The Norwesco 55 Gallon Black Horizontal Leg Tank is a 55-gallon polyethylene horizontal leg tank built for portable haul and applicator work where the load has to ride low and stable. Molded in black, it measures 34 inches long by 23 inches wide by 26 inches high, and the integral legs let it sit flat on a skid, trailer, or truck bed without a separate cradle. The black resin blocks light to slow algae growth, so water carried or stored between fills resists algae bloom without additives - which is why these horizontal leg tanks show up on so many field rigs hauling water and ag liquids.
Will it work for your job?
Start with weight, because that is what sizing actually comes down to on a horizontal tank. Filled with plain water this tank carries about 459 lb of contents, and at its 1.5 specific-gravity rating it is built to hold up to roughly 688 lb of denser liquid. That spread is the number to check before you load fertilizer or a heavier solution: if your liquid's specific gravity pushes the contents past that 688 lb ceiling, the tank is over-rated for the job. The footprint is 23 x 34 inches, so confirm your trailer deck or truck bed has the run to mount it and strap it down. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide to match the load weight to your mounting setup. One note on plumbing: fitting and outlet configuration is not listed in our spec data for this SKU - check the technical drawing on this page for port placement, and call 866-418-1777 to confirm exact outlet sizes and locations before you plumb it.
Chemical compatibility
This is a polyethylene tank rated to 1.5 specific gravity. The resin grade is recorded as polyethylene but is unconfirmed, so confirm the exact resin grade with us before putting it into any chemical service - that distinction changes what the tank will hold over time. At the 1.5 rating, the OEM chemical-resistance chart supports the following at the listed concentrations, with the fitting and gasket materials that go with each:
- 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 (diesel exhaust fluid) 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
If you are hauling diesel exhaust fluid, this tank is compatible with DEF at 32.5% when you run 316SS fittings and EPDM gaskets - the right answer to a question a lot of fleet buyers ask first. Because the chart is concentration- and temperature-specific, verify your exact concentration and service temperature against it, not just the chemical name. A second group of chemicals is chemically compatible with polyethylene but requires a higher 1.9 specific-gravity tank rather than this 1.5 tank: 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. If you are running any of these, step up to the heavier-rated tank. Full details for each chemical are on its page and on our chemical compatibility resource.
Common mistake to avoid
The mistake we see most on these tanks is matching the chemical to the tank by name alone and ignoring the 1.5 specific-gravity ceiling. The contents weight rating, not the gallon count, is the real limit. As an illustration of why the 19 chemicals above call for the 1.9-SG tank: 55 gallons of a 1.9-SG liquid works out to roughly 872 lb of contents - well over the 688 lb this 1.5 tank is built to carry. Confirm the resin grade and your liquid's specific gravity before you fill.
This Norwesco horizontal leg tank stocks in ten plants coast to coast - California, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington - so your LTL shipment almost always moves from a nearby state, cutting transit time and freight cost. It ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP from the nearest stocking plant among Fairfield, TX; Griffin, GA; Hanford, CA; Owego, NY; Shawnee, OK; Sheldon, IA; St. Bonifacius, MN; Tooele, UT; Washington Court House, OH; and Washougal, WA. Get a freight quote to your address with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 to lock in fittings and freight together. For more on running these tanks in the field, see our guides on Norwesco applicator and leg tanks for fertilizer, portable utility tank DOT classification, and fertilizer-blend tank stratification.
