Tote tank

Has anybody considered this:

Using a new rv black tank placed in the bed of the truck(fiver or trailer owners), and pump to it with a macerator pump,  instead of the usual tote tank that you pull to the dump station? 

I already place the tote in the P/U bed and pump to it with my macerator, but using a regular black tank instead of the tote tank offers some advantages:
1. I have space behind my fiver hitch which can be occupied by the tank, and it can be as tall as 10 inches without interfering with hitching and unhitching, and I can fit one that is as big as each of my holding tanks which reduces the worry of overflow.
2.The black tanks that I have looked at for my truck can be easily tied down with a ratcheting strap so it won't blow out, but easily removed after the rv trip is over.
3. They can be easily fitted with a regular gate valve for dumping using the rv's dump hose.  It would also solve the problem of where to store the odd shaped tote tank which is usually pretty nasty, and there don't seem to be a good place to carry it.
4. Can go faster to and from the dump station(no worrys about whether or not the tank is still back there following along).

I worried a little about not being able to pull it to the dump station if my macerator fails, but I've used my macerator pump for years without a problem, and I recently bought a new one after freezing weather messed up my old one.  I will be more careful from now on.

I've priced a lot of new black tanks plus the fittings, and considering I only need a 30 gallon tank,  they are actually a bit cheaper than one of the nicer tote tanks with good wheels.  Like I said before, a tote tank that is a minimum of 30 gallons is hard to find a place for when traveling, and I don't want to fool with smaller totes anymore. I like to just empty each holding tank without fear of overflow.

Anyway, I just wondered if anybody here has done this.

I did something similar when I boondocked for 3 months in Quartzsite back in 2000.  Since I had a bumper pull trailer I used a pair of 50 gallon plastic barrels in the bed of my pickup, one to haul waste to the dump station, the other to bring fresh water back to the trailer.  I got them for $5 each from a local dairy before I left for Quartzsite.

Normally both barrels stood upright in the truck bed, when I went to dump I laid the waste barrel on it's side in a wooden cradle with the two bungholes in the end arranged vertically.  The bottom one had a 3" dump valve and hose connection reduced to the 2" pipe thread bunghole on the barrel.  I filled it using the hose from a Macerator through the top bunghole.  When I got to the dump station I lowered the tailgate, connected a 3" sewer hose to the dump valve, removed the top bung to provide a vent and pulled the handle.  Worked great.

No reason you couldn't do the same thing using a black water tank.  You'll have to build a support for it since black water tanks don't have a flat base, they're usually hung from a perimeter frame and the floor of the tank slopes towards the drain. If you're using a flat base tank you'll want to lift one end when you dump so the last bit of the stuff inside can drain out.  And don't forget to provide a vent to allow air into and out of the tank while filling and dumping. 

Thanks Lou,

A lot of problems  when pulling a fiver.  I miss the use of my truck bed.  I even contemplated going back to a TT for that reason, but I am so familiar with this camper that it would be a pain to start over with different problems that a different camper would present.  I would miss the stability in the wind too.

I kind of wish I had bought a long bed truck back in 2003 when I got this one.  That would have given me a lot more space.  This short bed  truck complicates things a lot.  It's easier to park and maneuver around town, but sure would be nice to have an 8' bed.

Yep,  black tanks are kind of funny shaped and designed to be hung. I will take your advice and  suspend it up a little, and make it level with some boards I can rip on the table saw. A simple frame supporting the tank at the lip where it is designed to be hung by.  8 inches is the height at the thick end, 6 inches at the other end,  so angle the cut of the boards to make the tank level but supported well.

Thanks again.

Update:
I ended up getting this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7MN05S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It fits in the space behind my Superglide slider hitch in my short bed truck perfectly, and I can strap it down using the existing cleats in my trucks bed.  I added a gate valve and fill cap.  There is plenty of room at the end of the tank so that my sewer hose can attach to the valve and lay out over the tailgate down to the dump station hole.

It is only 29 gallons which is 1 gallon less than each of my fifth wheels holding tanks, so when filling with my macerator pump I will have to monitor it so it does not overfill.  That's not really a big issue, and if I trade rv's to one that has larger tanks, I would have to do that anyway.  This tank is very lightweight too.  It is less weight than the 32 gallon Barker tote tank that I WAS using.  Now I don't have the problem of where to put the Barker when on the road......it was too big to fit behind the hitch in my truck.

After arriving at the campsite,  I have the option of taking the tank out and placing it under the rv until I need to make a run to the dump station,  or  I can just leave it where it is.  Of course there are no wheels on it, so I give up the ability to pull it behind the truck, but I never liked doing that anyway.  I'm familiar with how to disassemble the macerator and repair it if need be, and I have spare parts to it if I need them.  I think I've got all the bases covered.

All this may seem dumb to some folks that have plenty of room to carry a big tote tank, but with my truck and fifth wheel, I needed a solution, and this works well for me.

All this may seem dumb to some folks that have plenty of room to carry a big tote tank, but with my truck and fifth wheel, I needed a solution, and this works well for me.

Doesn't seem dumb at all.
You recognized a problem and addressed said problem with a solid solution.
And It WORKED...

You should post pictures.

Gizmo100 said:

All this may seem dumb to some folks that have plenty of room to carry a big tote tank, but with my truck and fifth wheel, I needed a solution, and this works well for me.

Doesn't seem dumb at all.
You recognized a problem and addressed said problem with a solid solution.
And It WORKED...

