4.5 Gallon Water Tank Review (Hitch/Roof Rack Mounted)

[WheresMyBronco]

Came across this post by @Black Wildtrak Bandit and liked the water tank they had mounted on their hitch. Finally decided to pick one up recently and was really impressed with it so I thought I'd share some pics and post a quick review.

The tank and mounts are powder coated welded aluminum and the hardware is all 304 stainless steel. It also includes lock washers and nylock nuts which is nice (I also added some loctite for some added security).

It also came with:

• Mounting hardware for both a hitch and roof rack
• A locking hitch pin
• Hose, couplings, and thread sealant tape
• Spare mounting hardware
• An exterior mounted thermometer to tell you the water temp (I forgot to check its accuracy with my thermapen but I'll post an update soon)

The hitch mount is adjustable so you can raise or lower it depending on the size of your spare. It fit well with my 35" Sasquatch tire and can go even lower, so it might work with 37s too.

Basically you fill the tank up from the top, use a tire inflator or air compressor to pressurize it, and then open the valve on the side whenever you're ready to use it. I didn't take a pic of it with the hose installed, but there's also a quick disconnect attachment for the hose so that you can store it away when you're not using it too.

This is the one I bought: EASEORD 4.5 Gallon Tank. They have several listings for the 4.5 gallon tank and some are cheaper than this one but I'm not exactly sure what the difference is.

I hope this post helps out those who were also looking for a water tank like I was, and let me know if you have any questions or want any extra pics.

To the people worried about clearance/departure angle, keep in mind this can be mounted in other ways (like on a roof rack).

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[One who waits long time]

I tried a hitch mounted platform that wasn't even as low as this looks. It dragged a lot when off road.

 

[WheresMyBronco]

I tried a hitch mounted platform that wasn't even as low as this looks. It dragged a lot when off road.

I've still got about 16" of ground clearance under it, but I think perspective in my pics make it look a lot lower. This pic from the other thread shows it a little better.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

I've still got about 16" of ground clearance under it, but I think perspective in my pics make it look a lot lower. This pic from the other thread shows it a little better.

He's more referring to departure angle, it does encroach a bit, not as bad as a hitch basket since it doesn't stick out as far. Its a great option potentially.

 

[One who waits long time]

Mine was a SAS with a 2 inch lift and 37's. I had to be careful where I went. I guess it depends on how you go offroad.

 

[mvilla]

If I could just find a way to mount this where the stock muffler was this would be great… anyone have any ideas?

 

[WheresMyBronco]

Mine was a SAS with a 2 inch lift and 37's. I had to be careful where I went. I guess it depends on how you go offroad.

Completely understandable for rock crawling/offroading with steeper angles. You can install it on a roof rack if you have one, but I mainly got this for camping and other types of trips like that.

If I could just find a way to mount this where the stock muffler was this would be great… anyone have any ideas?

I hate how good of an idea this is... Could probably have an exhaust shop weld on some hangers

 

[Felix808]

That wouldn't last long running any trails of any significance

 

[mvilla]

Completely understandable for rock crawling/offroading with steeper angles. You can install it on a roof rack if you have one, but I mainly got this for camping and other types of trips like that.



I hate how good of an idea this is... Could probably have an exhaust shop weld on some hangers

The biggest issue I see is how would you refill it because the cap needs to be vertical. For the pressure you could just run a line somewhere more accessible, but I don’t know how you could easily refill the water.

 

[WheresMyBronco]

The biggest issue I see is how would you refill it because the cap needs to be vertical. For the pressure you could just run a line somewhere more accessible, but I don’t know how you could easily refill the water.

You can try to make some modification to the under trunk storage bin that will let you fill it up from there. I've seen some pics on some soundproofing threads where it's basically open underneath it. Might give you access to the muffler/water tank location.

 

[TheKim]

He's more referring to departure angle, it does encroach a bit, not as bad as a hitch basket since it doesn't stick out as far. Its a great option potentially.

Just adding a visualization of that change

 

[j_marinelli]

Thanks for sharing!

I have been looking at these and trying to think of a way to mount it in place of the OEM Muffler since they are kinda similar in size. Even with making up an onboard regulator with air to help it maintain constant pressure while in use, I'm just not sure how well it would work on it's side.

 

[Fordified1]

It’s pretty nice for what you do. Wouldn’t work for me. I would skin it up and knock the spigot off the end first time out. I forgot to remove my hitch once and drug that, just to give you an idea. I also would ruin those steps. Beautiful rig though.

 

[604Bronco]

You know someone is going to try to use this as an auxiliary fuel tank...

Disclaimer: Do not use this as an auxiliary fuel tank...

 

[Tricky Mike]

You know someone is going to try to use this as an auxiliary fuel tank...

Disclaimer: Do not use this as an auxiliary fuel tank...

Instructions unclear, I now have a Pinto.

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