Fantastic solution to a well-known and annoying problem with Camco totes. I hope Camco is looking at your solution and will soon implement such a simple fix themselves. In the meantime I know what my next project will be! Thank you so much for your detailed and well thought-out instructions.
Thanks brother. Just got into seasonal site this year and our campgrounds are not paved. Just wanna quiet down my trip to the sani dump with this mod. Thanks again
This is brilliant... I recently purchased a class c and come November 2023 this will come in handy when I get down in Arizona LTVA... just another list of things to get from harbor freight. With this up grade I don't mind!! Thanks for sharing this very valuable upgrade.. Bewell..
I had a wobbly wheel on my last trip. Thank god it didn’t fail completely. I took off the wheel today and the hub was broken in several places. I watched your video and then went to Harbor Freight and Lowe’s and did this same repair. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Watched this last night and picked up supplies on way home from work. Took less than an hour and the improvement is wonderful. Worked like a charm.
I almost had disaster strike when a wheel fell off while hauling one of these, but luckily it did not damage the plastic enough to tear a hole. I called Camco and they replaced the whole unit. However, this time I will install this upgrade first to make sure it never happens again. Thanks for the video!
I just bought a 5/8' rod from Home Depot, cut it to size and drilled holes in each end for cotter pins. (Also, filed the rough edges.) Bought 13" tires from Harbor Freight that had a 5/8" bearing surface. Bought twelve 5/8" washers, five on each side, so the inside of the tires would clear the plastic wheel wells, and one each on the outside of each tire followed by cotter pins and is was good. Been using it for a couple years with no problems.
Loved this video. I have completed my upgrade to mine as well. Took about 45 min. I ended up using the Harbor Freight 13 In. Flat-Free Tire with Powder Coated Steel Hub - it's NOT the wheelbarrow wheel. I actually got the Hand Truck Wheel (275 lb). It worked out really well because the center hub of the wheel was slightly OFF-CENTER making it so that I didn't need any spacer, but I was able to keep the hub very close to the tote tank. Plus, I liked the look of the black wheel with knobby tires instead of the white wheel. VERY GOOD upgrade!! It feels so much more solid than the cheesy plastic ones that came with it. Thanks for the video - made it very easy for me to know exactly what to do without having to figure it out.
@@JouppiOutdoors I had a total disaster when I had a full 36gal and the wheel fell off and drug a nice size hole in the plastic. An entire tube of JB weld and a new set of tires and she’s good to go again. Btw the JB weld is basically the same color as the tote so it doesn’t look bad.
Great video man!. I got everything you showed in your video before I even bought my dump tank I didn’t want to risk the pos plastic wheels. Got everything installed and it works awesome!
One thing to do regardless if they are OEM or replacement wheels. Give the bearings a squirt of lube, WD40 or the like to get any moisture out of them when you pack this away. The bearings are dry ball bearings, and water gets in them very easily, especially when you pull it through grass. Wont help with cracking the hub, but the bearings will last longer.
Thank you so much for the video this is a good fix but make sure you get the wheels seen in this video if you get the flatfree ones with the bolted split rims the hub tends to snap off due to only being welded on one side ask me how I know.
With all due respect and no offense intended, I think you should see your doctor about a stress test. You get way to winded just moving around. I was the same way and ended up with a triple bypass due to clogged arteries. That said, I am going to Harbor Freight now to get the above mentioned parts to do the upgrade on my 35 gal tank. Loved the video and the idea. Thanks !
Haha! It was the middle of summer in Florida when I filmed this video…I was trying to not have a heat stroke before completing this project! I’m good to go and thank you for watching!
I have considered it but seems kind of expensive for what it is. Plus, the new wheels I installed made a huge difference so I’m happy with that for now! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the helpful information. Since you only had it a year, why didn't you take advantage of their warranty and have a new one sent to you? You still could have replaced the tire set up on the new tank.
You’re welcome! The tank itself is in fine shape, just wanted to upgrade the wheels. I know they will send replacement wheels, but I wasn’t interested in getting those. Thanks for watching!
Did it make it more quiet? I have the 4 wheel version and I feel like I’m disturbing the peace every time I use it. I’ve considered taking the front wheels off and going with rear rubber tires hoping it will quiet it down.
