Fresh tank full or not when towing?

[dkonrai]

2009 Springdale 189.
1999 Cummins 24v or 7.3 tow vehicle.
I hear alot of different answers. I tow with 70 gallons of fresh water so my trailer is more stable towing. Had a buddy yell at me about not to do this. Claim is my tank is going to fall out. Springdale support seems pretty beefy with welded 2 inch straps for support on the tank.
Am I wrong? Will my tank fall out hitting a rut?
Thanks.

[Old-Biscuit]

I always tow with fresh water tank FULL
I like to have water upon arrival at destination.....never know if water will not be available (happened once)

Falling out....
Yes it has happened due to lousy RV MFG designs
Using 'wings' on tank vs straps or using cheap strap

Tank should be fully supported with at least 2 straps that hold it in place and keeps tank from sagging
*Fresh & Waste tanks

This is NOT how you want your tank to look like



I Never leave w/o fresh tank FULL

[dkonrai]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

I always tow with fresh water tank FULL
I like to have water upon arrival at destination.....never know if water will not be available (happened once)

Falling out....
Yes it has happened due to lousy RV MFG designs
Using 'wings' on tank vs straps or using cheap strap

Tank should be fully supported with at least 2 straps that hold it in place and keeps tank from sagging
*Fresh & Waste tanks


I Never leave w/o fresh tank FULL

Thanks. We drive full because when we pull up I don't want to sit in line waiting to fill the tank. We mostly dry camp. Lol and have 4x6 gallon jugs of water in the bed too.
That picture is crazy!

[vsheetz]

We typically travel with water tank full and waste tanks empty. Ready if having to hole up somewhere in case of weather, breakdown, or other.

[Cumminsfan]

I carry 80 gals if needed. If not then 30 gals. I have a 2" angle running across the bottom of the tank thats OEM. Anyone can add it. Peace of mind.

[dkonrai]

My tank. Seems pretty sturdy.

[wildtoad]

Not in a TT but relevant. I used to not take water with us, nor fill the tank when we got to the destination (not boon-dockers). Then there was the time where the CG water was awful tasting, or the time the CG water system was temporarily kaput. As a result we take some with us and fill the tank when we get there.

[carybosse]

I have always traveled with freshwater tank empty and I actually just used city water hookup. However, last camp trip, with freezing weather predicted, I filled up the fresh water tank when we arrived so I did not have a hose laying on the ground to freeze. I will probably consider this more often now that I am comfortable with the fresh water tank.

[DoneWorkin]

Originally Posted by dkonrai

Springdale support seems pretty beefy with welded 2 inch straps for support on the tank.
Am I wrong? Will my tank fall out hitting a rut?
Thanks.

I always travel with full freshwater (100 gallons) - and yes - your tank may fall out hitting a rut!

BUT - only if the manufacturer was incompetent when doing the welding on your supports.

So I vote - NO you are not wrong - a properly installed fresh tank should be able to travel full.

Mine tried to fall out - they used strong beams but didn't put in the self tapping screws properly on all the straps - so I had one bust loose on me. Luckily nothing fell out and I was just able to jack it back up and put some proper bolts in to hold it all.

I had also already added an extra strap because the "highly trained" assembly team had not spaced the straps evenly and the tank had a noticeable "hernia" between two of the straps. Now that I have bolted up the strap that broke loose and added the extra strap (~1" square galvanized from Menards) I feel fine towing all day long with full freshwater.

[profdan]

I'd prefer to tow with an empty fresh water tank -- less wear and tear on the tow vehicle's transmission and the trailer's suspension.

But we usually boondock, and water is very scarce in the West. So we usually fill the tank at home.

So I guess I would be in the "don't travel with a full tank unless you have to" group.

[Nwcid]

We have 120 gallons and always travel full. Of course with empty holding tanks.

We are boondockers and if we do not take it with us, we won't have any.

I know some people go from FHU campground to campground. Even if I was doing that, I like to be prepared and would travel with full tanks.

At our last stop, we had planned on staying at a campground as I had to be gone a few days and my wife wanted the "comfort" of being hooked up. We left our previous place with very low water, fairly full holding tanks and low on propane. Well things did not work out the way we planned and did not end up at a campground. Luckily I have a 50 gallon water bladder and a 60 gallon waste tank so we were able to make a couple of trips to dump/fill but it was a pain.

As for wear and tear on a vehicle, if you are towing that close to max it may be something to consider......

[Ldubs]

Our trailer tows well with an empty or full tank. If we know there will be a water hookup, then we tow empty. If we know there won't be a water hookup, then we fill the tank before we leave.

At 21 gallons, our FW tank is pretty small compared to yours. I might have less concern about those two straps holding the tank.

[Tomahawk]

We tow near empty. We always know before we leave where we can get water and confirm it is available. Same with dump station. We don't drink the water so taste doesn't matter for us. I have a Walmart 6 Gallon jug I can use to add water to the tank if necessary. My tank is pretty far forward and it adds a a lot to the tongue weight/payload. It also makes the Freshwater tank valve drag as I exit my driveway.

[CamperLifer]

I never tow with fresh water unless you count the cases plastic water bottles and the plastic gallon jugs of spring water. I have never been to a campground that did not have city water available to fill the tank.