Thetford or Barker Portable Waste Tank??

[jlfought]

Trying to decide between the Thetford or Barker portable waste tank. We would be getting a 35 gal theford or 32 gal barker ( we have 7 people, soon to be 8, in our family so need a biggin'). Will either work just as well or is one better than another? Thanks! ~Jen

[gdweb]

went thetford, just because it had hose built in, less to carry around

[weakknees]

I have th Baker 32 gallon. I put four ball bearing peumatic wheels on it. I have no trouble pulling it but would on a uphill grade. I boondock mostly and dump at home I have to pull it about 75 ft. to my sewer clean out, no problem. Never have had to use the hitch pull. The Baker is easier to up grade the wheels than the Thedford. Neither pull easily on gravel with the stock wheels.

[WeBeFulltimers]

I have a 32 gal Barker that has been used a lot for 6 years and still as good as new...wish it was the 42 gal though. If I needed another one it would be the Barker again.

[wbwood]

We had the thetford 35 gallon. Used it a few times when we had the TT. Since we got the motorhome, we have not used it. Matter of fact I don't think we have used it in a couple of years. Believe it or not, the motorhome has half the size tanks as the TT did, but we can go longer than we did in the TT. Mainly because we pay attention to water use and use the oxygenics shower spa. when it comes time to dump now and there's only a dump station. I will just crank it up and drive it over. I sold the thetford on craigslist recently for $100. Someone drove 3 hrs to get it.

[musicman54]

we have the 35 gal tetford and love it

[Ron3rd]

jlfought wrote:

mowermech wrote:
IMO, the most important thing to think about is: "Is there a dump station here?"
Getting that thing filled up and finding there is no place to dump it would be a VERY bad situation!
That's why I sold the one I had. Any campground I was in either had full hookups or no hookups or dump station. It sat under the workbench for about 5 years gathering dust, then I sold it for $15 in a rummage sale.

We are a family of 7, soon to be 8, so we simply can't camp anywhere without full hookups or a dump station!! lol It is must for us. We are trying to expand where we can camp by not needing full hook ups all the time, hence the portable 😃

That's why we bought our tote. With the grandkids and our kids, it can grow to 8 in a hurry. The showers are what fills your gray tank up fast. You'll never need it for the black, we haven't in 10 years.

[PAThwacker]

with the flojet you can back the sub up to a pit and hit the trigger. I have not tried this method yet and question the sealing capabilities of the flojet to tank connection.

[PAThwacker]

I use a tote and store 25 gallon and flo jet maceratot poop pump. The 25 gallon tank rides in the back of sub, open gray, and hit the throttle. PITA, clearing the hose of gray/black whatever. I bought translucent 1.5" hose x 40ft for that duty. Next challenge: How are you going to manage the fresh water for 8? tanks are 30 gallon to 100 gallon. You may be burning through that much in one day.

[jlfought]

jlfought wrote:

mowermech wrote:
IMO, the most important thing to think about is: "Is there a dump station here?"
Getting that thing filled up and finding there is no place to dump it would be a VERY bad situation!
That's why I sold the one I had. Any campground I was in either had full hookups or no hookups or dump station. It sat under the workbench for about 5 years gathering dust, then I sold it for $15 in a rummage sale.

We are a family of 7, soon to be 8, so we simply can't camp anywhere without full hookups or a dump station!! lol It is must for us. We are trying to expand where we can camp by not needing full hook ups all the time, hence the portable 😃

I had to laugh at some of the promo videos for the portables that show someone pulling it by hand to dump LOL Yeah, I think hooking it to the hitch would be a little more sensible if you don't want to pull 300# clear across a campground!! lol

[jlfought]

mowermech wrote:
IMO, the most important thing to think about is: "Is there a dump station here?"
Getting that thing filled up and finding there is no place to dump it would be a VERY bad situation!
That's why I sold the one I had. Any campground I was in either had full hookups or no hookups or dump station. It sat under the workbench for about 5 years gathering dust, then I sold it for $15 in a rummage sale.

We are a family of 7, soon to be 8, so we simply can't camp anywhere without full hookups or a dump station!! lol It is must for us. We are trying to expand where we can camp by not needing full hook ups all the time, hence the portable 😃

[Ron3rd]

They're both good totes and you can't go wrong with either one. I have an older Barker 32 gal that comes in handy from time to time. If buying again, I would probably go with one of the 4 wheel models with side discharge. I went with the 2 wheeler mainly due to the lower cost. Be warned; they all get HEAVY when full.

We use ours only for gray water.

[Lantley]

I prefer the Barker. It comes with pneumatic (air filled) tires. The hose is detachable making it easier to drain. It also has a detachable handle for towing.

[lakeside013104]

I have Thetford 35 gallon and like it very much. I did have to drill the wheel axle (both sides) and add cotter pins between the washers to prevent the wheels from rubbing on the tank body. Bolt fell out of handle body due to hauling over rough terrain. Simple fix to add another bolt. Otherwise, I am satisfied with this tote.

Lakeside

[mowermech]

IMO, the most important thing to think about is: "Is there a dump station here?"
Getting that thing filled up and finding there is no place to dump it would be a VERY bad situation!
That's why I sold the one I had. Any campground I was in either had full hookups or no hookups or dump station. It sat under the workbench for about 5 years gathering dust, then I sold it for $15 in a rummage sale.