I’m an old guy that’s not as strong as I used to be. I bought the 36 gal Camco because my black tank is 30 gal. No worries about overflow. I use a macerater pump and a 3/4” commercial hose to pump the sludge into the tank that is tied down to the tailgate. No pushing or pulling. My back is worth more than the cost of the macerater/ hose setup. Your ramps are a great idea and look well engineered. Nice job.
Thanks for the feedback Graybeard. 36 gal. when full is much heavier. i turn 65 this year and not sure how much longer I can do this. Really though once I get it started it's not too bad. At this point of my life this is better than towing behind my truck. I'm sure the macerator is coming.
I was thinking of doing the macerator and tote method myself, as there is often a distance of rough terrain to the dump station, and at home a macerator should be able to dump from where I keep my rv directly into the sewer main clean out.
I use a macerator pump as well with a small gel cell battery for power. I used a short water hose and dumped into tank. After having to pull the heavy thing through the grass I decided to use a long hose, put the empty tote in the bed of the truck and pump it into. No heavy lifting, pulling and best of all when pulling up to the dump station all flows well! The flex hoses are a pain. I try to avoid using them if at all possible. Buy caps for your water (sewer hose) so the hose doesn't swing around and drip on you. Yuk!
@@U648859 Yeah I was thinking the same thing. You see caps for both the male and female end of the 3”connectors. I was thinking I might put one of the Zamp style solar ports by my dump outlet, as it seems to be the same as an SAE connector that often comes with the pumps. Alternately, long trips for me are generally to fly model airplanes in Arizona, so I could make an adapter to run it off an electric airplane li-po. Anyhow great to hear from another person who successfully fills the tote in a pickup. Macerators generally list a sufficient lift, but I didn’t know if they actually deliver what they claim, or if several feet lift would severely slow them down.
Wow I am happy that I have a compost toilet and never stay at RV parks. I haven't been to a dump station since I got a compost toilet 4 years ago. Pee jug is dumped out in the desert every few days, and the solids tank media is changed out every month to 6 weeks. The used media goes into a green garbage bag, and is legal to go to the dump with your usual garbage. This method does require the commitment of installing a compost toilet (I have an Airhead). And once you do that, staying at an RV park longer than it takes for your pee jug to fill up means having to find a place to dump it. Much easier out in the desert or in the bush than at a busy RV park.
@@arewethereyet2653 Yes it took me years to figure out my system, but it works well for me. I'm an astrophotographer, and spend all winter boondocking in the southwest as far from town lights as possible. I can easily go three weeeks, and even a month without needing to resupply. I do move on a two week cycle with the moon and BLM rules though.
That is probably a great idea, ideally the best way is to be able to pump it direct into the tank that is already on the back of the truck. Typically mine is just grey water also.
Yeah a macerator pump made for RVs isn’t overly expensive, and could be used in other situations (a macerator would allow me to dump where I park at home, into a sewer clean out).
@@JeffinTD A macerator certainly might be in my future. I actually have a septic tank at my house and can get my trailer up to it to dump like at a campground.
Ok, that is a great idea. I buy a lot of RV accessories at Harbor Freight and will do a video on that soon. I will have to look into the Winch. Thanks for the comment
I know that. it's the driving at 5mph and just slow enough for everyone in the park to stare at you. I'm amazed at how many people don't know about the tanks and ask "what is that" it was more of a attention grabber than my actual statement. I personally don't mind it but most of the places I go to the dump station is either a long way away or offsite.
He said, and I agree, do Gray first, but only for a minute, to check for leaks. Then, once you know there are no leaks, stop the Gray and empty Black, then rinse with remaining Gray. You don't want to find a leak while emptying your Black, better to find it with Gray. Happy Travels!
What if you have a motorhome and pull a compact car? I sure can't put my blue tote in the trunk or in the passenger's seat. Btw, I only put gray water in my tote. My black tank lasts a full month while my gray tank only lasts about a week and a half - 2 weeks if we're lucky. Typically, I boondock on BLM and FS land that has a 2-week limit anyway, so I dump when I move. If my gray tank fills before then I simply transfer 15-20 gallons of gray water to the black tank, which helps it empty more completely at the dump station too.
