WHAT TYPE OF TANK IS BEST FOR YOU?

Whether you need to store water, fuel, or any other chemical, it is important to know which type of tank best suits your needs. Tanks come made in a multitude of materials, in this article we compare steel, fibreglass, and polyethylene, each with their own benefits and weaknesses. At Shermac, we primarily use steel tanks for all of our vehicles.

Deciding which tank is appropriate for your needs can be an overwhelming and confusing task. Reliability, budget, maintenance, and sturdiness are all factors that come into play when deciding the material of a tank.

Below is a quick guide to some of the advantages and disadvantages between steel, poly, and fibreglass tanks.

STEEL TANKS

Steel tanks are highly durable and reliable. The strong surface makes them difficult to puncture or damage, with steel being easy to manipulate into any shape or size. This is a key factor as to why Shermac use steel tanks. Not only will they survive in the harsh conditions experienced on site, they will withstand increases in temperature and perform better than poly and fibreglass against fire.

At Shermac we manufacture all of our steel tanks onsite, blasting and painting them using a quality two-pack paint system internally and externally, with corrosion protection systems available for operation in corrosive site conditions.

Steel tanks, however, are much heavier than polyethylene and fibreglass tanks, increasing transport and installation costs. Over time, galvanised steel will rust and corrode if not properly maintained. If used for water storage, zinc may eventually leak into the water leaving a metallic taste.

POLYETHYLENE TANKS

Polyethylene tanks are generally one of two types; fabricated or moulded.

Fabricated polyethylene tanks are mostly manufactured from flat sheets of high density polyethylene (HDPE). The construction methodology of fabricated tanks is similar to steel tanks, with the sheets being welded together with the use of specialised equipment to form a base, sides, and roof, to the required dimensions.

Generally, fabricated poly tanks require more baffles than a stainless steel or aluminium tank, which can cause issues with larger holding tanks. Another downside is the fact that the manufacturing process is very specialised. This has an effect on their availability and increases their price.

Moulded polyethylene tanks are rotationally moulded from low density polyethylene (LDPE), resulting in a single piece construction, which reduces any weaknesses that may occur in the seams, while at the same time decreasing any risk of leaks.

Both LDPE and HDPE tanks are generally lighter in weight than steel, with polyethylene able to sustain a reasonable hit without deforming or rupturing.

Cons associated with moulded LDPE tanks are the fact that they suffer from discolouration when used for diesel storage and tend to fatigue quicker than steel when used in high duty cycle situations.

Customisation of LDPE tanks can also be quite expensive. Custom moulds need to be manufactured, which can be quite time consuming for manufacturers who may be unwilling to do so as there might not be sufficient enough market for them to recoup this cost.

Another disadvantage to using LDPE is the limited baffle options available for moulded tanks. This poses a problem with liquid surge in larger cartage tanks, affecting both the durability of the tank and the carrying vehicle safety. Moulded LDPE tanks, similar to fibreglass tanks, are also prone to algal growth due to allowing more light penetration than HDPE or steel.

While poly tanks are recyclable at the end of their lifecycle, they pose a higher risk of failure in a fire (you can penetrate a PE tank with a cigarette lighter), or extreme temperatures.

Some of the advantages of using HDPE and LDPE poly tanks include the fact they are resistant to most chemicals and corrosion. Their single piece constructs provide strength and durability, giving the tanks the ability to withstand harsh conditions.

FIBREGLASS STORAGE TANKS

While less popular and harder to find than poly and steel tanks, fibreglass tanks offer greater heat protection and are resistant to rust and chemical corrosion. They are available in multiple sizes and are able to be placed above or below ground.

With the manufacturing process for fibreglass tanks being more time consuming, this results in a higher price than an equivalent tank constructed from steel or poly.

When used for water storage, fibreglass tanks are prone to algal growth due to allowing more light penetration that steel or HDPE poly tanks. The brittle construct of these types of tanks also makes them less appealing than steel or poly as they are prone to crack easily.

Shermac are here to help!

When consulting with our clients, it is important that all advantages and disadvantages of tank design and material are discussed. All of our products are rigorously tested to ensure they perform at the peak of their ability.

For more information about the type of tank that will best suit your needs, call us today on 1300 799 943, we are here to help.

For 15 years now, Shermac has been designing and engineering a range of support trailers and vehicles for the mining, civil, and commercial sectors.

We understand that equipment downtime negatively impacts production time which leads to a decrease in profit.

Our product range includes Service Trucks, Service Trailers, Diesel Trailers, Water Carts, Tilt Trays, Drill Support Trucks, Plant Trailers, Tipper Trucks, Boilermakers Vehicles, and Mobile Workshops.

By supplying purpose built support vehicles that are efficient, effective, safe, and easy to use for mining, civil, and commercial work sites, we are able to help our clients businesses become more productive.

At Shermac, our ultimate goal is to provide more production time for your equipment. Our experience in the mining, civil, and commercial sectors has given us intimate knowledge on the practical demands placed on service trucks. With this knowledge, we know how to engineer the correct solution to meet your practical and operational requirements.

For more information on how Shermac can help your business become more productive, view our product range and contact us today on 1300 799 943 for a consultation.

At Shermac, we strive to not only provide our client’s with the best possible products, we also believe in giving back to the community.

Mid 2016, Shermac donated a number of shade structures to the Shire of Dalwallinu, a small rural community north of Perth.

