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Long post warning!
This mod has been a work in progress for many months. It's been road tested (except for the cover) and performed beyond my expectations. There is so much to this mod that I don't want to write it all out if there's little interest, so I guess what I'll do is hit the highlights and will respond with more information as desired.
First--why?
The DW and I have enjoy boondocking and moochdocking. To do this we needed a way to ensure we can dump during an extended stay where there are no facilities. This meant a sewer tote. I wanted the largest one I could reasonably carry. As I soon found out, "reasonable" and "carry" are subject to interpretation. Camco may think a 36 gallon, four-wheel sewer tote is easily portable but in reality hanging it from the ladder wasn't going to happen. So a solution was required. What you see below is the result of an evolutionary process to come up with an answer.
One of the additional features I added as the project unfolded was to add a way to carry the tote's many accessories. Then I thought, why not all the outside stuff? Outside stuff means anything that can get wet without being damaged and was not stored in the camper already. All of this was in the truck bed.
The totes you'll see in pics below are Stanley STST33031W 13 Gal Mobile Chests that I bought at Walmart a year or so ago. (These fit perfectly in my truck bed under the tonneau cover even with my LoadAll ramp in the bed.) The issue was dragging the storage chests out, then putting them back in, then out again...etc. As anyone who's followed my threads knows that I despise repetitive logistics and I'm always looking to make things better/faster/easier. To my delight I found the storage chests fit on top of the modified storage rack almost perfectly. (It's good to be lucky sometimes.)
So enough words. Below is the finished product with the cover and without the cover.
WITH COVER
WITHOUT COVER
What may not be obvious in the picture above is that I do not need to remove the two chests at the rear to access their contents. These two chests contain the frequently-used items: plumbing (fresh water) hoses and adapters are in the left chest and all the sewer adapters and black hoses are in the right chest. Loosen the red strap that holds the chest in place, it slips over the edge of the chest, and then there's easy access to the contents! If I'm ever at a steeply sloped spot...I'll figure it out.
Let me repeat here that this is not a waterproof setup and not meant to be waterproof.
Without storage boxes on top.
What you see above started life as a Harbor Freight carrier. It's been heavily modified as it's probably twice as high as the original and the ramp is nearly cut in half. Below is the original ramp configuration (pic from HF website).
It's the details of how it got from the HF configuration to how it is now that could take several posts...so I'll hold fire until I know there's interest.
To satisfy Guest (I know what you're thinking, Jim): How much does this setup weigh? Everything, and I mean everything, added to the OEM trailer hitch weighs 214.2 lbs. This is well below the 300lbs maximum rating of the hitch. I also took pains to ensure there is no movement, none, in any direction once it is secured to the camper. I even modified it to snug it up as close to the camper as possible to remove the lever factor due to how far it originally stuck out from the hitch. I could write a long post on that topic alone. (Like I said, this was a long project.)
Another obvious question: What are you doing with the bikes? I think I have a solution, but it hasn't been road-tested yet. In about a week there's a trip planned so I'll report from the road on how it's going with the Goldwing and the bicycles in the truck bed at the same time. (Yep, you read that right. Not ready to share this story yet so stay tuned!)
I'd like to close by bragging on my DW. The cover you see in the pictures was intended for use on a Blackstone grill. She bought it at Lowes. She sewed it to just the right size and then we added grommets to keep it blowing off during transport. My DW is clever and skilled with a sewing machine! Andi -- tagging you to make sure you see this.
Howard
This mod has been a work in progress for many months. It's been road tested (except for the cover) and performed beyond my expectations. There is so much to this mod that I don't want to write it all out if there's little interest, so I guess what I'll do is hit the highlights and will respond with more information as desired.
First--why?
The DW and I have enjoy boondocking and moochdocking. To do this we needed a way to ensure we can dump during an extended stay where there are no facilities. This meant a sewer tote. I wanted the largest one I could reasonably carry. As I soon found out, "reasonable" and "carry" are subject to interpretation. Camco may think a 36 gallon, four-wheel sewer tote is easily portable but in reality hanging it from the ladder wasn't going to happen. So a solution was required. What you see below is the result of an evolutionary process to come up with an answer.
One of the additional features I added as the project unfolded was to add a way to carry the tote's many accessories. Then I thought, why not all the outside stuff? Outside stuff means anything that can get wet without being damaged and was not stored in the camper already. All of this was in the truck bed.
The totes you'll see in pics below are Stanley STST33031W 13 Gal Mobile Chests that I bought at Walmart a year or so ago. (These fit perfectly in my truck bed under the tonneau cover even with my LoadAll ramp in the bed.) The issue was dragging the storage chests out, then putting them back in, then out again...etc. As anyone who's followed my threads knows that I despise repetitive logistics and I'm always looking to make things better/faster/easier. To my delight I found the storage chests fit on top of the modified storage rack almost perfectly. (It's good to be lucky sometimes.)
So enough words. Below is the finished product with the cover and without the cover.
WITH COVER
WITHOUT COVER
What may not be obvious in the picture above is that I do not need to remove the two chests at the rear to access their contents. These two chests contain the frequently-used items: plumbing (fresh water) hoses and adapters are in the left chest and all the sewer adapters and black hoses are in the right chest. Loosen the red strap that holds the chest in place, it slips over the edge of the chest, and then there's easy access to the contents! If I'm ever at a steeply sloped spot...I'll figure it out.
Let me repeat here that this is not a waterproof setup and not meant to be waterproof.
Without storage boxes on top.
What you see above started life as a Harbor Freight carrier. It's been heavily modified as it's probably twice as high as the original and the ramp is nearly cut in half. Below is the original ramp configuration (pic from HF website).
It's the details of how it got from the HF configuration to how it is now that could take several posts...so I'll hold fire until I know there's interest.
To satisfy Guest (I know what you're thinking, Jim): How much does this setup weigh? Everything, and I mean everything, added to the OEM trailer hitch weighs 214.2 lbs. This is well below the 300lbs maximum rating of the hitch. I also took pains to ensure there is no movement, none, in any direction once it is secured to the camper. I even modified it to snug it up as close to the camper as possible to remove the lever factor due to how far it originally stuck out from the hitch. I could write a long post on that topic alone. (Like I said, this was a long project.)
Another obvious question: What are you doing with the bikes? I think I have a solution, but it hasn't been road-tested yet. In about a week there's a trip planned so I'll report from the road on how it's going with the Goldwing and the bicycles in the truck bed at the same time. (Yep, you read that right. Not ready to share this story yet so stay tuned!)
I'd like to close by bragging on my DW. The cover you see in the pictures was intended for use on a Blackstone grill. She bought it at Lowes. She sewed it to just the right size and then we added grommets to keep it blowing off during transport. My DW is clever and skilled with a sewing machine! Andi -- tagging you to make sure you see this.
Howard
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