Tank sizes, model years and what is a T@B M@xx?

Mellow_Yellow

I'm just back from a 3-night trip with 'electricity only' and so I was playing a bit of a guessing game with the tank sizes on my 2014 T@B, hoping not to find out what happens when the black tank gets too full. I manually drained off the gray water to a dishwater drain once a day, so I wasn't too concerned about that.

Because I acquired my T@B 2nd hand through a non-NuCamp dealer, there was no knowledge transfer from the previous owner to me. Based on the brochure that came with my trailer, posted here,  August 2013 was both a banner year and an in-between time for T@Bs. I'm guessing it was a re-design soon after NuCamp took over manufacturing from Dutchmen? In addition to switching over from surge brakes to electric brakes, these were also the first models equipped with the Alde. (Mine is a bit of a hybrid with surge brakes and the Alde.) Here are a few excerpts from the brochure:

My T@B has everything on this list, except the outside shower and the Air Conditioner. Does that mean my T@B is a M@xx? How do you tell and what is the difference between a M@xx and a 320 S?


And now the question of tank sizes. Based on measuring the amount from my water jug that I siphon into the fresh water tank,  I'm pretty sure it is only a 5 gallon tank + ~1 gallon that gets sucked into the Alde by the pump. Should I assume that my gray tank is 19 gallons and my black tank is only 6 gallons? Is there a way to tell without inviting disaster? If I overfill the freshwater tank it overflows to the outside. What happens when the gray or black tank gets full? I can do a driveway test to measure how much fresh water fits in the black and gray tanks. I just wanted to know beforehand what happens when they get too full. 

Denny16

If you have the shower, wet bath, the gray tank will just backup into the shower pan/floor.  The black tank is under the toilet and you can see it getting full when the water level is just under or up to the toilet flush valve and when you open it into the bottom of the toilet bowel.  Worst case, it comes up into the toilet bowel a bit.  

Once you add  one gal. of Happy Camper into the toilet, you can figure you have a five gallon capacity left.  Just keep an eye on the water level in the toilet and you should be fine.  Five gallons should get you through a two/three day camping trip.
cheers

Sharon_is_SAM

Well, A/C is standard with the QuickStart and Maxx packages.  Maybe the original owner chose the Basic and then added options.  Then again, this was back in the day when customization was more common.

Essentially a Max S without A/C!  Since you have the wetbath, you have the 5 gallon fresh and 6 gallon black.  Luckily a 19 gallon gray tank.  To see if your black tank is filling, just open up the flush valve.  You can see the level approach the top of the tank.  As far as the gray tank goes, your shower pan will start to fill from the drain if it gets too full.  

To get a little more water in your fresh tank, try raising the tongue.  You won’t be able to get the full 19 gallons into your gray tank, either as the tanks are long and shallow.  There is probably an available capacity of 15-16 gallons before it starts to come up through the shower drain.

ScottG

@Mellow_Yellow, between the Dutchman and nuCamp eras, T@Bs were built by a symbiosis between Pleasant Valley Trailers (who built the actual camper) and Little Guy (who marketed the camper under their own brand). There was only one size T@B at the time, so the 320 designation was irrelevant.

As Sharon noted, "Maxx" was the best equipped of one of three trim packages. The vast majority of T@Bs sold appeared to be the Maxx package.

When Pleasant Valley and Little Guy parted ways, Pleasant Valley continued making and marketing T@Bs rebranded as nuCamp. Only the name changed--the same people were still building the same quality trailers.

Around the same time nuCamp introduced the larger T@B, so the 320 and 400 distinctions became important.

So, in short, a Maxx S and a 320 are the same, just different vintages.

The story gets a little more complicated because--particularly in the Pleasant Valley years--changes and improvements were implemented on the spot rather than waiting for a new model year. That is why there can be significant variation in those early 2014/15 models when things were evolving quickly.  

Mellow_Yellow

Thank you @Sharon_is_SAM @ScottG and @Denny16! Glad to know what to look for! I was out for 3 nights and 3.5 days on this past solo trip. Not flushing the TP (where possible) helps the black tank last longer. I should take my external septic carrier along (just in case). Still learning the ropes on black tank management, but agreed! Happy Camper is an awesome product

ChanW

and before anyone asks, to fill in @ScottG's excellent 'recent history'...
The "320" and "400" designations refer to cubits...

Verna

@ChanW, and I proved that point measuring a 320 and a 400 side-by-side. 

ChanW

Yes @Verna... It's clear that some of us just aren't satisfied with merely one Tab!    
Wasn't the 400 your third?¿? We need a photo of the three, side by side!

ScottG

Hmmm, I understand a cubit is a linear measurement of ~18". If the 320 moniker refers to length (the longest dimension of a T@B), than a "320" is approximately 480 feet long. 

Ergo, it's lost on me why so many think it is too small.  ;-)

Verna

@Scott, it’s actually centimeters……or is it millimeters……I always get those mixed up!

@ChanW, I didn’t have them side-by-side!  

2006 Elkhart Little Guy 4x8 4-wide Teardrop - owned for 1 yr
2011 Pleasant Valley Silver Shadow 5x10 Teardrop - owned for 2 years, 25,000 miles
2014 T@B S Max - white/red - owned 3 years, 36,000 miles
2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite - white/red, owned for 2 years, 20,000 miles
2021 T@B S Boondock - white/red, owned since Nov 7, 2020, 500 miles, so far!  

I sold my house in 2018, intending to travel for 5 years and decide what I wanted. 18 months later, my older sister had a stroke, and I had to help care for her. Found my dream home, was outbid by $100 and I took off for warmer parts south. But, the realtor called and told me the first offer fell through and the house was mine if I wanted it. I drove back and purchased it.  1100 sf, 2 1/2 car garage and a 24x36 pole barn—life is good!

The 400 seemed too large for weekend trips, and I longed for the coziness of the 320. I sold the 400 and patiently waited for my new 320. Due to my sister passing away this year, I have only camped for two nights in my new 320, not long enough to get the hang of the hot water mixing valve, but I’ll get “round-tuit” it as my Administrator duties of her estate slow down. 

A two-month trip is planned for this summer (mostly my normal “flying’ by the seat of my pants” without reservations), along with a 10 day trip in June. 

ScottG

Verna said:

@Scott, it’s actually centimeters……or is it millimeters……I always get those mixed up!

...

Well drat. 320 centimeters is only around ten-and-a-half feet, so I guess it is kinda small...  :-)

(And I hope your travels this summer provide much deserved rest and rejuvenation in your FIFTH teardrop!) 

ChanW

@Verna, ok, 5, that's five, Tabs.... Hmmm.

So sorry to hear about your sister. That's a tough one.

Verna

@ChanW, thank you. She’s without pain and is in a better place. I have her dog and her car—first time I’ve ever had two vehicles. 

Actually only 3 “T@B” teardrops as the other two were small teardrops—4’x8’ and 5’x10’ on wheels with a galley in the rear. No bathroom, no water tank—that’s why I upgraded to the T@B’s😉

Yes, I owe you some photos. They’re in my album and I’ll post them in a while.