Designed and engineered at our Western Australia based warehouse, these shade structures can now be found positioned along the main thoroughfare, Johnston Street.

This is just one example of Shermac using our knowledge and resources to give back to the community.

For more information, follow Shermac on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Shermac is a dynamic, Australian-based company that designs and manufactures built-for-purpose solutions that meet the specific operational requirements of our clients. We are able to build and customise any industrial vehicle, wherever you operate in Australia, and whatever your industrial application may be.

While we have already made a name in Australia, the past few months have been quite exciting for us and our clients. We recently completed a project at a mining site in Laos, which proves that Shermac is capable of supplying high-quality products anywhere in the world at competitive price points, and more importantly, on time.

Allow us to tell you the story of how we were able to complete a major project for a company that has a mine site in faraway Laos and how Shermac is becoming a globally competitive company, delivering solutions to just about any location in the world.

THE PROJECT

Shermac was approached by an Australian mining company that needed service trucks for a specific fleet of mining equipment at their mine site, which is located in Laos. We worked closely with the client in fully customising each unit to meet their exact on site servicing requirements. The project required left-hand drive trucks with all primary functions accessible from the driver’s side. This represented a challenge since the design and functionality are literally the complete opposite of right-hand drive vehicles used in Australian operations.

DESIGN, ASSEMBLY, TESTING

During the design phase, we worked closely with the client in ensuring that we were able to deliver products that met their exact requirements. We modified the designs until we were able to come up with one that satisfied their needs. The challenges did not stop during the design process with even more challenges cropping up during the manufacturing phase. One such challenge was having to be in constant communication with the site personnel in Laos during the construction of two service truck bodies that were being built in kit form, to ensure that the fit was smooth and accurate.

As soon as the units were fabricated completely, blasted, painted, and fully assembled, we proceeded with testing all the individual functions to ensure that everything works. We tested the hydraulic system, set pressures correctly and tested all dispensing systems to make sure that there were absolutely no leaks and defects. We also made sure that all the units were fully wrapped and protected as they made their long journey to Laos via a sea freight flat rack container, with the components housed in a closed 40-foot container.

PROJECT DELIVERY

In the delivery of the project, we made sure we had eyes and ears in Laos. We sent one of our qualified team members to work closely with site personnel to oversee fitment of service bodies to the truck chassis, as well as to test each unit to ensure that all parts worked perfectly. He stayed on site for three days and once everything had been established to be in perfect working condition, he went home, a week ahead of schedule, if we may add.

You can also watch this video to learn more.

Shermac is Australia’s leading manufacturer of service trailers and vehicles for the mining, commercial, local government, and civil sectors. We have been designing and manufacturing custom-built, quality assured mine spec vehicles for sale since 2002, servicing private companies and governments across Australia. We have made a name for ourselves thanks to the high quality of service and attention to detail we give to every single product that we create. Our clients trust our expertise in providing them with service trucks, vehicles, and water carts that help increase efficiency and productivity, as well as minimise operational downtime and costs on fleet procurement and vehicle maintenance.

Banking on our success and stellar reputation in Australia, we are looking to grow our customer base, branching out of our homeland and into different locations all over the world. Our goal is to be the household name in dependable service vehicles, no matter where you are in the world, which is why we are bringing Shermac to New Zealand shores.

SERVICE TRAILERS NZ BUSINESS OWNERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS CAN RELY ON

We believe that New Zealand business owners deserve nothing but the best service vehicles, and we would like to give them the same positive experience and high quality products that our Australian customers have become accustomed to through the years. We believe that there is a solution to any and all service trailer requirements, and that customers need not limit themselves to what is only commonly available in the market. At Shermac, we provide customised solutions to our customers’ needs. We build our trucks and trailers according to the exact specifications of our customers, so that whatever they purchase from us serves them exactly the way they need them to.  So customers in need of service trailers in NZ can definitely count on us to build something that is dependable, and manufactured using only the best and highest quality materials available in the market.

HASSLE-FREE LOGISTICS

NZ customers do not need to worry about logistic problems – after all, New Zealand is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Australia. We have always taken great care in ensuring that our customers’ orders are delivered safe and secure – in fact, we were able to successfully deliver custom-built trucks to Laos and those trucks survived the long trip! And before your trailers even reach you, we will make sure to thoroughly test every single component to ensure that everything runs and functions the way they are supposed to. Of course, we value your peace of mind, which is why we will keep you updated every single step of the way, working closely with you so that we are able to deliver on our promise.

From the conceptualisation and design stage all the way to the testing and completion of the project, you can be rest assured that our highly trained team of experts will communicate and collaborate with you, because your satisfaction is our priority.

BUILT-FOR-PURPOSE WATER TANK TRAILER IN NZ

Having been in the business for more than a decade now, we know that water trucks for different industries have different features and purposes. We manufacture and customise water cartage tanks to withstand even the harshest conditions. We use only premium-grade materials, such as highly-durable and corrosion resistant steel, because we know that water storage should not be taken lightly. Our experienced fabrication specialists are experts in the design, building, and repair of all types of water cartage trucks, water tank trailers, and water pumps.

Our water tanks have capacities ranging from 600 to 25,000 litres and feature a durable, easy-to-use design.  We are able to design and manufacture water cartage tanks according to the specific needs of your industry, whether for industrial or commercial use.

So when in NZ and in need of a reliable service trailer, Shermac is the name you can trust.

Call us at 1300 799 943 to enquire about our products and services.