SO, one of the things we’ve not been the happiest about during, the over a year and a half, in our Tiffin 32SA was the kitchen area. The stove can’t be set low enough to properly simmer food. Our solution for that was to purchase a countertop induction burner and later, a Ninja hot air grill, both of which we love and use on a regular basis. We cook simple; meaning it would be very rare to have to heat more than one pan at a time. Now the stove cut-outs have turned into just a place to catch spills that we have to periodically clean. But we haven’t found a solution for that yet. One thought is to remove the stove and create a nice pullout work surface extension. We also wanted more light (replaced the bulbs under the microwave with LED) and purchased brighter wallpaper to install the right of the stove.
The “valance” around the panoramic kitchen window – made from the same plastic as the countertop, plus STONE – actual STONE tiles set in grout, that were distractingly crooked. One might think that if Tiffin were going to go to all that trouble, setting the stones straight would be part of the plan. No, that isn’t enough reason to remove the valance, just another tick on the list of irritating little unnecessary mistakes. The opening for the window was also WAY TOO SMALL – blocking much of the view of this nice window. It also took up 4 inches of counter space.
Our plan was to remove the valance and create a new one, with a bigger window, that took up less counter space. As we started this process, we removed the valance and discovered it weighed nearly 80 pounds!! I purchased some half-inch lumber to create a new valance. Since we were camping out near home, I designed, measured and cut it all to size using my saw table at home. The original assembly happened later, and well, it took me a while to get to the final assembly of it all.
After removing and disposing of the old valance, the next part was to reverse the shade. It rolled down with the shade coming off the interior side. By flipping it, having the shade come down the exterior side- the shade was over an inch farther back from the counter space. This move required lengthening the wire and reprogramming the shade stop points from what had been programmed by Tiffin (based on the smaller window).
Our valance has a much larger opening for the window. Sure, we can see the window frame – but we can also see ALL of the outside views from almost any angle. The valence design slants toward the outside of the vehicle at the bottom, again preserving more of the counter space. It is less than 1.5 inches on the bottom.
There also was a 4-inch-high strip of plastic+stone tile on the right side which we removed. It had been epoxied to the wallpaper, and thus necessitated cutting out the epoxy and bits of wallpaper then filling in the holes with wood filler. Next, I installed the new wallpaper on the right wall.
Finally – the valance was painted white and installed. Three brass screws into the wall on the bottom and two small brackets to the cabinet on top.
The result is a much brighter workspace with a nicer view of the outside.
Stabilizers are not leveling jacks. The only jack on most travel trailers that can actually lift – is the one on the front A-frame. I’ve seen ads for travel trailers with auto-leveling jacks – but have yet to see one in person. Suffice it to say, almost every travel trailer has 2 or 4 stabilizers and one jack. You level side to side by pulling one side or the other up on leveling blocks, disconnect, then adjust front to back height with the front jack. THEN put down the stabilizers.
Fifth wheels have some combination of stabilizers and jacks. Some just have jacks on all four corners or even six jacks for the big ones. These can actually level, but as described in the stories below – you probably shouldn’t be lifting tires off the ground. Thus, I’d say, the same thing goes as for travel trailers – if the side is very unlevel – use boards under the tires to get close to level before engaging the level system.
When we had a large Class C, we boondocked at the Buffalo Grasslands site north of the west Badlands gate (south of Wall, SD). Those of you who have been there, probably remember the point on the south end. It was a fantastic view if you could park there. The problem was, on a fairly long Class C – the rear wheels were 6 inches lower than the rear (backed in) as well as the east side being lower than the west. That didn’t stop me from piling every board and spacer I had under the wheels, backing on to them, then more blocks under the jacks and jacking it up and putting more boards under the tires. In the end, we were fairly level. Two problems: first – RV chassis are built with the wheels on the ground and the weight distributed across the chassis supported at multiple points via leaf springs. The rear jacks attach at a single point, each side, to the frame behind the rear axle. Then end result of too much weight on the jack, is that your frame flexes in ways it wasn’t designed for and it forces everything above in the RV to flex with it. I wonder sometimes if this is the cause of exterior sidewall cracks that people see on bigger class As. On our C – the frame flexed so much the bathroom door wouldn’t latch. More on this below.
The second problem, particularly in a place like the Badlands – is wind and rain. Stacking your RV on top of block after block after block – jacks or not, makes it less stable, on a cliff…. We got hit by a gust front from a major storm while we were there – one we were worried enough about that we pulled in the slide. Fortunately, everything held, but if the blocks had slipped or given way – it wouldn’t have been pretty. Our next trip to that site, we stayed on mostly level ground, well away from the edge.
