Rockwood/Flagstaff - travel with full fresh water tank?

[Jimbee]

Hey All,

Do you Rockwood/Flagstaff trailer owners travel with water in your fresh water tanks? We're considering purchasing a Rockwood or Flagstaff travel trailer and do a lot of dry camping, so traveling with water is important to us but many of the NYS parks we go to do not have threaded hose bibs that you can hook a hose to for filling up. From what I've read some trailers cannot travel with water on board because of flimsy construction. Would love some feed back from actual owners.

Many Thanks!

Jimbee

[SoundGuy]

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

SoundGuy wrote:
It's all relative ... I've always towed with 1/2 ton vehicles properly sized for the trailers I was towing and whether the FW tank was partially or completely full has made zero difference at all in how the combination towed. I don't give it any thought at all ... because I don't have to. 😉

bartlettj wrote:
With a tt it isn't about the towing, it's about the forces on the tank straps. The sloshing is going to be a dynamic force that is worse than the static force of the full tank weight.

No one has ever complained about a tank suddenly falling off the trailer when it's just sitting there but when it's being towed so yes, it is ALL about the forces on the straps when towing. Support the tank properly and one can easily tow a travel trailer without giving any thought at all to how full or empty the tank(s) may be. :R

[bartlettj]

SidecarFlip wrote:
Would seem prudent to me (at least) top look under an RV once in a while and see if anything is hanging and if I observed a tank hanging like a pot bellied pig's gut, I'd address it.

But I guess people never look until the tank falls out. When that happens your are really dry camping.

Lots of RV's have the tanks hidden by an underbelly cover.

[bartlettj]

SoundGuy wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

It's all relative ... I've always towed with 1/2 ton vehicles properly sized for the trailers I was towing and whether the FW tank was partially or completely full has made zero difference at all in how the combination towed. I don't give it any thought at all ... because I don't have to. 😉

With a tt it isn't about the towing, it's about the forces on the tank straps. The sloshing is going to be a dynamic force that is worse than the static force of the full tank weight.

[SoundGuy]

drsteve wrote:
One thing everyone is missing here: a measly couple hundred pounds of water slopping around will have virtually no effect on a TT that weighs 6000-8000 lb.

I haven't missed it, that's why I tow with my 30 gal fresh water tank anywhere from nearly empty to completely full without ever giving it a thought. 😉

[SidecarFlip]

Would seem prudent to me (at least) top look under an RV once in a while and see if anything is hanging and if I observed a tank hanging like a pot bellied pig's gut, I'd address it.

But I guess people never look until the tank falls out. When that happens your are really dry camping.

[colliehauler]

drsteve wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

I found this out the hard way when I was a kid driving a farm truck with a water tank on the bed. It was half full I stopped at a stop sign, and the sloshing water bounced me out into traffic.

I'd make the argument that since I replaced the Lippert garbage with supports made from rolled angles that are not much heavier, I have not had a problem in going on 3 full seasons no matter how much water was in the tanks.

I have towed with varying amounts of water in tanks with no issues when it comes to stability, sway, feel, or anything else in this and 3 prior trailers. I suppose if you have a setup that the tail is wagging the dog or borderline to it, you might feel something. A prior Keystone trailer had a 30 gallon tank in a dinette bench sitting on the floor, higher location, between running gear and hitch, and on one side, and no issues with tank half or 2/3 full either.

There is a heck of a lot of force in a large stock tank with several hundred gallons of water even with the truck is properly sized. That's why some large tanks have baffling to prevent this. Same with semi tank trailers. In a smaller tank the effect is not as pronounced , kind of like your vehicles fuel tank.

If you take a gallon milk jug full of water and swing it side to side in your hand then dump half the water out and do the same thing the difference will be apparent.

I love these forums. The are 9 million registered RV's in the US and most have fresh water tanks. Out of those 9 million owners maybe 1/4 of 1% belong or post to RV forums. I do not think any of those 8,977,500 owners, who don't frequent forums, have ever given a second thought to how many gallons of water they have in their tank when they are driving down the road. They could care less if its empty, full, or somewhere in between.

The RV forum.......complicating the uncomplicated since 1862 LOL.

Personally if my 43 gallon tanks hold 43 gallons each, and the supports do not deflect or worse, I am just about as happy as I can be. I certainly am not going to get into some halfassed forum discussion about fluid dynamics with a bunch of other geezers. The only fluid dynamics I care about is pouring liquids from brown bottles. By the same token having had a few trailers that would be classified as an RV, and quite a few more of the equipment and material hauling flavor, I have never been on a cat scale either. I use EZ lube on trailers that have it, and probably have or have had Chinese made ST tires on all of them........But I'm weird.

