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InsideOut · 08-17-2009, 08:23 AM

If that was your price for stainless go for it. Here's ours for the plastic tanks...then we added a stainless cover, pan & surround.

Shari

utee94 · 08-17-2009, 08:36 AM

double post

utee94 · 08-17-2009, 08:36 AM

Those stainless quotes sounds good to me JP, as long as you're good with the added weight, I'd go for it.

Shari-- If I already had the curved beds as you did, I'd do the same. No need to reinvent the wheel.

InsideOut · 08-17-2009, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utee94

Shari-- If I already had the curved beds as you did, I'd do the same. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Yeah, the bummer is the original twin beds were hacked up pretty bad by the PO and made into a double...only the corners themselves and 6-12" on either side are salvageable. We will add new straight legs to complete the new twin bed bases then veneer over the whole thing. Should work, if not, we'll be starting over from scratch and referring to your pics once again.

Shari

A-Merry-Can · 08-17-2009, 09:31 AM

i don't think I'll ever do a trailer without curves now! They really look sweet in the ol Airstreams.

nmbosa · 08-17-2009, 11:08 AM

I'm getting ready to order a new custom black tank for my Overlander and I'm curious how the plastic vs. stainless compare in price and functionality (price seems to be pretty close based on JP and Shari's quotes). The stainless tanks look indestructible, but my concern is the added weight at the rear. RoverOwner said his was easliy 80 pounds and since my black tank sits right at the rear of the trailer, it seems that could lead to problems. Am I worrying about this too much?

The other thing I'm curious about is how either tank manages to support weight. From the looks of these things, they involve a thin sheet of steel or plastic spanning about a 20 - 24" (or greater) area with a toilet placed right in the center. Is there some additional support built into the tanks?

Norm

A-Merry-Can · 08-17-2009, 11:15 AM

The fabrication shop said you could drive a truck over my tank design (in stainless) and it would support it. Plastic might be a different story.

JP

nmbosa · 08-17-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Merry-Can

The fabrication shop said you could drive a truck over my tank design (in stainless) and it would support it. Plastic might be a different story.

JP

I'm not quite a truck (yet), so that sounds pretty good.

utee94 · 08-17-2009, 12:02 PM

I don't know what your plans are Norm, but in my back-half renovation, I have removed quite a bit of weight. By replacing the cast iron/porcelain sink with a stainless one, and using frame construction rather than plywood construction for the vanity, I've probably knocked off 30-40 lbs in the bathroom alone. I've done the same with the beds, and probably removed 10-15 lbs there as well.

If you're careful, you can probably absorb the weight of the stainless tank and lose it elsewhere.

-Marcus

nmbosa · 08-17-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utee94

I don't know what your plans are Norm, but in my back-half renovation, I have removed quite a bit of weight. By replacing the cast iron/porcelain sink with a stainless one, and using frame construction rather than plywood construction for the vanity, I've probably knocked off 30-40 lbs in the bathroom alone. I've done the same with the beds, and probably removed 10-15 lbs there as well.

If you're careful, you can probably absorb the weight of the stainless tank and lose it elsewhere.

-Marcus

I'll have to see what I can do on the weight issue. My plan was to pretty much stick to the original as closely as possible and there really isn't much back there right now other than the toilet, black tank, small vaniety and tub. The 59's only have one wardrobe in the back and the vaniety is much smaller than in the later Overlanders. My best bet for weight reduction in the bath is the sink, but it's only about 12"x12"x6" deep so I'm not going to get a huge amount of weight relief unless I replace it with plastic.

InsideOut · 08-17-2009, 12:51 PM

We built a marine plywood "box" around the tank - supported on the walls with angle clips. So we have the tank, then the wood support then the thin stainless steel...check out posts #346 & 347 for pics. It's really solid and not going anywhere! We figured that while the plastic would support the weight, deflecting over time could compromise and eventually crack it. We never really considered going with a stainless tank heavy-duty enough not to deflect...what gauge are you going with JP?

Shari

nmbosa · 08-12-2010, 04:10 PM

Well, a year later and I'm finally ordering my black tank. Unfortunately, the quote I just got for a plastic tank is $1,240 plus packing and shiping of another $150.00.

. Time to find a local sheet metal fabricator.

bwaysteve · 10-13-2010, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmbosa

Well, a year later and I'm finally ordering my black tank. Unfortunately, the quote I just got for a plastic tank is $1,240 plus packing and shiping of another $150.00.

. Time to find a local sheet metal fabricator.

I recently purchased 2 tanks from Ronco.Uwe Salwender had suggested them.They were great to work with and able to advise me on tanks in their stock that would work for my application.Not sure about curved ,but I am sure they do custom .I was able to get a great price off list! These guys were great!They are in Ca. ronco-plastics.com

scottwtalley · 10-14-2010, 08:02 PM

Andy at Inland RV had an exact match fiberglass blackwater tank for my 69 Caravel. It also curves for the back corner of the trailer. I was not only surprised that they had one, but the tank was somewhere around $300 - much cheaper than I expected to pay to try and have one made.

lucymcdog · 10-14-2010, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Merry-Can

Hi all,

I need to have a black tank made for one of my trailers that matches the rear curve, and I thought I'd see who everyone uses for custom fabrication?

Originally, I had planned to put the toilet on the floor, and run a 90 degree bend to the black tank under the floor. The toilet sits on the back corner, just outside the main frame rail, and the tank area hangs between the frame rails in the middle.

After looking at numerous plans, it seems like the best way is to drop directly into the tank, though so now I'm thinking about something above the floor.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

JP

I recently got a bid from All-rite for a curved on top of the floor black tank for my 1960 18' trailer and it was over $1,000! Seemed a bit pricey to me.

utee94 · 10-15-2010, 08:41 PM

Have any of you considered blocking those curves into lines, and just approximating as close as you can? I'm guessing that has to be significantly easier than fabricating the curves. You'll lose a bit of capacity, but compared to the price?

You've probably already considered this, I'm just sayin...

lucymcdog · 10-16-2010, 07:30 AM

Actually, that's what I decided to do. I figured out how wide and long I could make it without going into the curve and was able to come up with a pretty decent sized tank (18 gallons) for around $150.00 from Tank Depot. The potty can still sit where it was originally - I just have to reposition the sewer outlet somewhat. MUCH less expensive than having a tank custom made!

Dingo Girl · 06-20-2017, 04:08 AM

Does anyone have a picture of how your valve goes thru the belly pan?
It seems there is an extra 1.5" in length on the new valterra valve to deal with that was not there on the old Thetford valve.

Dingo Girl · 07-06-2017, 06:37 AM

I'm going with a separate grey tank with its own drain valve on the curbside & and black tank drain on the street side.
This eliminates having to have a bunch of "stick out" on the bottom of the camper..
Can't come up with a better way.