I just purchased the 28gal Camco Rhino and they have since fixed the wheel issue. They have redesigned the axel and the wheels are now secured with a snap ring instead of a metal cap. For anyone who was worried about the wheels still being an issue. I give props to Camco for listening to customers and fixing the issue.
Camco Rhino mfg supplied plastic wheels BOTH broke at the spokes on 2nd dump trip in Quartzite AZ LTVA. Never went above 5 mph on the bumpy Quartzite dirt roads towing the shwagon. I replaced the junky plastic rear wheel kit with high quality air filled offroad tires with steel wheels and new allthread axle. Seeing that a front wheel kit is an option now I will pick one up [I hate lugging my shwagon to the hitch ball] and again upgrade to steel wheels to avoid the inevitable plastic wheel failure. Awesome review vid!
Thank you for a super video. It really helped in deciding which waste tote to buy. I still chuckle about your filming the towing tests...it must have been a sight to see.
I place my sewer tote in the bed of the pickup. Use a portable RV waste pump 12volt. Use the pump the fill the tote as it will pump uphill. Then drive to the sewer dump and it will gravity feed empty from the pickup bed. Works especially well when boondocking and not near a waste dump.
Daniel, we have thought about getting a pump. So far, the only time we weren’t near a dump was when we quarantined for two weeks on a friends 100 acre farm. But we hope to boondock in the near future. Thanks, Alice
Click on one of our links 🙏 It doesn’t cost you more, but it helps us a bit. Camco RV Rhino Heavy Duty 28 Gallon Portable Waste Holding Tank with Steerable Wheels amzn.to/3mTA34u; Barker waste tote 32 gallon amzn.to/37RQadD ; amzn.to/2VU7l7E Tote Tank Kit - Kit Item #: 39768
Another Great episode!!! Purchased a 28 gal Camco last fall and will use it for the first time in a couple weeks. Will keep you posted! Thx again! John
UPDATE: Just spent the last 10 days with my 28 gal CAMCO. Very pleased and it worked great. I also purchased the rear bumper mount and it has been an excellent way to haul the unit. My bumper already additional brackets welded to the frame, but I will keep an eye on the joints as we travel more this year. Thx again for the wonderful review.
@@johndernberger1961 Good to hear the bumper bracket works well. And yes keep an eye on the welds- after our bumper broke, we are so glad we had it professionally welded with a tow receiver hitch.
Have watched your vids on both of your 'tank tests', the lifting part of the Rhino tank(s) was a major concern (74 years old now) and don't wanna mess up my back. Now that the wheel kit is an option you can add or buy installed from the factory, will for sure get the Rhino. Thanks for the thorough vids.
To each his own. We use the 42 gal barker now for 5 yrs. Changed out the rubber tires account tubes were not holding up so we bought hard tires at Tractor Supply. We like the 42 gals account it takes less trips to the dump. One other thing I don't understand is people using the ladder to store thing in traveling. Ladders were not made to store things. They have come lose from the wall and its no fun being 8 ft off the ground and the ladder comes lose. As a RV Tech I don't promote using the ladder as a tote.
That’s funny Rawel and I have been buds for years, so Eyla is your Sister? They are an awesome family, trying to get Rawel to join the Mobile Life. Good luck on the new RV, call anytime if you wan to talk RVs, Rawel has my number. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents Yes! That's my sister. I got your info from Rawel. We are excited to get the adventures started. Let's hope out Rockwood doesn't get delayed again. We were scheduled to get it in March however with all the issues the RV industry is having it was pushed back to June.
I have a 36 Camco Rhino and with two wheels and one failed after about 4 to 6 trips that were 4 football fields long. I replaced them real tires like the Barker has, now works vary good.
