Fresh Water Tank, but no fill station at campground

[CT Sound Shooter]

It's absolutely ridiculous that FR recommends riding in my Grey Wolf 30 foot toy hauler with an empty FW tank. I totally agree with anyone who then asks, "Well, then what's the point of owning a camper?"
So, I hauled my new camper a few years ago with the FW tank full. And then, on my way back home to Connecticut from the mountains in Pennsylvania, my FW tank dropped while I was driving on the highway. Luckily, the trailer axle under the under the tank caught it, preventing it from dropping out completely.
When I looked closely under the camper after this happened, I realized why FR advises you ride empty: the tank that holds well over 200 pounds of water weight when full is only held up by two thin steel straps that broke.
I would hate to think how dangerous it would be if the FW tank fell out completely on the interstate - I'm sure someone could get killed.
I had my dealer modify my camper with aluminum angle bars that now support my FW tank so that will never happen again and I ride full all the time.
Here a link to my modification with pics:


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nk-152686.html


Hope this helps,


CTSS

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by Murph60

First trip coming up with our Rockwood A122S and were former campers so we are used to roughing it, but what do you do if the campground does not have a fill station.

When I picked up my camper I was told not to fill the fresh water tank up at home and travel with it. Is that normal? I understand it due to the water weight on the brackets, but curious what others do in this situation.

We have a 4 hour drive and it really would not be much of an inconvenience to go without.

Thanks,

No. Although some here support that it is silly.

With over 50 years of RVing never left home without a full tank. Most places I camp do not have water.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by CT Sound Shooter

It's absolutely ridiculous that FR recommends riding in my Grey Wolf 30 foot toy hauler with an empty FW tank. I totally agree with anyone who then asks, "Well, then what's the point of owning a camper?"
So, I hauled my new camper a few years ago with the FW tank full. And then, on my way back home to Connecticut from the mountains in Pennsylvania, my FW tank dropped while I was driving on the highway. Luckily, the trailer axle under the under the tank caught it, preventing it from dropping out completely.
When I looked closely under the camper after this happened, I realized why FR advises you ride empty: the tank that holds well over 200 pounds of water weight when full is only held up by two thin steel straps that broke.
I would hate to think how dangerous it would be if the FW tank fell out completely on the interstate - I'm sure someone could get killed.
I had my dealer modify my camper with aluminum angle bars that now support my FW tank so that will never happen again and I ride full all the time.
Here a link to my modification with pics:


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nk-152686.html


Hope this helps,


CTSS

Crappy design.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by MNtraveler

There are very, very few actual campgrounds that have NO water. Most at least have one or more potable water spigots. In 5+ years including five cross country trips including several national parks and forests, we have been to one “dry” campground (Saddlehorn Campground in Colorado National Monumemt). In that case, we filled out tank at a local fast food by soeaking with the mgr before heading uphill into the camp. Have fun!

You do not camp out west.

[dedobias]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

And the myth lives on.

Safety experts say don't travel with it on. Trailer manufacturers almost all say don't leave propane on. Lines are generally run near the wheels and no one ever has a blow out. ANd of course EVERYONE shuts it off at a gas station so the ignitor doesn't spark away while Billy Bob walks away with the pump locked on.

Nope it's all myth and it NEVER happens.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by MNtraveler

There are very, very few actual campgrounds that have NO water. Most at least have one or more potable water spigots. In 5+ years including five cross country trips including several national parks and forests, we have been to one “dry” campground (Saddlehorn Campground in Colorado National Monumemt). In that case, we filled out tank at a local fast food by soeaking with the mgr before heading uphill into the camp. Have fun!

Nothing wrong with accepting water from a local benefactor...e.g. the fast food joint. One significant word of caution. An outside hose bib is very likely contaminated with various environmental contaminants...including a dog lifting his leg on the spigot...a handy target. Always clean the hose bib (as well as hose connections if the freshwater hose is stored in an RV's "basement" compartments). I carry a pump spray bottle of Clorox Cleanup for this purpose. Spray all potentially contaminated connections, in particular the hose bib, and let sit for 15 minutes...or as long as you can if it's less. Then flush everything thoroughly before introducing the water into your fresh tank.

The outdoor hose bib on any establishment, including your home and the one at the RV park, should be considered contaminated until you clean it. A properly installed potable water "hydrant" at a Forest Service campground might be an exception...with one major exception - COVID or other illnesses. If the last person to use the hydrant was sick - even pre-symptomatic - and they handled the hydrant spigot and/or valve/pump handle, you'd be wise to clean before use. The Clorox Cleanup contains enough sanitizing power to cope with any potential contamination.

This is why I fill at home.

[IDguy]

BTW, one of the assertions here is correct: the Forest River Motorized Manual does recommend traveling with empty tank. Their reasoning is nonsense: effect on gas mileage and wear on vehicle. I am sure they have no data to support such assumptions. Just an idiot manual writer who never RVd (like many of their designers).

The manual forgets they don’t have have valves on the drains. It came with ridiculous plugs requiring crawling underneath with two pliers to drain. Mine now has valves but I know better than to buy FR next time.

400 # (50 gal) on 18,000 # does nothing.

Fuel consumption (and possibly wear) depends on speed, wind and terrain.

[CT Sound Shooter]

Originally Posted by IDguy

Crappy design.

They do not recommend that in my manual. Good thing or I’d have given it back to them.

