How safe is it to travel with rear gray water tank full

[Lvn2tvl]

My 5r has one black water, one fresh water and two gray water tanks which are all 38 gallon tanks. I have a rear kitchen and one gray water tank is used only for the sink. I have been traveling with empty tanks so far since I purchased this trailer. I want to use the rear tank to help maintain hitch weight better
with a different number of passengers but not sure it is safe to do. Any insight would be appreciated.

[Oaklevel]

Probably will not make that much of a difference. Esp if the tanks are all in front or above the axles. But I do not know what the set up you have, or where the tanks are located.

[Lvn2tvl]

Forgot to mention the rear tank is behind the axles so if full I would have 38 gals. (300+ lbs.) with the tank full

[Oaklevel]

Don't think it would be unsafe but it won't take a whole lot of weight off the pin if that is what you are looking to do. It will mainly just add to your gross weight.
We have a toyhauler & at times carry a golf cart in the back but a 600-800 lb golf cart only takes a couple hundred pounds off the pin weight at most.

[goduc]

As long as FR welded in good supports for the tank it won't be an issue. But you could cause the TT to handle bad. All that extra weight will affect the handling. The amount that will come off the tongue weight will be a % determined by axle placement. Wouldn't hurt to try though. Most would advise removing tongue weight.

[oxcamper]

I wouldn't travel with water in the tanks if you don't have to.

[goduc]

If the trailer is made right then there should be no issue traveling with tanks full. We do it all the time. Some trailers actually tow better with water in the fresh tank. We also usually have at least 10 gals in the fresh tank for a just in case situation. Of course we dry camp mostly and it's easier to fill the fresh water tank at the house before leaving rather than looking for water when we get near our destination. We sometimes travel 100's of miles with either the black and grey or fresh tanks full. Never an issue in 10,000 miles so far.

[dieselguy]

goduc ... Riddle me this ... why do you travel with the grey and black tanks full? Are dumps that far apart where you wander?

[OldCoot]

Unless the rear tank is completely full, you might get a little tendency of tail wagging.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Lvn2tvl

My 5r has one black water, one fresh water and two gray water tanks which are all 38 gallon tanks. I have a rear kitchen and one gray water tank is used only for the sink. I have been traveling with empty tanks so far since I purchased this trailer. I want to use the rear tank to help maintain hitch weight better
with a different number of passengers but not sure it is safe to do. Any insight would be appreciated.

By (Diffrent # of Passengers) do you mean (In the 5r)? Youroo!!

[goduc]

Originally Posted by dieselguy

goduc ... Riddle me this ... why do you travel with the grey and black tanks full? Are dumps that far apart where you wander?

Yes they are. One spot we camp at is a FS campground with just water spigots. One has no water. The closest dump (2 miles) station wants $10.00 to dump. On busy weekends or Holidays it's a long wait. So we carry the grey/black down the mountain about 75 miles to a another CG that's right off the hwy to home that has free dumps. I've been doing it like that for years. Like I said if the trailer is made properly with good welded supports and has the payload capacity then I see no big deal.
I don't have a problem with the $10.00 fee, but why pay and wait if I can be on my way and dump for free?

[Stormrider151]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Unless the rear tank is completely full, you might get a little tendency of tail wagging.

OC is right. These tanks are not baffled so any water in the tanks are "live "loads. Sloshing of the water will cause weight transfer in curves, stopping and starting. If the tanks are full there is less movement than a half full tanks.

[j free]

My old toy hauler had 200 gal fresh 90 grey 90 black and 65 grey and I would always dry camp for nascar races. Never had a problem with full tanks even the big 200 gal one. but I would dump as soon as possible when I leave. I miss those big tanks.

