dispersed camping means high clearance

[James AKA Lynx]

I have used one on my boat. Works good but you must remember that whatever is in the hose does not drain out. They are a high amp draw. Does not take long to empty a 20 gal tank. For your needs it would be interesting. Test it a few times with clean water. <br><br>Hose are hard to put on. soak in hot water and push on. You may need an extra hand. Use SS bands. Needs to be extra strong. Use 2 per side.<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[highdesertranger]

boy boonie you hit that nail on the head with the low hanging waste water dumps.&nbsp;&nbsp; I have seen many ripped apart with off road driving.&nbsp; once you have raised the trailer its better but still to low.&nbsp; &nbsp;I have put on skid bars/plates under them that could withstand having the trailer drug over a rock or other obstacle without damage.&nbsp; I wouldn't leave the gravity dump off, gravity always works, &nbsp;just build to withstand hits. &nbsp;plumb your Mercator off the gravity dump so you can dump your black first then your gray then flush your hose, &nbsp;so to keep your hose fairly clean just like you would do with gravity.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[highdesertranger]

I meant to add in the above post.&nbsp; if you are building yourself you can design so the gravity isn't so close to the ground.&nbsp; then with skid plates in place you wouldn't have to worry.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Boonie]

So we've temporarily put aside the issue of raising the entire trailer, and are now focusing on alternatives to low-hanging drain plumbing, which is the real problem with "ground clearance."<br><br>Does anybody know of somebody who put the holding tank INSIDE the cargo trailer (on the floor), and then ran the drain plumbing out through the wall (just above the floor)? I was worried about leaks and smells! Presumably the tank would have to be vented to the roof with the usual 1.5" pipe.<br><br>

 

[highdesertranger]

if your ceiling is high enough you could do it with a false floor, use the area around for storage.&nbsp; if you are building from scratch you could still put the tank on the outside with proper design and protection.&nbsp; is trailer so low that you are worried about high centering it?&nbsp; high centering a trailer is pretty easy to do. &nbsp;allot of trailers will do it on drive ways into parking lots.&nbsp; what type of boondocking are you planning on doing?&nbsp; unless you are going to do some serious off road travel most dirt/gravel roads are not that bad.&nbsp; could you be worrying to much about this?&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Boonie]

Yes, High Desert, I was going to put the holding tank parallel to the long axis of the trailer, and along the outboard wall, so I didn't have to walk over it, and need a 7 foot ceiling. Then build a plywood box on top of the holding tank, and stack the usual plastic storage boxes on top of the plywood. Also, the Great White Throne of Thetford will rest on top of the plywood.<br><br>I seldom have difficulty with 3 digit forest roads THEMSELVES&nbsp; -- the problem is when you back off of them, into a dispersed campsite. There is usually a ditch on the side of the road. I run into the same problem when I need to do a three-point turn to get turned around on a forest road. Dispersed camping, like baseball, is a "game of inches", mostly between the ground and that stupid holding tank drain valve.

 

[highdesertranger]

I hear you boonie.&nbsp; it doesn't take much of a dip,&nbsp; hole,&nbsp; rock, etc. to reek havoc on those drains.&nbsp; I even saw one damaged on a parking lot approach.&nbsp; however I know they can be fixed I did one last year after raising the trailer to give more ground clearance,&nbsp; built a skid plate under the drain.&nbsp; now you can jack up that side of the trailer right under the drain and it is bolted on so it can be removed for service and repairs.&nbsp; you could drive up on a rock to change a tire on that side.&nbsp; you will not damage that drain unless the trailer got t boned right at the drain but you got other issues then.&nbsp; when I build my trailer I will put the tanks on the outside to save room on the inside.&nbsp; I hope you realize that the bottom of waste tanks are not flat so that everything flows out, so you just can't lay the tank on a flat surface, it will not drain this way.&nbsp; but you could still put it on the inside just have to support the tank accordingly.&nbsp; good luck and post some pics when you are done.&nbsp; might help some of us out.&nbsp; highdesertranger