Portable waste tanks

[Frank55]

I see the 4 wheel waste totes and the 2 wheel totes are a lot cheaper. Are the totes worth it and is the 2 wheel tote an option to save a litte money?

[DutchmenSport]

Dick_B wrote:
two comments: water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon and I would never put black waste in a tote. It would be impossible to clean it adequately and where would you store it where it wouldn't smell up the surroundings.

I have had my 32 gallon Barker (4 wheeled) tote for over 15 (almost 20) years now and it's never smelled! A quick rinse at the dump station gets everything out, and when storing at home (in my garage between trips), the caps are on and there's absolutely no smell.

Mostly, since we go camping almost every week-end during the summer, I just keep it in the back of my pick-up (with a shell on it) all the time, unless I need the bed of the truck for something else. It does not smell.

For storage in the winter, as part of my winterizing procedure, when I winterize the camper, I take the time to pay a little extra attention to the tote. I rinse it with bleach water, then rinse it again with fresh water to get the bleach out (and yes, I'm just dumping in my own yard as all the "stuff" was dumped and flushed earlier).

After a final rinse, I'll leave the slide valve open, and the top camp open for air circulation. I slide it under my utility trailer in the garage and it sits there all winter. Smells? No!

For the OP:

At the time we purchased this tote, it was the biggest one they made. If I ever have to replace it, I'll go even bigger. Ours is 32 gallons. I am careful NOT to over fill because my 3 holding tanks are 30 gallons. Yes, sometimes I need to make 2 runs to the dump station, or just dump more often with the tote.

Here are the 2 main things you have to consider if you get a smaller tote or use smaller tanks of any kind:

1) Weight? Can you actually pick up a container holding "that" much water, if that's a 7 gallon jug or a 2 wheeled 15 gallon tote? Can you lift it. Putting a 7 gallon jug in the back is my truck bed is NOT an option. I simply cannot lift that much weight. and lifting something on 2 wheels, or manhandling a container onto a 2 wheeled dolly is just to much to handle also. At my age, I can pull something, but lifting, well ... with an artificial knee and my age, it's just not going to happen.

2) Size? Think of this? If your "tote" is smaller than your holding tank, you run the risk of over spilling the tank (Which I did quite often with my previous camper as it had a 50 gallon black water holding tank. Over spilling "poo" on the ground at the campsite is absolutely NO fun! So, get a tank that is equal size of your largest holding tank so you will NOT overfill it and spill on the ground.

For ease of moving around, I attach mine to the truck and tow it as shown in the photo below. If the tote is on sand or soft ground which is hard to pull, I toss a rope around the handle, tie the other end to the truck and pull it up to the road that way. NEVER a problem. But I've had to do that only a couple times in ... what???? 20 years?

[SoundGuy]

Lwiddis wrote:
Where will you dump your tote? Hopefully not in the outhouse or chemical toilet provided at many USFS CGs.

Tough to do even if you wanted to as that would mean somehow getting the tote to the toilet, then somehow elevating it for adequate flow - difficult if not impossible when the tank when full weighs several hundred pounds. 😞 I did once find myself in this situation when in late fall the campground dump station had been closed for the season ... no problem, took my full 60 lb Aquatainers and disposed of the contents in a campground toilet, even though it was down a flight of stairs. Did I want to do this? - no, of course not but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do - possible with a tank that weighs 60 lbs when full, impossible with a full tote tank, even more possible when the contents of that tank have been macerated, not full of lumps & TP. :E

[SoundGuy]

Lantley wrote:
I also have a flojet macerator that I seldom use because it takes too long. The flojet work as designed but dumping through a 1" hose takes a lot longer than the 3" stinky slinky

If you were closer I'd offer to buy it from you as a spare, in the unlikely event my current FloJet was ever to fail ... I'd be lost without it! 😉

[Lantley]

SoundGuy wrote:
For me, a wheeled tote tank proved to be the biggest waste of $$$ mistake I've ever made since we began RVing years ago. 😞 Costly, heavy when full, still heavy when empty, awkward to clean thoroughly so it doesn't stink, takes up too much room in the truck for transport, looks ugly hanging off the back of the trailer, is awkward to store out of the way at home, and always threatened to pop off the hitch ball as I towed it over bumpy campground roads. :M It only took a few trips before I realized the error of my ways and sold it to another unsuspecting RV owner who also thought this would be his answer to waste water management woes. With the proceeds I bought a FloJet Waste Macerator so I can service my tanks here at home but anytime I may find the need to off load black water while camping I can pump it with the macerator into a few inexpensive 7 gal Aquatainers labeled for GW/BW use that sit in the back of my truck, for a later trip to the dump station. Grey water I usually don't even bother with the macerator but simply gravity feed it into those same GW Aquatainers. K.I.S.S. - no tote. 🙂

Funny my experience has been the total opposite. I sold my old 4 wheel 32 gallon tote on Craigslist and purchased a 42 gallon tote with pneumatic wheels.The 42 gallon tote works great and is easy enough to handle
I can carry it on my rear ladder. AS far as looks beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The tank is a tool for dumping it's not a work of art.:S
I also have a flojet macerator that I seldom use because it takes too long. The flojet work as designed but dumping through a 1" hose takes a lot longer than the 3" stinky slinky

[Ralph_Cramden]

Lwiddis wrote:
Where will you dump your tote? Hopefully not in the outhouse or chemical toilet provided at many USFS CGs.

