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Old 09-27-2018, 10:55 PM   #1
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Storage compartment pans sagging, separating from sidewalls

Our 3 year old Sunseeker has compartment pans that are too thin and light, and had too few anchors to the outside sidewall. Our 2000 Four Winds has a pass-through compartment with a one-piece plastic pan, and after 19 years, it shows no signs of sagging.
Too bad Forest River's bean counters cheapened things down to this point, but that's the way it is, bean counters being what they are.

As the pans started sagging, they pulled the pan lips away from the outer sidewall. Note the gap between the pan and the outer sidewall, at the bottom of the image:



Rather than simply add more screws to the lip, I decided to create some braces to bring the base back to level and to provide better support. I had some 1/2" angle iron and fittings from an old crib, so this is what I built:



Installation details - outer end:



Inner end, tied to frame rail:



Outer end bracket extends just above the lip inside of the compartment, I cut just a bit of pan material down to install two self-tapping screws. I took this image after spreading sealant in the gap, then after installing the remainder of the screws, I spread sealant on the screw heads:



After the initial fitting the brackets, I painted the complete bracket with paint I'd squirreled away in the chemical locker, heck, they'll get dirty soon and will look like the remainder of the underside of the coach:



Once I have the brackets in place, I'll cut some 3/16" plywood to fit the inside dimensions of the pan to provide additional support.

I have 3 compartments on our Sunseeker 2250, I suspect others have several more on their units, all with similar issues. I have these issues with the rear two compartments. The forward compartment just behind the rear door appears to be fine, though I'll add a few more screws to ensure it stays in place over time.
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Old 09-27-2018, 11:02 PM   #2
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nice work
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Old 09-28-2018, 06:55 AM   #3
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Nice job. I've used pieces of my daughter's crib on two trailers now. It's a fine line between stocking a parts inventory and being a pack rat.
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Old 09-28-2018, 06:59 AM   #4
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Good work! It should last quite a while.
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Old 09-28-2018, 07:33 AM   #5
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Very nice work I think I will have to attempt something like that on mine also the sides where pulling away so all I did was reseal the compartments to the walls with black silicone. However once I resealed them water started to pool in the rear pass through compartment so i had to rip some sealant out. Go figure try fix something and you make it worse.
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Old 09-28-2018, 11:24 AM   #6
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Thanks everyone!



Quote:
Originally Posted by Keystoner View Post
Nice job. I've used pieces of my daughter's crib on two trailers now. It's a fine line between stocking a parts inventory and being a pack rat.

Being the product of the depression generation, it has been difficult to discard things that may be useful in the future. Problem is, remembering all that stuff that was "stocked", and if I could remember I had something I could use, where did I "stock" it...


Thanks - hope others find this mod useful. I thought about creating a larger framework but this will provide sufficient without over-engineering it.
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Old 09-28-2018, 02:25 PM   #7
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I took apart our much-used kids then grandkids crib and saved the parts. My wife made the usual comment about not throwing stuff away, Junk was the term I think she used. I can't wait to show her this thread it validates all my pack ratting.
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Old 09-28-2018, 02:55 PM   #8
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My problem is....I pack it and can't find it.
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Old 09-30-2018, 01:02 PM   #9
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Project complete.

Here's the second compartment on the passenger side:

Looking in:



Same issue as the drivers side:



Brackets constructed and installed, inner frame rail details:



Outer end detail before caulking - this is the material that lines the inside of the outside walls. Our old Four Winds had tin on these surfaces:



Full view - someone got carried away with the caulk, thus it was spread far and wide....:



Final result, floor is flat and supported. The plywood I had in my "stock" was a bit warped,



but will settle out over time with a load:



Next, I added 6 screws to the forward compartment just aft of the side entry door as it had just three; the new screws are in the pilot holes, ready to be set. Nothing else was needed with this compartment:



Back to the driver's side compartment; Plywood installed:



and loaded with a few things. I usually put my equipment box here; it contains a boy's axe, bow saw, small toolbox, flares, hitch ball mount, etc, so it weighs around 20-30 lbs. Additionally, the lawn chairs and other larger items go into this compartment:



BTW, many of the images of these Sunseeker Projects can be found in my image galleries.

Now that this project is complete, I'm off to other projects in my copious spare time between work and other issues life throws at us..


--Bruce.
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Old 10-02-2018, 05:31 PM   #10
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Nice solution... what's with the 140 ft/lbs on the door hinge? I way over load the bays, sounds like a good project..
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Old 10-03-2018, 11:11 AM   #11
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The 140 ft/lbs is the wheel lug torque. I decided to mark it in this location as a reminder. I could never remember if it was 140 or 145 or 150 or ??



We all tend to overload those storage bays; it's a good idea to ensure the pans are holding up to the weight!
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Old 10-05-2018, 10:47 PM   #12
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Mine was pulling away from the outside wall in three compartments. Back to body shop three times. It was like it was made too small for the body. They screwed it in and sealed it, but it still looks like there is an awful lot of tension on those screws.
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Old 10-08-2018, 09:37 AM   #13
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That's why I decided to add the support braces rather than rely only on screws. The pan material is structurally too flexible to support the weight, thus it will pull against those screws.
Another method might be to add a length of angle or flat bar to the inside of the lip, then bolt it in place. This still relies on the plastic to support the weight... which is still not a good long term solution.
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Old 10-09-2018, 02:40 PM   #14
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I had some flex in the bottom of the bins, not pulling away from the wall, and ended up using some plastic board for inserts in the bottom. This spread the load out and has been trouble free, rot free, etc.. (siding like pvc stuff )
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