Posted 2007-11-13 7:48 AM (#71036) Subject: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Member
Posts: 9
Location: Canton, GA
I recently purchased a 2004 Cherokee Tomahawk 3H slant with a Sierra LQ. When I bought it the gray water tank was already busted and needed to be replaced. I got the tank from my local Cherokee dealer and had an RV place install it. Good to go, right!? Got one camping trip out of it and was backing out of my vet's office the other day when I hit little ditch I didn't know was there. Now the sewage tank is busted and the gray water tank is leaking from the top. The gray tank might be fixable but the sewer tank will need to be replaced. My question is, with the clearance on these tanks only about 6", are there ANY other options??? Or should I just buy these dang tanks in bulk and learn to change them myself?!?!
Posted 2007-11-13 8:46 AM (#71041 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383 Location: Texas
Does the tank hang down a long ways or does the whole trailer just ride really low? If it's the tanks then you should be able to find different tanks that won't hang so low. If it's the trailer riding low then I don't know what the answer is, maybe see if it can be raised a couple inches but I bet that means a lot more $$$$ to do that properly.
Posted 2007-11-13 8:47 AM (#71042 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Skid plates and blocking the axles are about the only options. I was able to relocate the dump valve on one of my tanks, saving a couple of inches.
Some of the older tank designs sit lower than the new ones. Sometimes switching to a smaller tank will reduce its size and exposure.
Being very aware of the clearance issue when you're driving is critical. I often have my wife check things when I'm parking the rig in an unknown area. This has saved our butts on several occasions.
Posted 2007-11-13 8:54 AM (#71044 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Watch where you are driving, those tanks arn't bullet proof? I guess that's another reason we don't have a LQ trailer.....Holding tanks, one less thing......Or is that two less things!!!! Good luck with your repairs.
Posted 2007-11-13 8:55 AM (#71045 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Member
Posts: 9
Location: Canton, GA
What really frosts me is that if it had been the left axle instead of the right, I would have been fine. The tanks are shallower on that side since the drains are on the right. *sigh*
Posted 2007-11-13 9:01 AM (#71046 - in reply to #71041) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Member
Posts: 9
Location: Canton, GA
Originally written by greyhorse on 2007-11-13 9:46 AM
Does the tank hang down a long ways or does the whole trailer just ride really low? If it's the tanks then you should be able to find different tanks that won't hang so low. If it's the trailer riding low then I don't know what the answer is, maybe see if it can be raised a couple inches but I bet that means a lot more $$$$ to do that properly.
It's the tanks ... the trailer rides normally. I did adjust the hitch to bring the front end up a little since when I first hooked it up it wasn't level. Now it's nice and level but there just isn't much clearance under the tanks. I'm going to see if I can get smaller holding tanks that will give me more clearance. Too bad you can't put the poop on the roof! Gravity and all ... LOL
Posted 2007-11-13 9:33 AM (#71052 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 2615
That's the reason we're having ours blocked up by our dealer.Our roads around here are terrible,county doesn't have the foggiest how to bank a road ect.
Posted 2007-11-13 10:17 AM (#71062 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Member
Posts: 9
Location: Canton, GA
Forgive my ignorance - what do you mean by blocked up? Does that raise the clearance of the entire trailer? I don't want to go up too much higher because it's already a decent step for the horses.
Posted 2007-11-13 12:35 PM (#71077 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
Put an air ride system on it. Pump it up go down the road and lower it to load and unload horses, but you still will have to be concise of where you are driving. Long LQ's are not too forgiveing that is for sure. I have caught my steps 2 times. I haven't really done any damage other than me throughing a fit because I did it.
Posted 2007-11-13 1:13 PM (#71079 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383 Location: Texas
What Spooler said will work too (air ride), that's what I have and I would drag everywhere if the air was down, with it up the only thing that I've ever bumped is the valves and that was an easy fix. The only problem is it's quite a bit of money.... worth it if you're going to keep the trailer for a long time in my opinion.
Posted 2007-11-13 3:06 PM (#71091 - in reply to #71076) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 2615
I'm not trying to be smart altho it probably sounds like it,but,angle iron would just drag off the tank PLUS the angle iron around here,I'm not kidding you.
