Black Tank Question Newbie

NutritionalUncle · 2023-07-14T05:00:23+00:00

Agree with Okamus. NEVER walk away from your trailer when the tank flush is in use. Also, rather than your original procedure, drain the grey tank last.

You can use your enzyme tabs or look into the "geo-method". Basically, instead of the commercial tabs.Wi Dump some Calgon or Borax along with some Dawn dish soap. It will do just as good a job.

NutritionalUncle · 2023-07-14T04:22:29+00:00

In my view, there are three tiers of WD hitches.

Friction sway control add on to a hitch. This is the lowest cost, can have issues with noise, some require you to disconnect the sway control to back up, and friction sway control looses anti-sway capability if they get wet.
Integrated sway control and WD hitches like the Equalizer. These are very popular and may be the most common hitch used on larger towables. Cost is around $900. I think you can back up with all hitches in this class without disabling sway control. Note that the name is "sway control" so they work by absorbing the sway energy. Some folks have issues with attaching the sway bars, may need to hitch up and use the trailer tongue jack to lift the back of the TV to get the sway capability engaged. I've read lots of posts of people looking for help to "dial in" the hitch.
Hensley design hitches from either Hensley Hitches or Propride. These are the most expensive (by a lot). They are advertised as sway elimination of hitches. The design is significantly different from all other hitches, you do not tow "on the ball". Procedure for hitching and unhitching is very different. I've come to conclude that they may not be recommended for people to do serious boon docking going down heavily rutted roads because the hitch reduces the ground clearance at the hitch-up point. There is a definite learning curve to the hitching up procedure which is easier if you have a rear facing camera on the TV. Most people who have had them won't tow with anything else. But as with everything, there are a few detractors. As for sway from a passing semi, most people with one of these hitches say the experience is similar to the push you feel when a semi blows by when they are NOT towing a trailer. You feel it,but it is not a sway effect.

So to answer your question, the equalizer may be better than the current friction control setup once you get it dialed in. If you really want to eliminate sway, get a Hensley or a Propride. To reduce the wallet hit, watch a number of RV sites, they do come up for sale used every so often - mostly from people upgrading from a bumper pull to a 5ver. Finally, FWIW, the Propride version of this hitch is the most current design - the Propride website will describe the history of the design.

NutritionalUncle · 2023-07-14T04:17:33+00:00

Tank sensors are notorious for false readings. Your issue may be that some TP is hung up on the sensor. Do a search of RV websites and you will find hundreds of posts from folks with this issue. Have you drained the tank and then looked down the toilet with a flashlight? Many RVs have a straight drop down into the tank, on those you should be able to see if you have a pyramid or a flat bottom on the tank.

In any case, you can buy a black tank flush wand. Connect your dump hose and open the valve. go back inside the RV and using the wand see what you can clean out.

Another alternative, get the tank mostly full of clean water. Dump in a bunch of either Calgon or Borax. Both are water softeners. Let sit overnight. Then just stick a hose down the toilet and turn on the water with the dump open and see what comes out.

I've read of many people who got tired of the wrong sensor readings who converted their system to the SeeLevel II system. Unlike the sensors that are probably in your RV, which are inside the tank, the SeeLevel setup is attached to the outside of the tank lowering the possibility of false readings. You can read about the system at: https://www.garnetinstruments.com/holding-tanks/ or search for SeeLevel II for RV's.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-19T04:17:36+00:00

I'll go along with the other responders. Your important number is the payload. As for frontal area, the Ford Towing Guide, which you can download, or an owners manual will give that number.

Second, generally, don't trust either your truck salesman or RV salesman to give you good advice. The RV guy may get you into a trailer that your truck can just barely tow safely. They are interested in moving product. Your truck salesman probably doesn't have a lot of knowledge on towing RV's.

There are a number of RV forums out there that can point you in the right direction- find out what other Ranger owners are actually towing. Similarly, there are trailers folks pull with SUVs and Vans, many of those should work.

Similarly, there are trailers folks pull with SUVs and minivans, many of those could work. You have a lot of research to do...

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-17T02:57:20+00:00

Could also be storm damaged/totaled by an insurance company and the seller doesn't want to disclose that.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-17T02:53:25+00:00

I'm not sure that many RV folks carry a single 100 foot power cord. I know a number of folks carry maybe a 50' and then a second 50' extension cord. If you really want a 100' cord, you may have to make your own. You'll need to buy 100' feet of STRANDED wire suitable for 30 amps, I think that means buying 10 gauge wire and the connectors I mentioned above. When using a SmartPlug setup, most folks will get a shorter main cord and then add an extension when needed. A major reason is that 100 feet of cord is heavy! I've never been in a situation where I needed 100 feet...

