26BH Gray Tanks

[Kebigler88]

We just bought our first TT last week: 2020 Forest River Vibe 26BH. I must say it is much more (in size and price) than we initially planned on but my wife fell in love at first sight...I would love to hear experiences, good and bad, that other Vibe owners have had so far, as my initial impressions so far are that this rig is among the best in quality at this price point.

We already took our maiden voyage this last weekend and it was awesome; capped by a visit from a juvenile bald eagle in one of the neighboring sites. I did run into one big question: my 26BH has two gray tanks that empty through the same valve and another “Aux” line which I believe is dedicated to the kitchen sink. Are the two gray tanks for the bathroom connected, or do they fill completely separate (I.e. one tank for sink and the other for shower)? I found that one of our gray tanks was full after only one round of showers (family of 6)...is that normal?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to seeing fellow Vibers on the road!

[Moosey1]

Both tanks should be separated, but if they connect together and you leave both valves open, of course the other one will fill up to. A round of showers for a family of 6 will fill that one up. When taking a showing, should be shutting the shower off at the shower head as much as possible to save hot water and not to fill up the tanks as quick. If you know you are all taking a shower, just open up the valve to have direct drainage, just make sure you make a j in your sewer hose to stop sewer gases from coming in.

[Lee Pedrick]

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that Pic!! You might want to consider buying a truck to pull that trailer. Just my opinion.

[Oaklevel]

Welcome to the forum..


Yes on 6 people showering filling a grey tank.

He is towing it with a truck! That's an Expedition at least equal to a F150.

[Kebigler88]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Welcome to the forum..


Yes on 6 people showering filling a grey tank.

He is towing it with a truck! That's an Expedition at least equal to a F150.

Thanks for recognizing my truck! 2019 Ford Expedition with the HD Trailer Package and equipped with an E2 hitch. Has a max towing capacity of 9,300 and felt good towing the TT with no issues.

[Reverse_snowbird]

You might try a watersaving shower head. Oxygenics makes one that people seem to like. They make it 'feel' like you're getting a regular shower. I'd look for one with an adjustable spray.
The only drawback is someone trying to wash long hair. Then you need water to wash away the suds so it might take a bit longer.

[CampingKJ]

Welcome! We just bought the same TT and I was wondering the same thing! I was trying to figure out what the AUX tank was-if that was the kitchen or something else.

[Off Rez]

Originally Posted by Kebigler88

Thanks for recognizing my truck! 2019 Ford Expedition with the HD Trailer Package and equipped with an E2 hitch. Has a max towing capacity of 9,300 and felt good towing the TT with no issues.

That's a beautiful trailer! Some good memories in store for that. I would be willing to bet, with a family of 6 in your SUV, all the stuff they bring, and eyeballing the size of trailer, you could very well be over your payload capacity of that SUV. I made that mistake and it cost me a lot. Travel safely!

[Kebigler88]

Originally Posted by CampingKJ

Welcome! We just bought the same TT and I was wondering the same thing! I was trying to figure out what the AUX tank was-if that was the kitchen or something else.

I am fairly certain the AUX tank is for the kitchen sink. As far as Gray 1 & 2, I'm still not sure which one goes to which (bathroom sink/shower). If anyone has detailed instructions on how to connect the gray tanks (assuming it is possible), please let me know.

[Kebigler88]

Originally Posted by Off Rez

That's a beautiful trailer! Some good memories in store for that. I would be willing to bet, with a family of 6 in your SUV, all the stuff they bring, and eyeballing the size of trailer, you could very well be over your payload capacity of that SUV. I made that mistake and it cost me a lot. Travel safely!

Thanks! I appreciate the concern....It was something I did try to do a bit of research on and to be quite frank, it is still a bit confusing to me on how to properly calculate the payload. I know I am good in terms of towing capacity (9,300 Expedition vs. 7,600 GVWR on TT) but I know there is also the GVWR and GAWR of the tow vehicle which is a bit lost on me....never been good with math. I welcome any further guidance/recommendations.

[Off Rez]

Originally Posted by Kebigler88

Thanks! I appreciate the concern....It was something I did try to do a bit of research on and to be quite frank, it is still a bit confusing to me on how to properly calculate the payload. I know I am good in terms of towing capacity (9,300 Expedition vs. 7,600 GVWR on TT) but I know there is also the GVWR and GAWR of the tow vehicle which is a bit lost on me....never been good with math. I welcome any further guidance/recommendations.

