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Old 03-19-2020, 07:30 PM   #1
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It doesn't flow up hill

I have a portable waste tank with wheels. I have only used it one other time. Just finishing up a stay at Fort Pickens. Had to use the portable tank to extend a couple days. Found out it is too high to drain gray or black without milking the hose up and down. Gross process, seeps, etc.

Anyone have work arounds? Found a low profile tank on Amazon but is poorly rated. Current tank can be towed to dump station. Suggestions?
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Old 03-19-2020, 07:40 PM   #2
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It doesn't flow up hill

Quote:
Originally Posted by skiman View Post
I have a portable waste tank with wheels. I have only used it one other time. Just finishing up a stay at Fort Pickens. Had to use the portable tank to extend a couple days. Found out it is too high to drain gray or black without milking the hose up and down. Gross process, seeps, etc.

Anyone have work arounds? Found a low profile tank on Amazon but is poorly rated. Current tank can be towed to dump station. Suggestions?

How much to high, would a couple of 2x6s under the trailer wheels do it.
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Old 03-19-2020, 08:40 PM   #3
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How much to high, would a couple of 2x6s under the trailer wheels do it.
Maybe 2 sets. Worth thinking about. Most times aren't staying that long to need the aux tank.
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Old 03-19-2020, 08:51 PM   #4
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Thetford Smart totes (except the small one) has the hose entering the lower rear of the tank and helps solve this problem. I looked at the new Rhino tanks but passed on them because of the top of the tank hose.
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Old 03-20-2020, 06:52 AM   #5
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I have experienced the clearance “problem” myself, but I only use my waste tote at home on the rare occasions that I don’t use a dump station at my last stop. I have a very short extension hose that, when stretched, minimizes sag when emptying. But for me, the best workaround is to maximize use of the campground facilities and minimize use of the trailer’s facilities.
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Old 03-20-2020, 12:23 PM   #6
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I went with a 6 gallon tank instead of the big one with wheels. Once every day or so works for me. I was scheduled for Ft. Pickens in 2 days - just got notified they they are closing!
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Old 03-20-2020, 07:26 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skiman View Post
I have a portable waste tank with wheels. I have only used it one other time. Just finishing up a stay at Fort Pickens. Had to use the portable tank to extend a couple days. Found out it is too high to drain gray or black without milking the hose up and down. Gross process, seeps, etc.

Anyone have work arounds? Found a low profile tank on Amazon but is poorly rated. Current tank can be towed to dump station. Suggestions?
Carl: Do you have the high lift axle? Just wondering because besides overall clearance I have always thought the extra 2-5/8” would be beneficial for your exact scenario of dumping tanks...especially to a portable. I’ve had to milk the hose up and down a few times but luckily no leaks.

How about pulling the trailer up fully onto a pair of Anderson levelers on each side? You’d have to get two pairs but you’ll gain almost 4” which should be plenty.

They make portable macerator pumps but that is just something else to bring along, clean and worry about breaking.
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Old 03-20-2020, 08:53 PM   #8
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Last year we stopped at a campground in NM that had some permanent campers. They at least looked to be permanent. The ground was all sand.

Many of them had dug a hole in the sand under the gray/black outlet. (I know what you're thinking but you're wrong.) They put the portable tank in the hole to get more drop. Don't know how well it worked but the theory is solid.

