How to Carry Portable Waste Tanks

[wanderlust]

Originally Posted by TakeItEasy

I got the idea on how to transport mine here

Very good... Thanks!

[JetTech]

Originally Posted by Hattie

We have bungeed ours to the ladder, but check this out: Ladder Mount Portable Waste Tank Mounting System - Holding Tank Accessories - Black Water Tanks - Plumbing

For those of us with ladders, this looks like it may just be the answer! My ladder is positioned pretty far to the left, so wonder how much those arms would stick out from the side of the RV.

[FredL]

People on FB RV groups say NOT to strap a tote to the ladder because it’s weight will cause strain on the ladder and as the coach bumps down the road, the ladder brackets may loosen and the seal caulk might crack. What say y’all?

[Hattie]

Our tote is light enough for me to pick it up and carry it with one hand. We take the tote with us only in situations where we don't have full hook-ups AND we're there long enough to warrant AND there is an onsite dump-station close-enough to roll it to. It goes without saying it is empty when mounted and with the ratchet straps, it is securely attached to the ladder so there is no slippage, bouncing, or oscillation occurring. We constantly review the shape of our trailer looking for weaknesses or failures and haven't noticed a thing around brackets or seals. So we say ... no worries!

BTW, the gray tank always fills faster than the black tank, so as adherents to the GEO Method, we add Dawn and Calgonite to all the dish and rinse water and flush it down the toilet. We also use the campground showers when we can to conserve both our fresh and gray tanks. So far, we're happy campers!!

[norty1]

Originally Posted by FredL

People on FB RV groups say NOT to strap a tote to the ladder because it’s weight will cause strain on the ladder and as the coach bumps down the road, the ladder brackets may loosen and the seal caulk might crack. What say y’all?

When empty, why not. It’s light.
Mine is in my truck bed. I like it out of sight.

[Midnightmoon]

I just started using one a couple of months ago. Got it as a birthday present of all things........

Anyway, it goes in the truck bed and is stored under our trailer when not in use.

[Bookemdanno]

Mine rides in the truck bed up in front of the 5er hitch. It's the 40 gallon model, so it's a bit on the heavy side, but I can lift it in & out of the bed. I can see that as I get older, that will be much more difficult! I guess at some point I'll need a smaller tote.

[blujay40]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

I saw one guy have his empty TOTE in the back of his truck bed. He left it there all the time and using one of those 12VDC MACERATOR PUMPS he could fill it up with ease. Then he could tie off the fill hose high and drive the truck to the dump area and just let it gravity feed until it empties the tote...

No mess what so ever...

The guy did tell me to be sure the tote in the back of the truck is bigger than the biggest tank. Otherwise you might overflow it when filling it up...

Roy Ken

What I basically do also. 42 gal tote in the back of the bed and fill it using a Flojet 12v macerator pump using a 30 ', 3/4" clear hose I fashioned that has shutoff valves at each end to keep things nice and clean when connecting/disconnecting. However, when I empty the tote, I use my regular sewer hose and let gravity do it's thing. Much faster to empty it than using the 3/4 inch hose I fill it with.

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by blujay40

What I basically do also. 42 gal tote in the back of the bed and fill it using a Flojet 12v macerator pump using a 30 ', 3/4" clear hose I fashioned that has shutoff valves at each end to keep things nice and clean when connecting/disconnecting. However, when I empty the tote, I use my regular sewer hose and let gravity do it's thing. Much faster to empty it than using the 3/4 inch hose I fill it with.

I really like this idea. Maybe Santa will have to bring me a macerator pump sometime soon.

It's for these things that I just hate my short bed truck. By the time the tote goes in, the generator, fuel, etc., there isn't much space left

[TCNashville]

Our Eagle came with a pull out cargo tray rated at 250lbs. That's where the tote goes among other things.

[PipeFighter]

Myself, I like to use metal strut (Unistrut, B-Line, Hilti) since it's the modern day Erector Set for grown ups. I'd mount two vertical pieces to the rear bumper (with some U-bolts) and connect the two upper portions with a horizontal piece and a couple of gussets in the corners. Then make two stand out horizontal brackets with two more vertical pieces on the ends to hold it in tight. Then use some small ratchet straps to hold it in place. Nice thing about this is you can fab for any dimension you want. It comes in Galvanized or Green so it's ready for custom paint. I used two vertical pieces painted black to attach my LCD TV to the rolling entertainment center in my house. Even the carpenters from the audio store that built my cabinet were impressed. It's not that much added weight and very secure.

[vw56bug]

I think I understand what you're describing, but a couple pictures would sure help. Thanks in advance- Tim Miller.

[kayakterp]

Originally Posted by vw56bug

I think I understand what you're describing, but a couple pictures would sure help. Thanks in advance- Tim Miller.

I don’t quite understand, pictures would be great!

[PipeFighter]

Found an stand that was built up for something else so I quickly added my components on one side for a quick visual. As you can see it has two vertical posts to the left. These would be attached to the bumper. with a U Bolt similar to the one in the left of the photo. As you can see from the side view it looks like a block letter "U" (that would be mirrored on each upright). There is a short horizontal piece that attaches to the second upright. These are all held in place by corner brackets (they come in one hole, per leg, or two hole flavors - meaning two or four bolts and nuts). These can be fastened on the top or bottom of the formed corner IF you get the strut with slotted holes that are on 2" centers (look for P1000 on the Unistrut site for an example) All three pieces would have to be field cut for the blue tank dimensions. I would NOT recommend bungee cords! Ratchet straps are the best in my humble opinion for safety. The cut ends of the strut has to be filed down so the edges are smooth as they will cut you or anything else really fast (voice of 30+ years experience here). There are also soft vinyl end caps that can be pressed on and work wonderfully, but I'd use construction adhesive in addition. Four would be needed for the uprights. FYI: Strut comes in several gauges and depths. 13/16, 1 1/4, and 1 5/8 inch being the common sizes. Gages normally run 14 and 19 if I am correct. For this I would use a heavy gage 13/16 or 1 1/4. There are three strut companies whose products I've used. They are Hilti, Bee Line, and Unistrut. I prefer the last two. Additionally you might have to make the U Bolt to fit your bumper as all things are not equal. Not a hard job if you have access to a vice and threaded stock, since not everyone had 3/8 inch dies and unthreaded stock. Naturally you would want to make this so the tank is as close to the bumper as possible to help avoid metal fatigue from the forces of nature while traveling. I hope this paints a clearer picture for all and sorry if I was being a little long winded.