Hitch and Dumping for Newbie Help

[Davidmtz1981]

Hi Everyone,

Notice that my hitch does a los of squeaking noises when i turn at slow speed. Also the ball looks a little bit worn. Is this normal? Would some grease do the trick? Or should i look into something else?

Also, 2nd trip on the airstream and notice how long it takes to get clear water out of my black tank. Empty it, takes about 3-5 minutes, but then if i flush it with a hose, waste seems to keep coming and coming. Mainly toilet paper. Only used this air stream from new twice. Stopping at the dumping station total time is taking almost an hour, and it’s mainly cause I don’t feel satisfied until i see clear water run out. Am i being to picky? Any suggestions?

Thanks

[n2916s]

1. Depends on the hitch type/brand. My Reese dual-cam is noisy when maneuvering at slow speed. My previous trailer had a Reese but with a friction anti-sway which was always noisy at slow speed as well.

2. The black tank gunk is pretty normal. It is a wide, long shallow tank with plenty of places for stuff to hide. If you are going back out camping within a week or three, don’t worry about it. If you are parking it for awhile, several fill and dump cycles should get it sparkly clean...

[Davidmtz1981]

Originally Posted by n2916s

1. Depends on the hitch type/brand. My Reese dual-cam is noisy when maneuvering at slow speed. My previous trailer had a Reese but with a friction anti-sway which was always noisy at slow speed as well.

2. The black tank gunk is pretty normal. It is a wide, long shallow tank with plenty of places for stuff to hide. If you are going back out camping within a week or three, don’t worry about it. If you are parking it for awhile, several fill and dump cycles should get it sparkly clean...

Thank you so much. I have an E2 Hitch, do you think greasing it would help reduce this noise?

[B. Cole]

When things get busier in camping season, your 1 hour dumping sessions will get you some negative attention from people in their rigs behind you. 10 -15 minutes should do it.
You arnt trying to turn it into a drinking water tank ��
Jus sayin....

[drbrick]

yeah the hitches tend to be a bit noisy use lithium grease on the ball. Also a little lithium grease on the spring arms where they connect to the hitch and also on the pads will help reduce the noise as well.

Yep I think you're being a bit too picky on dumping your tanks. Also be gentle on the amount of toilet paper that you use. [emoji2960]

[Cyclist]

We have an EAZ Lift hitch with friction anti-sway bars. It's the anti sway bars that cause the groaning noice at low speed. If I'm able to, I stop when entering the campground and loosen the anti-sway bars (the reverse when leaving - just remember to tighten the anti-sway bars).

[Acheron2010]

I often reflect on the German tank scene from Saving Private Ryan when hearing squeaking hitches enter camp. I use silicone spray on all contact points and sneak into and out of camps like an Airstream ninja. Works well on the door and stair hinges as well.

[mimiandrews]

What kind of toilet paper are you using? Switching to RV paper (ouch! expensive) or something like Scott's 1000 Septic Tank Safe might help with your problem. I use the Scott's and almost never see TP in the dump stream.

[AldeanFan]

An hour to dump tanks is too long.
If there were 3 rigs ahead of you would you be ok waiting 3 hours?

I find that the fuller my tanks are the faster they dump, more liquid makes it even better.
On a weekend trip we only fill the tanks about 1/2 way so I give the toilet an extra good flush every time.
Also we try to use the trailer only for #1 business as much as possible.

Make sure to start with some water in the black tank before first toilet use. If you start with dry tanks stuff will stick to the bottom.

Before I head to the dump station I drive a few laps around the park to slosh things around and aid in a quick dump.

During the camping season I don’t worry too much about getting the tanks squeaky clean and totally empty at the shared dump station.
At the end of the summer we always stay in a full hookups site and before pulling out I can spend as much time as I want flushing the tanks.

[McStreamy_]

Two thoughts on dumping: When you're rinsing the black tank do you close the valve or leave it open? As others have noted you'll get better results when dumping a full tank. Let the rinse run for 30-45 seconds with the valve closed and then open for a more productive tank drain. I would also recommend leaving a small amount of water in the tank after dumping (~10-15% of capacity) and add a tank treatment as well. This way the enzymes will break down anything remaining in the tank while waiting for the next trip.

[B. Cole]

Here's a old school black tank fix, for anything.
It's called Campa - Chem Original.Its the deep blue stuff. made by Thetford, the company that makes RV/Airstream/Boat toilets forever.You can get a 64 ounce bottle at Walmart camping dept. for like $9.50
Should last quite a while.
Use in black tanks only, Other brand RVs (SOBs that dump better by design, lol ) Airstreams/ Boats/Motorhomes/ etc etc.It actually works, especially in hot weather, and has been around for many decades, for a reason.It breaks down solids fast, and eliminates any odor, when used liberally.
Add it more in hot weather.I used it for many years in big cabin cruisers, never a problem.They are emptied by suction hose at gasoline docks .
Like the guys above have stated, especially when stationary, like in campground connected to sewer line, let the black tank fill to like 3/4 before pulling waste gate and dumping.
This will break things loose, by heavy flow.
If you read Airstream owners manual, like mine from 70s, it actually says to drive around , hitting brakes, before dumping Airstream tanks.They are notorious for poor dumping, due to design, just another fail by Airstream engineers, who still can't figure out the whole"GravityThingy" lol
Now, the "Greenies" will hate the Deep Blue stuff, but go green and enjoy the Black tank odor/solid breakdown problems lol

[MickeyC]

I don't use a chrome ball just because of the friction damage. I use a galvanized ball. I always use grease on the ball and coupling. I carry a small pint size tub of grease with a resealable top and a box of rubber gloves. I put a thin coat of grease on the ball and up in the coupling. When I disconnect the trailer I use a few paper towels and wipe them off. it only takes a few minutes each time and it stops the noise created by the ball and coupling which is actually friction which kills machinery.

