semi-permanent installed table/change from folding to pedestals?

[YukyukSR]

Good day everyone

I just started setting up and testing and my "new to me" 2011 R00 183.
One problem i have is the dinette table is VERY wobbly and just feels to unstable. already lost 2/3 of one coffee from my mug today just by "lightly" bumping it. Has anyone modded their rig to the pedestal style table? I saw one of these as a standard items on a few trailer units i viewed at a show this year. They type where the table lifts off, then the 2 "legs" pop out of the floor fixtures, and the table goes into the normal travel/storage position and the legs just get stored. I am NOT looking for the type with the hinge/flange thats attached to the wall under the window.

[Boilermaker59]

We recently bought a new-to-us 2011 Shamrock 233s. The table legs were broken so the dealer installed a pedestal mounted table. It works well for us. Some people like them, some don't. One thing to keep in mind though is the legs come in various lengths. The ones the dealer installed were way too high. I tried to cut them down, but I didn't realize that the ends are tapered just right to make them snug. Oops! My modified legs were way too wobbly, so I ended up buying new legs to make the table more solid again. We ended up with 27.5 inch legs. I'm not sure of the best way to determine how long of legs you would need. Maybe a dealer would let you try out several lengths?

[Chunk6649]

Originally Posted by Boilermaker59

We recently bought a new-to-us 2011 Shamrock 233s. The table legs were broken so the dealer installed a pedestal mounted table. It works well for us. Some people like them, some don't. One thing to keep in mind though is the legs come in various lengths. The ones the dealer installed were way too high. I tried to cut them down, but I didn't realize that the ends are tapered just right to make them snug. Oops! My modified legs were way too wobbly, so I ended up buying new legs to make the table more solid again. We ended up with 27.5 inch legs. I'm not sure of the best way to determine how long of legs you would need. Maybe a dealer would let you try out several lengths?

My wife and I bought a 2013 233S and the table is really wobbly. I've thought about going to a pedestal base. My concern was, can the top still be used to convert bed? I wasn't sure if the original base provided needed support when lowered.

[Boilermaker59]

Originally Posted by Chunk6649

My wife and I bought a 2013 233S and the table is really wobbly. I've thought about going to a pedestal base. My concern was, can the top still be used to convert bed? I wasn't sure if the original base provided needed support when lowered.

I don't believe that will be a problem. We can still make ours into a bed, and it feels solid. Not sure what the weight limit is. I don't think the original base provides any support when folded (not 100% sure though).

[Chunk6649]

Good to know. With the popup there wasn't any center support under the table, but it was also smaller. More than likely, an adult will never sleep there.

[Mikemiller69gs]

We had a 2014 Roo 21SS. I got tired of fighting the folding table and went to the pedestal mount. A real easy fix and worked fine as a bed. The table doesn't use the folding legs as part of the bed. Mike

[Smileyshel]

Do they sell kits to modify the table or is this just something you figured out?

[lugoismad]

Originally Posted by Smileyshel

Do they sell kits to modify the table or is this just something you figured out?

They don't sell kits to modify. You'll just need to figure it out.

They sell the bases and legs for the pedestal mounts on amazon.

Its very easy to screw those to the bottom of your table and to the floor.

[Boilermaker59]

If you're going to install pedestal bases yourself and your dinnette is on a slide, be careful of how long the bolts are that you use to secure it. If they are too long, they'll tear up the carpet when you pull the slide in.

[Chunk6649]

Originally Posted by Boilermaker59

If you're going to install pedestal bases yourself and your dinnette is on a slide, be careful of how long the bolts are that you use to secure it. If they are too long, they'll tear up the carpet when you pull the slide in.

I figured I could use a 3/4 wood screw. That shouldn't go through the plywood with the thickness of the base and carpet. Maybe even a 5/8 screw might work. I'd do it with the slide out to make sure I didn't poke through.

[jeff64]

If you have the table that I have it's made by LCI ( who else!, yes Lipert) you can go to their website and see the leg setup as a replacement part. I had to tighten mine up and overcome a cracked (broken) weld on the draglink

[MoonStomper]

I did this mod and am happy with my results. I used the in-floor pedestal base to be flush with surface. Since I was already replacing the subfloor and the finish floor (40 sq' of previous owners water damage ) it was easy to locate the aluminum cross joist and avoid putting my hole there, though I did set it close enough for the flange to cover it and was able to set two screws through the joist for extra strength. I guesstimated the leg length and it worked out.

After I had it in and tested, I noticed a bit of floor flex. I decided this had to be addressed, so I drilled a 5/8" hole through the bottom of the base and dropped a 4" plated bolt though with 1" flat washers and lock washer. Underneath I had the bolt penetrate a treated 2x6 that was 18" long. It is oriented crossways and stern of a steel crossing joist. Once tightened down snugly it was much better and stronger.

