Home made water tote trailer

[ksJoe]

I've been using a tote I toss on a 5x8 trailer, and it slides around sometimes. That trailer also has small tires and I've sunk it to the axles in soft dirt when filling a tote. I was wanting something that was always ready to use when I need to water trees, and set up a bit better for the purpose. Here's what I came up with.

After a few hours work on Monday:


I started with a general idea of what I wanted, but the I was making up the details as I went along...


Axle spindles went on last so I wouldn't damage them rolling it around:


Ready for paint:
It was in the upper 90's today, so I had to paint it in the back yard where there's some shade.




I attached the tote with pieces of angle iron. I intended to use J bolts, but the tubing was too thin to use heavy J bolts.


I put 2 hose hangers on it, about as high as they can comfortably be:





I was appaled at the price of the jack stands, so I made this instead. I don't plan on leaving it full, so there won't be much tongue weight. I just don't want to bend over all the way to the ground.



All done:


The shelf with the expanded steel is to hold a small gas can and a bucket. The bucket will have a pitcher (for priming the pump) and sheers for pruning trees.

 

[hillrunner]

Nice build!

 

[River-X]

Freaking awesome build ksJoe!!! Nice work and it looks super handy. I may replicate that for my tree watering trailer. Excellent idea!!

 

[Tree Spud]

Oh I wish I could weld ... nice work!

 

[b116757]

That’s the bomb diggity.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Damn, here I thought my tank on an old snowmobile trailer was the cats meow.

 

[buckdeer1]

Good job,I used a generator and dropped a sump pump that sucks off flat floor type,output was garden hose when I set up to water multiple trees at a time through drip line.I bet those bigger tires alone will help you

 

[MRBB]

nice, now if someone wanted I gather they can add a boom and and /pump, for spraying, and have them a HD sprayer too
all they would need maybe is two totes, and swap as needed for different chores!

I used to have a nice smaller high axle trailer on truck tires, that held two 55 gallon drums, we used to water tree's with, had a seat on it someone could sit on and spray while being towed,
It was about all the ATV we had at the time could handle on level ground, as on hills the two drums full was too much for it!, would have to hook up the tractor to control it safely!

 

[tooln]

Really nice, I love building stuff and seeing others do the same.

 

[ksJoe]

Good job,I used a generator and dropped a sump pump that sucks off flat floor type,output was garden hose when I set up to water multiple trees at a time through drip line.I bet those bigger tires alone will help you

That is an interesting idea.
So far I haven't had much trouble with priming. I'm hoping to leave the gas pump on the trailer and get close enough to the creek that it will suck the water. If I have to, I'll take the pump down to the creek so it can push the water up. I ordered camlock connections for the pump. I should get them all this week. Then hose swapping will be quick & easy.


I filled it with water this afternoon for the first time. With it full, I can barely lift the tongue, but I wouldn't want to try to move it any. I think that's about right for tongue weight. I'll be pulling it behind an ATV (yamaha kodiak 450). I took a few measurements in case anyone wants to copy. The area holding the tote is 48" long, and the tongue is 31" from the front of that / 17" from the rear. The tongue is about 7 foot measured from the hitch to the axle. I got axle spindles & hubs rated for 3500#, which ought to be nearly 1000 more than gross weight.

We pulled it to the land this evening, around 50 miles. It pulled great, other than riding rough. No suspension and 75 psi load range E tires makes for a stiff ride.

 

[MRBB]

That is an interesting idea.
So far I haven't had much trouble with priming. I'm hoping to leave the gas pump on the trailer and get close enough to the creek that it will suck the water. If I have to, I'll take the pump down to the creek so it can push the water up. I ordered camlock connections for the pump. I should get them all this week. Then hose swapping will be quick & easy.


I filled it with water this afternoon for the first time. With it full, I can barely lift the tongue, but I wouldn't want to try to move it any. I think that's about right for tongue weight. I'll be pulling it behind an ATV (yamaha kodiak 450). I took a few measurements in case anyone wants to copy. The area holding the tote is 48" long, and the tongue is 31" from the front of that / 17" from the rear. The tongue is about 7 foot measured from the hitch to the axle. I got axle spindles & hubs rated for 3500#, which ought to be nearly 1000 more than gross weight.

We pulled it to the land this evening, around 50 miles. It pulled great, other than riding rough. No suspension and 75 psi load range E tires makes for a stiff ride.