I like the heat shrink idea as long as it’s the right thickness. I have not measured it, but the tires are roughly twice as wide as the originals. Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors If you need the heat shrink thicker you just put on a 2nd or even third layer after shrinking the first if it's still a little loose. I like the tires that don't need air.
Great idea to fix the wheels but better to simply leave the tank in the truck and fill it with a macerator pump. No more wrangling a full tank from the rig to the truck or dragging the tank at 2 mph.
Do you think that 36 gallon tote would tow fine using smaller 10 inch wheels? Also, do you find the solid never flat wheels provide enough shock absorption? I'm replacing my hard stock 12" wheels in part because how hard the stock wheels are providing no shock absorption and trying to decide whether to use air filled pneumatic tires or the solid never Flats. I like the advantages of never having a flat tire. Thanks
I’m not sure the smaller 10” wheels would give you enough ground clearance when tilted up and hooked on to the truck to tow. The solid rubber wheels provide much better shock absorption compared to the standard stock wheels. The tank rolls SO much smoother now! Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors I’m doing this to my 36 gallon ad well! I’m leaning towards pneumatic tires because I’m looking to haul for faster and longer distances! Thnx for the video🤙
You could definitely add loctite to the inner nut. However, once it is all put together and the outer nyloc nuts are tightened down, the inner nuts can’t really move. Definitely won’t hurt though! Thanks for watching!
Hi there, I could not remove the wheels on my unit! I got the steel caps off the axles (with some difficulty) but the wheels are firmly affixed to the axles. Has anyone else had this experience?
I have not heard of this issue. Typically the wheel bearings are snug on the axle, but will come off with a few solid strikes from a hammer. Perhaps soaking the bearings and axle shaft with PB Blaster might free them up enough to remove?
Didn’t even think to check with them given the age of the tank. I feel confident these are a major upgrade over their wheels though. Thanks for watching!
Unfortunately they send you the same wheel kit. My tank is newer with the “improved” wheels. It failed after 5 trips. This repair is the way to fix that issue permanently.
For as much as you use your tank, this should never happen. Very poor design. Thats why i did not buy the rhino tank. The barker tank has bearings with greese fittings.
Fantastic solution to a well-known and annoying problem with Camco totes. I hope Camco is looking at your solution and will soon implement such a simple fix themselves. In the meantime I know what my next project will be! Thank you so much for your detailed and well thought-out instructions.
Thank you! I have heard that Camco will send replacement wheels but that’s not a long term solution in my book. Thanks for watching!
Thats why I like my Barker. Its now 5 yrs old and never failed us. I did place hard tires on it from Tractor Supply.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks brother. Just got into seasonal site this year and our campgrounds are not paved. Just wanna quiet down my trip to the sani dump with this mod. Thanks again
Thanks for taking the time to put the information in the description! This really helped a ton,
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching!
This is brilliant...
I recently purchased a class c and come November 2023 this will come in handy when I get down in Arizona LTVA... just another list of things to get from harbor freight. With this up grade I don't mind!! Thanks for sharing this very valuable upgrade..
Bewell..
Thank you! Glad the information was helpful. These wheels are still holding up great!
Thanks! Gonna relieve some stress going to the dump station!
You’re welcome, it has been a great upgrade over the stock wheels!
I had a wobbly wheel on my last trip. Thank god it didn’t fail completely. I took off the wheel today and the hub was broken in several places. I watched your video and then went to Harbor Freight and Lowe’s and did this same repair. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! Glad the video was helpful and thank you for watching!
Thank you. Watched this last night and picked up supplies on way home from work. Took less than an hour and the improvement is wonderful. Worked like a charm.
Awesome! Glad you found the video helpful. Thank you for watching!
I almost had disaster strike when a wheel fell off while hauling one of these, but luckily it did not damage the plastic enough to tear a hole. I called Camco and they replaced the whole unit. However, this time I will install this upgrade first to make sure it never happens again. Thanks for the video!
Definitely glad we caught it before we had a disaster! The actual tank is holding up great, the new wheels are working out great! Thanks for watching!
I just bought a 5/8' rod from Home Depot, cut it to size and drilled holes in each end for cotter pins. (Also, filed the rough edges.) Bought 13" tires from Harbor Freight that had a 5/8" bearing surface. Bought twelve 5/8" washers, five on each side, so the inside of the tires would clear the plastic wheel wells, and one each on the outside of each tire followed by cotter pins and is was good. Been using it for a couple years with no problems.
