Sharing a few mods from my 3051S

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I enjoy seeing how others have made any mods/upgrades/additions to their Sunseekers and Foresters. Here are a few of mine on a 2021 3051S Forester Classic. These are pretty simple, I hope to get to the more complex ones as I get more time.

My first mod was gluing a paper towel holder onto the circular trash bin lid. It seemed quicker than the hinge method I've also seen. I added contact paper on the bottom of the lid, so it can sit on the counter without sliding/scratching. Paper towel holder (heavy base version) from Wal-Mart secured with Gorilla Glue. It works great for us, just grab the top knob and move as needed.

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Added backing to the sliding pantry. Food items where always catching when trying to open, especially after shifting while in transit. This prevents that on the backside. Lowe's sells a 5mm "Revolution Ply"wood sheet for $17 and cut it at the store to the exact size needed. My plan was to cover in peel-n-stick contact paper that matches the counters, but once I got it home the color matched quite well. I removed the pantry by releasing the drawer-style clips and installed with a brad/nail gun. Once all the food is loaded back in, you really have to look closely to notice it isn't stock. The last picture shows the gap remaining after the install, plenty of room.

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Personally, I didn't like that the freshwater hose/filter were fighting against the sewer hoses in the single access hole. I also prefer for the freshwater filter to be on the coach side of the hose. For more separation of sewer and fresh systems, I installed another circular access hatch for the freshwater components. The right side of the compartment is even slightly higher than the sewer side, so if there is ever a small spill on the sewer side it won't flow into the fresh side. I used a "Yardsmith Coiled Spring Faucet Connector" from Lowe's ($6), a 4" Valterra A10-2170VP Access Hatch ($15 from local RV store, but can be found on Amazon) and a couple Camco 90 degree hose elbows ($4 each).

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A glove box holder mounted to the ceiling of the compartment. Attached with Command hooks. Used Metal Glove Holder for Wall Mount ($10 Amazon)

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On to the bathroom, installed a new shower head improving water flow and function (cut-off switch on handle). I didn't like the retriction of the hose through the circle holder, so I skipped on the new one. Better Living Products 75453 Ulti-Mate Dispenser 4-Chamber Shower Caddy, White ($32 Amazon). Oxygenics 92489 Fury RV Handheld Shower - Brushed Nickel ($43 Amazon)

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In order to keep our pups in and others out, installed a metal screen reinforcement at the bottom of the screen. The 26" fit perfectly and was the quickest install of any mod. It literally clicked right in. I also installed the Camco cross bar handle which I highly recommend.
Lippert Components 859792 Screen Defender RV Entry Door Aluminum Screen Protector, 26-inch ($56.95 Amazon)
Camco Screen Door Cross Bar Handle - Black (42183) ($16 Amazon)

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Remote thermometer system. I have a remote installed in the compartment with the water pump/filter as well as the sewer/water compartment. This is mainly for cold weather use to ensure the furnace is blowing into those compartments when cold, or if a small ceramic heater is needed to keep from freezing. Also have a remote in the Fridge and Freezer. The base also has a temp read-out, so you can scroll through the 5 temperatures.
Ambient Weather WS-10-X4 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor 8-Channel Thermo-Hygrometer with Four Remote Sensors ($63 Wal-Mart)

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Here is version 1 of my skylight sun/heat shield. I did these real quick prior to a trip in the heat. I will likely make a padded/foam version that completely seals the space, but even this quick version helps greatly. It is simply a 29" x 21" piece of cardboard wrapped in Reflectix R-21 insulation with the sides taped. That size allows for the shade to sit on top of the stock accordion shade unit mounting brackets. I haven't tackled the shower yet but plan to use little swivel clips to hold the shade since it doesn't have a stock shade.

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For the coach door, RV Lock's "RH CLASS C/A RVLOCK KEYLESS ENTRY HANDLE" worked great for my 3051S. They also offer a Premium and Standard refurbished units in their Outlet store on their website. I saved $100 getting a Premium Refurb, it looked and worked like brand new.
Refurbished RH Class C/A RVLock Keyless Entry Handle × 1 (Premium Refurbished), RVLock Class C/A Decal Sticker × 1. (RVlock.com $183 total)

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Tankless hot water heater. It allows for the DW to come along on trips longer than 2 days ! The dealer selected Girard GSWH-2 and charged $1299 for the unit and installation. Also pictured is an Insect screen to keep the mud daubers out.
Camco 42140 Flying Insect Screen - FUR 100, 7.5" X 4.1" X 1.3" ($12 Amazon)

