3 pt. water tank

   / 3 pt. water tank #1  

Atch4115

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Messages
39
Location
Harrisonburg,VA.
Tractor
JD 4115
Looking to put a water tank on rear to water new trees.Getting tired of hauling by hand in 5 gal. buckets.Anybody done this,have any good ideas?
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #2  
I would say that you could buy a 3pt "Carry All" and a mount a water tank to it. Both are available at places like TSC or Northern Tool.

The water tanks typically come in 25, 35, 50 gallon sizes and larger. But unless you have a pretty large tractor you will have to be mindful of the weight. Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. I would probably start looking at the 50 gallon sizes and see if I could get an even larger one that would still be able to be carried. Most of the "Carry All" units have pretty limited weight capacities, as the gallons go up, you might find the need for a heavier duty carry all. I've seen some that will hold 1000#. That might make the front end of your tractor very light and hard to steer.

Most of the tanks I've seen have a drain on the bottom, you could probably remove the drain plug and hook a hose to that outlet. As long as the end of the hose is above the water level, the water will not drain out of the tank. You could simple let the hose down and gravity will drain as much of the tank as you need, then move on to the next tree.

If you want to get fancy about it, you could get a 12 volt pump and power pump water through a hose, that would allow you to drive up to the tree, flip a switch, shoot the water at the tree trunk and then move on, all without getting out of the tractor seat. I think you can get small pumps that will move a couple gallons a minute, but some of that flow depends on the spray head you use, if you even need a spray head.
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #3  
I take water down to new trees in the orchard using 30 gallon garbage cans in my loader. Later I bucket-water from those cans.

There is a photo attached to This post.

I am thinking about making a plywood deck on top of my box blade to carry a couple of cans on the back at the same time. That would be high enough to siphon water out to refill the cans already in the orchard. Or I may tow a little 4x8 utility trailer for the refill cans.

Dad carried buckets in a wheelbarrow for this, and one of my earliest memories of Grandpa was him using a child's wagon to deliver the buckets.
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #4  
I plan on using Bob's method this summer. I already have a 55 gallon drum rigged for watering (valve in lower bung hole). I used to use it for hauling water to the property before we moved, in the back of my truck. Now that we have water on site, I plan to pick up a three point carry all and strap the drum to it. I can water quite a few trees from one spot with a fifty foot hose attached /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #5  
I once used the bucket on the FEL to haul water to the tomato plants /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Then dipped it out in watering can portions.
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #6  
I'm not sure what your budget is but we have a 750 gallon sprayer that we use for watering livestock, watering roads, arenas, trees, new grass, etc. We have boom poles that we can water grass in a snap, a 150 hose to water livestock and trees, or a sprayer. When not watering with it you can use it to do all of your spraying as well. I bought it at a farm auction for $150. New they are about $750. It couldn't be an easier or handy.
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #8  
I use a 55 gallon drum. I set it on my FEL, chain hook to the top rim of drum, pull chain tight and hook to my center FEL hook, fill with water and I'm off. Dip it out with a 5 gallon bucket now, but plan to add a drain to the drum.
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #9  
I've got 2 45 gal plastic drums. I've got a hose bib in one bung hole, with about 4' of hose attached. For flower beds, I stick one in the loader horizontal, hose down, and pump water out of the pond with a gas pump into the upper hole. Drive to the flower beds, and raise it up 2' so the hose end is over the bed, then get off and do some weeding for 5 mins, moving the hose end every once in a while. Tuck the hose in the upper bung hole, and move on to the next bed. I don't bother to chain it in this way.
For trees I'll stand both drums up in the loader and wrap a strap around them, then fill them both up, drive to the trees and "dump" them out. Roll the drum so the hose is down, route the hose to the right spot, and drive away. 45 gals takes a while to drain out, and the tree gets a good watering and I can get other work done in the meantime (Note: 2 45 IMP gal drums is 900lbs and my 855 needs couterweight! The first time I did this, the back end of the tractor lifted off the ground as I filled the second drum)

Total investment can't be more than $15.
 
   / 3 pt. water tank #10  
I used to carry a 55 gallon drum around in the bucket with a hose attached to it. Then I got a set of the 3pt forks similar to what TSC sells and attached the drum to a pallet. This allows me to carry it around, drop it off, and let it drain at whatever pace I want. At that point I can go off and do other things.
 
 
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