good. Bubbles mean back it off and reseat. It takes five minutes and it's the difference between a hose you trust and one you wonder about.

Who's this for? Anyone doing routine RV propane maintenance. Rubber pigtails don't last forever. They dry out, they crack near the crimp, and the smart move is to replace them on a schedule rather than wait for a failure on a cold morning at the campsite. Keep a spare in the storage bay. They're cheap insurance, and swapping one out is a job any owner can handle with a single wrench.