BLACK TANK TUBE HANGER
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14196
Printed Date: 17 Jun 2025 at 4:08pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: BLACK TANK TUBE HANGER
Posted By: TEDDY
Subject: BLACK TANK TUBE HANGER
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 10:33am
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2017 178 - nice camper - certainly not luxurious, or top of the line (pressboard cabinets rather than wood, etc.). We like it! Bought it new and in a few hundred miles the strap holding the end of the black tank discharge tube to the chassis failed do to vibration. Used some stainless strap hanger mat'l from a roll and moved on. That failed, also. Took it to a FR dealer - they put a strap with a rubber body in place of the simple thin metal original equip strap - after two years, the rubber portion (designed to absorb vibration) is failing. I looked at a Bullet on the dealer's lot and they used a metal strap, thick - one that probably does not allow vibration - and looks like it might not fail. However, I wonder if there is a need for some accommodation to vibration at that point. If I put a rigid metal strap might the tube/tank connection be forced to absorb all the vibration and then fail? ------------- Teddy |
Replies:
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 12:29pm
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I used a piece of strap aluminum and wrapped it around the tube, then turned the ends 90 degrees to be flat to the frame and screwed the ends onto the frame. Since the support allows for the normal movement, I have not had any trouble with it. I had two failures. The first was with one factory strap. The second was with two factory straps. I said that there will not be a third time. You can see it in my mods. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 12:36pm
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Thanks- do you know if the aluminum you used was aircraft aluminum (tempered), or just sheet aluminum ..... and the thickness?? ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 1:01pm
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It was anodized strap aluminum purchased at Lowe's. It was approximately 1/8" thick. I did the same thing with the gray water tank drain. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 3:10pm
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Thanks again, Stephen. ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 4:02pm
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2024 aluminum alloy is probably the most commonly used in aircraft. It is great for resisting fatigue cracking, not as good as say 6061 for corrosion resistance. Note that most airplanes are painted for corrosion protection and kept in hangars so resistance to fatigue cracking is more important. Airplanes kept outside for a long time tend to have corrosion issues (ask me how I know). 6061 is probably the most common Al alloy in general use and so probably what you get down at the big box. Since corrosion is a big problem on the bottom or rpods I'd lean toward 6061, but you could argue it either way. Temper is specified by a number suffix for aluminum, so you can for example get 2024 T0 or 6061 T6. Higher is stronger but less ductile. I wouldn't want a high temper material for this because you're going to need to be able to bend it to make a strap. Or, you can use stainless steel strapping, that's what I did. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 5:33pm
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I tried some stainless pipe strapping - comes in a roll, holes pre-punched in it. That fractured, too - didn't last much longer than the original steel strap that, once removed from the R-Pod, you could bend between your fingers of one hand! Thanks for the info on aluminum. I think I'll try that, maybe with a 1/4" thick rubber collar. All ideas welcome! ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: wthoms2000
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 2:35am
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I used Zinc Steel Punched Flat Bar, a thick version of plumbers tape, and attached it to a bolt on the black water drain. Very solid and will not brake!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bnAchiotAfqAgAwX9/ - https://photos.app.goo.gl/bnAchiotAfqAgAwX9/ Good luck! ------------- Porta Poddy Wil and Luz, Orange County, CA 2017.5 179 HRE 2021 Ranger XLT FX4 REDARC Brake Controller |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 7:10am
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OK- here's what I'm gonna do ....... 1/8" Aluminum bar/strap. Two bends - one to turn up a 1/2" tip, and then one 1-1/2" behind that. I'll use two stainless pipe clamps (the kind that has the helical notches and you turn a screw to tighten) in the U formed by the two bends. Before I tighten the clamps, I'll make a sleeve out of garage door bottom weather strip - the part that is glued to the concrete, not the part that slides into the door bottom. The clamps will tighten around that sleeve. Then I'll use the existing holes in the R-Pod frame and screw the top (un-bent) portion of the strap into the frame using lots of Loc-Tite. If that doesn't work I'm gonna remove the tube from the bottom of the black tank and replace it with a stopper that I can control from the TV and let the tank drain as I travel on the Interstate! Thanks for all the ideas...... this is a great forum... ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: tcj
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 8:53am