You know what they say, ( Ignorance is bliss).

I know what else they say, (These forums are notorious for taking something that is totally a non issue, and having it made into one to support some point someone is trying to get across)

I am surprised the national news broadcasts are not full of RV's laying on their sides due to wrecks caused by half filled fresh water tanks, and the NHTSA has not forced the RV Industry to install baffles in all tanks including the black and gray. I am also shocked not one single manual or warning sticker I have ever seen nor read warns an owner about half filled tanks and the possibilty of water sloshing around causing havoc. But its your story......tell it however you want.

Personally, in 10 years of involvement with RV forums, I honestly can not remember one single discussion about it.

I'm out.

One thing everyone is missing here: a measly couple hundred pounds of water slopping around will have virtually no effect on a TT that weighs 6000-8000 lb.

Isn't that what I said? In large volumes fluid is a concern, Airplanes, tanker trucks ect. In a vehicle you don't feel the gas sloshing around or the water in a RV tank.

I think someone took my post a little personal and it was not meant to be. Most people who purchase a RV don't have a clue about marginal tires and axles, poor frame construction or a other various RV construction issues and have a wonderful time camping. It's only when you have a issue these problems come to light, hence the quote Ignorance is bliss.

And there has been people on RV net that have lost a water tank, usually on toy haulers that carry over 100 gallons.

[drsteve]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

I found this out the hard way when I was a kid driving a farm truck with a water tank on the bed. It was half full I stopped at a stop sign, and the sloshing water bounced me out into traffic.

I'd make the argument that since I replaced the Lippert garbage with supports made from rolled angles that are not much heavier, I have not had a problem in going on 3 full seasons no matter how much water was in the tanks.

I have towed with varying amounts of water in tanks with no issues when it comes to stability, sway, feel, or anything else in this and 3 prior trailers. I suppose if you have a setup that the tail is wagging the dog or borderline to it, you might feel something. A prior Keystone trailer had a 30 gallon tank in a dinette bench sitting on the floor, higher location, between running gear and hitch, and on one side, and no issues with tank half or 2/3 full either.

There is a heck of a lot of force in a large stock tank with several hundred gallons of water even with the truck is properly sized. That's why some large tanks have baffling to prevent this. Same with semi tank trailers. In a smaller tank the effect is not as pronounced , kind of like your vehicles fuel tank.

If you take a gallon milk jug full of water and swing it side to side in your hand then dump half the water out and do the same thing the difference will be apparent.

I love these forums. The are 9 million registered RV's in the US and most have fresh water tanks. Out of those 9 million owners maybe 1/4 of 1% belong or post to RV forums. I do not think any of those 8,977,500 owners, who don't frequent forums, have ever given a second thought to how many gallons of water they have in their tank when they are driving down the road. They could care less if its empty, full, or somewhere in between.

The RV forum.......complicating the uncomplicated since 1862 LOL.

Personally if my 43 gallon tanks hold 43 gallons each, and the supports do not deflect or worse, I am just about as happy as I can be. I certainly am not going to get into some halfassed forum discussion about fluid dynamics with a bunch of other geezers. The only fluid dynamics I care about is pouring liquids from brown bottles. By the same token having had a few trailers that would be classified as an RV, and quite a few more of the equipment and material hauling flavor, I have never been on a cat scale either. I use EZ lube on trailers that have it, and probably have or have had Chinese made ST tires on all of them........But I'm weird.

You know what they say, ( Ignorance is bliss).

I know what else they say, (These forums are notorious for taking something that is totally a non issue, and having it made into one to support some point someone is trying to get across)

I am surprised the national news broadcasts are not full of RV's laying on their sides due to wrecks caused by half filled fresh water tanks, and the NHTSA has not forced the RV Industry to install baffles in all tanks including the black and gray. I am also shocked not one single manual or warning sticker I have ever seen nor read warns an owner about half filled tanks and the possibilty of water sloshing around causing havoc. But its your story......tell it however you want.

Personally, in 10 years of involvement with RV forums, I honestly can not remember one single discussion about it.

I'm out.

One thing everyone is missing here: a measly couple hundred pounds of water slopping around will have virtually no effect on a TT that weighs 6000-8000 lb.

[drsteve]

Lynnmor wrote:
A half tank of water would still be spread over much of the tank area even in a sharp turn. In other words, the full weight of the water will not be at the extreme edge of the tank. If there is a noticeable problem, you have an extremely marginal tow vehicle. What would you do if your mother-in-law in the back seat shifts her weight to pass gas?