And how is the above an answer to....

"Are the totes worth it and is the 2 wheel tote an option to save a litte money?"

Or was that some type of half arsed public service announcement?:h

OP, I have been using an original Barker 2 wheel 30 gallon for about 10 years. We camp at PA State parks and usually have an electric only site. On a 10 or 11 night outing over two weekends, I only have to use the 30 gallon Barker once mid week by dumping my gray first, followed by the black, and hauling it down to the dump station by towing it hooked to the ball. We use the shower houses for showers. If I was to need to buy a new one, I would definitely go with the 4 wheel. Although lifting the 2 wheel by its handle is not all that bad to dump it. The entire process takes less than 20 minutes.

[SoundGuy]

mowermech wrote:
I had a 2 wheeled waste water tote once.

I realized that anyplace we went either had full hookups or no dump station within 10 to 20 miles.

Funny you should mention this. Here in Ontario we have a massive provincial park, Algonquin Provincial Park ... provincial highway 60 runs through this park, with entry into several campgrounds directly off the highway. Annoyingly, there are no dump stations located within the campgrounds themselves so back when I did own a wheeled tote I discovered to my chagrin that in order to empty this tote which the manufacturer warned should be towed at "walking speed" I had to take it out on the highway posted at 80 kph (50 mph) in order to drag it a couple of kms down the highway to where the dump station was located. :E

On another occasion we were camping at Sauble Falls Provincial Park which has a public roadway running right through the middle of it. We were in the west campground, the dump station was in the east, so in order to get to it I had to go out on to this public roadway, hoping the tote wouldn't pop off the hitch ball ... not a happy camper. 😞 Sold the tote shortly thereafter and haven't owned one since.

[rjf7g]

I have had several different and will never buy anything but the 4-wheeled pneumatic tires Barker ever again!

[Dick_B]

two comments: water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon and I would never put black waste in a tote. It would be impossible to clean it adequately and where would you store it where it wouldn't smell up the surroundings.

[mowermech]

I had a 2 wheeled waste water tote once. I even used it; once.
Then it sat under the workbench out in the shop for about 5 years, then I sold it in a garage sale for $15.
Y'see, after I bought it, and used it once (at home), I realized that anyplace we went either had full hookups or no dump station within 10 to 20 miles.
So, for us, the fool thing turned out to be completely useless. I will never buy another one, two wheel or four wheel.

[doxiemom11]

We have a 4 wheeler and pull it with out jeep. Have seen many 2 wheelers go by that way too. We don't have to manhandle it to use it.

[Lwiddis]

Good plan, Sound.

[SoundGuy]

For me, a wheeled tote tank proved to be the biggest waste of $$$ mistake I've ever made since we began RVing years ago. 😞 Costly, heavy when full, still heavy when empty, awkward to clean thoroughly so it doesn't stink, takes up too much room in the truck for transport, looks ugly hanging off the back of the trailer, is awkward to store out of the way at home, and always threatened to pop off the hitch ball as I towed it over bumpy campground roads. :M It only took a few trips before I realized the error of my ways and sold it to another unsuspecting RV owner who also thought this would be his answer to waste water management woes. With the proceeds I bought a FloJet Waste Macerator so I can service my tanks here at home but anytime I may find the need to off load black water while camping I can pump it with the macerator into a few inexpensive 7 gal Aquatainers labeled for GW/BW use that sit in the back of my truck, for a later trip to the dump station. Grey water I usually don't even bother with the macerator but simply gravity feed it into those same GW Aquatainers. K.I.S.S. - no tote. 🙂

[azrving]

If you want to man handle it into the back of a truck then 10 gallon MAY be max. If you want to pull it with a vehicle slowly to a dump station a huge one may be fine. I have two 15 gallon that I can roll up my drop gate utility trailer and pull right up to any dump station and also carry a 60 gallon water bladder on return trip.

My older rig doesn't have a belly liner so both of them are bungeed up underneath the rear cavity out of site. I have seen where people will hang them on a rear ladder and write something like "Meals on wheels" on the tank but I'm not into that.

[2oldman]

I have a no-wheeler. Transport on a hand truck. Much less hassle than towing it, if you're in decent shape.

[Lwiddis]

Where will you dump your tote? Hopefully not in the outhouse or chemical toilet provided at many USFS CGs.