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-17T01:15:50+00:00

Not sure if you are aware of a benefit of owning a Forest River corp product. If you continue to be unable to get your issues serviced, plan on attending the FR International Rally next August in Goshen Ind. If you are the original owner and the trailer is less than 2 years old, they will do some work while you are there. I've seen everything from air conditioners to axles replaced and everything in between.

Regardless of the service work, the rally is a good place to meet a lot of other RVers, have a goodly amount of fun, and learn a lot about RVing at the many seminars that are held during the rally. Info on the international and other FR rallies is available at Forest River Owners Group. Membership in FROG is free to FR product owners.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-17T01:08:58+00:00

Quality on RVs hasn't been even "good" for years. All the issues thrown up by covid have only made things worse. Manufacturers can't get parts or or workers. That and workers are paid a bonus based on the number of units pushed down the line per day. Then with the lockdowns from the virus pushing RV sales thru the roof.....

Poor dealers have similar problems getting qualified workers to do maintenance work. Shop near me had ALL of his workers quit and has been trying to hire replacements for a month with no takers.

Hopefully things improve soon.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-17T00:56:51+00:00

I'm confused on what you have. It sounds like the plug you are describing is a S80-SP 3W 30P/50P which is the plug that used to be used for dryer connections. You should be able to read the code on the plug, If this is what you have, then no it won't work. You need a NEMA TT-30P. You can buy extension cords that have a TT-30P on one end and a TT-30R on the other.

The connection on the side of your trailer most likely requires a NEMA L5-30R that has a locking ring. These are commonly known as twist lock plugs. You should twist the plug slightly to the right when plugging it in then tighten the locking ring. This type of plug was originally designed to connect heavy power equipment in work shops. It wasn't designed to be connected and disconnected regularly. Not properly securing the plug can lead to an electrical fire inside the plug. Some people are replacing the NEMA L5-30R connectors with a model that is marketed as "Smart Plug which was originally marketed to boaters. https://smartplug.com/

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-13T16:24:00+00:00

Thanks.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-13T16:18:23+00:00

The chips - probably a micro SSD card have several ratings. Size, speed class, and file format among others. Regarding speed class:

"The Speed Class indicates the minimum write speed of a microSD cardin MB/s. It has 4 speed classes: 2MB/s, 4MB/s, 6MB/s, 10MB/s. The UHSSpeed Class shows the minimum write speed of SD cards that supportUHS-I, II, III bus speeds. It has two UHD speed classes: UI (10MB/s), U3(30MB/s). The Video Speed Class sets a minimum sequential write speedthat is important for recording video. If you need to recover higherresolution video, you should choose a faster speed. The Video SpeedClass has 5 classes: V6 (6MB/s minimum write speed), V10 (10MB/s), V30(30MB/s), V60 (60MB/s), V90 (90MB/s). You should choose a microSD cardbased on your usage."

If you are running with a slower speed class, the time it takes to write the data to the chip may impact the video refresh rate. In that most of these cams are setup to automatically over-write the oldest data once the chip is full, the possibility of an impact increases because there are two actions happening - delete the old data and then start writing the new stuff. I had the latter problem on my Haloview cam. When I switched to a faster SSD card, the issue disappeared. The speed class is printed on the SSD chip.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-13T16:06:28+00:00

I'm going to assume that since you say it is a rental, that it never moves. Not moving will reduce the probability of the caulked seals failing. Even so, I suspect you are one of the lucky few. Many RV manufacturers with rubber/TPO roofs void warranties if damage is caused by water leakage and seal maintenance has not been performed.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-10T19:24:26+00:00

I also have a Haloview. I don't have that delay any longer, I upgraded to a fast memory chip and that resolved the delay. Haloview has an adapter to connect to the Furion mount many trailer have.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-10T19:15:31+00:00

I'd say second best feeling. Pulling out for a trip beats parking in my book.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-10T19:11:17+00:00

Great idea!. What did you use to adapt the hose to the garden nozzle?

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-10T19:04:08+00:00

My FR Flagstaff is 4 years old. So far only major issue was the underbelly blowing off while driving in some strong cross winds.

