Fabricated an access hatch for our 2307C's black/gray tank valves
One of the little things that’s bugged me since we got the trailer is the poor access to the holding tank drain valves & waste hose connection - not a big fan of having to get on my hands and knees to connect the hose & operate the valves, especially if the ground is wet or bare dirt.
Been mulling over how to get better access almost since day one - cutting a chunk out of the bottom of the skirting would work, but the result would be seriously ugly, so it wasn’t really an option. What I wanted was a fix that looked like something the factory at least might have done, which meant cutting a door into the skirting, but I didn’t want to risk destroying the existing panel on the trailer.
A couple of months ago I got lucky & got a section of damaged skirting from J&R in Ohio – that gave me enough material for the reinforcements needed to fabricate an access hatch.
Started by carefully (very carefully) cutting a hatch door in the existing skirt, then cut the appropriate reinforcing pieces from the scrap section and bonded everything together with solvent cement. Used a stainless piano hinge, stainless hardware, a piece of small diameter stainless rod for the hook to keep it open, a pair of correct twist latches from J&R to keep it shut when it's not in use, & added a small waterproof LED light bar to light the valve area at night.
When the skirt panel is reinstalled, a couple of fleetside pickup fender braces will be added between the lower corners (next to the hatch opening) to keep the panel from flexing and cracking, and I'll figure out where to mount a small tab for the "keep open" hook to to connect to when the top is down.
It's not perfect, but it doesn't scream "home-made", at least when it's closed. Photos attached…….
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2307C / 2002 GMC Sierra 1500 ext cab (BellTech lowering kit, AirLift load-lifter air bags on rear axle, on-board compressor)
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