I rarely dump the black water tank until I have been traveling down the road for a while (unless I am staying someplace for a long time which is rare). If I am planning to dump the tank I make sure the tank has plenty of water before I start down the road. If necessary I fill it at least to 2/3 full before I leave the site. There will be plenty of places down the road to dump. The constant sloshing will have everything mixed up and floating and ready to dump. My last trailer had the built in tank flush where you hook the hose up on the exterior dump side of the trailer and not sure if yours does, but my current trailer does not. So, I picked up one of the wands made to go down in the tank thru the toilet and scrub the tank. It usually takes us 10-15 min max to complete a dump so that clear water is running out of the black tank.

We usually stop at a casino, or other dump site. You will learn where they're at.

Good Luck & Just Have Fun
MC

[thixoh]

I always make sure my black tank is at least at 75% capacity. If it is a short weekend trip, it means letting the water run with my foot on the pedal to fill the black tank. I also put a few gallons back in after dumping as others have said. I have never had an experience as you have described.

[Rokitman]

All the above. Good advice. Would only like to add that when I dump, the only TP in the flush is from that morning. Yes, we use the orange juice you can pick up in an 8 pack at any Walmart. I believe it helps break down the dirties.

But, we also look for TP that the label says "septic safe" or "rv safe" or "marine safe" or some such. They usually aren't the best for their intended use, but they breakdown much better. And with a little shopping, we're usually able to find something cheaper than the overpriced "made specifically for rv toilets" paper.

Finally, do a YouTube search for "best RV toilet paper"... plenty of them, and some demonstrate a method for doing your own testing.

My too sense.

[JMynes]

Equal-I-Zer sells plastic pads that slip on to the L brackets. They make a huge difference in the squeaky noises.
The manual also discusses lubrication of pivot points, as well as torque values.
I disassemble my hitch in the Spring before our first trip, lubricate pivots and torque everything to spec. That trip is always very quiet.
Prior to every subsequent trip I spread a little grease in the pivot areas and grease the ball. I get the occasional groan or pop, but nothing obnoxious.

[SemperBadger]

If you are using an equalizer WD system the company does sell the heavy nylon pads that rest on your brackets where the WD bars rest on the frame as mentioned previously. Equalizer also makes a specific lubricant for reducing friction and noise (its blue and comes in a tan equalizer squeeze tube). The reduced friction will negatively impact the effectiveness of your sway control on your WD system, but I found the noise unbearable if left untreated.

Of note, the reason mine was making so much noise in the first place was because the shop that installed the hitch was too lazy to install the extra washers to level the camper - instead they just moved the mounting bolts up to increase the downward pressure on the trailer. The resulting set up was so tight that the bars rubbed so hard on the brackets that the bracket started to wear away. It’s worth verifying the setup using the instructions and online videos even if you trust your dealership...

It’s worth using white grease on your ball but if you are using an equalizer I can almost assure you that it is your WD system making all of that noise.

[Piggy Bank]

Faster way
If you want to add a couple of gallons of fresh water into your toilet/black tank, it is much faster to have a bucket with you. Fill up the bucket from the water spigot, walk the water into the bathroom, and dump into the toilet. We find that while 1 person is putting away the dump hoses, the other person can do this.

If you are planning to spend more than about 10 minutes at a campground dump station people will hate you, and rightly so. Especially working people who have to get back home on Sunday to get ready for the work week.

If you need to spend more time than this, either use a full hook up site, or dump during non-busy times of the day.

Now-this being said, if you have a build up already there that needs to be remedied, then spend the time to get things blasted out of there, and then read up on best practices for tank usage to avoid this in the future.

What kinds of TP to use. How to avoid a poo volcano. How lots of water is important to create a slurry. How using a small trash can for #1 TP makes sense. What to do if you don't want to have #2 in the tank at all. When to dump. How to use full hookup sites so you don't create problems. There is a lot of information needed around this topic. If you aren't sure on any of this, people her are very friendly and love to help. So ask away!

[Hermes]

Originally Posted by Davidmtz1981

Notice that my hitch does a los of squeaking noises when i turn at slow speed.

If you have an Equalizer hitch, to eliminate (or significantly reduce) the squeak, created by the rubbing of the WD bars on the two L brackets, add the optional Equalizer L bracket jackets, available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Equal-i-zer-9...0818807&sr=8-3

[JCWDCW]

Black tanks dump better when full
We always dump dishwater into the toilet to mostly to save grey water capacity
You can do a better job of flushing the black water by filling the toilet and then flushing it. The big rush of water will sweep the TP out better than a stream from a hose.
JCW

[HoverLover]

So I follow the YouTube channel "Long Long Honeymoon" and on one of the episodes he introduced what they use to cut down on toilet paper. A portable Bidet made by Toto. He convinced me the smearing your poop into your pores with a bunch of toilet paper wasn't a effective as rinsing with some warm water and drying yourself with a few sheets. So I bought one on Amazon and use it at home as well!