Uhauler-that is a great system. Hats off!
jesusgatos-I know you posted this to someone else, but I wanted to make an observation. Liquid, especially in a container that is not completely full, has different characteristics than something solid. Though I have mounted that much weight on top of a vehicle, I would not place liquid there. Think about times you may have carried, shaken, or rolled a large closed container that was maybe 2/3 full of liquid. When you shake, roll, or move such a container in a motion that is less than constant, the sloshing of the liquid magnifies the force. Hold a half filled gallon milk container in your hands and try shaking it quickly back and forth; then try the same thing with a big yellow pages book. The difference in force caused by the sloshing of the milk inside the container is amazing. The force is magnified.
When it comes to water tanks on top of a vehicle, I see two dangers. First of all, most of these water containers have only one location, the handle, where they could be tied down; that leaves them less than secure. Then, in a head on collision, the inertia would not be instantly applied. As the vehicle decelerated, the water would continue its forward momentum for a millisecond or so, then impact the most forward wall of the container. Next, the container would rotate and continue forward using up any slack in the tie down material. Finally, all the delayed force would whiplash on the tie down point. All that magnified force, along with the fact that only one point is offering resistance to the inertia, is just not a safe condition. There is a good chance that a 20+ gal tank of water is going to rip itself off and go flying like a missile. Others may disagree, but I personally would not do it. In any case, it looks like Uhauler has given the OP a good solution. Cheers.