NO bash just saying that tote and trailer , will be way past your atv's tow rating(like 1300 lbs or so) so be careful when going down any slopes or hills, as the weight can out power your brakes real easy!, and also keep an eye on the hitch, inspect it more often after towing, as you will be WAY past the atv's tongue rating, which can lead to failures on the atv'!
I have towed a lot of things with atv's , as well as seen some atv's get some major damage from towing heavy!

when towing, its not just having the power to pull it, its having the ability to control it too! that matters to be safe and damage free!

so just a heads up for you!

 

[bwoods11]

Very impressive!!

 

[Maddog66]

Really cool project!!!

I use this for filling water holes. Cost me $350 (non-welder here)

 

[ksJoe]

NO bash just saying that tote and trailer , will be way past your atv's tow rating(like 1300 lbs or so) so be careful ...

Yeah. I know. I've been using a tote that's the same size, on a different trailer. I wasn't sure if it would pull it, but it has done ok so far. Kansas is very flat, so hills aren't much of a concern. I get water from the creek and have to pull to ground that is a bit higher. Some of those inclines it doesn't like to start on. But if I fill on level ground and approach the inclines with a little speed (5 mph) it goes fine. My biggest issue has been if the ground is soft, the small tires on my other trailer are easy to get stuck. The receiver hitch I'm using I made, and it attaches to the frame in several places. I've thought about going back and changing the receiver hitch so it distrubutes the load across more of the frame, but haven't done it yet.
I try not to abuse it, but I bought it to get work done... That's a difficult balance sometimes.

 

[nwmn]

I've been trying to figure out a way to use a tote with skiddy on pallet forks and then have a pvc pipe hang to the side and drive tree to tree and water. Only thing is, how do you control a valve with hydraulics? Do you have scv controls on your tank or is this just a water transport tank? I'd love to be able to water hundreds of trees with the flick of a thumb

 

[ksJoe]

I just have a manual valve.

Only thing is, how do you control a valve with hydraulics?

Why hydraulics? Wouldn't a well placed switch be equally convenient? For your situation, I'd go with 12v electic. Several options come to mind...

If you'd be satisfied with the flow rate of a 12v diaphram type pump, that would work. I don't think water will leak through a diaphram pump when they're powered off. Or if it does, maybe not quickly enough to a be a problem. That would double as a great pesticide sprayer too.
Or if you wanting gravity feed, a there are two inch low pressure 12v valves.
Or, put a 12v submersible pump inside the tote, pumping out the top of it. Just have a riser pipe open to the air at the high point so it breaks the syphon when you turn the pump off.

 

[bigboreblr]

Looks good. Might want to add a way to bring a sprayer with you, and maybe a way to carry little buckets of fertilizer and ant killer.

About 600lbs on each tire, I'd go down to about 20 psi. Help you from sinking. Used to 4 wheel a s10 blazer on 14 psi with 31x10.5's. 32x11.5 I went down to 12psi. Never popped a bead. 31's were for sand for fishing, 32's were mean mudders.

Things get a bit hairy going downhill and you start to jackknife, hit the gas not the brake. A little forward pull levels the trailer out.

I am making a seed drill this winter, but was debating making a trailer for watering. I'm about 80% done with trees at home, so watering mght only be a major concern the next year or two, with maybe 2 or 3 drought watering sessions. Almost all my apple trees can be accessed with hose, spruces and pine need remote tanks.

 

[nwmn]

I just have a manual valve.



Why hydraulics? Wouldn't a well placed switch be equally convenient? For your situation, I'd go with 12v electic. Several options come to mind...

If you'd be satisfied with the flow rate of a 12v diaphram type pump, that would work. I don't think water will leak through a diaphram pump when they're powered off. Or if it does, maybe not quickly enough to a be a problem. That would double as a great pesticide sprayer too.
Or if you wanting gravity feed, a there are two inch low pressure 12v valves.
Or, put a 12v submersible pump inside the tote, pumping out the top of it. Just have a riser pipe open to the air at the high point so it breaks the syphon when you turn the pump off.

I was just thinking it'd be nice to have the water valve open with a finger to be more efficient. Hydraulics vs electric either one would be nice. I've been pondering this all summer and can't find anything that makes sense to me online.

 

[Maddog66]

I recently ordered a Frontier 3pt cone spreader with a hydraulically actuated gate for my 3rd SCV.

I don’t have it yet or I’d post pics….but in my mind whatever little hydro system they put on it might be exactly what you need. Assuming you could figure out a water Tite gate system for a larger diameter hose?

Just spitballn’

 

[buckdeer1]

We use a 12v valve to open valves on our fire trucks but it takes around 8-10 seconds to open all the way.It would be cheaper to put a valve that you can reach and manually open close.You can also use a 12v motor like on a sprayer but don't put the wand on and it will just flow what ever size hose you use and since theres no wand it reduces the pressure.