That is exactly why i added the cap screws to keep the wheels on. I am going to give those wheels a real test over the next six months or so to see if they can handle the long haul. I would be nice if Camco offered a version with barker like tires and wheels, or an upgrade kit to make it easy. Larry
I never have put air in the barker tires, even after a year they were firm. If I had a TT I would get the Hensley. I had an equalizer when we had a TT and it wasn’t that great. Larry
We bought the Rhino also. Incidentally, we pull our GD 2400BH camper with the Hensley ProPride 3P hitch. Amazing difference from our Equalizer E4 hitch. The ability to easily adjust the weight distribution for different trailer loading is great too. Absolutely eliminates all sway. I don't see myself ever pulling another travel trailer without the 3P.
I have one and have used just about all of them but i have switched to rino 36gal. Leave it in the truck and use a macearater pump for dumping it is the best way i have found to do the job in 33 years of rving
I also have a small pump to be able to put the tote in the back of the truck for long trips to the dump station. Ours is not a macerator pump but we only use it for grey water. I think I will invest in a portable compact macerator pump at some point for those long dump station trips. We have teh 28 gallon rhino, the 36 is just too big to manage. Thanks for sharing . Larry
Keep doing what and how your doing your videos. IMHO your very thorough in your explanation. I thought your tests were fair my only question is, can I get away with just using the 28 gallon Camco seems easier on one’s body ! Great work 👍🏻
yes you can definitely get away with the 28 gal which is what we have. we can dump about half of our 50 gal grey tank at a time, it fills it up but is still easy to move around with the 4 wheel kit. Larry
As always, a very well organized and informative video ! I have the 42gal Barker and for me, i like the fact that is has pneumatic and more solid wheels to support the waste. I dont know why Camco would not consider the same kind of wheel as the Barker ?
So far we have been traveling with the camco since i put the 4 wheel kit on and it has done great. The barker is in storage, Now i tow the tote with my electric bike at about 10mph so it does not put a lot of strain on the crappy wheels. So far they have held up well even when traveling miles with a full load. Larry
You can upgrade the wheels on the camco rhino. Buy a longer axle and 10+ inch pnuematic wheels (Amazon carries 2 packs for about $30. Harbor Freight about $10 each or $15 each for 13 inch). Optionally you could upgrade the front wheels also.
Wade Bell here - I met you at Fort Clinch while you were recording. My wife is Pam Bell (Pam Bell Photography Inc,) Looking forward to following you and your adventures. All The Best - Wade
Larry attached it to an e-bike and went down the road just outside of Frisco campground in the Outer Banks - pretty bumpy 😁 Gravel road no problem, too Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thanks. In the places I camp I’m thinking my best solution might be to use a macerator to fill a waste tote while it’s in the bed of the pickup.
I agree 100% on the 4 wheels. I have the 36gal Camco and it will for sure break your back after a few loads. I agree with changing that to a pin on the Camco so you can remove the bar. I would do the same thing. Would be nice if they made the bar a little longer just for more ease. That Camco bar can be doubled for personal security if there is any issues. lol Do the screws have any rubber seals on them to prevent leaks? That would be nice. So far we really like ours when we use it. I think you made the right choice. Mostly cause it's the same choice I made. lol Great video. I will be ordering that kit.
That is so funny about the Tow Bar being Defensive Weapon in an emergency. The screws do not go through the plastic, the metal inserts are molded into the plastic water tight. We will see if I made the right choice, I will do my best to see if I can torture the tote on those Canadian roads this summer. Lar
Great video. I just purchased the 28 gallon 4 wheel rhino and used it on our last trip. I really like it but I do agree that the wheels are its weakest link. The campground we stay at the most is all gravel roads and the wheels (front) seemed to do allot of skipping on the rocks. We towed it with a electric golf cart and I was able to see the wheels while transporting. I also noticed that after only a few trips the rubber on the wheels had allot of wear to them from the rocks. I may look into replacing the wheels with pneumatic wheels when these wear out.
Charles, thanks. We are thinking about replacing the wheels if we see a problem. We thought about taking the ones of the Barker. But I don’t think anyone wants to see yet another waste tote video from us 😂 We would love to hear how your wheel replacement goes, Alice
Question: I just got my cart and was thinking I might get the wheel kit to move the tank to the truck, but then use the other bracket and only the rear wheels on the ground. Seems like it would travel better. So, 1) can you do this or 2) maybe it travels just fine on all four (those front small wheels on a dirt road was my concern). Thanks!