Roll the window down?

[Ralph_Cramden]

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

I found this out the hard way when I was a kid driving a farm truck with a water tank on the bed. It was half full I stopped at a stop sign, and the sloshing water bounced me out into traffic.

I'd make the argument that since I replaced the Lippert garbage with supports made from rolled angles that are not much heavier, I have not had a problem in going on 3 full seasons no matter how much water was in the tanks.

I have towed with varying amounts of water in tanks with no issues when it comes to stability, sway, feel, or anything else in this and 3 prior trailers. I suppose if you have a setup that the tail is wagging the dog or borderline to it, you might feel something. A prior Keystone trailer had a 30 gallon tank in a dinette bench sitting on the floor, higher location, between running gear and hitch, and on one side, and no issues with tank half or 2/3 full either.

There is a heck of a lot of force in a large stock tank with several hundred gallons of water even with the truck is properly sized. That's why some large tanks have baffling to prevent this. Same with semi tank trailers. In a smaller tank the effect is not as pronounced , kind of like your vehicles fuel tank.

If you take a gallon milk jug full of water and swing it side to side in your hand then dump half the water out and do the same thing the difference will be apparent.

I love these forums. The are 9 million registered RV's in the US and most have fresh water tanks. Out of those 9 million owners maybe 1/4 of 1% belong or post to RV forums. I do not think any of those 8,977,500 owners, who don't frequent forums, have ever given a second thought to how many gallons of water they have in their tank when they are driving down the road. They could care less if its empty, full, or somewhere in between.

The RV forum.......complicating the uncomplicated since 1862 LOL.

Personally if my 43 gallon tanks hold 43 gallons each, and the supports do not deflect or worse, I am just about as happy as I can be. I certainly am not going to get into some halfassed forum discussion about fluid dynamics with a bunch of other geezers. The only fluid dynamics I care about is pouring liquids from brown bottles. By the same token having had a few trailers that would be classified as an RV, and quite a few more of the equipment and material hauling flavor, I have never been on a cat scale either. I use EZ lube on trailers that have it, and probably have or have had Chinese made ST tires on all of them........But I'm weird.

You know what they say, ( Ignorance is bliss).

I know what else they say, (These forums are notorious for taking something that is totally a non issue, and having it made into one to support some point someone is trying to get across)

I am surprised the national news broadcasts are not full of RV's laying on their sides due to wrecks caused by half filled fresh water tanks, and the NHTSA has not forced the RV Industry to install baffles in all tanks including the black and gray. I am also shocked not one single manual or warning sticker I have ever seen nor read warns an owner about half filled tanks and the possibilty of water sloshing around causing havoc. But its your story......tell it however you want.

Personally, in 10 years of involvement with RV forums, I honestly can not remember one single discussion about it.

I'm out.

[colliehauler]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

I found this out the hard way when I was a kid driving a farm truck with a water tank on the bed. It was half full I stopped at a stop sign, and the sloshing water bounced me out into traffic.

I'd make the argument that since I replaced the Lippert garbage with supports made from rolled angles that are not much heavier, I have not had a problem in going on 3 full seasons no matter how much water was in the tanks.

I have towed with varying amounts of water in tanks with no issues when it comes to stability, sway, feel, or anything else in this and 3 prior trailers. I suppose if you have a setup that the tail is wagging the dog or borderline to it, you might feel something. A prior Keystone trailer had a 30 gallon tank in a dinette bench sitting on the floor, higher location, between running gear and hitch, and on one side, and no issues with tank half or 2/3 full either.

There is a heck of a lot of force in a large stock tank with several hundred gallons of water even with the truck is properly sized. That's why some large tanks have baffling to prevent this. Same with semi tank trailers. In a smaller tank the effect is not as pronounced , kind of like your vehicles fuel tank.

If you take a gallon milk jug full of water and swing it side to side in your hand then dump half the water out and do the same thing the difference will be apparent.

I love these forums. The are 9 million registered RV's in the US and most have fresh water tanks. Out of those 9 million owners maybe 1/4 of 1% belong or post to RV forums. I do not think any of those 8,977,500 owners, who don't frequent forums, have ever given a second thought to how many gallons of water they have in their tank when they are driving down the road. They could care less if its empty, full, or somewhere in between.

The RV forum.......complicating the uncomplicated since 1862 LOL.