The table is much easier to move around while scooting on the dinette now and it is so nice having leg room under that table in our old Roo.

One last trick, I re utilized the folding legs by taking some extra plywood I had saved and built a nice portable table for use outside the camper. I sanded it down and treated with 4 coats of spar urethane.

[Dave Lyon]

Funny, it's the one part of a trailer that the manufacturers can't figure out!

They can't seem to make a decent collapsible dinette table that doesn't wobble.

[HeyJude]

I would rather have pedestals than folding too. I hate the new legs on the folding, I keep jamming my feet on them and they get in the way.

[Mr Towed]

I'm sorry to resurrect an old thread but it seemed like a better idea than starting a new, similar thread, and maybe some of the original posters can weigh in (now that we're about a year and a half in the future) with how their setups are holding up. We have what we like to call the "ironing board" style legs for our dinette and the only way to make it not wind up all over the trailer when we drive is to fold it up into sleeping position. It is also very unstable feeling, like when you're eating breakfast and someone wants to get up, you cringe, just picturing the whole table going flying!

Having had a boat in the past I was familiar with the pedestal table and it was pretty solid. My concern with the travel trailer is that the floors are just not that strong, so screwing into it with wood screws seems like instead of tipping the table over you'd be ripping the base out of the floor if someone leaned on it wrong. I don't really think i have good enough access underneath to do as Moonstomper did and reinforce underneath and through-bolt, but I will take a look. I assume if they come from the factory with a pedestal socket then the floor is reinforced in that area to take the side load it is likely to get as people bump into it.

Can anyone weigh in with their experience installing a pedestal base on a trailer that did not originally have one, how you went about attaching it to the floor, how you got access underneath if you did, and how it has held up to people bumping into it and leaning on it.

I also remember from my boating days that one end of the pedestal would inevitably be nearly impossible to get out of the socket, either it would be stuck in the floor or on the bottom of the table, and 2 people would have to twist and wrestle with it to get it apart so you could put the table in sleeping mode. To be honest we will most likely almost never be using it for sleeping so that's not a huge issue but I am curious if people deal with that.

Thanks to anyone who feels like chiming in!

-Jeremy

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by GOtel

I'm sorry to resurrect an old thread but it seemed like a better idea than starting a new, similar thread, and maybe some of the original posters can weigh in (now that we're about a year and a half in the future) with how their setups are holding up. We have what we like to call the "ironing board" style legs for our dinette and the only way to make it not wind up all over the trailer when we drive is to fold it up into sleeping position. It is also very unstable feeling, like when you're eating breakfast and someone wants to get up, you cringe, just picturing the whole table going flying!

Having had a boat in the past I was familiar with the pedestal table and it was pretty solid. My concern with the travel trailer is that the floors are just not that strong, so screwing into it with wood screws seems like instead of tipping the table over you'd be ripping the base out of the floor if someone leaned on it wrong. I don't really think i have good enough access underneath to do as Moonstomper did and reinforce underneath and through-bolt, but I will take a look. I assume if they come from the factory with a pedestal socket then the floor is reinforced in that area to take the side load it is likely to get as people bump into it.

Can anyone weigh in with their experience installing a pedestal base on a trailer that did not originally have one, how you went about attaching it to the floor, how you got access underneath if you did, and how it has held up to people bumping into it and leaning on it.

I also remember from my boating days that one end of the pedestal would inevitably be nearly impossible to get out of the socket, either it would be stuck in the floor or on the bottom of the table, and 2 people would have to twist and wrestle with it to get it apart so you could put the table in sleeping mode. To be honest we will most likely almost never be using it for sleeping so that's not a huge issue but I am curious if people deal with that.

Thanks to anyone who feels like chiming in!

-Jeremy

Here's a thread with info on installing pedestal bases:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...e-42389-5.html

One guy made a strap system to strap the one leg to the center bench of his U-dinette; he can strap it to the bench when travelling and then release it while camping. I've been unable to find that thread, though.

I've thought of using two thin pieces of wood with holes drilled into them for the tables feet to fit into. The wood would span the gap between the two opposing benches and prevent the table from moving fore and aft. Not too sure how to keep it from moving left and right. I haven't gotten any further on this as the DW wasn't keen on having the two pieces of wood under her feet.

But here's a sketch, if anyone is interested in pursuing it.

[sunshine.grrl]

Our Roo came to us without a table, and we're planning on installing a pedestal table with the recessed floor flange. The benefit we have is that we just completed a floor repair, laying down new 5/8" plywood through the whole place... knowing that the factory floor is 1/4" plywood and laminated foam, I would recommend thru-bolting to a treated plate underneath. These campers are made like foam coolers from Walmart...