I'm with you, i have rarely used the black tank contents with the tote. If i don't have sewer connections we don't typically stay longer than 4 days and our black tank will last that long with just the 2 of us. 95% grey tank
Someone else mentioned a winch and I'm definitely considering that. As I mentioned I'm not an engineer so how to mount that in the back of the truck is the issue. Thanks for the comment.
It would but i was doing the cheap mans method. The voltage thing was my draw back. I ended up going with a winch from harbor freight which actually does a good job.
@@arewethereyet2653 sounds fair. I have a tote that I’m mounting under the camper but truthfully I rarely plan on using it. We are never anywhere longer than a week so I never need it. I just got it when I was helping out my dad with some health issues and he didn’t have anywhere to dump close to my camper
They are definitely worth it when you need it. Our favorite places to go don't usually have hookups so it is pretty much just for the grey water because i don't like to skimp on the water for showers. @@GimpyCamper
Probably not an option, but thank you. It works great for me but many people think it is too difficult. i'm actually going to buy a winch and set up having that pull it up the ramps. hopefully I will do a video with that change. Thanks for the comment.
See it everyday on the highway. Rv leaves campsite, gets on highway, stops alongside road, cracks valves. Drives off. Drip, drip, drip. Watch it stream. When it stops dripping, stops, closes valve and drives away. Happens all the time.
Well that would suck. My trailer sits really high so it wouldn't be a problem with any size. I just like the 28 gal. because it's not too big and not too small. It's really not as hard as people seem to feel to push it up the ramp.
Mine too! I have to do sort of a circular motion to allow the hose to fill then drain into the tank on the up cycle. This slows the process down so I use my bucket as a seat and just sort of get through it. It’s a pain to use the tank, but it’s necessary.
no shame in towing it to the dump site, no different than when you leave and tow your trailer to the dump site. Seems a lot easier than building a ramp, storing it, and when the inevitable happens the it falls off the ramp and turns into a sh*tshow, which will be a lot more shameful than just towing it to the dumpsite when the hazmat truck arrives and your site smell like sh*t. If you have to dump somewhere far away off-site though then I see the use case of the ramp, and deal with the inconvenience of the ramp and take the risks.
Hey I get it. Some of our favorite site don't have a dump station on site and I'm just not a fan of the driving at 5mph with the tank behind me. To be honest I don't think towing it is a big deal and it is easier. I'm actually in process of getting a winch at harbor freight as using that as a couple of people suggested. I think that will make it very easy. When you tow it behind the vehicle though everybody does seem to watch.
I’m an old guy that’s not as strong as I used to be. I bought the 36 gal Camco because my black tank is 30 gal. No worries about overflow. I use a macerater pump and a 3/4” commercial hose to pump the sludge into the tank that is tied down to the tailgate. No pushing or pulling. My back is worth more than the cost of the macerater/
hose setup. Your ramps are a great idea and look well engineered. Nice job.
Thanks for the feedback Graybeard. 36 gal. when full is much heavier. i turn 65 this year and not sure how much longer I can do this. Really though once I get it started it's not too bad. At this point of my life this is better than towing behind my truck. I'm sure the macerator is coming.
I was thinking of doing the macerator and tote method myself, as there is often a distance of rough terrain to the dump station, and at home a macerator should be able to dump from where I keep my rv directly into the sewer main clean out.
I use a macerator pump as well with a small gel cell battery for power. I used a short water hose and dumped into tank. After having to pull the heavy thing through the grass I decided to use a long hose, put the empty tote in the bed of the truck and pump it into. No heavy lifting, pulling and best of all when pulling up to the dump station all flows well! The flex hoses are a pain. I try to avoid using them if at all possible. Buy caps for your water (sewer hose) so the hose doesn't swing around and drip on you. Yuk!
@@U648859 Yeah I was thinking the same thing. You see caps for both the male and female end of the 3”connectors. I was thinking I might put one of the Zamp style solar ports by my dump outlet, as it seems to be the same as an SAE connector that often comes with the pumps. Alternately, long trips for me are generally to fly model airplanes in Arizona, so I could make an adapter to run it off an electric airplane li-po. Anyhow great to hear from another person who successfully fills the tote in a pickup. Macerators generally list a sufficient lift, but I didn’t know if they actually deliver what they claim, or if several feet lift would severely slow them down.
