Latest "fix"

trudinator · 09-06-2011, 04:12 PM

Had the 8293RKSS out for Labor Day weekend. When removing items from the rear left storage compartment, one of the tables hit me on the head. Further investigating revealed that the 1/4" paneling (yes, ONE QUARTER INCH) shelf the factory had installed with 3 light-duty screws had collapsed. We were lucky.....this shelf is directly above our water pump, and the collapse did not damage the pump. A quick trip home (we were close) to get some 1/2" plywood, screws and glue. An hour later, and we had a new, much stronger, shelf. Not only is it stronger, but we used the space to the left of the pump to extend the height on the right side of the compartment by using the space all the way to the floor of the camper, instead of putting one shelf straight across.Wasted space is now utilized!! Now we can store taller items in this area as well. Our next "mod" will be to install a piece of laminate on the wall next to the stove. DH will make a new 3-tier spice rack (instead of the 2-tier we have) and we'll move those up the wall a bit. I'll post photos when this is complete. Oh, and another magazine rack....this one for the bathroom!!

rohlingerrv · 09-06-2011, 06:13 PM

We had the same thing happen in the kitchen which has the fold down extended counter, its was srewed on with like you said small srews!! how cheap can you get??? replaced them with toggle bolts it will never fall again!!

trudinator · 09-06-2011, 07:59 PM

Our countertop extension slides into two metal "pockets" on the end of the counter. Works, but it takes me forever to get it situated. Which reminds me to pick up some stain for the gouge I put in the top of the drawer.

trudinator · 10-24-2011, 09:16 AM

Update: Another shelf collapse - this one in the bathroom closet. This shelf was 1/8"!!! I knew it was going to fail, because I saw it bowing a bit and the hole for the screw was getting bigger. So we took out the heaviest item (the ice machine!) and set it on the floor after our previous trip. All it took to collpase, were some crazy bumps on the way to our weekend camping adventure. This one was held on by only 4 screws and the shelf is about 15" x 30". So DH will make a "better than new" shelf from 1/2" plywood. I imagine we'll have every shelf in our unit replaced within a year. I understand the idea of making these units "ultra light," but I think we'd all be a lot happier if they made these shelves stronger to withstand all the "stuff" we "think" we'll need. This shelf normally holds our small vacuum cleaner and our ice machine, so it has to hold a bit a weight. In the grand scheme of things, how much weight would 1/2" plywood shelves throughout add to the overall weight anyway? A few hundred pounds? I'm thinking the pantry shelves will be the next "victims." Oh....and the countertop in our outdoor kitchen. We've had our unit for 5 months and we can already see the entire countertop bowing in the middle. My DH is already anticipating replacing it - this time with double thickness plywood. And no....we wwon't take it back to the dealer so they can replace it, because they'd just put the same crap back in.

kandl · 10-25-2011, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trudinator

Further investigating revealed that the 1/4" paneling (yes, ONE QUARTER INCH) shelf the factory had installed with 3 light-duty screws had collapsed.

Allow us to share in your pain. Same issue for us back in Sep during a three week excursion. We had a few bag chairs in this particular compartment (perfectly sized) and upon retrieving one of same found the compartments floor collapsed on the water pump and the TT's electrical input. The floor to the compartment incorporated a slab of 1/2 inch plywood but was installed below and stapled from above through the veneer and hardwood supports. Cursory engineering assessment given the size and potential use for this compartment = fail!

We're worried too re the shelving the little boy's room. Too much deflection on the bottom side for relatively little weight.

Notwithstanding, we've enjoyed the 25 odd days we've spent in the Rockwood and are currently exercising it's utility since the refrigerator in the house crapped out. Perfect for storing those perishables while the service contract and appliance repair folk get their sh_t together.

trudinator · 10-25-2011, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kandl

Notwithstanding, we've enjoyed the 25 odd days we've spent in the Rockwood and are currently exercising it's utility since the refrigerator in the house crapped out. Perfect for storing those perishables while the service contract and appliance repair folk get their sh_t together.

That's funny....we used our Rockwood this summer when our A/C in the house crapped out. It was sure nice to sleep in comfort when the temps outside were reaching 100.

We're more than satisfied with our unit; just have to "tweak" some stuff to make it "better than new." We knew before buying it that it would be a "money pit" of some sort. Happy travels!

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