Hey, Larry! 1) Are you planning a follow up video as to rhino's capabilities? 2) Have you considered changing out the axle with a longer one, then putting a washer & carter pin as a retainer?
Oh, my. What on earth did you eat to be able to fill both of them for the demonstration? That's genuine dedication! All kidding aside, thanks for the comparison!
Thx DMC for an informative and entertaining product review video . FWIW have used a Barker 42gal blue tote for 3 yrs with our 40' TH. We do alot of boon docking somdraggingnthe full totemis a work out. I've found leaving tote in truck bed and using macerator waste pump to fill was easier on my degenersting back (fused vertebrae) The camco has a neat drain feature but looks like it has childs toy wheels in comparison to Barker's. I have been long time Camco consumer and advocate but for my application I'll stay blue. I hope iTHE Camco holds up for your use @ least you've got the Barker for a back up. Happy Camping and stay healthy.
I agree the wheels on the camco do look like a child’s toy thing. One of the reasons I switched back to the camco is I wanted to see if the wheels would hold up on long pulls. I have looked at the macerator as an option, but so far we have not needed it. A campground host a ran into at the dump station showed me his tank and Maserator rig, it was pretty cool, no lifting or towing. Larry
Great update video, you've really been knocking it out of the park with your latest videos 👍. Just ordered components for my solar setup on the Winnebago project. I decided on a 24-volt system. What voltage did you go with?
Thanks Brian, we are trying to get better. I have 24 volt panels, wire in parallel to a combiner box. The battery system is 12 volts, 4 battle born batteries in parallel. I am going to do my solar system overview soon. Call me if you want to talk about solar, inverters etc. Lar
Good review Larry. Just purchased the Rhino 28 yesterday and from your review I think that was the best choice for me. In a private small rv park I found a Rhino 36 sitting in the field. The tank looked good but the hubs on those plastic wheels on the rear were shot. The dump station was about 2 miles of paved steep hills. I’m sure they drug that thing to fast and melted the plastic wheels. So that’s why I ordered the 28 thinking of all that friction on plastic wheels. My current location, the dump is only 100 yds away so I’m hoping the two wheel will suffice, but just incase of wheel failure I also purchased a macerator and could fill the tank while sitting on the bed of the truck.
I think the rhino will do fine on short hauls like yours, the 28 gallon is the perfect size for us. I would like to get the macerator pump so i could put the tank on the truck for when we have to go a very long distance to dump the tote. Larry.
That makes sense. We don’t need ours unless we go over about 10 days or if there is no bath house for Larry to shower in. I only use our shower, but do Navy showers and skip a day here or there, Alice
Hi! Love your video… but still undecided between the Barker and the Camco. 🤔 We have a Class A RV and the grey and black water tanks are quite big (53 and 38 gallons). Next winter, based on campground reservations, we will be walking to the dump stations, so easiness to roll the 4 wheel is an issue. Any advice? Thx.
Great video. I think I would stick to the Camco Rhino. For now. I remember you doing the video on them both last year. I like the Rhino for now it holds a lot more it looks like. Thank you so much for doing the test on them both. Thank you fir a great job on the video too! Cs t wait till the next one. See you next week. Stay safe.
just a thought... when the camco wheels fail (and they will), just swap out from the blue boy along with the blue boys bar. you already got the parts, might as well put them to good use.
I have the Camco rhino 28 gallon and purchased the wheel kit. I hung it on my ladder. Within a few trips the hook and bracket started bending. It needs to be beefed up.
I actually do love the barker tote, The big problems I had were, I needed a handle to lift it onto my mike rack for traveling, there is nothing to grab onto with the barker, plus it was so hard to get it completely empty. I’m worried about the camco wheels holding up, which is why I am keeping the barker, just in case. Larry
The Camco Rhino tote tank now comes equipped with the same C-clip retainers as the front wheel kit so there's no need to do the pressure cap modification.