Thanks for sharing!
Camco has upgraded the wheels, bearings, and circlip on the new tote I purchased a couple of months ago.
That’s good news! Thanks for sharing!
Loved this video. I have completed my upgrade to mine as well. Took about 45 min. I ended up using the Harbor Freight 13 In. Flat-Free Tire with Powder Coated Steel Hub - it's NOT the wheelbarrow wheel. I actually got the Hand Truck Wheel (275 lb). It worked out really well because the center hub of the wheel was slightly OFF-CENTER making it so that I didn't need any spacer, but I was able to keep the hub very close to the tote tank. Plus, I liked the look of the black wheel with knobby tires instead of the white wheel. VERY GOOD upgrade!! It feels so much more solid than the cheesy plastic ones that came with it. Thanks for the video - made it very easy for me to know exactly what to do without having to figure it out.
Sounds great! Glad the video was helpful, definitely more solid than the original wheels! Thanks for watching!
Which Rod did you ended up using for your application?
Awesome video! Just fixed mine up this way and it works great! Thank you so much for this
You’re welcome! I have noticed it’s a little bit heavier now, but well worth it so far! Glad you found it helpful and thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors I had a total disaster when I had a full 36gal and the wheel fell off and drug a nice size hole in the plastic. An entire tube of JB weld and a new set of tires and she’s good to go again. Btw the JB weld is basically the same color as the tote so it doesn’t look bad.
Good to know that JB Weld will work on this plastic, thanks for sharing and glad you got yours fixed up!
Good Job 👍
Thank you!
Great fix, will have to put this on my to do list!
I wish I would have done this from the beginning! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video. This fix worked great!
Thanks for watching!
could've left a bit more rod , drilled it and added a cotter pin ... great mod !
That would absolutely be a great option as well! Thank you and thanks for watching!
Great video man!. I got everything you showed in your video before I even bought my dump tank I didn’t want to risk the pos plastic wheels. Got everything installed and it works awesome!
Awesome! Glad the video was helpful and thanks for watching!
One thing to do regardless if they are OEM or replacement wheels. Give the bearings a squirt of lube, WD40 or the like to get any moisture out of them when you pack this away. The bearings are dry ball bearings, and water gets in them very easily, especially when you pull it through grass. Wont help with cracking the hub, but the bearings will last longer.
Good tip! Thanks for sharing!
I see it thanks
Thank you so much for the video this is a good fix but make sure you get the wheels seen in this video if you get the flatfree ones with the bolted split rims the hub tends to snap off due to only being welded on one side ask me how I know.
Thanks for watching and thanks for that tip! These are the only flat free wheels my Harbor Freight had at the time.
With all due respect and no offense intended, I think you should see your doctor about a stress test. You get way to winded just moving around. I was the same way and ended up with a triple bypass due to clogged arteries. That said, I am going to Harbor Freight now to get the above mentioned parts to do the upgrade on my 35 gal tank. Loved the video and the idea. Thanks !
Haha! It was the middle of summer in Florida when I filmed this video…I was trying to not have a heat stroke before completing this project! I’m good to go and thank you for watching!
I bet those tires ride so much better! Have you considered trying the front wheel kit they recently released?
I have considered it but seems kind of expensive for what it is. Plus, the new wheels I installed made a huge difference so I’m happy with that for now! Thanks for watching!
Well done. Any idea about how much more weight the new wheels add?
I don’t have an exact weight but while the solid tires are definitely heavier, they have held up great!
What was the measurement of the thread all after you cut it
I don’t recall but I’m pretty sure I addressed that before I cut the all-thread.
Thanks for the helpful information. Since you only had it a year, why didn't you take advantage of their warranty and have a new one sent to you? You still could have replaced the tire set up on the new tank.
You’re welcome! The tank itself is in fine shape, just wanted to upgrade the wheels. I know they will send replacement wheels, but I wasn’t interested in getting those. Thanks for watching!
Does this allow you to go a little bit faster than 5 miles an hour like they recommend?
I’ve done 10-15 with no issues, but only very short distances in the campground.
Did it make it more quiet? I have the 4 wheel version and I feel like I’m disturbing the peace every time I use it. I’ve considered taking the front wheels off and going with rear rubber tires hoping it will quiet it down.
Yes, the solid rubber tires did make it a lot quieter! It is a bit heavier but definitely worth doing. Thanks for watching!
