eatSleepWoof
Do it for the 'gram
These Winnies are rather notorious for having the fresh water tanks fall out, especially for those that use them on a lot of FSRs or other rough roads. I knew going into the purchase that this is something I'll have to address sooner rather than later. This weekend I pulled off a bunch of the underbelly coroplast and got to work.
The first thing I see is that there is a downward dip in both the fresh water gravity fill hose (the big, 1.5" one), and the water tank breather (clear, behind the fill). This explains the "gurgling" I encounter every time I fill up the tank.
The cross-members that support the water tank, as well as the angle-iron tank reinforcement (this is thankfully present on my trailer, but is not on all of them) are all held in place with fairly small self-tapping screws. This looks to be the weakest point of the whole mounting system, as these screws will eventually either back out, or rust and snap. Outside of the screws, this tank setup will work just fine. Not how I would have designed it, but it is what it is and there's not much sense in trying to make it something it's not.
Front cross member supporting the tank:
Angle-iron reinforcement under the tank:
I replaced all of the self-tapping screws with 5/16" bolts, nylocks, and washers on all cross members and the angle-iron support:
On the rear cross member I also added a D-ring on each side of the frame's interior:
I ran a ratchet strap from one D-ring, under the tank, around the front cross member, back to the other D-ring, and then back to the front cross member again, where the ratchet strap secures and terminates. This strap is really not all that necessary IMO, but it won't hurt.
I shortened the gravity fill tube in order to eliminate that bottom dip, and as I fully expected, it started leaking at that fitting. After 5 attempts of trying to get it to stop leaking without sealants (each time having to fill & drain the tank), I gave up and used Sikaflex 291 on the intake itself (before sliding the hose overtop), as well as at the base of the hose. Sikaflex 291 is rated for potable water and direct food contact - lucky me, I had it on hand. The original setup did have silicone on it, so it looks like they struggle with getting these leak-free at the factory, too. I honestly hate these types of spiral hoses, as they are always very, very difficult to get leak-free.
In any case, final, leak-free fill:
I still have to fix the dip in the breather, but I'll do that from the interior.
Note that the tank reinforcement cross member is a full 2" below the original bottom of the tank, but the tank deflects that much from the weight of water. I've tried putting square tube bracing in between the tank and the original reinforcement (in a variety of ways), but all that did was create a high point that still allowed the tank to bend-down on other sides of the support.
While I was down there I decided to replace the original drain tube, too. My original turned out to have algae in it (despite the tanks being sanitized w/ bleach just ~two months ago), and it also had a crappy, annoying, and hard-to-reach valve. (I suspect the clear tube, which allowed UV in, contributed to the algae growth.)
So I replaced that drain with 3/4" PEX and ran it closer to the tire, where I can actually reach it. I may secure this to the frame down the line, but I'll leave it for now. The drain does move/change angle as the tank fills or drains, so I wouldn't want to have a fixed attachment point in any case.
Put the coroplast back on, sprayed it with expanding foam, done.
--
Sometime closer to next weekend I'll be installing a new spare tire hoist under the trailer, just forward of the tank (that's why that part of the belly is still open). Waiting for parts.
The first thing I see is that there is a downward dip in both the fresh water gravity fill hose (the big, 1.5" one), and the water tank breather (clear, behind the fill). This explains the "gurgling" I encounter every time I fill up the tank.
The cross-members that support the water tank, as well as the angle-iron tank reinforcement (this is thankfully present on my trailer, but is not on all of them) are all held in place with fairly small self-tapping screws. This looks to be the weakest point of the whole mounting system, as these screws will eventually either back out, or rust and snap. Outside of the screws, this tank setup will work just fine. Not how I would have designed it, but it is what it is and there's not much sense in trying to make it something it's not.
Front cross member supporting the tank:
Angle-iron reinforcement under the tank:
I replaced all of the self-tapping screws with 5/16" bolts, nylocks, and washers on all cross members and the angle-iron support:
On the rear cross member I also added a D-ring on each side of the frame's interior:
I ran a ratchet strap from one D-ring, under the tank, around the front cross member, back to the other D-ring, and then back to the front cross member again, where the ratchet strap secures and terminates. This strap is really not all that necessary IMO, but it won't hurt.
I shortened the gravity fill tube in order to eliminate that bottom dip, and as I fully expected, it started leaking at that fitting. After 5 attempts of trying to get it to stop leaking without sealants (each time having to fill & drain the tank), I gave up and used Sikaflex 291 on the intake itself (before sliding the hose overtop), as well as at the base of the hose. Sikaflex 291 is rated for potable water and direct food contact - lucky me, I had it on hand. The original setup did have silicone on it, so it looks like they struggle with getting these leak-free at the factory, too. I honestly hate these types of spiral hoses, as they are always very, very difficult to get leak-free.
In any case, final, leak-free fill:
I still have to fix the dip in the breather, but I'll do that from the interior.
Note that the tank reinforcement cross member is a full 2" below the original bottom of the tank, but the tank deflects that much from the weight of water. I've tried putting square tube bracing in between the tank and the original reinforcement (in a variety of ways), but all that did was create a high point that still allowed the tank to bend-down on other sides of the support.
While I was down there I decided to replace the original drain tube, too. My original turned out to have algae in it (despite the tanks being sanitized w/ bleach just ~two months ago), and it also had a crappy, annoying, and hard-to-reach valve. (I suspect the clear tube, which allowed UV in, contributed to the algae growth.)
So I replaced that drain with 3/4" PEX and ran it closer to the tire, where I can actually reach it. I may secure this to the frame down the line, but I'll leave it for now. The drain does move/change angle as the tank fills or drains, so I wouldn't want to have a fixed attachment point in any case.
Put the coroplast back on, sprayed it with expanding foam, done.
--
Sometime closer to next weekend I'll be installing a new spare tire hoist under the trailer, just forward of the tank (that's why that part of the belly is still open). Waiting for parts.
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