Forum Discussion

whizbang's avatar
whizbang
Explorer II
Jun 03, 2017

Sewer Hose wont fit in **New** Minnie Bumper

First off, we bought A 24 foot 2002 Minnie yesterday.

It appears to be in decent condition.

It has a traditional square bumper that is often used to store a sewer hose. The Minnie came with Camco hoses with oversize fittings on BOTH ends. The mounting bolt on the inside of the bumper keeps the hose from sliding in.

I am inclined to slice off one fitting from the hoses and slide them in the bumper rather than use up other valuable storage space for dirty hoses.

Comments?? Ideas??
  • Sam Spade wrote:
    whizbang wrote:
    The mounting bolt on the inside of the bumper keeps the hose from sliding in.
    ......replacing the offending bolt with a thin domed "flat heat" bolt should solve the problem. It did for me.
    Sam is referring to "carriage bolts". That is what I was thinking. I suggest replacing all your mounting bolts with carriage bolts. These are carriage bolts which you can buy at any hardware store.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    We have a little tubular compartment with locking door, all plastic, that a shorter hose will slide into. We keep two spare longer hoses in the bumper, fittings on only one end, but we don't have fasteners sticking into the tubing.

    I'm told, storing a sewer hose that's wet every time it's used, in the steel tubing bumper isn't a good idea, rusts the bumper from the inside.
  • Nice looking rig. I too have a 2003 Winnebago Mini 24V. I have no stinkie slinkie holder either. Currently using the small outside storage compartment just in front of the last big one on the curb side. I like the idea of storing long items in the 4x4 bumper but the sewer hose no. There are many options. When time allows I will get all the fittings and make up a PVC (thin wall to save weight) pipe holder . Looking for ideas from any one else with this type of rig, for its location as I would prefer not to mount it on top of the rear bumper.

    PS. PM me if you want to discuss any specific details of this rig. Cloud Driver (member here) has one similar also.. (He knows a lot of stuff)
  • whizbang wrote:
    The mounting bolt on the inside of the bumper keeps the hose from sliding in.


    It is a common problem.

    First try rotating the hose 1/4 turn.
    Then try the other end.

    If that fails, replacing the offending bolt with a thin domed "flat heat" bolt should solve the problem. It did for me.
  • As suggested by others, use a square PVC fence post or 5-6 inch diameter PVC tube and strap to the bumper and use it for your sewer hoses. Then you can still use the bumper space for something else. I don't keep my hoses in the bumper. I don't care for rust to cause pin-holes in my hoses. So I use my bumper space for metal long objects, especially objects with sharp ends, like hot dog stick, fire place tongs and pokers, painter wand for my cleaning brush, tripod for over the campfire. Everything that is long, metal, and has sharp pointed ends goes in that space. Use the PVC pipe strapped on top of it for sewer hoses.





    How do I carry my sewer hoses?






  • I'd cut the fitting off of one end like you were thinking. I have the same configuration on my '03 Minnie.
  • ....and even if you can rig your hose to fit into the bumper with the fittings, you will soon abraid the hose itself by sliding it in and out over time ....result, it will start to leak.

    There are lots of other solutions for storing the sewer hose. Probably the least favorable choice is the bumper.

    and....congrats on the new rig.
  • Congratulations on your purchase! It certainly does look nice. Are those single rear wheels, or just misleading wheel covers?

    Maybe you'd be interested in searching the forums here for posts on the "fence post mod." The basic idea is to take a square vinyl fence post, available at e.g. Home Depot or Lowes, and use that for sewer hose storage.
  • A 4 inch square bumper with a bolt protruding inside may not even allow your hose to pass without the fitting.
    I have the same issue with my 2014 model and chose to go with a covered plastic storage bin. It is quick and easy for me and doesn't require threading a stinky hose into a channel where it doesn't want to go.