IDguy,


Crappy design indeed. It was the only major problem I've had with our toy hauler (which we love) and I had my dealer do the mod for a few hundred bucks when the tank had to be fixed anyway. It was a warranty issue at the time, so, a lot of the expense for the mod was covered by warranty. It just made no sense to me to have the warranty repair done to put the FW tank back the same exact same way so it could fail again.


I just checked the FR website online manual for my Cherokee Grey Wolf and I imagine the same recommendation is made for many other FR campers. FR recommends traveling with tanks empty. FR doesn't really come out and say the FW tank is poorly designed to carry a heavy load, instead, they "hide" the recommendation behind doublespeak about fuel efficiency: "...To help keep weight reduced, empty the holding tanks before leaving on a trip and as often as possible when traveling. Carry only as much water as you will need for traveling..."


Carry only as much water as you will need for traveling?


I regularly camp in relatively remote locations. I boondock.


I need a full FW tank when I pull out of my driveway.


Here's the link to the manual:


https://forestriverinc.help/#/forest...ultiple-690487



CTSS

[NJKris]

Before weighing the RV, fill the propane tanks. If you plan to travel with fresh water onboard, the fresh water tank should also be filled to the level you intend to carry when traveling. Your waste tanks should be empty.

From that link. So nothing advising not to travel with water. The other quote I saw similar to what you wrote, was strictly regarding weight management given the context.

[jlynn721]

Originally Posted by Murph60

First trip coming up with our Rockwood A122S and were former campers so we are used to roughing it, but what do you do if the campground does not have a fill station.

When I picked up my camper I was told not to fill the fresh water tank up at home and travel with it. Is that normal? I understand it due to the water weight on the brackets, but curious what others do in this situation.

We have a 4 hour drive and it really would not be much of an inconvenience to go without.

Thanks,

I’m on my 6th trailer (both TT and 5W) from 14’ to 38’. I have never worried about traveling with a full tank.
I don’t always do it, sometimes I avoid it so I don’t have to pull the weight. I boondock a lot, so I have to have a full tank when I arrive.
Any problem you could possibly imagine has happened to someone and you will find out about it on the internet.
Water tanks falling out are more an issue with poor construction than poor engineering. And it doesn’t happen often.

It’s not something you should worry about.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dedobias

Safety experts say don't travel with it on. Trailer manufacturers almost all say don't leave propane on. Lines are generally run near the wheels and no one ever has a blow out. ANd of course EVERYONE shuts it off at a gas station so the ignitor doesn't spark away while Billy Bob walks away with the pump locked on.

Nope it's all myth and it NEVER happens.

Still, RVers have been doing it for many decades.
Why haven't safety experts had the practice outlawed then or banned propane fridges?

[CT Sound Shooter]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Nothing wrong with accepting water from a local benefactor...e.g. the fast food joint. One significant word of caution. An outside hose bib is very likely contaminated with various environmental contaminants...including a dog lifting his leg on the spigot...a handy target. Always clean the hose bib (as well as hose connections if the freshwater hose is stored in an RV's "basement" compartments). I carry a pump spray bottle of Clorox Cleanup for this purpose. Spray all potentially contaminated connections, in particular the hose bib, and let sit for 15 minutes...or as long as you can if it's less. Then flush everything thoroughly before introducing the water into your fresh tank.

The outdoor hose bib on any establishment, including your home and the one at the RV park, should be considered contaminated until you clean it. A properly installed potable water "hydrant" at a Forest Service campground might be an exception...with one major exception - COVID or other illnesses. If the last person to use the hydrant was sick - even pre-symptomatic - and they handled the hydrant spigot and/or valve/pump handle, you'd be wise to clean before use. The Clorox Cleanup contains enough sanitizing power to cope with any potential contamination.

This is why I fill at home.

Great advice above. We also carry the spray bottle filled with a mix of bleach and water for disinfecting the public FW hose connection when we connect to one or fill up our water jugs when on the road. I was camping about a month ago and realized the that public spigot at the campground was also a convenient perch for birds. And we all know what birds "doo" if they hang around long enough. I clean the FW source every time before I use it. A buddy got pretty sick once and he's pretty sure it was because he didn't take the time to disinfect the outdoor water hookup.


CTSS

[JArry]

Delayed response, but as another T12RBST owner (equivalent to A122S), just wanted to mention that I have left home with a full FW tank on most trips since 2016.

I am not sure if the tank configuration has changed at all, but mine is supported in some manner other than straps underneath. I assume the shape of the tank is integrated into the frame somehow. Maybe others have looked more closely than me.

[pgandw]

On my Flagstaff T21TBHW (Rockwood A213HW), the tank is supported by the frame that fits under notches in the tank edges. There is also one strap across the bottom. I do check the tank for security whenever I drain the tank.

We carry full water, as we like to camp at public campgrounds in Colorado, where nearby fresh water is not a given, especially in the off season.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[PapaGlenn]

Originally Posted by pgandw

…the tank is supported by the frame that fits under notches in the tank edges. There is also one strap across the bottom.

I was under my 2021 T12RB yesterday doing an electrical mod (adding a step light) and checked out the tank mounting while I was rolling around on my creeper. Like pgandw said, full frame support along front and back plus a substantial strap.

[JArry]

Hmm, the strap must be a new addition as I definitely do not have one.