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Dinette mod for those with big feet

January 15, 2014, 12:36:41 pm

Here's an idea for those of you with bigger feet.  I found that the dinette foot space was much more cramped than in our 5th-wheel trailer.  If you remove the dinette seat (remove the drawer and then reach in and remove 4 nuts), you can modify the base (remove 4 lag bolts from the floor) to give about 3" (total for both sides) of additional foot space.  Every little bit helps.

The last picture is the stock base.  The kick panel is mounted on steel tabs.  I cut off the tabs and remounted the kick plate using some 1/4" plywood.  Took about 30 minutes for both bases.  The first picture shows the finished install and also shows the wooden base I added under the original base unit to raise the seat.  I found that with the original seat, I felt like my plate was about chin high when I sank down into the soft cushions.  The second picture gives you an idea of how much space you gain.  The third picture shows the plywood mount.  The fourth picture shows a top view of the plywood mount.

On a side note, we are having the dinette reupholstered and I'm going to build a new base for each side out of cherry.  It will let me set the height of the seat just where we want it and I'll also install a much bigger drawer.  If anyone wants the old bases, they will be available this spring.  You pickup or pay shipping.  They are in excellent shape.

Rich

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Re: Dinette mod for those with big feet

Reply #1 – January 21, 2014, 05:57:22 pm

Nice find, I'm going to look into this one.  I agree, that area is tight, and just a few more inches will give almost another square foot of room under the table.  I'm wondering about how to attach directly to the frame to allow for the full two inches on either side.

What did you do about the reveal on the inside.  Did it leave much of a noticeable gap?

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Re: Dinette mod for those with big feet

Reply #2 – January 22, 2014, 07:21:04 pm

With the 1/4" plywood attach method, you only lose the 1/4".  Not enough to worry about IMHO.  The reveal/gap on the inside really can't be seen from the coach unless you crawl under the dinette.

Here's another picture showing the gap that results from the mod (taken from under the dinette).  It also shows the wooden base I added to get the seats higher WRT the tabletop.

Rich

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Re: Dinette mod for those with big feet

Reply #3 – January 22, 2014, 07:46:45 pm

Thanks Rich.  Yes, it looks like you would never notice from the outside, thanks for the additional pic. 

That's funny you mention your table being too high.  Mine is the opposite, barely enough room for you knees because it's so low. 

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Re: Dinette mod for those with big feet

Reply #4 – January 22, 2014, 08:59:07 pm

I suspect it is more a matter of the table being the same and the difference is how soft or firm the seat is.  Ours is/was very soft.  It is currently be reupholstered with much firmer foam.  The support down the middle of the table does pose a threat to knees no matter how high or low you are sitting.

The table is also too far away for comfortable dining for us.  If the new foam in the back of the seat doesn't fix that, I'm going to make the table top wider by about 2" on each side.

Rich

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