Holy sagging water tanks, Batman!
Since I was already having a venting problem with my FW tank, I decided this weekend to look and see why there seemed to be a bulge in my enclosed underbelly. The venting problem was a pretty simp...
Forum Discussion
I see two things here. One I see no reason whatever to haul a trailer around with any of the tanks full or even at 1/2. Empty them. I always travel with empty tanks.
Second there is a reason the Mfg's dont put support underneath these tanks, either steel or wood. In most cases the wrong type will eventually wear right into the tank in fairly short order leaving you with a possibly very big hole in the tank. The movement of the tank against the support (of almost any material) will wear through it as the trailer moves.
At the very least some soft durometer rubber should be placed between the supports and the tanks I have seen added here to at least lessen or slow down the abrasion process. (Whatever you use It should be softer than the tank material)
The tanks on my Gulfstream Innsbruck have a clever design of flat, wide metal spring material that attaches between the frame and the tank (no fasteners just sits there)and spans the underside of the tank to the next frame cross member. As weight is added to the tank in the form of liquid the weight of the tank presses down on the flanges that sit between the tank and the frame actually making it nearly impossible to come out while holding and supporting the tank. Again the one real error is the lack of a soft surface for the tank to ride on to keep from wearing. But it has worked well since 2004.
I just make it easy on myself and travel with empty tanks. My guess is these designs were never intended for travel full.
Second there is a reason the Mfg's dont put support underneath these tanks, either steel or wood. In most cases the wrong type will eventually wear right into the tank in fairly short order leaving you with a possibly very big hole in the tank. The movement of the tank against the support (of almost any material) will wear through it as the trailer moves.
At the very least some soft durometer rubber should be placed between the supports and the tanks I have seen added here to at least lessen or slow down the abrasion process. (Whatever you use It should be softer than the tank material)
The tanks on my Gulfstream Innsbruck have a clever design of flat, wide metal spring material that attaches between the frame and the tank (no fasteners just sits there)and spans the underside of the tank to the next frame cross member. As weight is added to the tank in the form of liquid the weight of the tank presses down on the flanges that sit between the tank and the frame actually making it nearly impossible to come out while holding and supporting the tank. Again the one real error is the lack of a soft surface for the tank to ride on to keep from wearing. But it has worked well since 2004.
I just make it easy on myself and travel with empty tanks. My guess is these designs were never intended for travel full.
