The Chem-Tainer 550 Gallon Plastic Horizontal Leg Tank (SKU TC5476LC) is a polyethylene horizontal leg tank built for transport and stationary chemical storage. It holds 550 gallons, measures 74 inches long by 48 inches wide by 50 inches tall, and is molded in natural white polyethylene so you can read the liquid level through the wall. The integral legs are what make a horizontal leg tank a workhorse for applicators, nurse rigs, and fixed batch stations alike.
Will it work for your job?
Start with weight, because that is what governs your cradle, skid, and trailer. Filled with water (specific gravity 1.0) the contents alone weigh about 4,587 lbs. At the tank's 1.5 specific-gravity rating, the maximum rated contents weight climbs to 6,880 lbs, so any frame, hold-downs, and tires under this tank have to be rated for that loaded number plus the tank itself. The footprint that load sits on is 48.0 x 74.0 inches. That same loaded weight is what drives your LTL freight class, so it pays to size the contents, not just the gallons, with the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide, then run the number through the Freight Cost Estimator before you commit to a chassis. Confirm the dimensions and port locations on the technical drawing on this page against your cradle openings.
Chemical compatibility
This tank is polyethylene with a 1.5 specific-gravity rating, which means the wall is built to carry liquids up to 1.5 times the weight of water. The resin is HDLPE, but confirm HDLPE versus XLPE before chemical service, because that distinction matters for the more aggressive chemistries below. Always verify against the OEM chemical-resistance chart at your specific concentration and temperature before filling.
Chemicals this 1.5 SG tank handles at the listed concentrations, with the recommended fitting and gasket materials, include:
- Acetic Acid at 60% (PP/PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Aluminum Sulfate at 50% (PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Calcium Chloride at 40% (PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- DEF at 32.5% (316SS fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Ferrous Sulfate at 20% (PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Magnesium Chloride at 30% (PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Sodium Carbonate at 30% (PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Urea Solution at 50% (PP/PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
- Ozonated Water up to 10 PPM (PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets)
One detail on that list that catches people: DEF calls for 316 stainless fittings, not the PVC that covers most of the others, because the wrong metal contaminates the fluid and fails it in the field. A handful of common chemicals are NOT recommended for this 1.5 SG tank and need a higher 1.9 specific-gravity tank instead: Ethylene Glycol, Ferric Chloride, Ferric Sulfate, Hydrochloric Acid, Hydrofluoric Acid, Hydrofluosilicic Acid, Hydrogen Peroxide, Peracetic Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Polyaluminum Chloride, Potassium Carbonate, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Bisulfate, Sodium Bisulfite, Sodium Hypochlorite, Sodium Thiosulfate, Sulfuric Acid, and Zinc Orthophosphate. For any of those, step up to a 1.9 specific-gravity Chem-Tainer tank rated for that load rather than forcing this one. Several of them (sodium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, hydrofluoric acid, hydrofluosilicic acid, phosphoric acid, and sulfuric acid) also call for Viton gaskets, and peracetic acid calls for Aflas, rather than EPDM, so match your gasket to the chemistry. Cross-check everything against the OEM chemical-resistance chart at your concentration and temperature and our chemical compatibility resource.
The mistake to avoid
The most expensive error on a 1.5 SG horizontal leg tank is loading it past its rating. If your product is one of the 1.9 SG chemicals above, this tank is the wrong rating for the job no matter how well the gallons fit. The second trap is mismatched gaskets: EPDM covers most of the compatible list, but the oxidizers and strong acids need Viton or Aflas, and DEF needs stainless fittings. For fixed and mobile fertilizer or DEF rigs, the leg-tank background in our guides on applicator and leg tanks for fertilizer and fertilizer-blend tank stratification is worth reading before you spec a mixing setup.
This horizontal leg tank ships by LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP. Get your number with the Freight Cost Estimator or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it with you. Listed price is before freight.
