Providing communities with fresh and clean water, water cartage companies are a vital part of every society. Water carting in itself may seem like a simple job but when a lot of people depend on your service it can put some pressure on you. While it's just water that you're hauling and you don't have to worry about safety as much you're wrong. Despite being a tank filled with water it can be quite the task, especially when towing across long distances. Water is moving inside the tank with every movement of the truck be it a turn or just a lane change. No matter what water is needed for, hygiene, dust suppression, drinking or as a road barrier filling you need to be on time without putting others at risk. This depends on your driving habits but also the water trailer itself.
What Makes or Brakes a Water Cartage Trailer?
Tank
There are two types of tanks a cartage trailer will usually have, sump based or free-standing. The former is used to transport other chemicals too such as liquid fertiliser. Sump based tanks prevent products from mixing and to drain them more easily. If you need a proper water cartage trailer that is easy to fill and drain sump based ones are your best option.
Free-standing tank water trailers are used to cart mainly water since they are sumpless and cannot drain only some part of the liquid. You either empty a free-standing tank completely or you don't empty it at all. But with the lack of a sump come some advantages like not having to use a skid and loading the tank directly onto a trailer's base.
Weight
The weight of the trailer and tank will need to match the weight limit of the vehicle that's going to be used. Every vehicle has a towing capacity and to ensure that the water cartage trailer doesn't exceed it check in the manual of your vehicle or on the side of the car door. If the total weight of the trailer and loading capacity need to be less than the loading capacity of your vehicle so you're able to tow the load safely.
Fluid
The type of liquid you want to tow will determine the type of tank and the materials its made of. There are tanks built for specific chemicals and liquids and others made for general use, make sure to get a tank with a higher SG rating if you're towing chemicals or fertilisers.
What to Keep in Mind When Towing Water Cartage Trailers
The Liquid
No matter what type of liquid you're going to be towing you need to be careful since it will move inside the tank and can affect your handling. This is where you should pay close attention, acceleration and braking. Too sudden of a turn or acceleration will make the liquid flow to the back of the tank and slow you down and vice versa. Make sure to go slowly and with caution in order to stabilise the liquid.
Baffles
To stop liquid moving as much you should consider using baffles. These balls are designed to stop liquid movement as they have holes in them that greatly minimise sloshing and surge when travelling. This doesn't mean you can drive willy nilly but at least you won't have to be as careful as you would otherwise.
Mounting
While baffles can help make your ride more convenient they are not enough to make for safe travels. You need to mount the tank securely on the trailer usually with pins that you need to insert into holes located on the hank's legs.
Vehicle Capacity
If a tank is filled near your vehicle's towing capacity this requires you to be extra careful even if you're using baffles. The more weight you tow the more careful you need to be about your driving, anticipate traffic and plan ahead too.
Additional Towing Tips
Stopping Distance
When towing any kind of load, be it solid or liquid you need to allow for plenty of stopping distance. Since it takes longer to stop with a load at the back you should start to lower your speed and applying the brakes way ahead of a junction or stop sign.
Anticipate
This is where anticipation is needed. Towing out of any type of driving requires you to anticipate problems ahead and look for any hazards that might happen ahead of you. This is to ensure that if a hazard does happen you pick the safest route.
Trailer Sway
The trailer may sway sometimes when travelling at high speeds or downhill. To prevent this you need to have a hitch stabilisation device or take the foot off the gas pedal and slowly start applying the brake pedal.
Lane Change
When changing lanes be cautious as with a load on the back it can be a challenge. You need to count in the space needed for the trailer as well. This can be a bit tricky if you're new to towing. You can't accelerate as quickly as you would with a regular car so plan ahead and don't rush things. It's better to stay in your lane if you're not sure if you can safely go into the other one.
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