Cougar 26RBS Grey Tank Rod

mmessuri

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2020
Messages
16
Location
Clarksville
I was working on my 2021 Cougar RBS and noticed that the rod is missing from my first grey tank (its the one closes to the driver sides front) -- My other rods were loose so I tightned them. Since the tube is still in place can I order a repleacement tube extension kit and screw in the the rod from that or do I have to remove the old tube first and do a full swap (tube/rod)?

Thanks.

-- Michael --
 
You can get the part you need in different lengths, no need to disassemble it.
 
On our first trip with our first trailer I pulled the handle and rod right out. It was only held but the expanded foam sealing the belly cover. My first on the road fix!. From that time on, I always remove them and use loctite on the threads and never a problem since.
 
Im hoping it will be as easy as just screwing in the new rod as I really dont want to mess with the belly cover (not even sure where I would get a replacement belly cover if I messed that up).
 
Sorry it isn't that bad...if you had to do it. The most important thing is to get something to layoff your back! You need a utility knife, some good/wide waterproof tape that matches the color of the coroplast plastic cover mine I believe is black gorilla tape.

Clean the cover well before starting, cut a "trap door" enough to access the hidden part of the valve end inside that you can't access, connect the new one up and bend the trap door back in place and neatly tape is into place.
 
We had a rod fall off as well. Amazon sells all kinds of rods, extensions, and parts.

I bought a full rod (Valterra) to replace one that fell off my Passport and was lucky enough to be able to guide it back in through the hole in the spray foam and it aligned just right. A dab of thread locker compatible with aluminum made sure it stayed there. Then the plastic T-handle for the other tank broke, so I ordered a couple of metal T-handles and a spare rod just in case, and of course 4 years later I haven't had to use them, but they sit in my tool box just waiting for the day......
 
Our trailer is a 2014. Sometime in the first 4 or 5 months of ownership, we lost a dump handle and part of the rod assembly. I couldn't find any replacement rods in the correct length, so I went to ACE Hardware and bought a 36" piece of threaded rod and a couple of lock nuts and just cut it to the correct length with a hack saw and thought it would be a temporary fix until I could find the correct rod.

Well, it's still on the trailer, still working and somewhere in the passthrough, there's a length of rod that I finally found at a campground store somewhere out west.

Point is, it's not a difficult fix and there's not a need to cut the COROPLAST belly. Just find a sheet of cardboard to lay on, crawl under the trailer with your parts and plan to spend some "frustrating minutes or more" trying to hold your tongue just right so the end of the rod "finds the right place in the dark"....

Easy to do, but it takes time and patience....
 
You need a utility knife, some good/wide waterproof tape that matches the color of the coroplast plastic cover

Your consideration for the aesthetic sensibilities of the neighborhood rodents is commendable! :D
 
Your consideration for the aesthetic sensibilities of the neighborhood rodents is commendable! :D

Haha... I actually started using foam to "try to seal" as much as possible that is "rodent foam"...but where we live it is next to impossible (just like our house). I use poison and deterrents and just check to see if they are "in check".
 
Gray Tank Rod

Same thing on my 2022 Cougar 25RDS. I just bought a Valterra rod extension and extended my gray tank rod through a homemade mounting bracket so that it is easier to reach. Imagine my surprise when I went to dump my galley gray tank the first time and there was no pull handle. I unscrewed the other gray tank handle and threaded it in to dump the tank until I got home to order the new Valterra. BTW, I keep an extra Valterra kit with my spare parts on the trailer.:cool3:
 
I was working on my 2021 Cougar RBS and noticed that the rod is missing from my first grey tank (its the one closes to the driver sides front) -- My other rods were loose so I tightned them. Since the tube is still in place can I order a repleacement tube extension kit and screw in the the rod from that or do I have to remove the old tube first and do a full swap (tube/rod)?

Thanks.

-- Michael --

Similar thing happened to ours. One word of caution when wielding that Razor Knife to cut the trap door. Make extremely shallow cuts. Remember your gray tank is probably pressing down right above the coroplast. It was on ours. If you slice too deep you may slice a hole in your tank. Other than that, it's a simple repair.
 

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