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I replaced the outside storage compartments ("CH751" locks/keys) with new tubular cam locks from Industrial Lock and Hardware.

https://shoprvlocks.com/
Tubular Cam Locks (ch751 replacement)
Lock Size: 1-1/8"
Cam Length: 1-3/8"
Cam Bend: No Bend (flat)
Key Cover Color: None
Keying: Key all my locks on this order the same
Qty: 11 (1 extra)

$181

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My driveway has an angle that causes the back to drag coming and going. Eventually I'd like to go the route that Retiredintexas did here:

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ng-221207.html

Until then, the skid wheel is a good start. Due to the angle of the safety chain holders, this unit cannot be installed using the regular hitch pin hole. I drilled two holes in the back of the receiver. Like most things, opinions on the internet ranged greatly about adding a 2nd set of holes to the receiver hitch. I am not towing anything for now, so for now, this works just fine for me.
Paktron 10-4216 Skid Wheel Hitch Protector ($52 Amazon)

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Alignment: I took the details from RVrover's pinned post on this forum to the RV Service and Alignment shop. They installed new caster and camber bushings and aligned properly. They stated the back wheels weren't aligned with the frame and would have worn abnormally. It drives much easier, especially around semi-truck/trailers. My dealer is filing for reimbursement from FR. I've read on here they will reimburse alignments up to $300 within 90 days of purchase.

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Not pictured: New mattress. This made a huge difference as the stock mattress was not for us. This size works good for the 3051S since only being 8" tall still allows for the mattress to slide under the cabinets when the slide is closed. If you don't take height into consideration, you won't be able to close the slide! Don't ask me how I know this (luckily Costco has a great return policy)!

Queen Size Mattress, Molblly 8-inch Cooling-Gel Memory Foam Mattress in a Box, Breathable Bed Mattress for Cooler Sleep Supportive & Pressure Relief， 60" X 80" X 8"
Brand: Molblly ($249 Amazon)

[dave961]

Very nice. I've done a few of these myself. The new one I'm going to steal is the glove holder. Brilliant!

[Oklamartin]

Nice job of thoroughly documenting all these great mods! It is a lot of work but not compared to installing all these mods. I’m also stealing the glove box holder, mostly for my shops but also for the RV.
Cheers!

[ArkRVHog]

Originally Posted by Patten

Here is version 1 of my skylight sun/heat shield. I did these real quick prior to a trip in the heat. I will likely make a padded/foam version that completely seals the space, but even this quick version helps greatly. It is simply a 29" x 21" piece of cardboard wrapped in Reflectix R-21 insulation with the sides taped. That size allows for the shade to sit on top of the stock accordion shade unit mounting brackets. I haven't tackled the shower yet but plan to use little swivel clips to hold the shade since it doesn't have a stock shade.

The right type of swivel clip might work pretty well but after numerous times of my velcro tape and loop attachments coming off either on the frame or the shade panel, I simply strung fishing line between existing screws and it easily and tightly holds my shade panel in place. Plus the fishing line acts as a clothesline in our shower for washcloths. Oh, and no rusting either!

Thanks for posting your mods. I like that you did each in its own thread versus combining together. Look forward to reading other comments.

[ArkRVHog]

Originally Posted by Patten

Alignment: I took the details from RVrover's pinned post on this forum to the RV Service and Alignment shop. They installed new caster and camber bushings and aligned properly. They stated the back wheels weren't aligned with the frame and would have worn abnormally. It drives much easier, especially around semi-truck/trailers. My dealer is filing for reimbursement from FR. I've read on here they will reimburse alignments up to $300 within 90 days of purchase.

My unit is about 3 1/2 years old and I've never worried about alignment. My steering seems to track straight and I've not noticed any uneven wear on my tires (about 18,000 miles on them at this point.)

Any other things I should be aware of regarding alignment concerns on a Ford
E450 chassis?

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by ArkRVHog

My unit is about 3 1/2 years old and I've never worried about alignment. My steering seems to track straight and I've not noticed any uneven wear on my tires (about 18,000 miles on them at this point.)

Any other things I should be aware of regarding alignment concerns on a Ford
E450 chassis?

Does that not fall under the heading of:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it ?

[CapnJoe]

Really great ideas, I will definitely look into doing several of these. Thanks for the pictures and part numbers.