So, that was a long time ago – many campgrounds and many boondocking locations past. But you’d think I’d remember….. We were at a spot last week where the only place (every place) was pretty slanted. We ended up at a spot where the right side, particularly the right rear was quite low. Despite driving up on two layers of blocks, after auto-leveling, we ended up with the right rear tires off the ground. So, while they were up, I put another board under and we let down the jack on that side some so the tire was in contact. We weren’t perfectly level but we were “close enough”. The problem was, that we left too much weight on the jack and not enough on the tires. We didn’t notice right away, but eventually, Debbie noticed the bathroom wall was pulling away from the sink/cabinet. Almost half an inch. That was just before we left. By the time we were set up at the next camp, it has returned to its normal position – but it was another example of how too much weight on a jack and not enough on the tires can warp and maybe even break side-walls (and who knows what else). It makes me think about taking a good look at the roofline for any broken caulking. The RV “house” is built on top of the frame. Change the shape of that frame, and it is going to stress the other sides of the box. The short of it is, even jacks which CAN lift a corner of the vehicle off the ground, should only be used to extend the wheel down a couple of inches.
I’ve seen some weird leveling and stabilizer boards. Jengo-like stacks of 2X4s, 12x12x12 wood blocks, log rounds, cinder blocks, the usual yellow and red lego blocks and these “I” blocks.->
Whatever works I guess…..
Along with a few boards I had in the garage, I went to the HW store and picked up a 12 ft 2×10 and 2×8 and had them cut into pieces right there. Smaller 8×8 pieces are good for the jacks and two-foot-long 2x10s can be used either direction under the dualies. But no matter what grade of lumber I buy, these boards tend to split down the middle over time. As a “cure” for this splititis, I picked up some 3/8ths threaded rod and a long 3/8ths wood drill, some washers and nuts. The hard part here is drilling straight through the board. Mostly I eyeball the alignment carefully from every direction as I drill through. Sometimes it helps to simply drill in from both directions after drawing a line and double-checking.
Then push (add a couple of nuts and a hammer) the rod through and add a washer and nut to each end. Tighten as much as you can with a standard wrench or socket wrench and cut the rod off flush. This process works best before the board has broken, but can be used afterward too. Some glue might help if working on split boards. I’m still using the first board I did this to, a year later.
Yes, these boards are fairly heavy – so don’t go overboard. At a minimum, I’d want enough to raise one side, two boards plus a board or two under one side jacks. Worst case, three wheels, two boards is enough for the vast majority of sites. And save whomever is driving the RV up on boards some hassle – and set the boards so the tires can go up on one, then the other. It is hard trying to climb 4 inches of boards on multiple wheels and the STOP, literally on a dime on top. Your RV doesn’t HAVE to be perfectly level. I also carry a set of those red (heavy duty) lego block style levelers. I don’ t put them under the tires, but on top of a board, they work fine for the jacks. Because they are hollow on the bottom – they don’t work good on soft ground unless they have boards of some sort under them. Finally, I’ve never done it myself, but an alternative method for an unlevel boondocking spot is to dig a shallow depression where the highest wheel will sit. Just fill it in when you leave.
Don’t Do This!
Last, in the What The Heck category – here is something I saw a couple of camps ago. This was a large diesel class A. Count them; there are three extensions, with a tow bar at the end. There is a receiver lift(with rock guard), a doubler (with a bike rack on it), another extension, and the tow bar has a long reach shaft as well. It has to be 5 feet of extension just to the tow bar, and I bet the entire setup weighs 500 pounds. He has clamps at every connection to try to reduce the slop that is always in receiver connections. And to top it off, he was towing a full size pick up truck. Please don’t be this guy.
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The “valance” around the panoramic kitchen window – made from the same plastic as the countertop, plus STONE – actual STONE tiles set in grout, that were distractingly crooked. One might think that if Tiffin were going to go to all that trouble, setting the stones straight would be part of the plan. No, that isn’t enough reason to remove the valance, just another tick on the list of irritating little unnecessary mistakes. The opening for the window was also WAY TOO SMALL – blocking much of the view of this nice window. It also took up 4 inches of counter space.
Our plan was to remove the valance and create a new one, with a bigger window, that took up less counter space. As we started this process, we removed the valance and discovered it weighed nearly 80 pounds!! I purchased some half-inch lumber to create a new valance. Since we were camping out near home, I designed, measured and cut it all to size using my saw table at home. The original assembly happened later, and well, it took me a while to get to the final assembly of it all.
Our valance has a much larger opening for the window. Sure, we can see the window frame – but we can also see ALL of the outside views from almost any angle. The valence design slants toward the outside of the vehicle at the bottom, again preserving more of the counter space. It is less than 1.5 inches on the bottom.
Finally – the valance was painted white and installed. Three brass screws into the wall on the bottom and two small brackets to the cabinet on top.