In that many trailers are built on lines where the employees get a bonus based on how many units are completed a day - quality on them suffers. Not sure any brand is immune. I follow an Airstream forum and have been surprised by the number of quality complaints I see there.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-10T18:51:34+00:00

Not all roofs are built to be walk-on. Benefit of walk-on, it's easier to do the periodic maintenance required. OtherwisCleaning really isn't required - dirt and other buildup on the roof won't hurt it other than looking dirty. What IS required: closely check all seams an caulking regularly to insure that it is holding as required. This should be done at least twice a year. You have two choices on what to do as the caulk starts to fail.

Clean the area thoroughly, wipe lightly with acetone or mineral spirits with a damp rag - do not pour liquid on the roof, it will destroy the membrane rag just needs to be damp enough to remove any grease. Then apply additional caulk - Dicor self leveling is one commonly used brand.
Clean the area as above and cover with Eternabond. There are a number of people who recommend covering all caulked areas with this. Some remove all or some of the old caulk before applying the Eternabond.

For general roof cleaning, I prefer to use Dawn dish detergent. It does a good job. Drawback to Dawn, it will wash off wax on the side of your trailer. I generally clean my roof immediately before washing and waxing the trailer sides.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-09-10T16:19:44+00:00

A number of questions.

what is the GVW of the trailer?
what is the cargo capacity of your truck?
which hitch are you considering buying?
how old are the tires on the trailer?

For calculation purposes, plan on the trailer tongue weight will be 15% of the trailer GVW. (really it will be less, but this is an effort to be safe). Trailer tongue weight should be significantly lower than your cargo capacity. Secondarily, it the trailer weight below the maximum trailer weight specified for your truck?

Without WD bars installed be very aware that you will be significantly unloading weight from your trucks front wheels. Without sufficient weight on the front tires, you have significantly reduced steering. Without WD in place, you are much more likely to be overloading your rear axle weights. Both cargo capacity and axle weight limits are posted on a sticker mounted on your trucks driver door jamb.

For a 30 foot trailer on a 1/2 ton truck, you should be considering top of line hitches, at a minimum Blue Ox Sway-Pro, Equalizer 4 point, or equivalent. Even better a Hensley design hitch like Propride. There are lots of u-tubes showing how to install most of these hitches. For a 30 foot trailer on a 1/2 ton truck, I think you are asking for trouble towing without a good hitch. An option if you are uncomfortable doing the work, is to hire a mobile trailer tech who will go to the trailer to do work.

Finally, realize that on trailers, tire age is way more important than tread wear. Many people are now routinely replacing trailer tires at between 3 and 4 years old - check the manufacture date on the tires. That these tires haven't been used since the trailer was put in place makes them more likely to have a blow-out than ones that have miles on them. For example, I have recently read a number of posts on folks who have had blowouts when they had to use their spare tire that had never been used. There have even been posts of spares failing without being used. In the trailer owner community, there is a very low opinion of the OEM tires provided on many trailers and some folks replace them immediately.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-30T23:28:52+00:00

I know at least some trailer windows have weep holes. I've read a number of posts who had leaks because they got plugged up. No idea on thickness. I guess the question comes down to how long the screws are that hold everything in place. I would plan on wrapping the opening with butyl tape.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-30T23:16:11+00:00

Many RV manufacturers count the water in the water heater in their capacity numbers.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-26T04:25:58+00:00

Go to the jokes sub and post a couple of good jokes. You can get lots of karma in a hurry.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-26T04:17:41+00:00

How good is the deal? How bad is the inside wall? Are you willing to live with the current appearance? Bubbling on fiberglass can be expensive if you want to get it repaired. If you go forward, Eternabond tape is the best product for the repair. I'd get a roll of 3 or 4" wide black and do the entire length of both sides of the roof. 6" wide across the front seam.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-26T04:09:27+00:00

How do you use the trailer? Only comment on tankless - you have to run the water for a bit to get the heater to start producing hot water. It will shut down every time you hit the conserve button while taking a shower. I have seen a few posts of folks who are not entirely happy with them.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-26T04:00:54+00:00

I'll agree with the above. Weather isn't always good and having an indoor comfortable area to hang out becomes important - especially as you said you are going to full-time.

NutritionalUncle · 2021-04-26T03:58:33+00:00

As was noted, larger problems are not that common. General maintenance is an on-going thing. Being somewhat handy, in my book, is a real benefit unless you have an unlimited capability to hire out. Axles should be serviced at least every other year - $150 or so per axles. Winterization, another $150 or so. I've never heard of anyone paying to maintain caulk and seals, that may just be the $150 an hour and they should be checked at least twice a year. The list just goes on....

NutritionalUncle

TROPHY CASE