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I cut this "safety" strap from a piece of conveyor belt from a potato processing plant. My original use of this belting was to make a limit strap for a snowmobile slide suspension. They take a lot of abuse and the original broke. Yamaha wanted about $20.00 for a new one. A two foot by three foot piece of this belting cost about $3.00. The strap I made for the snowmobile had been on it for about 15 years and was still in good shape when I sold it. I used an arch punch to punch the bolt hole.  ------------- 2018 R-pod 180 Hood River Edition |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 10:00am
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An elegant solution, TCJ - but it looks like you have additional strap support to the gray and black tank..... my 178 black discharge tube has only the strap at the end of the tube at the frame and, of course, I have separate black and gray tubes. The gray tank tube has not been a problem - it's a stout strap and doesn't seem to flex. Your solution looks like the description StephenH gave using a 1/8" alluminum strap, only your rubber belt strip would certainly support the tube end. Still leaning toward the aluminum strap, pipe clamps and a rubber sleeve under the pipe clamp. ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 10:49am
We installed a clevis hanger and left the original strap in place. We used a smaller hanger for the gray water drain tube. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 12:18pm
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Tks, GlueGuy - is the clevis hanger two U shapes that would allow the end of the tube to bounce up and down, with the upper limit being the bolt holding the U ends together? Or does that bolt sit right on top of the tube? I guess the assembly could move up and down on the vertical bolt holding the top U to the strap. ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 10:33am
I would be cautious about using 6061 alum to make a hanger. Although it's pliable. it doesn't like to be bent anywhere near 90 degrees. 5052 is aluminum meant for bending to extreme angles, commonly called sheet metal. Many use muffler clamps, and they seem to work well. I made mine from parts available at the hardware store.
 ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 10:51am
I doubt there is much to make the sewer pipe to go up. The clevis hanger is pretty stout material, and it makes a good cradle for the pipe to hang in. The bolt going through the top of the clevis can be tightened down somewhat, but in the end, it just makes the sewer pipe steady. I don't know how many miles we have on it at this point, but I check it periodically, and nothing is moving. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 11:17am
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Thanks for the info on 6061 aluminum - there is a welding shop around here I can probably get to start with a 12" x 1-1/2" x 1/8" stainless steel strap and make the bends for me. I can cut it to length as needed and drill the two holes that would be needed to match the two already in the frame. Thanks to all for your excellent suggestions - there is no end to the creativity of the R-Podders! ------------- Teddy |
Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 5:03pm
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This seems to be an ongoing problem with the rpods....surprised FR hasn't done something to beef up the hanger. I put a new hanger on (OEM) today on the blackwater and added a rubber strap as back up plus it acts as a shock absorber. I had fixed the old bracket before but we took it on 2 trips and when I checked it everything was loose and failure would have been soon. |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 5:43pm
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Not only forest river has this issue. Winnebago has it for sure. I think they all use the same crappy parts ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2020 at 10:13pm
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Yes. I was told it was "industry standard." If it is industry standard, then that standard is flawed and needs to be changed. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: rpod190
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2022 at 12:41am
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I have a 2019 rpod190 and on our maiden voyage the black tank strap broke. The pipe can hold 5 gals of waste easily and that's over 40 lbs. The strap holding the tank is the leftover from the metal stud to the frame. The manufacturer carried it down to hold the tank tube. The bouncing over 1000 miles caused it to fail and the gate value broke off from dragging on the ground and damaged the grey tank gate valve when we were in the middle of nowhere. I called the 800# and it was a waste of time. Found a coat hanger to tie it up for the trip, but could not use the toilet or grey tanks. I added my own strap as you have done and NEVER travel without a small roll of #18 fence wire for emergency repairs. If you can avoid using he toilet while traveling, that water wont build up in the 4 ft 3" pipe and put force on the factory strap. Definitely add your own!!! ------------- Wynnster |
Posted By: Toyanvil
Date Posted: 18 Feb 2022 at 9:08pm
I built this for my 2016 178 HRE |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 19 Feb 2022 at 6:09am
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Nice work! We had that happen to our 179. We did a similar repair but used 28 gauge galvanized metal perforated plumbers tape. it held for the last 2+ years that we had the 179. ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: LongRanger
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2024 at 9:01pm
| Nice, where did you find that hanger? |