Towing with fresh water???

[crazylev]

Odd man out here.

I don't, can't, and won't carry any water in my FWT when traveling due to the towing capacity of my Eurovan. I try to keep as light a load as possible. Carrying another 200# or so could determine if I have a tow vehicle left for another trip.

On that note, I have never been (so far) to a campground that did not have some form of water hydrant (drinking), so we fill up upon arrival. We also just use the water in the FWT to do dishes, clean bodies, etc. We carry two or three 2.5 gal plastic store bought containers of H2O for drinking, coffee and so on. Our concern is ussually finding a dump station to get rid of waste weight, if the CG we are at does not have one.

We were just in Mammoth Cave at the main campground that has a dump station, but the day we were leaving, they closed it for "maintainance". So we had to tow eight hilly miles to a Jellystone, and pay $15.00 to use the dump.

We have been to a couple of places in Utah a few years ago when we were just in the Euro where there was no water around for miles. So in that case, carrying would come in very handy.

Jonathan

[Chaplain Kent]

Originally Posted by flyfisher

Ok, next question.

There's a 50 gallon oak barrel of Maker's Mark burbon down in a Kentucky warehouse with my name on it. When it finishes aging, I was wondering how to get it home. Now, I know - if you find something that tastes good, fill you tank, slowly, and travel with it.


John

We'll be staying in Bardstown on our way down to Georgia for the rally later this month. I would be happy to pick up that barrel and take care of it for you. There will be plenty of people at the rally to help me watch the barrel.

[Chaplain Kent]

By the way we never drive with our water tank full. Fuel is just too expensive and water is free! We keep just enough for the day's use and then put some more in when we get to our night's stop. When we get to our destination we fill up. The tank sits under our sofa behind my driver's seat and I never hear the water sloshing around.
This is also a fifty gallon tank so if that barrel of Maker's Mark starts to leak I can always pour it into my water tank.

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

I'd put the keg in the F-250 bed and secure it. If you put it in the Airstream, I'd try to put it over the axles or closer toward the front (never the back, or rear of the axles), but the pickup bed of your F250 would be the best place to put that barrel.

Eric -- I've got a plan here. It flys in the face of what we know about loads and rear end separation. If flyfisher mounts that barrel on his rear bumper, we all could draft behind him with an icepick and a glass .....

[brunoffrance]

Hi there;
Always driving with full clear water tank and empty black water tank ...

There was one time, the black water was full and driving with that level of "water" has reserved me a terrible situation inside the trailer; the odor and the rest ; Curiously now , i never forget to dump before departure .

Bruno.

[Airstream25]

Originally Posted by clancy_boy

ships if at all possible displace fuel usage with seawater ballast to offset the used fuel. For some of the same reasons as the trailer - lowers the center of gravity, increases fuel efficiency (in ships) and ride ALOT BETTER.

I disagree with the statement above, "increases fuel efficiency (in ships)".
That statement defies both common logic and my personal experience with paddling a canoe with 3 people vs. only two people. I find that it is harder to paddle with that 3rd person aboard. Wouldn't harder to paddle contradict "increases fuel efficiency (in ships)"?

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

Eric -- I've got a plan here. It flys in the face of what we know about loads and rear end separation. If flyfisher mounts that barrel on his rear bumper, we all could draft behind him with an icepick and a glass .....

Golly, I wish I had so many volunteers around when I say I need help washing and waxing my trailer!

That reminds me of the late Ed Zern, who wrote a monthly article in Field & Stream magazine called "Exit Laughing". He told about how to make an extra dry Martini by pouring a bottle of gin in a river and then catching it in a glass some distance downsteam.

However, all you "volunteers" should know that the burbon was only recently put in the barrel. What will it be before the 50 gallons is ready? Seven years?

However, in case one of you wishes to stop by the warehouse, I have been informed that the Maker's Mark burbon people plug the barrel's hole with a walnut plug. "We insist on using hard walnut so we can get into your barrel and taste the burbon throughout the aging process." Anyone volunteer to be a quality control tester?

John

[clancy_boy]

I agree this was a very big over-simplification of the facts in general a ship will onload seawater to offset fuel useage. I am on a ship right now and to be sure I used this example correctly I questioned the ships Captain. In general, the ship will TRIM itself for an efficient ride. Before we leave port all the gear I will use for my job is weighed and the mounting location determined in the proper trim of the vessel. Fuel useage is a daily factor in ship trim, the location of the day tank (fuel to be used that day - there are several day tanks), which storage tank the fuel is pumped from, and the offset ballast in seawater is calculated. Efficiency is more than fuel consumption, includes how the ship handles, the ride conditions for the crew (for me the most important factor ) and expected seastate and external conditions are accounted for along with a whole host of other factors. There is a sweet spot in the draft of the vessel that gives maximum efficiency for the fuel used. We burn $13K of fuel a day - trim is very important.

Back to the AS question "is it OK to drive with the tank full?", well I belive alot of what I said above relates to towing. How does the trailer behave? How does the TV behave? What is the loss of MPG in relation to the need to carry water? ETC......

I'm not a seaman but I have lived aboard oceanographic research vessels for well over 6 years of the past 17 years of my career. Some of the of the information on ship operation rubs off.

[Canuks]

I had a laugh reading all the replies! That oak barrel swish will give you a deadly headache in the morning. I will traval with a full tank of fresh water.

[claybags]

Reading all the replies made me think of a situation we ran across up the Rio Dulce in Guatemala some years ago when cruising on our boat. A couple pulled in one morning after a rough trip up from the Eastern Carribbean. They seemed to really like getting into the sauce early in the day! By afternoon, I saw the old gent filling a bottle from one of the yellow diesel gerry jugs lashed to the deck. (They had about 15 of 'em)Looked like pretty thin "diesel". Sooo...I asked what the deal was. "Cheap rum" was the reply. "Filled all the diesel jugs with rum and the fresh water tanks with vodka in Venezuela before shoving off". He showed me how you could "pump yourself a drink" using the foot pump in the galley sink for a little pick me up!!
Needless to say, they did not worry about their ballast and trim at sea!
Cheers, Jeff