Truck bed water tank?

[TBammer]

Anyone use one? What size and make? Where to buy?

My trailer has small fresh water capacity (22, plus 6 in HW tanks) and I am thinking of adding a 25 or 50 gal tank in the truck. (PS - 700 lb hitch weight, 400 lbs of me and wife, mostly me, and some camp chairs, 2800 cargo capacity, so 50 gals is no problem).

[allen8106]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Early last year we purchased this one from TSC (Tractor Supply Company). It has served well. I carry it with us all the time, and often keep water in it when site seeing, or out-and-about. I got the water pump from Lowe's. Click here.

I do the same thing with a plastic 55 gallon drum.

[ependydad]

Grit dog wrote:

ependydad wrote:

rjxj wrote:
60

I have the same fresh water bladder. Haven't used it yet, but it should work.

^This. But I use one of my ballast sacks from the boat. It's a "400 lb" bag so it carries about 50 gal which refills the tank on the camper completely.
Just like the bladder posted, folds up to about the size of a small tarp when empty. Use the ballast pump for the boat too.
You can find pump and bag combos for around $100 and they're very durable. Made out of heavy inflatable raft material.

I just dry camped for 2 weeks and used the Aquatank repeatedly. The biggest trick is to convince myself that I could keep adding water to it.

I do want to add shut off valves for the inlet and oulet. Slapping a hose on there got wet at times.

I used the built-in pump for my fifth wheel, antifreeze inlet, and outdoor shower to fill from the bladder. The biggest trick is to make sure the hose is full before connecting it. Other than that- it was just slow. Took a good 30+ minutes to empty the 40+ gallons I put into it.

I looked at the Harbor Freight 12v pump (and various others) and couldn't find any that are drinking water safe. I'm likely going to buy a real RV pump and use that.

[STANG23L]

My camper is setup off grid. So have to bring water to replenish. I use a 50 gal from Northertool. Currently gravity feeding to the tank in the camper. But plan to install an RV pump on the tank hard wired to the truck. Then run hose to the city water connection.

After doing this for the entire summer. I think I could have gotten away with a 30 gal instead.

[beemerphile1]

FWIW, my Aquatainers spend the off season in the basement filled with water as an emergency supply just-in-case.

[westend]

This 12V water transfer pump from Harbor Freight has a stainless pump body and impellers for replacement are available. I have one with many hours on it and it pumps like crazy.

[ctilsie242]

I like the draw tube and the Aquatainer use. Those containers are definitely easy to spot, easy to dry out for storage, and not too difficult to keep sanitary. Bladders can't dry out completely, so I worry they would become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Right now, my water needs are relatively modest, but I definitely plan to go the Aquatainer route, since it is the most versatile.

[justALnow]

SoundGuy wrote:

justALnow wrote:
On several trips to Daytona I carried extra water in an inflatable air mattress from Walmart . . . about $17, if I recall.

Built a platform from 2x4's and plywood which spanned the side rails of the truck bed. it could all be disassembled and stored under the tonneau cover for transport.

Interesting idea but it sure seems like a lot of work when the simple solution is to buy a few inexpensive 7 gal Aquatainers which are made of food grade plastic and are designed for the purpose of carrying potable water. They'll store easily in the back of any truck whether it's wearing a tonneau cover or not, out of sight, out of mind. One I trick I learned was to equip the pump's intake hose with a draw tube which ensures that ALL water is drawn from the 'Tainer.





More pics are in my gallery. 🙂

I like it!

The bed of my truck was already full of "stuff" and the advantage to the air mattress was that when not in use, it could be folded up and stored. With it on top of the bed rails it gravity fed to my water fill - no pump needed.

[TBammer]

I like the water pump in the battery case. Clever.

[ktmrfs]

discovery4us wrote:
I have four six gallon water cans I got from Wal-Mart, look just like a gas can except blue, that we almost always carry. Nice and easy to store and just pour in as needed.
For the longer off grid trips with more people we have two 50 gal. tanks from Tractor Supply that are intended for herbicide/pesticide spraying. They have a 12 pump that we power off a truck or the trailer.

likewise on the blue water jugs. I installed a water pump in the pass through plumbed the output into the fresh water inlet tube, and the inlet to a section of flexible tube and a SS dip tube. insert the dip tube in the blue water jug, turn on the pump. all done.

[Bionic_Man]

Txsurfer wrote:

Bionic Man wrote:
I have this one.

Works great.

I like this idea - does it work OK with a 5th wheel?

I am pretty sure that it was designed to work with either a gooseneck or a 5er. Either way, I have never had trouble using it with my 5er.

[Txsurfer]

Bionic Man wrote:
I have this one.

Works great.

I like this idea - does it work OK with a 5th wheel?

[SoundGuy]

justALnow wrote:
On several trips to Daytona I carried extra water in an inflatable air mattress from Walmart . . . about $17, if I recall.

Built a platform from 2x4's and plywood which spanned the side rails of the truck bed. it could all be disassembled and stored under the tonneau cover for transport.

Interesting idea but it sure seems like a lot of work when the simple solution is to buy a few inexpensive 7 gal Aquatainers which are made of food grade plastic and are designed for the purpose of carrying potable water. They'll store easily in the back of any truck whether it's wearing a tonneau cover or not, out of sight, out of mind. One I trick I learned was to equip the pump's intake hose with a draw tube which ensures that ALL water is drawn from the 'Tainer.





More pics are in my gallery. 🙂

[justALnow]

On several trips to Daytona I carried extra water in an inflatable air mattress from Walmart . . . about $17, if I recall.

Built a platform from 2x4's and plywood which spanned the side rails of the truck bed. it could all be disassembled and stored under the tonneau cover for transport.

[Bobbo]

I have a 40 gallon fresh water tank so I got this 45 gallon bladder and a spare ShurFlo pump rigged to pump the water. The ShurFlo will double as a replacement if the trailer water pump ever goes belly up.