Watercart 500 litre

The 500 litre water cart is the smaller of the two liquid bowsers in this range, a single non-braked axle trailer that carries a moulded tank on a light chassis. TRAILERS SA sells it as a retailer from Hartswater in the Northern Cape, not as the manufacturer. It suits a smallholding, a game farm water run, a small building site or dust suppression work where a full tandem bowser would be more trailer than the job needs. At 180 kg unladen it tows behind a modest vehicle and parks in an ordinary yard without difficulty.

500 litre water cart specifications

Every figure below is taken directly from the published builder specification. Nothing on this page is estimated or rounded, and where a detail is not published we say so rather than guess it.

Tank, plumbing and fittings

The cart is a purpose built liquid carrier rather than a general trailer with a drum strapped on the back. The standard build includes the following.

• A UV treated moulded tank rated at 500 litres
• A 250 mm inlet for quick filling from a bowser or a standpipe
• A 50 mm outlet for a gravity draw or a pump feed
• Tail lights set clear of knocks and protected
• An eight blade leaf spring axle rated to 750 kg
• 165 x 13 inch road wheels
• A spare wheel of the same 165 x 13 inch size included

Payload and what a full tank weighs

Water weighs one kilogram per litre, so a full 500 litre tank holds 500 kg of water on its own. Published payload is 520 kg against a 700 kg GVM and a 180 kg tare. Filled to the brim with plain water you are already at 500 of that 520 kg, which leaves almost nothing for anything strapped alongside the tank. Denser liquids weigh more than water per litre, so with anything heavier you should part fill the tank rather than top it up. How a part filled tank is baffled to stop the load surging matters on the road, and it is worth confirming on order.

Towing this unbraked bowser legally

Published GVM is 700 kg, which sits just below the 750 kg point above which a trailer must be braked, and the builder specifies this cart with no brakes accordingly. That keeps it simple to tow, but it also means the plated 700 kg is a hard ceiling you should not load past. The framework that sets braking, licensing and towing requirements is the National Road Traffic Act. If your load routinely pushes past 700 kg gross, the braked 1000 litre cart is the correct unit rather than an overloaded 500.

Tank material confirmed on order

The published product description refers to a UV treated polyethylene tank. Because the firm tank material and what it is certified to carry are not stated as a hard specification, and because that matters a great deal when the liquid is potable water, diesel or an agricultural chemical rather than raw water, we confirm the exact tank material and its rating in writing before we build. That is also why this cart is listed under the general water bowser archive rather than a material specific sub category. Tell us on the quote what you intend to carry and we will match the tank to it.

How it compares with the 1000 litre water cart

The step up is the 1000 litre water cart, which doubles tank volume, moves onto a run-in braked axle and is plated at 1400 kg GVM on 195 x 14 inch wheels. This 500 litre unit stays lighter, unbraked and cheaper, and tows behind a wider range of vehicles. Choose the 500 when the water run is short, the tow vehicle is modest or the task is occasional. Choose the 1000 when you need to move a full cubic metre of water in a single trip and the tow vehicle is rated to pull it.

Delivery, warranty and ordering

At R39 550 on the current price this cart clears the R20 000 threshold, so free delivery applies anywhere in South Africa, with the detail on the delivery page, and collection from Hartswater is always available. The builder warranty applies and we administer it on your behalf, with the cover set out on the warranty page. See the rest of the range on the fuel and water bowsers archive, or send your water carting requirement through the quote request form for a firm figure including delivery.