I’ve been watching videos on these totes and found yours. The way you explained it I purchased the blue boy 42 as of yesterday. Now I found this video and wonder if I made the right decision. Do you think one is flatter then the other making it easier too store in the bed of the truck?
I have both the Barker and the camco and I switch back-and-forth, they both have their benefits but the Barker is definitely more durable and has much better wheels but I’d like some of the features on the camco, like the handle. Now that I converted my camco to a four wheel unit the race between the two is closer. The Barker is definitely a lower unit making easier to fill up store. I have made three videos on sewer totes I guess I’m a little obsessed with having the perfect tote. Larry
I'll soon be staying at a campground where its dump station is across the street at a marina. This will require leaving the park and driving about 1/8 mile down a 55 MPH highway to get there, so pulling the dump tank is not a good option. I checked and the 36-gallon Rhino tote easily fits sideways in the bed of my truck (with dump valve facing the rear). So I was thinking about using a Flojet RV waste pump (macerator pump) to pump my grey water up into the Rhino tote sitting in the bed of my truck (the macerator pump uses a regular garden hose). That way I'll be carrying the tote instead of pulling it. Emptying will be as simple as using my long 20' sewer hose from my camper. Seems like a good solution, what are your thoughts?
a lot of people have talked about using their waste tote exactly like this with the flojet macerator, Look in the comments of my last video where i compare the barker to the camco, look in the description of this video for the link. That is really the only way to dump if you have to get to a dump station where there is a highway in between. When we were in Algonquin park Ontario canada last summer, one the the parks had a situation just like this the dump station was over a mile down a 50mph highway. We had to be very careful about our water on a ten day stay, drycamping. Larry
Great video as usual! I do have Alliance Paradigm 340RL that has 53 gallons black tank. I wish the tote have bigger tanks but it will be heavier! I believe you have about 35 gallons black tank and if you have 53 gallons black tank then which tote would you pick? How often would you go to the dump station? Thanks for the great videos!
We are at a campsite for two weeks in fl with no sewer connection. We have a 50 black and that will easily last the whole two weeks without draining with the tote. We have a 50 gal grey tank which can last a week with Alice showering in the Rv with me using the bathhouse for showers. I anticipate having to use the tote 3 to 4 times while we are here, it’s 28 gal so it drains about half our grey tank at a time. I use a water meter going into the Rv so I know when I’ve. Got 25 gal in the grey tank. I drain as I go instead of filling the grey then emptying. Using the tote is easy, and if you do it right you can stay very clean. I have never dumped the black tank into the tote, only grey. Hope that answers your questions, larry
Thank you for this very informative video. We were convinced that the 28 Gal Camco Rhino with 4 wheels was the way to go. It works great, but they didn't take into consideration the way it mounts on the ladder. Because of the added wheels and handle it now mounts backwards from the original tote. The caps bang into the ladder. We can't get any response from them at all. Hopefully they are working on a solution. We put foam bumpers on the ladder to try to alleviate the problem, but it's still not great. Anyone else have this problem and a possible solution?
Great review. You're so detailed which I really appreciate. I'm really leaning toward the Camco for all the reasons you've mentioned in your comparison videos. But the fill hole is about 14" off the ground, and the measurement from ground to the bottom of my waste pipe is 12". So it's just a little up-hill. I'm not sure if that's going to present too much of a problem.
That is really no problem. As long at the tank itself is about the sewer tote. My sewer outlet is below the sewer tote inlet. See my other video about how i fill the tank and empty the hose so i dont spill any. Larry
Yes. I read that. We are planning to quarantine at a relatives in Nova Scotia. It won’t be until at least June. A lot can happen by the time we are up there. We are aware of the constant changes
Are you heading back to Killbear provided things open up? I haven’t been camping since I was a kid (at Killbear) and my wife and I are looking forward to taking our kids there this summer!
We have had the Camco 36 gl with 2 wheels for about a year. Have never had an issue with the wheels and they're towed every weekend between 4 - 6 trips. Unfortunately, the tank sprung a bad leak today from one of the seams around the top valve. We've originally purchased 2 and the first had a drip from the same location, so we stopped using it about 6 months in. Time for a replacement, but was curious if anyone had experienced leaking with theirs. Maybe I should try the Barker?
