Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [RC] Water tanks and safety

Water goes at about 8 pounds a gallon. So if you have 50 gallons of water
on the roof of your trailer and stop at 60 miles an hour the force is about
that of stopping a yearling bull! If it on top a gooseneck LQ trailer that
goes for 10,000 to 12,000 pounds to start with then it should not be a big
deal (assuming it is tied down). However, if it's on top of a small trailer
it could cause a real problem. 

As Heidi points out this problem is magnified if when the water is unbaffled
since it will set up a motion in the tank that cause additional problems.

Truman


Heidi Smith wrote:
> > I have/had 3 of the rooftop tanks on my trailer during
> > our accident. There was probably a total of 50 gallons
> > water in the tanks.  There could not be much worse
> > accident than we had (110 mph head on with another
> > large vehicle).  The tanks caused absolutely no
> > issues.  They were all still intact and undamaged and
> > caused no damage to the trailer.  I had already
> > checked with the manufacturer of my trailer to make
> > sure it could handle the weight.
> >
> > More important to safety to humans and animals is
> > insuring you have the correct vehicle to handle the
> > weight.  I would venture to say 90% of us do not.
> >   
>
> I'm glad that they were not an issue in your accident, Karen, but not all
> accidents are alike.  And the laws of physics apply--unbaffled water is a
> mass that applies a force when it is already in motion down the highway at
> 60 mph, and if you swerve, it can make your swerve worse, or cause a
> rollover.  Doesn't matter if the tanks are so anchored down that they are
> the last thing to move or break--the weight and the mobility of the water
> can still be major issues in the dynamics of an accident.
>
> Heidi