The best way to know where your at is to find the truck scales and weigh your setup. There are numerous threads to help with that, just search. But you can start by finding the sticker on the door jamb that says "the weight of passengers and cargo should never exceed **** lbs". Add up the weights of all passengers and do the best to estimate the weight of your other stuff, add 75 lbs for hitch, and see where you're at.

It IS very confusing at first but this forum will help you learn as it has for me. I've found there is a big difference in what you CAN tow and what you SHOULD tow. It came down to how much safety margin was good for me. Some will knowingly exceed limits and make themselves "test pilots" every time they tow. I have a family to protect so I don't accept any unnecessary risk.

Take it slow, be humble, and learn from your mistakes. You're making good memories!

[Off Rez]

I should mention that the previous post is how to calculate your payload and GVWR for the tow vehicle only. You still need enough room for the tongue weight of your trailer as part of your payload figures.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Kebigler88

Thanks! I appreciate the concern....It was something I did try to do a bit of research on and to be quite frank, it is still a bit confusing to me on how to properly calculate the payload. I know I am good in terms of towing capacity (9,300 Expedition vs. 7,600 GVWR on TT) but I know there is also the GVWR and GAWR of the tow vehicle which is a bit lost on me....never been good with math. I welcome any further guidance/recommendations.

Focusing on Towing Capacity is a common mistake many buyers make.
Payload Capacity is more important than towing capacity because nearly all tow vehicles will run out of payload capacity WAY before getting close to max towing capacity.
And that 9300lbs number is based on a base level Expy.
You first need to look at the Tires and Loading sticker on the driver's door. It'll say "Occupants and cargo should not exceed xxxxlbs". And the driver is considered as one of the Occupants. That payload number has to be hihpgh enough for the weights of everyone in the car, all car cargo, WDH weight and finally, the loaded tongue weight.
Figure 12% of the trailer's GVWR to get a ballpark loaded tongue weight.

[Kebigler88]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Focusing on Towing Capacity is a common mistake many buyers make.
Payload Capacity is more important than towing capacity because nearly all tow vehicles will run out of payload capacity WAY before getting close to max towing capacity.
And that 9300lbs number is based on a base level Expy.
You first need to look at the Tires and Loading sticker on the driver's door. It'll say "Occupants and cargo should not exceed xxxxlbs". And the driver is considered as one of the Occupants. That payload number has to be hihpgh enough for the weights of everyone in the car, all car cargo, WDH weight and finally, the loaded tongue weight.
Figure 12% of the trailer's GVWR to get a ballpark loaded tongue weight.

Thank you all for the guidance.

[petdirt]

Kebigler88, any new info on where your two grey tanks in the rear go to? I have the same trailer. My dealer told me one goes to the bathroom sink and the other goes to the shower, but he didn't seem very confident in his answer. Seems correct as the sink one never gets even half full, but the one furthest back gets full quickly, obviously have a round of showers. They tie in to the black near the rear bumper. The grey in the front is tied to the sink. It is nice that they are separated so far apart for balance. I hate crawling under the slide out to dump the front one though.



We've done 4 trips in ours with two young kids. Been to the beach every time, but their favorite part is their bunkbeds.

[Kebigler88]

Originally Posted by petdirt

Kebigler88, any new info on where your two grey tanks in the rear go to? I have the same trailer. My dealer told me one goes to the bathroom sink and the other goes to the shower, but he didn't seem very confident in his answer. Seems correct as the sink one never gets even half full, but the one furthest back gets full quickly, obviously have a round of showers. They tie in to the black near the rear bumper. The grey in the front is tied to the sink. It is nice that they are separated so far apart for balance. I hate crawling under the slide out to dump the front one though.



We've done 4 trips in ours with two young kids. Been to the beach every time, but their favorite part is their bunkbeds.

Haven’t figured out anything for sure but was told exactly what you detailed above. Seems like it would have been much more efficient to have one larger tank in the back but I’m sure there’s some reason they didn’t do that...either way we love the trailer and we’ve done the exact same number of trips. Two trips to Texas state parks, one to AL, and one all the way to CA. Only have had minor fixes so far. My only minor regret is getting such a long trailer for our first...I haven’t had any major setbacks but it is definitely not the easiest to handle....