Fresh water tank

[Lauriann]

When trailering from one campground to another, how much water is safe to keep in the fresh water tank in a Bambi 19 CB? Will it affect the towing ability with water in the tank?

[farafield]

There is an argument that your tank should be either full or empty.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If your tank is partly full, the water can slosh back and forth. That may not be ideal for stability. 90% full / 10% full probably does not matter. Running at 50% probably isn't a good idea.

If your tank is empty, you have a light weight trailer. If you have to pull over for the night at some unexpected location ... the toilet isn't going to work.

If your tank is full, the trailer is heavier and your gas miles *will* decrease. Is that by 0.2 MBG? Who knows .... It is likely that the trailer will be more stable with a full tank.

Bob

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Lauriann

When trailering from one campground to another, how much water is safe to keep in the fresh water tank in a Bambi 19 CB? Will it affect the towing ability with water in the tank?

Where are the tanks, behind or over the axle?

Behind and a full tank ?could? create a too light tongue if not properly loaded.

Over would have little effect on stability on a properly loaded AS

Proper loading & balance with adequate tongue weight is the most important goal, especially with a 'light' single axle unit.

Our tanks are is pretty close to centered and we always travel full & properly loaded.

Bob
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[Lauriann]

Thank you all for your helpful information. It is greatly appreciated!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Lauriann

Thank you all for your helpful information. It is greatly appreciated!

E Fal...We visit New Bedford often...The seafood is to die for, especially at the Portuguese restaurants.

Stream happy...

Bob
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[OutdoorIdaho]

The change in tongue weight will depend on tank placement and can be calculated. For my 2020 19CB Caravel, the coupler is about 12' from the axle with the middle of the freshwater tank being about 2' forward of the axle. This means that 1/6 of the weight of the water contributes to the tongue weight. For a 28 gallon tank at 8.3 lb/gal that water weighs 232 lb. That results a full tank contributing 39 pounds to my tongue weight.

I remain skeptical about any effect of stability from a partial tank (15-20 gallons) sloshing around while driving. However, I do not have anything to support that feeling...

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by OutdoorIdaho

The change in tongue weight will depend on tank placement and can be calculated. For my 2020 19CB Caravel, the coupler is about 12' from the axle with the middle of the freshwater tank being about 2' forward of the axle. This means that 1/6 of the weight of the water contributes to the tongue weight. For a 28 gallon tank at 8.3 lb/gal that water weighs 232 lb. That results a full tank contributing 39 pounds to my tongue weight.

I remain skeptical about any effect of stability from a partial tank (15-20 gallons) sloshing around while driving. However, I do not have anything to support that feeling...

Hi

Once you get into a sway condition and the trailer starts wagging back and forth, anything that is loose and moving can ( and likely does ) make the situation worse.

Bob

[OutdoorIdaho]

Can we agree that if you are in a sway condition where the water in your tanks is what makes the situation worse then you have already made some bigger, more serious mistakes?

I suspect we are in subjective territory here where opinions will differ with individual experiences.

[stevejones]

I would fill the fresh and dump the grey/black before heading to a new spot.

When you travel somewhere else there is always the possibility that the water when you get there has a problem. For us on one occasion the local water had a "boil alert" due to rain and flooding and when you opened the tap brownish water came out. Luckily we had a full tank. A couple we traveled with didn't get the news about the water until after they had filled their tank, so couldn't use their water and then had to do a flush and sanitize when they got to the next place.

Steve

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by OutdoorIdaho

I suspect we are in subjective territory here where opinions will differ with individual experiences.

Experience and trailers...dual axle AS's are more stable than single when properly set up.
The light is doable with smaller TV's but loading and proper lash-up is proportionally more critical.

POI we kept the FT full with our '63 Safari.

Bob
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[Kamiak]

Is it safe and will it affect towing ability with water in the tank? The answer to the first question is that it “depends”. As to the second question, the answer is “definitely”.

Addressing the second question first, let me say what you likely already know: water weighs 8.33 pounds per gallon. If you have, say, a 50 gallon fresh water tank, that’s a little over 400 pounds of additional weight, which may or may not be evenly placed over the axle. Trust me, you’ll notice 400+ additional pounds in your ability to ascend hills, descend hills, and to bring your rig to a stop. And you will actually “feel” a sensation of weight, stability of sorts, as the trailer will seem less vulnerable to “bounce”. Don’t confuse that sensation with increased safety.

Some of that weight may or may not be added to your tongue weight, possibly requiring a slight adjustment in your weight distribution configuration. We rarely dry camp; consequently I either tow with fresh water empty, or at most 1/3 full. When we tow empty, a gallon jug provides adequate water for toilet pit stops. We never drink water from the tank. When we tow with, say, 1/3 full, the extent to which the water is sloshing about is not apparent to me, so I don’t know if there are baffles in the fresh water tank or not.

As to the first question, safety will depend on the towing capability of your tow vehicle, your weight distribution system, and your anti-sway mechanism. If you are not like many here on the forums, i.e. trying to squeeze every last ounce of towing capacity out of your tow vehicle, then the additional 400+ pounds may not pose a safety risk, though it will definitely have an impact as mentioned above. Will it adversely impact the structural integrity of your Airstream? That is a question best left to Airstream and the shell-off restoration experts here on the forum that are fully aware of how well supported the various tanks really are.

I might add that since we nearly always camp with hookups, we routinely leave a given campground without dumping our gray or black water, and then dump on arrival at our next destination. I prefer to have the black tank slosh a bit over a few hundred miles to break up the chunks. I could dump the gray, and sometimes do; but I like to save it to flush the discharge plumbing.

I hope this helps.

[ROBERT CROSS]

^
Yes....but consider, if the weight of carried water, in fact the weight of anything carried, limits towing ability...it's time for a new horse.

Bob
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[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by OutdoorIdaho

Can we agree that if you are in a sway condition where the water in your tanks is what makes the situation worse then you have already made some bigger, more serious mistakes?

I suspect we are in subjective territory here where opinions will differ with individual experiences.

Hi

Stop by some time and I can demonstrate it all to you in under an hour.

Bob

[ROBERT CROSS]

^
Can I come and watch....PLEASE.😵*💫
Make him use his AS.

Bob
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[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

^
Can I come and watch....PLEASE.😵*💫
Make him use his AS.

Bob
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Hi

The only gotcha with using a different trailer is that it likely will take a bit longer. I I already *know* what speeds do what on my trailer. Set it up this way, go over there, get to this fast. Wait a bit for the wobble to start. Squeeze the trailer brake controller tabs and away it goes. On to the next item on the list.

This takes slightly longer if you wait for the truck system to catch it. That does give you an "independent opinion" that the wobble was sway and not a herd of cows dancing in the back of the trailer.

Bob