Review of Valterra sewer hose storage for Scamp

[rpassmore]

I realize there are a number of helpful posts about sewer hose storage, including how to use square, plastic fence post. I elected to go with the Valterra solution in part because of a time crunch and also because we're condo dwellers so all my work is conducted in the storage yard where my Scamp lives so access to power, tools, etc it limited.

So here's my review. I got the Valterra A04-5094BK 50-96" model. I looked at pricing from eTrailer and Amazon and elected to go with Amazon. In part, because it was substantially cheaper and in part because of the aforementioned time crunch. Amazon, love them or hate them, has figured out logistics. I know my low price was because Amazon was selling the older design with the hinged door, rather than the updated design with the twist and lock cover, but I decided to take a chance that I would be careful with that old design.

My first mistake was in not reading the dimensional data well enough. The minimum mounting dimension is 48-7/8". The Scamp sits on a 48" wide frame. Doh! A trip to Menards was required before I even started, just like all my well planned plumbing projects. Menards had a nice black powder coated 90 degree bracket that looked perfect for this application so I bought 4 of them at about $4.50 each. I also bought some replacement machine screws, washers and nyloc nuts since I would be mounting to these brackets and not the frame itself. I already had some self drilling screws left over from another project, an improvement over the self tapping screws that came with the Valterra package.

Installation went fine once I had all the parts and pieces. Because I am tied into that 48" frame, the storage is limited to about 54" total which fits my 15' hose but wouldn't accommodate anything longer. And it's recessed quite a bit under the camper so some awkward squatting is required. I did zip tie the opposite end so I would only have to worry about one hinged door. If I had more time I probably would have attempted the fence post solution but this isn't bad.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by rpassmore

My first mistake was in not reading the dimensional data well enough. The minimum mounting dimension is 48-7/8". The Scamp sits on a 48" wide frame. Doh! A trip to Menards was required before I even started, just like all my well planned plumbing projects. Menards had a nice black powder coated 90 degree bracket that looked perfect for this application so I bought 4 of them at about $4.50 each. I also bought some replacement machine screws, washers and nyloc nuts since I would be mounting to these brackets and not the frame itself. I already had some self drilling screws left over from another project, an improvement over the self tapping screws that came with the Valterra package.

Well done, and I did not know that Menards had painted brackets. I paint silver brackets and then need to wait for the paint to dry.

[Wes S]

Thanks to Rich and Maggie Passmore for this tip.

I also, after some poor measurement, discovered that the 48 inch frame on our Scamp 16 would not allow mounting the Valterra hose carrier directly to the frame.

I then went on to outsmart myself and cut a couple of inches off of both ends of the Valterra tubes which then made the tube short enough to be mounted directly to the frame. That is until I discovered that the Camco RhinoFLEX 15ft RV Sewer Hose Kit, Includes Swivel Fitting and Translucent Elbow with 4-In-1 Dump Station Fitting that I wanted to store would not fit in a 48 inch long adaptation of the hose carrier.

I then found the Passmore's post and decided to follow this design concept. It's easy enough to do if you can drill the required holes in the Scamp frame. I had previously mounted a sway control device and had to drill into the frame but for some reason the frame was tougher for this one. Start with a very small bit and work your way up - and be patient. I ended up using a 7/16 inch pilot hole to attach the enclosed Valterra self-tapping screws. I also ended up only drilling one hole for each bracket - it seems very secure and saved my drill bits. The self-tapping screws are #14 - 1 inch or #14 1 1/2 inch - either work.

I used the separate plastic hanger included with the tube as a template for drilling and to test the concept and select hardware, as seen in the picture. I did add some additional flat washers in the final assembly as well. I did not use the additional plastic hanger in the final mounting - tube is rigid enough as is without for the length I needed.

I mounted my tube just forward of the stabilizers and checked to make sure the tube did not interfere with the stabilizers when up.

I also sent a note to the Scamp folks and suggested that they make a longer hose storage tube standard on their trailers. The incremental cost is very small and the 15 foot Rhinoflex is a great upgrade from the 10 foot hose that came with the Scamp.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Wes S

Thanks to Rich and Maggie Passmore for this tip.

I also, after some poor measurement, discovered that the 48 inch frame on our Scamp 16 would not allow mounting the Valterra hose carrier directly to the frame.

I then went on to outsmart myself and cut a couple of inches off of both ends of the Valterra tubes which then made the tube short enough to be mounted directly to the frame. That is until I discovered that the Camco RhinoFLEX 15ft RV Sewer Hose Kit, Includes Swivel Fitting and Translucent Elbow with 4-In-1 Dump Station Fitting that I wanted to store would not fit in a 48 inch long adaptation of the hose carrier.

I then found the Passmore's post and decided to follow this design concept. It's easy enough to do if you can drill the required holes in the Scamp frame. I had previously mounted a sway control device and had to drill into the frame but for some reason the frame was tougher for this one. Start with a very small bit and work your way up - and be patient. I ended up using a 7/16 inch pilot hole to attach the enclosed Valterra self-tapping screws. I also ended up only drilling one hole for each bracket - it seems very secure and saved my drill bits. The self-tapping screws are #14 - 1 inch or #14 1 1/2 inch - either work.

I used the separate plastic hanger included with the tube as a template for drilling and to test the concept and select hardware, as seen in the picture. I did add some additional flat washers in the final assembly as well. I did not use the additional plastic hanger in the final mounting - tube is rigid enough as is without for the length I needed.

I mounted my tube just forward of the stabilizers and checked to make sure the tube did not interfere with the stabilizers when up.

I also sent a note to the Scamp folks and suggested that they make a longer hose storage tube standard on their trailers. The incremental cost is very small and the 15 foot Rhinoflex is a great upgrade from the 10 foot hose that came with the Scamp.

This is what I did with our Bigfoot. The bumper will not fit a standard rhino flex. My machine shop friends built the brackets to fit under the bumper and receiver hitch.

[Wes S]

Elegant! I may put together a coffee table book of sewer hose storage concepts. I also didn't know what a Bigfoot was so I looked it up. Looks like a very nice outfit.