This is an awesome idea! I will be doing this very soon!
Wow I am happy that I have a compost toilet and never stay at RV parks. I haven't been to a dump station since I got a compost toilet 4 years ago. Pee jug is dumped out in the desert every few days, and the solids tank media is changed out every month to 6 weeks. The used media goes into a green garbage bag, and is legal to go to the dump with your usual garbage.
This method does require the commitment of installing a compost toilet (I have an Airhead). And once you do that, staying at an RV park longer than it takes for your pee jug to fill up means having to find a place to dump it. Much easier out in the desert or in the bush than at a busy RV park.
Wow the simple life can be pretty good. RV life is not always easy or cheap
@@arewethereyet2653 Yes it took me years to figure out my system, but it works well for me. I'm an astrophotographer, and spend all winter boondocking in the southwest as far from town lights as possible. I can easily go three weeeks, and even a month without needing to resupply. I do move on a two week cycle with the moon and BLM rules though.
I use a 28gal Barker tote, mostly tow it. I have only used mine for GREY water. I an thinking of using a 12volt utility pump to transfer to the tote.
That is probably a great idea, ideally the best way is to be able to pump it direct into the tank that is already on the back of the truck. Typically mine is just grey water also.
Yeah a macerator pump made for RVs isn’t overly expensive, and could be used in other situations (a macerator would allow me to dump where I park at home, into a sewer clean out).
@@JeffinTD A macerator certainly might be in my future. I actually have a septic tank at my house and can get my trailer up to it to dump like at a campground.
Very informative. Thank you
IMHO, the only reason people are staring at you during the drive of shame is because they're thinking they wish they had a Rhino Tote.
They are really nice, i really like the 27 gallon one.
This was my thought as well. 😂
We use a "MACERATOR PUMP" to pump the waist from the rv to the tank. The tank is IN THE BED OF THE TRUCK... no more drive of shame!
After you finish draining the black tank. Open the gray tank for a few seconds to rinse the hose.
Yes that is what I always do. If I didn't mention that, that is my mistake. A very important thing to do. Never end with the black tank.
I Had the same idea, I added a Harbor Freight Winch with remote control easy peasy push a button an stand back an watch.
Ok, that is a great idea. I buy a lot of RV accessories at Harbor Freight and will do a video on that soon. I will have to look into the Winch. Thanks for the comment
How is driving the tank to the dump station on your ball hitch a "drive of shame"? That's how the tank is designed to work.
I know that. it's the driving at 5mph and just slow enough for everyone in the park to stare at you. I'm amazed at how many people don't know about the tanks and ask "what is that" it was more of a attention grabber than my actual statement. I personally don't mind it but most of the places I go to the dump station is either a long way away or offsite.
Setup a little winch at the back of the truck. Even manual one will be easy
i did do that and have a video on it.
You (ALWAYS) Wanna do BLACK tank **FIRST** . This is partly so that you can use the grey water to "rinse" your hoses down with the grey/soapy water.
He said, and I agree, do Gray first, but only for a minute, to check for leaks. Then, once you know there are no leaks, stop the Gray and empty Black, then rinse with remaining Gray. You don't want to find a leak while emptying your Black, better to find it with Gray. Happy Travels!
What if you have a motorhome and pull a compact car? I sure can't put my blue tote in the trunk or in the passenger's seat. Btw, I only put gray water in my tote. My black tank lasts a full month while my gray tank only lasts about a week and a half - 2 weeks if we're lucky. Typically, I boondock on BLM and FS land that has a 2-week limit anyway, so I dump when I move. If my gray tank fills before then I simply transfer 15-20 gallons of gray water to the black tank, which helps it empty more completely at the dump station too.
We try to use the tote for grey water. Try to wait for dump station for black water.
I'm with you, i have rarely used the black tank contents with the tote. If i don't have sewer connections we don't typically stay longer than 4 days and our black tank will last that long with just the 2 of us. 95% grey tank
I got 32 years of manufacturing. Been thinking about building metal ta. Might I suggest a cheap harbor freight winch nks. Aluminum and stainless
Someone else mentioned a winch and I'm definitely considering that. As I mentioned I'm not an engineer so how to mount that in the back of the truck is the issue. Thanks for the comment.