You should post pictures.

Click to expand...

Thanks,
I will do a video when things get a little less hectic around here. 
I didn't think of it as very complex, but when I think about all the factors involved in my situation, it might be interesting to some.  How I use the macerator, what hoses I use, and my particular camper setup  demonstrated might be helpful to others.

TandC said:

Thanks,
I will do a video when things get a little less hectic around here. 
I didn't think of it as very complex, but when I think about all the factors involved in my situation, it might be interesting to some.  How I use the macerator, what hoses I use, and my particular camper setup  demonstrated might be helpful to others.

Click to expand...

) ) I've got a friend that may be very interested in what you've done...He's doing the blue boy thing and does not like it. I don't know if he has a  macerator pump. So he may have to add it to his setup.

Yes,  for us,  a macerator is the key. 

If you never use the black tank, then a liquid transfer pump of some other type might work ok. 
To us, one of the nice features of having an rv is that you always have a toilet no matter where you happen to be.  Like stuck in a traffic jam somewhere.  And at our age, when you gotta go, you GOTTA GO.
So a macerator pump is a necessity for us.

TandC said:

Yes,  for us,  a macerator is the key. 

If you never use the black tank, then a liquid transfer pump of some other type might work ok. 
To us, one of the nice features of having an rv is that you always have a toilet no matter where you happen to be.  Like stuck in a traffic jam somewhere.  And at our age, when you gotta go, you GOTTA GO.
So a macerator pump is a necessity for us.

Click to expand...

We are just getting started on this chapter of our life...And we're already run into the " I NEED a bathroom" Thing. I offered to make a pit stop...It was declined....20 min. later. I'm being told to find anything...LOL. I pulled into a empty lot and unlock the TT.

If we make enough use of the TT we may upgrade to class A or C. for those stuck in traffic moments

Attempting to attach photos:  Getting aggravated with image hosting and pasting into this message.
Pics of the new tank in the truck.  Will maybe get pics of my macerator and hoses at a later date, and how I use this setup.

  I extended the wires of my macerator hand switch so that I can watch the rising level in the tank on the truck.  I use inexpensive harbor freight 3/4 inch water hoses to the tank from the macerator which is attached to the sewer connection on the fifth wheel.  You might notice the tie down rope which I use to make sure the tank doesn't get lifted up by the blowing air from the front of the fiver. My truck has cleats at the rear on each side of the bed and down low.

I can easily switch the tank around to dump to the right side if need be(before filling tank of course).

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I also have electric leveling landing gear which I can control with a remote control which I can use to raise or lower the front of the fiver from the front seat of my truck, which makes it easy to hook up. I don't have to get in and out many times to get the height of the pin correct so that it does not hit the tank. and is at the right height to "ride up" the face of the slider hitch to ensure proper latching(Pullrite Superglide hitches are funny that way).

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/kilgtfish/DSC00022.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/kilgtfish/DSC00018.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/kilgtfish/DSC00020.jpg

Looks like a great solution! A friend of mine who had a bad experience with a blue tote and his black tank    last year might like this!

Joezeppy said:

Looks like a great solution! A friend of mine who had a bad experience with a blue tote and his black tank    last year might like this!

Click to expand...

Could you let me know if the links to the pics work ok, and after you click on one link,  can you use the arrows on the pic to advance to the next pic?

Nice setup,
I talked about your setup to the friend I previously mentioned. He was interested, It seems as though towing that Blue boy is a bit of a pain.

Thanks for the pictures

TandC said:

Could you let me know if the links to the pics work ok, and after you click on one link,  can you use the arrows on the pic to advance to the next pic?

Click to expand...

I initially just clicked on each link individually and they worked. I just went back and clicked the first link and used the arrows and yes, it did scroll through the pics properly. I personally dislike Photobucket, though - too many ads and other crap on the page.

Joezeppy said:

I initially just clicked on each link individually and they worked. I just went back and clicked the first link and used the arrows and yes, it did scroll through the pics properly. I personally dislike Photobucket, though - too many ads and other crap on the page.

Click to expand...

Yeah,  I need to look for another hosting service.  Suggestions are welcome.

TandC said:

Yeah,  I need to look for another hosting service.  Suggestions are welcome.

Click to expand...

The picture's worked fine...Why not upload them to this site?

Gizmo100 said:

The picture's worked fine...Why not upload them to this site?

Click to expand...

I looked for a way, but maybe I'm just dumb.  I couldn't see how to do it.

TandC said:

I looked for a way, but maybe I'm just dumb.  I couldn't see how to do it.

Click to expand...

Your not dumb...You just haven't been taught.

Are you using a computer or a phone to access this sight?

It gets complicated, at least in my mind...
I use this chromebook to surf and read forums.  This chromebook is pretty limited as far as image modifying and video editing, but for web surfing and such, it is a lot faster and handier than Windows.  It's a lot lighter too,  but  the biggest advantage is that it is less susceptible to virus infection due to it's linux based software.

When I edit photos or video, I rely on my other laptop, which is powerful. However, it is Windows 10(which I hate with a passion), and I prefer not to browse the web with it.  I've had many unfortunate problems with viruses and the like using Windows when on the web.  I upload stuff sparingly with it.

I think I see how to attach photos using the Attachment option at the bottom of the message composing page.  I just am used to having my images on a hosting site and using a URL from that site.

How do you handle it?

Here they are.