Water Tank Caution

[gordofuchs]

I have been on this site since late 2014. During that time, I have read several horror stories about tanks falling through the coroplast. I recently removed the coroplast on our trailer and now I understand why these tanks fall out. The support system for the tanks are minimal at best. Under my 60 gallon tank there are two 1x2" tube braces that are 6'2" long made from thin walled steel. When I say thin, the steel is less than 1/8" thick. Flanges on the ends are also made from the same material. Those braces are screwed to the inside of the I beams with one self tapping screw. In my case the braces on the curb side of the trailer have begun to rust and I believe in a year or two they would have failed. It should be noted that when my tank is full, it weighs around 500 lbs. When travelling down the road with that much weight bouncing around, I can see why they fall out. In the past, I have occasionally traveled with a full tank, which now I realize what a bad idea that is. When putting this back together, I will be fabricating my own braces with stronger tubes.

I just wanted to put this out there to put some perspective on whether or not to travel with full tanks.

[WhittleBurner]

I think they started adding an extra strap or 2 a few years into production, which of course leaves both our trailers with the chance of the tank falling. We do occasionally run with full or close to it tanks when dry camping where there is no place to dump.

Not sure how good their current strapping is but would be interested to find out if it has improved any.

[huntr70]

It's more of an issue when running around with a full tank of water, as it can cause the tank to pillow, and pull away from the supports.

I haven't heard of any supports failing, just the tanks slipping out.