Water Tank for 1964 Shasta

Hmmm…. I'm considering similar modifications for my 1960 Mobile Scout, which currently has its original 10 gal. steel tank. There's room for about 25 gallons under that dinette bench…. maybe a bit more. 40 gallons is a lot, even for off grid camping in a small trailer. If you are concerned about the trailer supporting that tank, make sure the existing floor framing is solid (not rotted) and reenforce the area if necessary. Since you are gutting, that shouldn't be too difficult.

The electrical gear on the other side will help with lateral balance, esp. if you have more than one battery. I think the real question is: how will your tow vehicle feel about adding such weight near the tongue? I don't know what kind of vehicle you pull with, but a weight distributing hitch may be in order to properly distribute the weight to all 3 axles.

Also is the frame strong enough to stand the extra strain the added weight would cause or will it need to be reenforced? Most of the Shastas had a fairly weak tongue to begin with and flexing has weakened many of them plus what rust and corrosion has done. I would hate to see it bend at the front cross member and let the front start dragging on the Interstate. Don't know just a random thought.

I think cutting the water tank size is a good idea. These trailers were built to carry a certain amount of weight and were pretty well balanced. Adding heavy items isn't always about strength but about design...

On small vintage hams, I run the sink straight out the bottom, eliminating the "frozen trap" scenario... Some campgrounds require a portable holding tank to collect waste water.

Chris…. I didn't see your post before I made mine above ;-)… So you've decided to scale back the fresh water tank capacity.  Do you have a good trailer shop near you? They could probably advise you on weight capacity and balance issues regarding this tank… maybe even give you some engineering advice on how to get the most capacity with the least towing and balance issues.

I'm sure your Laramie has the brute force to pull the Shasta with one arm tied behind its back!… as well as tongue weight capacity.  But I would still think about a weight distribution hitch if you don't use one already.  When you're fully loaded it will keep your front end on the ground for much better (and safer!) handling, esp. on wet surfaces.  I've pulled my Scout with and without, and the difference is easily palpable.  I'm just learning about towing dynamics myself, and it's amazing how a powerful vehicle matched with a relatively light trailer can still manifest some strange handling issues if certain laws of physics are not respected!

Old trailer addage; 'don't take water from home, get it when you get there'.
Unless you are roughing it for a week or so, leave the home water home. 20 gallons is more than enough to get you where you are going.
Maybe pretend you have just bought your rig brand new, back in '62. Treat your journey like your camper was built to take. You bought a vintage for some reason, so live in that moment.
In our world of excesses, it can be refreshing.
Or get a plastic box from camp' world with everything measured and balanced.

Thanks for all the information. I agree slightly smaller would be better. I will not typically tow with the tank full but do want that option. I did not have the tank when I bought it but it had been there. I do have the capability to add support on the frame to help with the load if needed.

I know a lot of people on this site do not do this but I am going to flip the akle to give me more height. I live in Montana and will be taking this on gravel roads and will need a little extra height. Plan on doing some off the grid camping.

I have taken extra precautions and have added framing on the inside all kreg jigged. There is plenty of support to able to take this on some decent back roads. (kind of off topic)

Thanks for all the support and help. Great fourm.

I assume that by flip you mean installing it under the springs instead of over them. Another thing you might want to consider is if you have a dropped axle you might be ahead to buy a straight axle and have everything new. At tractor supply they run around a hundred dollars plus brakes if needed.