HP 40 steel tanks worth anything?

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

Hey guys,
I'm looking at buying a lot of tanks from a guy, who is attempting to sell 12 tanks as a group. He does not want to split them, and says he'd charge more for doing so. The tanks appear to be (he needs to check to confirm, but will do so before the sale): 4 lp 85's, 3 al 80's, 2 al 40's, 1 al 30, and 2 Steel HP 40's.

My goal would be to keep what I want and sell the rest to offset my costs (buying the extra tanks and the gas money to get there. It'd be a 7 hour drive, round trip). I'm not necessarily trying to turn a profit here, so much as just not wanting to waste money a bunch of tanks I don't need. At the same time, with the long drive distance, it'd be nice if I could end up getting the tanks I actually want for cheap by selling the rest.

Now, the 85's I'm genuinely interested in having, and would probably keep two of them. Form what I've seen, I could probably get $200 each for those. If I'm wrong about that, feel free to correct me. I could use an Al 40. I might keep an al 30, just to have since I have a 19 and would have a 40 by that point, though I've heard the buoyancy is rather lousy on those 30's. The 80's I'd probably sell, as I have plenty of those and don't really have the room for more.

I don't have any use for HP 40's. From what I can see, they're pretty much only used for rebreathers, which I don't own. Does anybody know what those go for/have an idea of what a fair price for this lot of tanks would be?
Thanks, SSD.

 

[grantmac]

Not really. LP50s on the other hand...

 

[davehicks]

Get the Hydro dates on each of the tanks before agreeing to a price. That can make a big dent in the value of the tanks. You won't be able to sell them at "full price" unless they have at least 4 years left on their inspections.

 

[missionmtb]

I love my hp40s, I use them for recreational CCR bailout as a sidemount tank and for shallow deco L/R sidemount bailout. They hang nicely, give you a little bit more weight for shallow diving, and tuck nicely under the arm and only extend to about my hip. They're so small they're not visible head-on behind my shoulders. Great way to carry 40-80 cuft of bailout.

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@missionmtb Hypothetically, how much would you pay for a set, used? They have, at most, three years left on the hydro test, and would probably need to be shipped. (I'm not asking you if you'd buy them, like, this isn't a commitment, I'm just wanting to know how much you'd pay under those conditions if you were buying)

@grantmac Do Lp 40's exist? I thought the smallest lp was an LP 50?

@davehicks They have, at most, three years left on the hydros.

 

[missionmtb]

I paid $100/ for mine and that felt like too much. That being said, new they're like $250... Really depends on the buyer.

 

[Scared Silly]

I would not worry too much about selling any of the cylinders. The paint ball crowd buys damn near any cylinder with the right description. With three years left in hydro you should be able to get a good price for them.

My suggestion keep 4 lp 85's, 2 al 40's, 1 al 30, sell 3 al 80's and 2 Steel HP 40's and your al 19.

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@Scared Silly Why so many of them? Like I don't think I'd need both Al 40's, and I had figured on selling two of the 85's, since they're worth the most and would let me recoup a chunk of the costs. I definitely don't wanna sell my 19, as it's the largest tank I could reasonable take on a flight without incurring extra costs, and I would like to use it as a pony when I travel (which admittedly, may be a while).

 

[Scared Silly]

Rule 1 of owning cylinders is that one can not have too many.
Rule 2 of owning cylinders, see rule 1.


Why all four lp85? Think long term. You go for a weekend of diving and can do two dives one day and two dives the next and not screw around getting a refill. Or perhaps a big day of three dives and not screw around getting a refill. Or you dive with a friend who has no cylinders. Instead of renting they use yours and they buy the post dive burgers and beer. Or you and your SO go diving.

We used to travel with a pony bottle and found it was a PITA. Sold one kept the other for camera drying. If we need a pony locally we sling an Al40 or Al30. Much easier than dealing with a smaller bottle.

Out of curiosity what is the current owner asking for the lot?

 

[rjack321]

I don't have any use for HP 40's. From what I can see, they're pretty much only used for rebreathers, which I don't own. Does anybody know what those go for/have an idea of what a fair price for this lot of tanks would be?
Thanks, SSD.

For sump dives. Although lp45s are much more common and typically pumped to 3800 in this application.