suggestions to facilitate replacement water drain (1973 Brave D18)

perlgurl · May 17, 2016, 06:54 PM

Yehaw! I now have two portable tanks to use for grey water disposal.

For most weekends I could likely get away with just one, but I decided to get two of the medium-sized 25 gallon tanks so that size-wise I would be able to move them back into the RV in case there was no dump station close (Teklanika in Denali Park is 30 miles from the dump station at the entrance), plus the biggest size they had was only 32 gallons and my new water tank will hold 42 gallons so I wanted to be sure I had enough grey capacity to hold all the water we used in our week stay.

Thanks so much for this idea xerofall!!

Rickf1985 · May 17, 2016, 07:30 PM

Those are actually tanks made for draining your tanks into and transporting the waste to the dump station so what you are planning is perfect.

M & J · May 17, 2016, 08:02 PM

Well. I knew about those too... W%

Rickf1985 · May 17, 2016, 09:02 PM

Quote from: perlgurl on May 17, 2016, 06:54 PM
Yehaw! I now have two portable tanks to use for grey water disposal.

For most weekends I could likely get away with just one, but I decided to get two of the medium-sized 25 gallon tanks so that size-wise I would be able to move them back into the RV in case there was no dump station close (Teklanika in Denali Park is 30 miles from the dump station at the entrance), plus the biggest size they had was only 32 gallons and my new water tank will hold 42 gallons so I wanted to be sure I had enough grey capacity to hold all the water we used in our week stay.

Thanks so much for this idea xerofall!!

You do realize that one of those full will weigh 200 plus lbs. don't you? Getting it into the RV will be a chore. Water is 8.34 lbs. per gallon.

joanfenn · May 17, 2016, 09:09 PM

yes I was wondering how that was going to happen. we pull ours with the quad other then that it wasnt going to happen

perlgurl · May 17, 2016, 09:10 PM

These things come with a metal "thing" that hooks to the handle so you can tow it to a dump station (in a campground, not for towing on the road). Not much help for me since Teklanika is 30 miles from the dump station and boondocking is usually even farther so I'll need to figure out how to get then in the RV, or on the back maybe.

I've thought about the weight and that is partially why I got two, so on most weekends I can not fill each one full and still use a (still to be determined) ramp to roll it up into the RV when I leave. I'm also looking into getting a bumper hitch so I can attach my vehicle cargo rack and just put it on that and I'm thinking I can use a long tie tie down over the vehicle and pull it up or maybe even get a pulley to help lift it up on the cargo rack.

It's not ideal, but it's the best I can do for this summer. I'll have to post some photos once I work out a solution

Rickf1985 · May 18, 2016, 11:03 AM

You would definitely not want that much weight up top on the cargo rack for several reasons, first of all it would probably come through the roof! If it did not then the center of gravity would be so high it would be like an overloaded canoe in rough water, real hard to drive.
Teklanika, I have seen that on the Alaska cop shows. Looks like one hell of a party!

M & J · May 18, 2016, 01:00 PM

I think she's talking about a hitch hauler Rick. Not the rack on top of the coach.

perlgurl · May 18, 2016, 01:35 PM

Right, the cargo cargo that goes into the hitch, not on the roof! I can barely get myself up on the roof, much less 200+ lbs of water! Mine is a lot like this one.

Heading to the trailer store to see if they have the correct bumper mounted hitch carrier today. I can get them online, but would prefer to be able to test fit. If I'm successful, I'll post a photo later today!

perlgurl · May 18, 2016, 01:40 PM

Quote from: Rickf1985 on May 18, 2016, 11:03 AM
Teklanika, I have seen that on the Alaska cop shows. Looks like one hell of a party!

Teklanika is one of the campgrounds in Denali and the only one inside the park that allows boondocked RV/trailers https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/campground-tek.htm ; it's not a party place but there are plenty of places that end in our state that make us look like we do enjoy to have a good and wild time

perlgurl · May 18, 2016, 06:06 PM

After worring about all the grey water weight and how I will manage it twice for my week-long stay, I returned one of them and am going to have the RV place install a 23 gallon grey water tank. I kept one of the portable tanks since 1) it will be a couple weeks before the item gets up here and then I still need to get it installed so I'll use the portable one for now and 2) in case my grey tank gets full for my week stay, I need a place to drain excess (42 gallon water tank and though I know some will be used for black water, the plan for our week stay is to use the pit toilets in the campground as much as possible to save on water).

I've also ordered my hitch bumper and once it gets here I'm thinking of having it welded to the bumper and not just screwed on, for the peace of mind. Then I can put both my cargo rack (which I can put the portable grey tank on and not have to put it in the RV) as well as my bike rack on it with my dual hitch receiver (photos here are just examples of what I have and not the exact item, I'll take photos of it all once I get it all put together).

Lots of running around in the past couple days to get this all figured out but I know I'll please when I can get water from the sink and be able to use the toilet for those middle of the night bathroom visits!

Rickf1985 · May 18, 2016, 07:59 PM

I am not really crazy about those cargo hitch things. They flop around a lot and always end up breaking from the stress of bouncing around. now, if you have a competent welder around there he can fabricate two mounts, The same 2" box tubing that is on the trailer hitch but these are attached to the frame rails, one on each side. This way when you attach the cargo rack it is slid into two mounts instead of one and it is plenty solid. And the mounts are attached to the frame so no bumper to bend. Of coarse you will need to have him add the mating pieces to the cargo rack but I think you would be much happier with the end result.

M & J · May 18, 2016, 09:34 PM

We've used those hitch haulers for years hauling everything from motor scooters to heavy coolers, tents, awnings you name it. I think as long as her hitch is solid it should be OK for what she wants. IMO of course.

Rickf1985 · May 18, 2016, 10:11 PM

You ever drive the roads in Alaska? I know when I was there they were pretty bad and would shake anything loose! I see those things around here all the time with broken welds from twisting back and forth. I have seen them dragging one side down the highway where a weld broke and there is no way to see it unless you have a hitch cam. I have welded and reinforced many of them for people that had them break. I have made those brackets for a lot of people and set them up on front and back so the carrier can be moved to the front if the hitch is needed or they get a second one for the front.