Posted 2007-11-13 4:03 PM (#71102 - in reply to #71092) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Veteran
Posts: 216 Location: Chillicothe, Ohio
I know its too late for your trailer, but one thing to watch for when purchasing a lq is this very issue. Its never going to be perfect for a horse trailer because of the low clearance. The best option is to use the shallowest tank available and keep it as close to the axles as possible, that gives it the best likelyhood of survival. As the driver, you just really have to be aware of this issue and thats difficult when you are concentrating on everything else. With the newer taller (highend) trailers if I was building a lq I would raise the bath floor so I could get the tank up higher and still have ample capacity.
Posted 2007-11-13 4:21 PM (#71105 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Veteran
Posts: 285
When we were looking at new trailers recently we saw several with the bathroom up near the gooseneck which sets higher. The dealer said that is one reason why they do them so the tanks are not setting so low.
Posted 2007-11-14 1:21 AM (#71134 - in reply to #71091) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 736 Location: Western WA
My skid plate works as it is supposed to. I guess if you really drug it deep it could do quite a bit of damage. But I've skimmed mine through gravel and over curbs and its fine. Logan puts a skid plate on at the factory, FYI.
Originally written by crowleysridgegirl on 2007-11-13 1:06 PM
I'm not trying to be smart altho it probably sounds like it,but,angle iron would just drag off the tank PLUS the angle iron around here,I'm not kidding you.
Posted 2007-11-14 1:33 AM (#71137 - in reply to #71077) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by Spooler on 2007-11-13 12:35 PM
Put an air ride system on it. Pump it up go down the road and lower it to load and unload horses, but you still will have to be concise of where you are driving. Long LQ's are not too forgiveing that is for sure. I have caught my steps 2 times. I haven't really done any damage other than me throughing a fit because I did it.
Bump...Air suspension seems like a real good solution...if you can swallow the conversion costs...
Posted 2007-11-14 5:26 AM (#71147 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Veteran
Posts: 285
Headhunter, I agree with you there. Our skid plate has worked for us in similar situations. The one reason why we installed it was because we ran over an aligator on a busy hwy which we could not avoid and that is what damaged the tank. Had we had the skid plate on then, it would have helped save our tank then.
Posted 2007-11-14 4:01 PM (#71199 - in reply to #71147) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Veteran
Posts: 216 Location: Chillicothe, Ohio
Saw the post about some of the newer trailers having the tanks mounted close to the gooseneck. That seems to me like the worst plact to mount them because when you pull over a small hump in the road or a curb the trailer would be more likely to drag at a point away from the tires. Of course if you have your trailer set up so its nose high that would help, plus the weight of the liquid in the tanks being close to truck would seem to be a concern. I like the idea of having the trailer on air rides but have never seen on set up with them.
Posted 2007-11-14 4:17 PM (#71204 - in reply to #71134) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 2615
Originally written by headhunter on 2007-11-14 1:21 AM
My skid plate works as it is supposed to. I guess if you really drug it deep it could do quite a bit of damage. But I've skimmed mine through gravel and over curbs and its fine. Logan puts a skid plate on at the factory, FYI.
Originally written by crowleysridgegirl on 2007-11-13 1:06 PM
I'm not trying to be smart altho it probably sounds like it,but,angle iron would just drag off the tank PLUS the angle iron around here,I'm not kidding you.
Posted 2007-11-14 4:21 PM (#71205 - in reply to #71204) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Expert
Posts: 2615
If it came from the factory,that's one thing,but to have something like that retrofitted,it would take an aluminum welder and a good one to weld on a skid plate or angle iron support.I'd rather just pay to have it lifted,probably costs about the same time it's all said and done.
Aren't you sort of afraid of getting that hung up on something and be stuck there???I think I'd be.
Posted 2007-11-14 4:56 PM (#71209 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Veteran
Posts: 285
My husband is a certified welder, one of the best welders in our area and he does know what he is doing. It was done very professionally. My hubby is the type to do things right the first time and we had no problems with it. One time we had the side of our trailer blow off around the fender area because of a blow out and he repaired it, after the job was done you could not even tell that anything happened. So before you judge people about they way things are done maybe you should get the facts first.
Posted 2007-11-14 7:11 PM (#71217 - in reply to #71036) Subject: RE: Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Veteran
Posts: 116 Location: desert hills, az
classygirl98...I agree with you, any good welder could fit one correctly. Do you have any pictures of your skid plate so it would give me some ideas to give to my welder. My trailer is already lifted, but I woul dlike some exra protection. Thanks
Wastewater tanks - frustrated with low clearance! Any other options?
Watch where you are driving, those tanks arn't bullet proof? I guess that's another reason we don't have a LQ trailer.....
Holding tanks, one less thing......Or is that two less things!!!! Good luck with your repairs. 