Personally if my 43 gallon tanks hold 43 gallons each, and the supports do not deflect or worse, I am just about as happy as I can be. I certainly am not going to get into some halfassed forum discussion about fluid dynamics with a bunch of other geezers. The only fluid dynamics I care about is pouring liquids from brown bottles. By the same token having had a few trailers that would be classified as an RV, and quite a few more of the equipment and material hauling flavor, I have never been on a cat scale either. I use EZ lube on trailers that have it, and probably have or have had Chinese made ST tires on all of them........But I'm weird.

You know what they say, ( Ignorance is bliss).

[Ralph_Cramden]

Lynnmor wrote:
What would you do if your mother-in-law in the back seat shifts her weight to pass gas?

I would pull over, boot her out, and make her walk to the destination.

I am sure someone will be along soon to say they successfully reccovered the gas their mother in law passed and somehow burned it in the tow vehicle getting 37 miles per cubic foot lol.

[Ralph_Cramden]

colliehauler wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

I found this out the hard way when I was a kid driving a farm truck with a water tank on the bed. It was half full I stopped at a stop sign, and the sloshing water bounced me out into traffic.

I'd make the argument that since I replaced the Lippert garbage with supports made from rolled angles that are not much heavier, I have not had a problem in going on 3 full seasons no matter how much water was in the tanks.

I have towed with varying amounts of water in tanks with no issues when it comes to stability, sway, feel, or anything else in this and 3 prior trailers. I suppose if you have a setup that the tail is wagging the dog or borderline to it, you might feel something. A prior Keystone trailer had a 30 gallon tank in a dinette bench sitting on the floor, higher location, between running gear and hitch, and on one side, and no issues with tank half or 2/3 full either.

There is a heck of a lot of force in a large stock tank with several hundred gallons of water even with the truck is properly sized. That's why some large tanks have baffling to prevent this. Same with semi tank trailers. In a smaller tank the effect is not as pronounced , kind of like your vehicles fuel tank.

If you take a gallon milk jug full of water and swing it side to side in your hand then dump half the water out and do the same thing the difference will be apparent.

I love these forums. The are 9 million registered RV's in the US and most have fresh water tanks. Out of those 9 million owners maybe 1/4 of 1% belong or post to RV forums. I do not think any of those 8,977,500 owners, who don't frequent forums, have ever given a second thought to how many gallons of water they have in their tank when they are driving down the road. They could care less if its empty, full, or somewhere in between.

The RV forum.......complicating the uncomplicated since 1862 LOL.

Personally if my 43 gallon tanks hold 43 gallons each, and the supports do not deflect or worse, I am just about as happy as I can be. I certainly am not going to get into some halfassed forum discussion about fluid dynamics with a bunch of other geezers. The only fluid dynamics I care about is pouring liquids from brown bottles. By the same token having had a few trailers that would be classified as an RV, and quite a few more of the equipment and material hauling flavor, I have never been on a cat scale either. I use EZ lube on trailers that have it, and probably have or have had Chinese made ST tires on all of them........But I'm weird.

[Lynnmor]

A half tank of water would still be spread over much of the tank area even in a sharp turn. In other words, the full weight of the water will not be at the extreme edge of the tank. If there is a noticeable problem, you have an extremely marginal tow vehicle. What would you do if your mother-in-law in the back seat shifts her weight to pass gas?

[colliehauler]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

bartlettj wrote:
I'd make the argument that 2/3 full is worse than full. If the tank is full, it doesn't slosh so it's dead weight. A sloshing tank will act like a slide hammer on the tank hangers.

I found this out the hard way when I was a kid driving a farm truck with a water tank on the bed. It was half full I stopped at a stop sign, and the sloshing water bounced me out into traffic.

I'd make the argument that since I replaced the Lippert garbage with supports made from rolled angles that are not much heavier, I have not had a problem in going on 3 full seasons no matter how much water was in the tanks.

I have towed with varying amounts of water in tanks with no issues when it comes to stability, sway, feel, or anything else in this and 3 prior trailers. I suppose if you have a setup that the tail is wagging the dog or borderline to it, you might feel something. A prior Keystone trailer had a 30 gallon tank in a dinette bench sitting on the floor, higher location, between running gear and hitch, and on one side, and no issues with tank half or 2/3 full either.

There is a heck of a lot of force in a large stock tank with several hundred gallons of water even with the truck is properly sized. That's why some large tanks have baffling to prevent this. Same with semi tank trailers. In a smaller tank the effect is not as pronounced , kind of like your vehicles fuel tank.

If you take a gallon milk jug full of water and swing it side to side in your hand then dump half the water out and do the same thing the difference will be apparent.