Category: Mods & Enhancements

There are often ways to improve on your RV.

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DIY Project Table for the little girls.

Island bar with kids table folded.
Island bar with kids table folded.
Kids table out from above.
Kids table out from above.
Table out, view of folding legs.
Table out, view of folding legs.

You might think a 35 ft trailer would have a decent place to seat a family for meals.  My daughter’s Rockwood trailer had a table, sort of.  It had a very heavy iron base that allowed the height of the table to be adjusted.  But the only place to sit was a very long couch.  There is also the island with sinks – but again, with a family of 6, sitting at the island is unrealistic.  With four little girls and two adults – the design was completely impractical.  Not to mention, that in order to travel, they had to pick up the heavy table, and put it upside down on the couch and pull out straps and tie it down.  When the table was between the couch and the island – it took up most of the walking space.  So, the idea was born to create a low table just for the girls.  The adults could sit at the island bar on stools or sit on the couches with trays.  The island has this overhang built into it, making the perfect place to hang a folding table.  I bought a one inch edge glued board 18″ X 48″.  I cut it off to match the 46 inches of the island and rounded the corners and edges.  I also picked up a 1 x 2 X 8 ft  trim board and a piano hinge.  I found some folding leg hinges on Amazon.   These along with more of the 1 X 2 will provide folding legs with latches.

I stained all the wood with a walnut stain to approximate the trailer decor.  Then added two coats of Polyeurothane and finished up the top with some 2000 grit wet paper on the table top and then fine steel wool.  The 1 X 2 strip was screwed in just under the overhang.

The hinge was screwed to the table top.  then temporarily screwed to the 1 X 2.  In order to get the table to fold fairly close to the cabinet, I needed the legs to fold into the recessed areas of the cabinet.  I measured and mounted the legs at about a 45 degree angle.  I also added some felt pads to the cabinet were the leg brackets would contact when the table was down.  Then reattached the table top to the 1 X 2 board

One of my thoughts in building this was these girls are very inquisitive and active.  I didn’t want them to see this table as something they could put up/down on their own, pinching fingers along the way – so operation needed to be somewhat childproof.  The final part was to add a small wood block to the cabinet and install a screw eye into the that block and the under side of the table top so they overlap.  A strong clip could then be used to lock the table in the closed position.  The girls each have one of those folding step stools to sit on (they get stored in the island cabinet).  All four girls will easily fit there (one each end, two in the middle) and they are over the vinyl floor cause spills WILL happen.  While the table needs to be put down for the slide to clear, it can be left up all they time the slide is out and there is plenty of room to walk through.  It doubles as a project, coloring or whatever place for the girls to enjoy.

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upgrades and modifications

Well let me start with a reminder of the upgrades that came as a result of “fixing things done wrong”.

  1. We installed Bargman LED tail-lights to replace the improperly installed taillight junk that came with the trailer.  After our first trip, we discovered one of the two segments on the right tail-light had gone bad. After carefully making sure the segment was bad, I notified Bargman – and seriously – no questions asked the sent me a new unit.  They have a customer for life.
  2. The terrible chairs – we purchased two swivel rockers from Menards – patio furniture. These were higher-end for Menards with some padding built in. They had light-weight, strong aluminum frames. They are much smaller but still very comfortable. They can sit in the back of the trailer and we can use the back door. We can also simply pick one up and lay it on the couch if we need a bit of space when on the road. And they fit out the door easily if we want to use them outside while camping.  That’s about 80 pounds less weight in the trailer.
  3. The “you can’t sleep in it” sleeper couch was taken out and donated. We replaced it with an identical sized (and weight) couch that has an actual mattress. It wasn’t cheap, but it is sleepable.  We even added a foam topper, which folds up with the couch.
  4. We installed a Progressive Industries power management unit. We cut into the back left “shelf”, where the power comes in and installed it there. When we first installed it – it went “nuts”, cycling on and off. I rechecked everything (and all my connections were correct) and also took the trailer power plug apart and tightened the wire connections – and like magic it worked fine. I believe the powerplug wire screws were not tight enough.
  5. After scouring the planet for a portable vacume that we could find a place to fit, we decided to install a central vac. It went in the front storage area, under the bed. The hose is long enough to reach the entire trailer and is it nice.
  6. I installed a 12V outlet with USB ports in the area under the TV so we could have computer/charging ports in the living space.
  7. Our tank monitors started acting up even before our first trip. I ordered and installed a SeeLevel system.
  8. I purchased a second battery exactly the same as the one that comes with the trailer. I modified a second battery box and installed the battery in parallel on the front trailer rack, along with some cable locks.  Long term, I wan to move to Lithums, but for now may settle with a pair of 6V AGM units.
  9. We had a Garmin 760LMT Rv GPS – so we ordered the backup camera that cam with it. It is supposed to work 40+ feet – but I couldn’t get it to work 10 feet if ANYTHING was in between the transmitter and the Garmin.  I purchased the extension cable, ran it all the way to the front of the trailer – created a mast and mounted the antenna where it could see right into the truck cab. It sort of works.  More in a separate blog.  I’m planning on installing a different unit.
  10. We purchased a TPMS system – kind of a pain to set up and sort of works. I can’t get the spare to ever be read by the monitor.  I’ll move that sytem to my old truck and or sell it to someone.  I’ve purchased a new system which comes with a repeater that  is supposed to work better.
  11. We are replacing the thermostat with a digital model.  Note, the average battery operated wall thermostat may not work in your trailer.  Ours has two A/C fan speeds, manual/auto fan, plus heat/cool – so I suggest if you want to upgrade your unit, get a similar brand and model as what is in there and check the extra switches/options.
  12. We purchased a wireless thermometer system that would handle up to 8 sending units.  We placed one each in the freezer, fridge, outside-under the front of the trailer, and three with sensors on each of the tanks.  I may also install one on a hot water line so we know when the heater is up to temp.
  13. We are planning this spring for a 200 Watt solar system to extend our batteries without using the generator.
  14. We bought a pair of Generac 2000 watt generators.  We can use one or both depending on whether we are using the AC or not.  Long term, I’d love to have more solar, Lithium batteries and a hybrid inverter so we could get by with just one generator.
  15. We bought a small frige fan – and it does help, but you must remember, to keep the food away from the back corner where the temperature sensor is mounted, or the fridge will freeze up solid.
  16. This isn’t really a trailer mod – but we bought an integrated battery/air pump.  This gives me a portable means of going around and checking/setting tire pressure and can be used to power usb ports, or with a small inverter, laptops an emergency start for the truck or even a way to run the jack/slides if the trailer battery is dead.
  17. We purchased a new porcelin toilet.  The old plastic one squeaked horribly and came off the mounts.  When I reinstalled it – I had to let it sit about 10 degrees twisted, which is why it came loose – the base is not straight.  The new toilet comes with a sprayer which we hope will save water.
  18. We purchased a couple of propane tank monitor and discovered on of the tanks had leaked down, probably because there was debris in the hose connect.
  19. We purchased a ProPride P3 hitch to making towing much less scary.
  20. I used a recessed space above the fridge to add in a shelf for storing spices.
  21. I added a round tube under the back of the trailer to hold our dump hoses.  The square fender now holds the extensible dump hose support.