That’s a bummer about the leak, the barkers are built much better, you may want to get a barker since you use it so much. Here is my camco vs barker video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qNUaRX0vhmY.html Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCentswish I had seen this before. We ended up getting a new 36gl Camco with 4 wheels. Prior to using it, be siliconed the seam we had issues with (not sure how else to describe it, but it's the bump around the top lid). Fingers crossed!
I've had the 36 gallon Rhino tote for three years, tow it weekly 2/3 times per week 6 months a year. I recently upgraded my 36 gallon Rhino tote by adding the front wheel kit, and replacing the rear wheels in the way I saw on another channel - (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dKNEgA6RSTo.html)Upgrading both the front and rear has been the best thing we could ever have done - I can now easily pull a full tank to my tow hitch and I'm not worried about wobbly wheels at the rear causing a horrible mess if they broke.
So far my stock axle is going strong, I reinforced the caps with screws so they wouldn’t come off. Larry And sorry, because of link, comment was in “held for review” folder Alice
Own the Barker with camco accessories because a 42 gallon 4wheel is a requirement and camco wasn't even making tanks at the time. We like it but it has design shortfalls. If Camco made a 42 gallon with upgraded 4wheels we would switch.
Hey Robbie, yes that would be awesome if Camco made a larger version with upgraded wheels like the Barker. The Barker is solid but i love all the design features of the Camco, the handle at the top really helps me move the tank around. But like i mentioned in the video, if you need the large capacity, stick with the Barker. Larry
Gary, 😂 and we have made 3 about them 😂 I spent a lot of time cleaning bathrooms when we had a sticks and bricks. And as a mom of two? Well, poop has been my life for awhile 😂. But luckily, we don’t use our tote for black tank. So now Larry takes care of poo 😃 Alice
I learned one thing.....NEVER buy a portable tank that has wheels with NO BEARINGS. My wife and I have the barker. I love that it has grease fittings and has pneumatic tires.
Bernie, the new kit has the clips. Do you have the clips on the back wheels too? If so, that’s great. It shows the company is listening to its consumers.
Opinion, Opinion, been camping since the middle 70s, and selling, and using BARKER,PRODUCTS, so in MY OPINION, IM staying with my barker had it since 2009,retired RV mechanic/ business owner,just my opinion 🤭🤫👋
John, I agree with you the Barker is a much sturdier product with excellent wheels. I really like the handle on the front of the Camco when i have to load it on my rack, there is just no where to grab the barker. I am using the Camco this summer in Canada but will Keep the barker and switch back and forth. Thank you for sharing your opinion . Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents can see that ,all the portable tanks have their good points me onthe other Hand at 72 cannot pick up a full tank to move around, my tank is the 30 gallon, use our golf cart to move it ,we store the tank with cart ,my problem solved 😀, I've seen a couple of the camco tanks modified with better tires and wheels ,we mechanics are always at it 🤗🤭🤫
We only use our waste tote for grey water. Unfortunately, Grand Design didn’t include the bigger tanks until after 2017- the one we bought used. Now their tanks are double what we have. Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents Quartzsite is miles and miles of open desert. There is a dump station close to the entrance ( LTVA South). You may go over rocks and washes etc so I fear that the plastic wheels could not handle it. There is at times, more than 1 million RVs in Quartzsite. Google for RVers that video that whole area.
Sorry but the camco RINO is junk!!! If you're in a campground with nice pavement it will last a little while but if you're somewhere like Quartzite "Gravel" it will destroy the wheels quickly! I already saw 2 of them DOA on the side of the road ripped open because the front wheels can't handle this. Get a masetator pump and fill it in the bed of your truck it will save you a lot of headaches. I will not be replacing mine the tires are all failing the plastic wheels are cracking I never tow it over 5 mph and it's only a few months old.
I agree the rhino wheels are not ready for a long trip, I also want to get a macerator so I can put the tank in the back of the truck for long dump station trips. So far I just drive really slow and I have not had any real failures so far. Larry
