traveling with water tows better?

[RoyBell]

This seems odd to me, but I have come to the conclusion that towing with a full fresh tank of water, the trailer actually tows better. Anyone ever experience this before?

It's not night and day better, but just seems to be better.

I am concerned about the trailer load traveling with an extra 300# of water if it's not needed. Maybe it's in my head?

[69_Avion]

RoyBell wrote:
You have 80 gallons of FW on a 20' trailer? Did it come like that? That's amazing.

I built a trailer for my 1969 Avion camper. I have 40 gallons in the camper and about 40 gallons under the trailer along with 20 gallons of gasoline with a filling station and 100# of propane in 4 bottles along with solar. I can stay out for quite some time.

[SoundGuy]

tomman58 wrote:
Who would run around with the gray and black tank full to the brim, nuts

Lining up at a campground dumpstation along with legions of others when it's totally unnecessary is to me the definition of "nuts". :S I instead do travel with black tank content and service my tanks at home using my FloJet Macerator ... that to me "makes sense". :B

[mec500]

I hold 175 of fresh water and never leave home without being topped off, I only boondock. My tanks are located directly over the axles and the grey and black in front so the hitch weight can change drastically other than that it's just heavy

[Huntindog]

tomman58 wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:

tomman58 wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Actually over 200 gallons isn't uncommon. I prefer empty.

200 gallons??? In what a water truck?? LOL

I can't think of a trail that would handle that much, can you?

If your trailer had full tanks, you would be real close to 200gals. I don't know if it could handle the weight 😉

Not 200 gallons of fresh water. Who would run around with the gray and black tank full to the brim, nuts

Not really. I have four 42 gallon waste tanks. Since I always boondock, (the absolute best way to camp. Awesome spots and no neighbors) I routinely tow home with all of them full or close to it.
I think the campgound fans are nuts. i just don't see the attraction of going from the city house to a smaller version of the same thing. If that was all I had available to me, I doubt I'd own a TT.
But lots of people love it, so more power to them.
They do get to tow home with empty tanks.:B

[Chuck_and_Di]

On the way out with a full water tanks in the front and empty black / grey tanks at the rear it tows much better than on the way back with empty water tanks in front and full(ish) black / grey tanks in rear. There are no hook-ups or dump stations where we camp. It's all about weight distribution. If your tanks are in a different location, your results will be different.

[tomman58]

coolbreeze01 wrote:

tomman58 wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Actually over 200 gallons isn't uncommon. I prefer empty.

200 gallons??? In what a water truck?? LOL

I can't think of a trail that would handle that much, can you?

If your trailer had full tanks, you would be real close to 200gals. I don't know if it could handle the weight 😉

Not 200 gallons of fresh water. Who would run around with the gray and black tank full to the brim, nuts

[blksmith]

My 2006 23 ft Kampsite seems to tow smoother with full tanks.
How ever my 50 gal fresh water tank fell out a week ago when I was filling it. No more towing with full tanks.
TJ Smith

[coolbreeze01]

tomman58 wrote:

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Actually over 200 gallons isn't uncommon. I prefer empty.

200 gallons??? In what a water truck?? LOL

I can't think of a trail that would handle that much, can you?

If your trailer had full tanks, you would be real close to 200gals. I don't know if it could handle the weight 😉

[tomman58]

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Actually over 200 gallons isn't uncommon. I prefer empty.

200 gallons??? In what a water truck?? LOL

I can't think of a trail that would handle that much, can you?

[coolbreeze01]

Actually over 200 gallons isn't uncommon. I prefer empty.

[RoyBell]

You have 80 gallons of FW on a 20' trailer? Did it come like that? That's amazing.

[69_Avion]

My 20' trailer has 3 water tanks. One 40 gallon and two more that are close to 20 gallons each. With a full water heater I have over 80 gallons of water and have never had an issue of a "surge" from no baffles. Having three seperate tanks helps with that issue.
I alway leave with full tanks. Coming from AZ, that is important, especially since we boondock most the time. The latest trip to Northwest Montana didn't even use up all the water and there were absolutely no towing issues. The key is to have a trailer set up properly with the proper weight distribution no matter which tanks are full or empty.
As far as miles per gallon goes, I haven't noticed any difference whether I'm full or not. That is almost 700# difference. Even though I try to fill up at home because I know the water source is clean, I do dump the black and gray tanks when I get the chance.

[dave54]

4X4Dodger wrote:
... But since those tanks have NO Baffling to prevent the liquid from pounding front to back or side to side there is the distinct likelihood that in an evasive maneuver you would set up a 300 to 400 pound liquid "hammer" pounding back and forth in the tank...

My freshwater tank has baffles. Some do and some don't.

[Lynnmor]

4X4Dodger wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

RoyBell wrote:
Glad to hear it's not just me.

My only theory is the fact that it puts the bulk of the weight LOW. Essentially lowering the center of gravity of the trailer.

Good point, I never heard anyone express that before.

This is a good point as far as it goes. But since those tanks have NO Baffling to prevent the liquid from pounding front to back or side to side there is the distinct likelihood that in an evasive maneuver you would set up a 300 to 400 pound liquid "hammer" pounding back and forth in the tank.

This could set up a harmonic sway in the trailer and cause a loss of control that even acceleration might not stop.

This and the fact I don't need to haul the extra weight around for 1000 miles (my trips are fairly long) I go with empty tanks.

I just water hammered out of Death Valley on 190, across 120 to Yosemite, ran most of Calif. 49 and crossed mountain passes as needed. 9020 miles total and deliberately chose the scenic routes rather than interstates. It sure was great having a self-contained trailer that handled some of the most crooked roads in the country without any issues.