[Lvn2tvl]

Thanks for all the insight. As mentioned I was concerned that the trailer and tanks could handle this weight for extended travel so you also answered that question. Ok a little information can be dangerous to beginners so here are my specs: Tow Vehicle, Tundra FRT- 4000, RR - 4150, GVWR - 7100. Actual scale numbers: FRT - 3420, RR - 2740. With 5r attached dry: FRT - 3420, RR - 3900, Tandem 5r - 6120, Hitch calculated, 1160. This means I have 18.9% hitch weight to trailer GVWR. My big concern is the truck GVWR is 7100 and with 5r it measures 7320 if my math and research are correct. The 5r manual also says I should be between 9-14% as well but the trailer is completely empty. Why have I read 15 - 20% is best ratio and is the 220 lbs above the truck GVWR an issue to worry about?

[Lvn2tvl]

I apologize if I'm short, to the point and didn't say thank you to all the replys. I do sincerely appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I am told, by my wife, I'm the "A" person and need to relax a little but I just can't until I'm sure I'm doing it right and in a safe manner. Thank you again

[thebrakeman]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Unless the rear tank is completely full, you might get a little tendency of tail wagging.

Yeah, some say the same thing about fresh water. If you are going to tow with fresh water, make sure it's full, to avoid sloshing that could contribute to swaying. Some may say the same about grey tank.

I'm really not sure if a half-tank of water, even at the very rear, would make a significant difference as far as stability. I simply doubt that the sloshing would be in-sync with any swaying that might start.

If you are simply asking about the weight itself, it's perfectly safe, as long as you are not exceeding any ratings.

[j free]

The tundra is a 1500 series truck. Now I know the others will be all over me for this but I would never tow a 5er of any size with a 1500 series truck. between payload being at its breaking point and the breaks not being heavy enough for the added weight I just would never do it ever. Ok Im ready for the people to start hating my post.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by j free

The tundra is a 1500 series truck. Now I know the others will be all over me for this but I would never tow a 5er of any size with a 1500 series truck. between payload being at its breaking point and the breaks not being heavy enough for the added weight I just would never do it ever. Ok Im ready for the people to start hating my post.

X2

[Lvn2tvl]

My 5th wheel is a 24' Starcraft, GVW 6523, GVWR 8200, and dry Hitch weight of 957. My Tundra tow is 9900 with tow package and has payload of 1495 lbs., Firestone air ride, and Firestone Transforce HT "E" series tires. As long as I'm dry I'm pretty sure I'm within specs except for the 250lbs over GVWR of TV as I stated in previous post. Not sure yet if 38 gal of water is added to rear tank will decrease hitch weight but planning to test this week. Please explain why 1500 is questionable.

[asquared]

The weakness of any half ton pickup is its payload capacity. Your scaled tundra weights have it weighing 6160 without the trailer. The gvwr is 7100. 7100-6160= 940 lbs available payload. Your pin weight needs to be lighter than this number. Also did you have all passengers and pets in the vehicle when weighing? If not then you need to subtract their weight from the 940 lb payload as well. What is your gcwr? Subtract your scaled weight from the gcwr to get your adjusted towing capacity. The 9900 lb stated capacity is before options etc added on to your tundra.



As for pin weight, I would not reduce your pin weight. You have an 1160 lb pin weight. You said this is dry, so this is only going to go up as gear is placed in the trailer. The brochure dry pin weight is without propane, battery and dealer installed options. Your fiver weighs 7180 lbs. You actually only have a 15.9% pin weight currently. This is low for a fiver. Typically 18-25% (with average being close to 20%) is the recommended pin weight for a fiver. The 9-14% you see is for tongue weight and refers to all types of trailers. On travel trailers, the ideal tongue weight is 13-15%.

So yes you are within overall tow capacity but over on payload. Many tow over on payload and do fine. I do not as I have had bad experiences doing it. Some will say it is an issue with insurance if you are over, I have only ever heard 1 story of this being true. Ultimately, the decision on towing.g outside a trucks limits are up to you, how comfortable are you towing and stopping the rig in a panic stop situation? How comfortable are you on its handling as others pass you or in a side wind etc. For me, I want as much truck as possible but that's related to my experiences of towing over limits.