can i install a larger fresh water tank in my 13 ft scamp (2015). Has anyone done so and where did you get the tank?
Gary
Sun, 05/28/2017 - 15:26
#1
13 Ft Fresh Water Tank Upgrade
13 Ft Fresh Water Tank Upgrade
I've seen a number of larger fresh water tank mods on the Scamp.
Two considerations:
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
And carry the tanks in the front of the trailer to properly balance the load. In fact, my Scamp 13's PO told me at time of delivery that he actually emptied the trailer's 12 gal. tank to get the approximate 100 lbs. of off-centered weight off the rear of the trailer. I'm curious to know if any other Scamp 13 owners do this and, if so, does it improve the tow? TIA,
Bill in Seattle
The tongue weight of our 2015 13 standard no bath Scamp as delivered with nothing in the tanks was 255 pounds. We travel with the fresh water tank filled. I have not checked tongue weight with water and all our junk on board. My guess is that it would be close to 200 pounds. Our Nissan Frontier handles this weigh very well with no towing issues. (Except maybe a little under powered!!)
You might want to recheck that tongue weight. Even 200 lbs. seems awfully heavy. When I took delivery of my 2003 Scamp 13 two weeks ago, with 12 gal. water tank drained, I was able to lift the tongue by myself onto my tow vehicle's hitch ball. It was a heavy lift but I was able to do it unassisted. And, I'm 84 years old! I used my legs and not so much my back. I estimate the trailer's tongue weight at between 65 - 75 lbs. Manageable even for an old guy like myself.
Bill in Seattle
I checked my 2017 Scamp 13 no bath and found the tongue weight was 225 lbs. (I tried to lift the tongue and bruised my ego. That was my only injury.
)My tow vehicle doesn't want more than 200 lbs of tongue weight, so I paid careful attention when I packed for my maiden camping voyage and found (without water) that I had to stow most of my gear and supplies under the bed to get it below 200. I wonder if your 2003 pre-fire Scamp is really just that much lighter? Or, good news, you are stronger than you think!
I just went out and checked the tongue weight again. It is 245 pounds! That is with the water tank full and some of our stuff but we are not packed up for a trip at this time. We do have two full propane tanks and the battery on the front. Because the water tank is close behind the axle it will not affect tongue weight as much as weight placed further back. Like things on a rear receiver.
If I recall a full propane tank comes in around 40lbs so having the dual tank option brings your tongue weight up by 40lbs over a standard configuration.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
I might be a crazy person but I was actually thinking of putting a smaller fresh water tank in my Scamp. Right now it only has the fresh water hand pump (from what I can tell) style faucet. There's not even a grey water tank, so all the bad news literally flows out the side.
As a smaller tank, I was thinking something that required little to no maintenance, say a plastic gallon of water! I could even mount it upside down in the upper cabinet and would get a natural gravity flow. I didn't trust the original 1984 fresh water tank I had in my Scamp as "drinkable water" so I immediately removed that. I figure with the gallon jug version it's easier to replace if dirty, easier to fill (either fill it or buy a new one) and you could remove the jug to fill it and a couple others from a local water fountain/dispenser.
I may just use this old fresh water tank as a grey water holder, I assume I won't be near a drain when I'm camping so I would likely want to hold onto the grey water for a little while until I can pull up to a proper disposal area.
Do I sound like a crazy person?
I like lots of fresh water and will be adding a tank in the new scamp. I now have a blue "grey" water tank that is easy to use.
Kikketer, you could be a crazy person, but I'm certainly not one to talk. I have had similar musings about simplifying the fresh water system since my set up is like yours. However, my Scamp 13 is new, so I've decided that I'm not going to make major changes until I've used it for a year or two. If you go this route, let us know how it works for you.
Sarah
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