Me too. I want quiteness above all. I Also need to quite the Front wheels and hitch attachment.
Some heat shrink tubing might be more durable than the electrical tape. Maybe not. How wide is it overall now? Thanks for posting.
I like the heat shrink idea as long as it’s the right thickness. I have not measured it, but the tires are roughly twice as wide as the originals. Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors If you need the heat shrink thicker you just put on a 2nd or even third layer after shrinking the first if it's still a little loose. I like the tires that don't need air.
Awesome and very helpful video! Where did you buy the wheels? - Lisa
They came from Harbor Freight. Thanks for watching!
Great idea to fix the wheels but better to simply leave the tank in the truck and fill it with a macerator pump. No more wrangling a full tank from the rig to the truck or dragging the tank at 2 mph.
I have definitely considered that option! Thanks for watching
Do you think that 36 gallon tote would tow fine using smaller 10 inch wheels? Also, do you find the solid never flat wheels provide enough shock absorption? I'm replacing my hard stock 12" wheels in part because how hard the stock wheels are providing no shock absorption and trying to decide whether to use air filled pneumatic tires or the solid never Flats. I like the advantages of never having a flat tire. Thanks
I’m not sure the smaller 10” wheels would give you enough ground clearance when tilted up and hooked on to the truck to tow. The solid rubber wheels provide much better shock absorption compared to the standard stock wheels. The tank rolls SO much smoother now! Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors I’m doing this to my 36 gallon ad well! I’m leaning towards pneumatic tires because I’m looking to haul for faster and longer distances! Thnx for the video🤙
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching!
just a year in ? no warranty ?
I wasn’t interested in replacing with the same type of wheels. Used the opportunity to upgrade to a much better setup.
Next project.
It definitely makes a big difference! Thanks for watching!
Asked another you tuber just what you did. It's been two years how did it hold up?
It’s still holding up great, no issues to this point! Thanks for watching
I tried using the 9/16 flat washers but could not get them to go on, are you sure it shouldn't be 5/8 flat washers??
I found it strange that a 9/16 washer fit on 5/8” threaded rod, I bought my supplies from Lowe’s. I guess the bags could have been mislabeled?
@@JouppiOutdoors yeah you got me with that one as well🤣. I used a dremel to enlarge the hole in the washers.
How’s it been holding up for you?
Still working perfectly! Thanks for watching!
Did you contact Camco re wheel waranty?
No, I did not want those style wheels any longer. This setup is much more robust! Thanks for watching!
Red loctite on the inner nut, maybe?
You could definitely add loctite to the inner nut. However, once it is all put together and the outer nyloc nuts are tightened down, the inner nuts can’t really move. Definitely won’t hurt though! Thanks for watching!
Hi there, I could not remove the wheels on my unit! I got the steel caps off the axles (with some difficulty) but the wheels are firmly affixed to the axles. Has anyone else had this experience?
I have not heard of this issue. Typically the wheel bearings are snug on the axle, but will come off with a few solid strikes from a hammer. Perhaps soaking the bearings and axle shaft with PB Blaster might free them up enough to remove?
@@JouppiOutdoors Thanks very much, I'll give it a try.
how fast do you drive with this upgrade?
I still go slow (5-10mph max), don’t want to take any chances with a full tank of nasty water! Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors hmm, I might get a trailer for that... being that slow, you can not really stay remote.
Yeah, it’s definitely designed to just pull around inside the campground.
And now you can go more than 5 miles an hour like the manufacturer recommends with the stock wheels 🤣🤣
I’m still not a speed demon on the way to the dump station, but can definitely go over 5 mph now! Thanks for watching!
Camco has a free wheel replacement kit, give them a call
Didn’t even think to check with them given the age of the tank. I feel confident these are a major upgrade over their wheels though. Thanks for watching!
Unfortunately they send you the same wheel kit. My tank is newer with the “improved” wheels. It failed after 5 trips. This repair is the way to fix that issue permanently.
For as much as you use your tank, this should never happen. Very poor design. Thats why i did not buy the rhino tank. The barker tank has bearings with greese fittings.
Thanks for watching!
Got mine done today. I’m kind of curious how this is still working being two years later. It sure looks a lot more durable.
Still as solid as the day I did the modification. I’m pretty sure the tank will wear out before these wheels do! Thanks for watching!