I rarely use a tote, but wouldn't it be easier to use a macerator pump and just fill the tote in the back of your truck?
It would but i was doing the cheap mans method. The voltage thing was my draw back. I ended up going with a winch from harbor freight which actually does a good job.
@@arewethereyet2653 sounds fair. I have a tote that I’m mounting under the camper but truthfully I rarely plan on using it. We are never anywhere longer than a week so I never need it. I just got it when I was helping out my dad with some health issues and he didn’t have anywhere to dump close to my camper
They are definitely worth it when you need it. Our favorite places to go don't usually have hookups so it is pretty much just for the grey water because i don't like to skimp on the water for showers.
@@GimpyCamper
Your portable tank also has a "Flushing port" on it, next to the vent.
You know what, I know that and use it but I did forget to mention that. It is a nice feature.
Good idea, but probably won't work with a 28 gallon tank because of the weight
Fantastic video and idea. You should rush to patent that before someone else does.
Probably not an option, but thank you. It works great for me but many people think it is too difficult. i'm actually going to buy a winch and set up having that pull it up the ramps. hopefully I will do a video with that change. Thanks for the comment.
I just pull the camper to the dump station. More work to break camp but I don’t want to deal with the tank.
Hey you do what ever works for you. I just don't like the effort to hook up and then have to come back and level again. Happy traveling to you.
@@arewethereyet2653 I get it. Everyone has their own preferences. Happy travels to you as well.
See it everyday on the highway. Rv leaves campsite, gets on highway, stops alongside road, cracks valves. Drives off. Drip, drip, drip. Watch it stream. When it stops dripping, stops, closes valve and drives away. Happens all the time.
I haven't seen that but not surprised.
What sucks for me is that my camper outlet sits lower than my tote. As they say sh*t don't flow uphill.
Well that would suck. My trailer sits really high so it wouldn't be a problem with any size. I just like the 28 gal. because it's not too big and not too small. It's really not as hard as people seem to feel to push it up the ramp.
Mine too! I have to do sort of a circular motion to allow the hose to fill then drain into the tank on the up cycle. This slows the process down so I use my bucket as a seat and just sort of get through it. It’s a pain to use the tank, but it’s necessary.
Oh RV life is glorious isn't it.@@aLEEkazam
no shame in towing it to the dump site, no different than when you leave and tow your trailer to the dump site. Seems a lot easier than building a ramp, storing it, and when the inevitable happens the it falls off the ramp and turns into a sh*tshow, which will be a lot more shameful than just towing it to the dumpsite when the hazmat truck arrives and your site smell like sh*t. If you have to dump somewhere far away off-site though then I see the use case of the ramp, and deal with the inconvenience of the ramp and take the risks.
Hey I get it. Some of our favorite site don't have a dump station on site and I'm just not a fan of the driving at 5mph with the tank behind me. To be honest I don't think towing it is a big deal and it is easier. I'm actually in process of getting a winch at harbor freight as using that as a couple of people suggested. I think that will make it very easy. When you tow it behind the vehicle though everybody does seem to watch.
Watch your video, you wiped your mouth with your glove, your walk of shame wil be to the potty.
Yeah, i saw that. I was only using water but still not a good practice.
We all poop its no shame .
Well I agree, I just don't like towing it and thought the title is a little more eye catching
Macerator pump. Get one.
I hear a lot about those. The one way you can pump uphill.
I don't get why it's shameful to dump a honeypot. Plus it's crazy to care what people think
Pull it up
Not pushing
I might try that but not sure I would have a place to stand. Pushing is not as bad as it seems and I need the workout.
Macerator
I've considered that but haven't made the plunge. I just really don't like pulling the tote on my truck.
Ditto to Macerator. Place empty tote in truck & fill using macerator. No drive of shame, no back injury. I also actually feel it’s a cleaner process.
I'm sure it's coming@@philipdishongh5074
A cleaner process is good @@philipdishongh5074
Why is there any shame? Everyone there has to do the same thing. Are you ashamed to eat in front of people, go to the bathroom, etc?
I get it. Everybody does it. It's a play on words but I'm not a fan of towing it for different reasons. one is mainly the speed you have to drive.