Warning! Some campground may object to you digging a hole big enough.
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Old 03-21-2020, 06:19 AM   #9
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Carl: Do you have the high lift axle?
I do not have the high lift axle option. Actually, in a discussion with Reace when I was in my “build sheet” days he told me he didn’t recommend high lift axles for non-off-roaders and implied that ETI only offered them to appease insistent purchasers. That was 5-1/2 years ago and a lot of high lift axle trailers have been manufactured. My RV usage does not include off-road stops or desolate location. As I stated in a previous post, I maximize campground facilities. The toilet is used only by my spouse at night and for “emergency roadside stops.” I personally have never used it in the 5 years we have owned the trailer. In reality, on one trip I went a full six weeks before dumping and the black tank wasn’t full then. My gray tank is typically the limiting factor. Even so, if I stay in a location with a dump station I will usually dump the waste tanks upon leaving, even if they are nowhere near full.
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Old 03-21-2020, 07:45 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by C&G in FL View Post
I do not have the high lift axle option. Actually, in a discussion with Reace when I was in my “build sheet” days he told me he didn’t recommend high lift axles for non-off-roaders and implied that ETI only offered them to appease insistent purchasers. That was 5-1/2 years ago and a lot of high lift axle trailers have been manufactured. My RV usage does not include off-road stops or desolate location. As I stated in a previous post, I maximize campground facilities. The toilet is used only by my spouse at night and for “emergency roadside stops.” I personally have never used it in the 5 years we have owned the trailer. In reality, on one trip I went a full six weeks before dumping and the black tank wasn’t full then. My gray tank is typically the limiting factor. Even so, if I stay in a location with a dump station I will usually dump the waste tanks upon leaving, even if they are nowhere near full.
Thanks for the info but I was actually asking skiman (another Carl) who authored the original post.
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Old 03-21-2020, 10:58 AM   #11
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So is there any disadvantage to the high lift? Just wondering why Reace didn't endorse it.
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Old 03-21-2020, 11:31 AM   #12
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Has an impact on windage, thus fuel mileage.
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Old 03-21-2020, 01:31 PM   #13
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looks a little different and that first step is a lulu....
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Old 03-21-2020, 02:20 PM   #14
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On my 17B, with high-lift, the steps are equal, as they should be.
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Old 03-21-2020, 05:02 PM   #15
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Quote:
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Thanks for the info but I was actually asking skiman (another Carl) who authored the original post.
OK, my bad. Thought it was me because my previous post was 2 before you asked the question about high lift axles.

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So is there any disadvantage to the high lift? Just wondering why Reace didn't endorse it.
For the reason Glenn mentioned and also for stability concerns with increased height, although high lift axles may become necessary if truck manufacturers keep raising bed heights! ��
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Old 03-22-2020, 08:16 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elongest View Post
Thetford Smart totes (except the small one) has the hose entering the lower rear of the tank and helps solve this problem. I looked at the new Rhino tanks but passed on them because of the top of the tank hose.
Eddie
What is the procedure to drain into the tote? I imagine you have to do it just right to avoid liquid on the ground.
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Old 03-22-2020, 08:20 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
Carl: Do you have the high lift axle? Just wondering because besides overall clearance I have always thought the extra 2-5/8” would be beneficial for your exact scenario of dumping tanks...especially to a portable. I’ve had to milk the hose up and down a few times but luckily no leaks.

How about pulling the trailer up fully onto a pair of Anderson levelers on each side? You’d have to get two pairs but you’ll gain almost 4” which should be plenty.

They make portable macerator pumps but that is just something else to bring along, clean and worry about breaking.
Don't have the high lift. Yes raising the trailer would do it. Pita that you would like to avoid.
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Old 03-22-2020, 08:28 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kstock11 View Post
I went with a 6 gallon tank instead of the big one with wheels. Once every day or so works for me. I was scheduled for Ft. Pickens in 2 days - just got notified they they are closing!
Came through Friday and told us we must be out by Saturday morning. We packed up and left about 2:30 pm same day. Stayed in a rest area in Alabama, first time ever. Campground we called were full. Should of gone up the road to Walmart but raining cats and dogs. Hell of a drive yesterday to get back to Ohio.
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Old 03-22-2020, 01:20 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by C&G in FL View Post
... although high lift axles may become necessary if truck manufacturers keep raising bed heights!
The 5.0TA is taller in the front (greater clearance under the frame) than the 5.0 was, for exactly that reason.

I don't know if there is an end to the trend to increasingly stupid pickup box height. One solution is to replace the stock truck box with a flat deck or custom lower-sided box; people who tow recreational fifth-wheel trailers with medium-duty trucks (e.g. F550, Ram 5500...) routinely use specialized towing bodies rather than fitting a standard pickup box.
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