We all know how wonderful FT construction is. It's one reason we chose the brand! But Susan & I don't want to stretch it's limits and here's why we're asking.
Before we went full-time, we had a large library. Our careers were in publishing and at different times, both of us were teachers. Yes, we've made the leap to Kindle because digital books have no weight. <smile> But there are still certain books we want in the coach — some because they are full of notes, others because there were from special times in our lives.
Currently, the two cabinets above and to the left of the bed are our "bookshelf." Actually, as owners of the same model-series would know, it's one long cabinet with two doors. But despite having looked inside the cabinet to see how it is secured to the wall, I'm concerned about 40-50 pounds of books ripping the cabinet off the wall if a sharp impact is encountered when the coach is in motion and hits a serious dip or bump. (I know avoid dips and bumps, but . . . .)
Short of interior renovations to provide bookcases, (1) what have others done? And (2) is your sense the same as mine, i.e., that the woodscrews holding the cabinets to the wall — as good as FT construction is — are NOT going to be happy with that much weight hanging on them, at least not with the coach in motion?
With thanks for any insight or experiences. The Forum has been great, and Susan & I are so grateful for the warm welcome and the help already extended to us as new owners by some many Forum members.
Richard what did you teach? I was going to teach American history but could not support a family on teachers salary, so became a carpenter instead. But still love all my books and would find it hard to part with them. I would have more cabinets with books instead of what is in there now. Safe travels John
I think you should call Foretravel and ask them. I haven't heard of any cabinets falling off. There is aluminum framing in the walls and ceiling and I suspect that they try to put the screws into the framing, but it's possible that a worker may have missed a frame occasionally. It's better to keep the heavy stuff low if possible regards handing of the coach. A hollow aluminum extrusion is used to connect the wall to the roof and it can be used to run wiring fore and aft on the coach; at least that is true on my coach, but I'm not sure if that is the case with a slide out.
You could spread the load out. Take half and relocate it somewhere else in the coach.
Maybe use some of that weight to help balance axel/wheel weight.
JD
This is an interesting question, and I will be curious to hear if FOT will give "Official Guidance" on this matter.
I have seen the overhead cabinets on some coaches filled with so much "stuffing" that not a cubic inch remains free, but of course it is the weight that is in question here. We have always followed the adage to "load light stuff high, and heavy stuff low", but we are not (yet) full-timers so we are a LONG way from using the maximum storage capacity of our coach.
The framing in the walls is steel, and the roof is aluminum. My recollection, from when I was modifying the back up camera area, there is a steel box beam running across the endcap right at the level of the bottom shelf, which is hollow. There is a furring strip that separates the the ¼" veneer plywood shelf bottom and the carpeted cabinet bottom which is screwed to the box beam. I think that it is also true at either end of the cabinet where it meets the side walls. Additionally, I believe the cabinet assembly is attached to the aluminum roof framing. That is my supposition, as I didn't verify the placement of the roofing support, but I have noticed in many cases the layout of the roof framing layout obviously takes into account the various attachment points needed by the coach infrastructure such as Roof A/C's Vent, skylight, etc. It would be possible to verify the placement of the roof framing as regards the cabinet edges by going up on a cold morning when condensation clearly outlines the framing structure below the fiberglass skin. Also, the cabinets generally are attached to each other, in effect creating an interdependent larger structure. I can assure you, that Foretravel was never one to skimp on fasteners! Anyone who has taken out the front TV cabinet can attest to that... :))
Don
We used to do chin ups on the cabinets of any Foretravel long ago in a sales presentation
There is a picture of the sidewall construction in a recent post from Barry's page. It shows a side wall standing on a cart with the floor piece. It was from a construction type question last week. This may help.
Raymond
Thanks to ALL for the quick replies. Don & Tys, we also have some back-up camera work to do, probably at Tennessee RV, since I can't do it. So special thanks for your detailed reply. But wow, chin-ups on the cabinets? Maybe we DON'T need to move the books. We'll also check Barry's page, Raymond. Thank you for the pointer!
Since we are still in the process of moving-in (have only been full-time 2 months), I suspect we'll shift items around several times before finding the best location for each type of contents. We're finding that moving-in is a VERY iterative process.
John/Pat: I taught high school English. Susan is our historian (taught freshman sections at university level as a grad student, then wrote a 624 page middle school World History book). After becoming a sommelier and wine educator, I finished-up by teaching hospitality professionals (20-30 year old service staff) wine fundamentals and service etiquette. Quite a change! ;-)
Hi Richard, tried sending this a while back but we were in a cell dead zone. I have disassembled and reassembled the interior panels in most of my cabinets for wiring projects. The cabinet in the rear BR area along the side is secured with screws into the ceiling structure and into the side wall structure. A good stud finder will locate the aluminium cross pieces in the ceiling to confirm the screws attach to them. They are 1-1/2" wide so a second screw might be possible. All that said they are just screws (they look like Kreg screws) into fairly thin walled tubing into the ceiling. James Triana at FT might be able to give you a load limit, maybe.
To be safe I would keep your books towards the rear of the cabinet. To is quite likely that the rear cabinet and the side cabinet are screwed together as Don suggests.
In the pics you can see my bookshelf in the overhead just behind the Pass seat and the left rear BR overhead. I have added extra shelves and vertical dividers in almost every overhead, makes storage more efficient, easier.
Roger and Susan,
Great information and photos. Thank you! And we love the extra shelves. We added a "quick and dirty" vertical divider to one of our cabinets, using a black metal vertical file that used to stand on one of our desks. A little velcro on the feet anchored it fairly securely to the ceiling-type material in the cabinet. But your work is much more attractive and the additional horizontal shelf is wonderful. Thank you again!
I would try and fined somewhere to keep them down low. I try to keep the heavy things down low to help balance my motor home
yes indeed. That's how I was shown the integrity of the cabinets. Unless you plan on real heavy weights you will be fine. But, FOT is the final authority on the matter.
Is the chin up thing on YouTube? I'd like to see that. They are very sturdy.
Pic is driver's overhead rear. LED lighting in every cabinet and closet, controlled by overall on/off switch and then magnetic proximity switches on the doors (doors open - lights come on, doors close - lights off. Very nice.
Roger