water buffalo

[roughroad]

hi all i Just bought a 400 gallon m149A water buffalo and at this point i am wondering what the tank is made out of. i thought they were all steel but now i'm not so sure it says it has an insulation package but one of the pics shows what might be fiberglass cracking. when i found it on gl i got exited and its in my town so oops seems like the price wasn't bad though. still waiting on the EUC so?

i can fix steel in a jiffy so thats what i hope it is.

thanks

 

[gunboy1656]

Some were Stainless steel, aluminum, and some were fiberglass. Got any pics.

 

[wreckerman893]

From the back if it is round the tank is most likely metal......if it is an oblong shape it is fiberglass. (if faded memory severs me right)

 

[pmramsey]

The M149A Buffalos are insulated, double-walled stainless steel without baffles inside. Do not under any circumstances, cut into or attempt to weld the tank. Dangerous gases will be released from the insulation. I suggest you locate a TM. The threaded rear faucet can be removed and a heater element can be inserted there. It is about 3-feet long and runs off of 120V.

Look at my photo gallery on this site. I rebuilt this buffalo six years ago. This is the early 1970s version of the buffalo. It is aluminum but single walled with baffles inside.

The 1950s versions are steel tanks lined with hot fired glass blown onto the inside tank walls. The glass tends to crack and flake into the tank due to age.

 

[nk14zp]

If it is in your town why not go look at it?

 

[glcaines]

From the back if it is round the tank is most likely metal......if it is an oblong shape it is fiberglass. (if faded memory severs me right)

You're memory serves you well, WM. I have a 2000 M149A2 and it has a stainless steel tank. I understand the fiberglass tanks didn't hold up well. I don't know what the downside of the aluminum tanks was, most likely corrosion. You can't beat stainless steel.

 

[roughroad]

i saw it at 330 the day it closed so no chance to look at it and i want it to help irrigate some small ag fields this summer to get better hay.

as far as pics here are some. the msn says the body it steel is that the tank?

thanks

 

[gimpyrobb]

Glass

 

[glcaines]

Definitely fiberglass.

 

[m16ty]

I don't know what the downside of the aluminum tanks was, most likely corrosion.

Aluminum can be unsanitary. Aluminum scratches very easy (you can get small scratches from just cleaning the tank). These small surface scratches can harbor bacteria. This is why I was told aluminum is not used in food processing plants. They use Stainless for everything.

 

[steelandcanvas]

This is why I was told aluminum is not used in food processing plants. They use Stainless for everything.

Ty, You hit the nail right on the head. I worked as a Plant Electrician in a commercial bakery, no aluminum to be found there, everything stainless..

 

[jasonjc]

The M107,A1,A2's were all aluminum and used a M103 trailer (M105).

The M149,A1 had a fiberglass tank, M149A2 has the stainless steel tank. Both the fiber glass and stainless steel tanks were insulated.

The WWII water trailer were steel with an asfualt coating.

Yours is a fiberglass tank. But it seems to have been use for fuel of some kind. Do not use it for drinking water! Wash and flush real good before watering the grass with it too.

 

[roughroad]

thank yall for the info.


now i know its fiberglass what is the best way to fix what is bound to be wrong with it?
do i just go to the boat store and get some fiberglass patches? or is there such a thing?


as always i'm sure it will be fun

and i guess since it has been used? to haul fuel i can't fill it with beer to spread the excitement



thanks for the help

 

[pmramsey]

thank yall for the info.


now i know its fiberglass what is the best way to fix what is bound to be wrong with it?
do i just go to the boat store and get some fiberglass patches? or is there such a thing?


as always i'm sure it will be fun

and i guess since it has been used? to haul fuel i can't fill it with beer to spread the excitement



thanks for the help

Local authorities will frown upon transporting 400 gallons of liquid combustable materials in such a device on a public road.

Expect problems..I suggest you fill it completely with water and see what happens. There will be some that will tell you otherwise; however, unlike metals, fiberglass does not have as a specific, known, or certifiable lifespan before it begins to fail.

 

[roughroad]

i don't want to carry fuel. i am only going to carry water. .... maybe beer if i go to the beach for spring break.

but i'm sure there is something wrong with it or the gov wouldn't have sold it.

hubs are cheep tires are consumable and the description said the breaks work but those are rarely required for a small trailer such as this. so i have to assume there is at least one hole in the tank.

 

[pmramsey]

Fill it with water and tow it around your property. If there are leaks, you will find them. The Govt would have retired the unit due to the age of the fiberglass tank alone.

 

[roughroad]

ok will do

thanks

 

[aboonski]

I bought two M149A2 buffalos from a GSA auction here Florida and one has a bastard tank on it where boards had to be used to elevate the outlets to make it functional for the faucet assemblies. I have photos in her somewhere and looking for someone who might be able to I.D. the tank. U was told it was stainless steel but the large outlet in the front appears to be aluminum. It has a tank mount that runs the length of the tank on either side. Thinking it might have come from another type trailer. The data plate is missing from the tank too. A very crude looking manhole cover is up top......

 

[jasonjc]

i don't want to carry fuel. i am only going to carry water. .... maybe beer if i go to the beach for spring break.

but i'm sure there is something wrong with it or the gov wouldn't have sold it.

hubs are cheep tires are consumable and the description said the breaks work but those are rarely required for a small trailer such as this. so i have to assume there is at least one hole in the tank.

Small trailer???? It is 3,000lbs empty and over 6,000lbs loaded. Not to mench water can be a bitch to haul in a unbaffeled tank.

 

[aboonski]

Here are some photos and an apology for the typos in that last post - my eyes are so bad ow that I miss the mistakes very easy.....