LX Portable RV Waste Tote Tank - 4 Wheels - 27-Gallon Capacity - Thetford 40518

Product was easy to use right out of the box. Followed the video instructions. Worked like a charm. Filled will black water first until almost full and gave it a shot of grey water so when you disconnect you don't get black water. Pulled up on the hose to get it higher than the tote before disconnecting. I have a little bucket I put at the end of the connection to catch any waste water. Kept the hose held high and put the cap on and folded hose back down. Closed hose doors and has a rubber strap latch which works fine. Just close the vent and wash doors. Tote handle works great and have had no problems. Our dump station was about 800 yard round trip from our camper. Drive is quite rough. Its dirt mixed gravel. We have used this tote at least 6 times now. I also like the level indicator vent. Works great! The only problem I have had so far is the adapter on the end of the hose where you put your elbow on came apart and when I was putting it back together and tightening the clamp I had to be careful not to crush it. It was kind of flimsy. The only other 2 things I worry about in the future is how long the hose will last from being folded and unfolded and also the hinge joints on the vent and clean out hole covers will last before they break off.

I was a bit too influenced by the better reviews of this product before I bought it. I also watched the polished Thetford promotional video for the SmartTote 2. The actor never actually manipulates liquid, only simulates the dumping process. If you buy this product you should practice several times on your gray water tank to understand the process and make all your mistakes with grey water. WARNING WARNING WARNING: CHECK THE HOSE CLAMP CONNECTION AT THE UNION OF THE DUMP HOSE AND GRAY/BLACK TANK CONNECTOR. Thetford takes pride in telling you that the SmartTote 2 comes "completely assembled, ready to use out of the box." Some joker on the assembly line didn't tighten the clamp on my unit. On inspection, it looked secure. I gave it what I thought was a good pull and it passed. But on the second use, the hose separated from the connector, fortunately on a gray water dump. I can't stress enough that you practice a few times on your gray water tank before you move to a black water dump. UNDERSTAND THIS: If you don't elevate the hose above your tank dump connection and P-trap the tote hose before you disconnect, you will end up with a flood of gray water or black water when you disconnect the hose even though your tank valve is closed and the draining has stopped as evidenced by sound and feel on the hose. Also, the 90-degree sewer dump connector they provide with the tote is junk. Buy a good quality 90-degree threaded sewer connector and the over-priced union to join the two bayonet fittings and you will be much better served.MUST DO: When you have finished a transfer of black water into the tote tank, close the black valve and open your gray water for 2 or 3 seconds to clear the valve, connectors and hose of black water.I am concerned that the hose is the weakest part of this tote tank. I haven't looked closely enough yet but it is possible that the tank-end of the hose is factory pressed on and not replaceable. If that is the case, then I'm probably going to come back and downgrade my rating.Another thing that Thetford doesn't tell you but you will find out. If you don't open the clean-out port while dumping, the tank doesn't vent very well. Opening the clean-out port while dumping will not defeat the overflow warning float.I bought this product to use with my RV and allow me to dump the tanks at home. I don't use it to extend campground stays. It seems solid in construction.I rate it 3-stars because the actual use of the product did not meet my expectations after watching the Thetford advertising.UPDATE: I've returned to downgrade my rating to 1-star. I have used this product now for over two years and have problems with it on every use. There are just too many design flaws to permit this waste tank to be used without some spillage. The proprietary hose and fitting system Thetford uses is poor. The combination door Thetford uses over the hose coupler keeps an unavoidable upward bend in the hose and this contributes to the problem with disconnecting the tank hose from the RV without spillage. If you could mate this tank with a standard dump hose and fittings, it might work better. My black/grey valve is closer to the ground than what might be found on a higher profile rig like a 5th wheel. (My rig is a Lazy Daze) The closer to the ground that your dump valves are, the more problems you are going to experience with this tank. I have adequate and easy access to my residential sewer clean-outs so that is not a problem.

I have to dump my trailers black tank once a week. This makes it amazingly simple. It tows behind my little truck or side by side no problem with the handle/ trailer ball. It is easy to fill and mess free when you get in down. I would buy this again if I somehow broken this one!

Certainly helpful accessory. Very good customer support. You will need a ladder rack or hitch platform to carry it unless you dont care about its presence in living cabin or truck bed. There are some buts. The original hose has a weak wall - a less than year exposure to heat and use and it just disintegrated at next use. CS was very nice to send a new one however you may need to find a special glue to seal it. Also it becomes very heavy (27gal) to load on a truck if the dump station is faraway or road is too rough to tow it (I wish they use inflatable tire). Watch the videos on how to use it or make sure someone films you on first use without watching those videos, it makes lots of memories.

Excellent product except for the fact that the hinge was broken when it attacked. Called Thetford and they sent a replacement, it was here in five days. Great service all the way around.

The design of this makes it difficult to fill.

I'm happy with this product, it's easy to use and the hose was fine, not sure why other reviewers are saying it's flimsy. My RV is currently stationary in my back yard and I have guests staying in it 2 weeks out of the month. I empty the black tank into this "to go box", load it in my SUV and drive it to a nearby campground dump station. Nothing fancy, basic, easy to operate and extremely useful. It makes an unpleasant but essential task pretty painless. Used twice, I'll update my review if anything changes but so far, so good!