What Is This For??? - Page 2

Eastham · 11-20-2019, 03:10 PM

So you can plug in the angle on top of your xmas tree.and you wont have a bunch of messy wires hanging around.

greyhair · 11-21-2019, 01:16 AM

It's for tv but you still need to buy a mount for it.

Dan Lockwood · 11-21-2019, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greyhair

It's for tv but you still need to buy a mount for it.

Makes sense due to the location and my bedroom has a ceiling an outlet for the TV just as you suggest, but again, I have a 40" TV not 4' from that closet area.

Just a side questions to this, let's say I did mount to the wall and install a small 24" TV, what do you guys use to attach things to the walls?

I've mounted a few little things like toilet paper holders and the lauan is not sufficiently thick enough to just screw into. I tried the expanding plugs, but they had too much resistance to the screw turning that they just spun in the lauan itself. I did get a couple of my metal expanding nuts to lock in behind the lauan, but it was not easy.

So what do you all use for screw anchors? I have to mount a medicine cabinet in the half bath and I don't want it coming loose...

**JRTJH** · 11-21-2019, 05:46 AM

If the outlet is "intended for a TV" then there will also be a coax outlet plate co-located with the outlet. I don't see any means to connect a coax to the TV, so my guess is: That's a great idea, but not fully executed by Keystone"...

So, I don't think it's for a TV. Probably a means to provide 120 VAC in that area for some optional equipment that either wasn't included in your trailer or was changed by Keystone but not everyone got the word before the hole was cut.... I wouldn't call that a "mistake" but rather, like Ford, GM and Fiat, make all the wiring harnesses the same, then add options if the customer wants them. It's cheaper that way rather than having multiple harnesses for the same vehicle.

That said, I don't remember seeing any "ceiling plates without a coax connector" so I don't think it's for a TV.

To your next question: I don't know of any "good way" to mount a TV swivel arm to an "unsupported outside laminated wall" on a Keystone. On some trailers, there is a "cabinet mounting strip" welded to the upper frame and that is used to support "existing cabinets". I haven't seen any frames that have "cabinet mounting strips" installed where cabinets are not "a part of the existing design/floorplan" so I wouldn't think there's a strip behind that area of the sidewall, although you might use a stud finder to verify that as factual.

As a "guess only", I'd suspect the outlet is intended for something optional that wasn't ordered on your trailer as it was being built. What???? I've no idea.

Dan Lockwood · 11-21-2019, 09:10 AM

This is what I have in mind. I used a couple of these that were 6-32, but they were a bit small in my opinion.

These are 10-24 and have a wall grip of .010" to .197". So should work with lauan very well. They well be permanent though. But I guess a hole in the wall is also permanent...

I have a Riv-Nut gun at home so that should not be an issue at all installing them.

The dimension of what I have in the master bath is 31"T x 22"W x 6"D. Even an 18" x 24" would be fine for my half bath. My wife will not share a bath with me for some reason...

Thanks for all the help.

**flybouy** · 11-21-2019, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Lockwood

This is what I have in mind. I used a couple of these that were 6-32, but they were a bit small in my opinion.

These are 10-24 and have a wall grip of .010" to .197". So should work with lauan very well. They well be permanent though. But I guess a hole in the wall is also permanent...

I have a Riv-Nut gun at home so that should not be an issue at all installing them.

The dimension of what I have in the master bath is 31"T x 22"W x 6"D. Even an 18" x 24" would be fine for my half bath. My wife will not share a bath with me for some reason...

Thanks for all the help.

Dan I'd be very cautious using a nutsert in an RV wall. That luan can't be much over 1/16" thick and any significant weight on such a small area may just split the luan and pull out. Might be ok for a picture or key holder but I wouldn't hang a cabinet with it.

If I were hanging a cabinet (a permanent fixture) I personally would hole saw a hole that could be covered by the cabinet, large enough to get a 1" by 2" board in. Make the board long enough to "snake it in the hole in one direction until it sets in the hole (a screw in the end of the board so you don't drop it. Then when it's in the hole remove the screw, slide the board so the centerpoint of the board is in the center of the hole and screw through the luan to the board. Then you would have a "cleat" inside the wall to distribute the weight along a broader area.

I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions.

Greggde · 11-21-2019, 10:30 AM

Are you the first owner ? Possibly was special ordered for a previous potential buyer

bill777x · 11-21-2019, 01:41 PM

I have a Raptor trailer the same year as yours and in the brochure there's an interior pic of your floor plan with that outlet visible so yours isn't the only one. As to what it's for I'm going to guess a plug in smoke detector although the disco ball is still a better idea in my opinion.

LHaven · 11-21-2019, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Lockwood

what do you guys use to attach things to the walls? I've mounted a few little things like toilet paper holders and the lauan is not sufficiently thick enough to just screw into. I tried the expanding plugs, but they had too much resistance to the screw turning that they just spun in the lauan itself.

These larger plastic mollies (image) typically resist turning.

That having been said, attaching stuff to the thin RV walls depends heavily on weight. For a medicine cabinet, where all the force is straight down, they would work a treat. For a TV on an arm, which has leverage up the wazoo, I wouldn't trust anything that wasn't in at least a stud-equivalent.

Brentw · 11-22-2019, 03:30 AM

Even if you find a new a attachment to the luan, my next concern would be pulling the luan away from the studs. If you can't hit 1 or 2 studs, I wouldn't mount a cabinet.

Greggde · 11-22-2019, 07:22 AM

Brentw is correct, on multiple rigs that we have owned anything over a pound should be stud mounted if at all possible. Remember most of the time we are in the badly thrashed trucking lanes with all of their harmonic vibrations and in our case now with the toyhauler we are utilizing a lot of dirt roads that are less than perfect.
Greggde

LHaven · 11-26-2019, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LHaven

These larger plastic mollies (image) typically resist turning.

After fighting with these in my trailer's lauan today, I believe I will rescind my recommendation. They get halfway in, shriek, and then strip their phillips slots, requiring you to redrill the hole to get rid of them. Paraffin doesn't help. Soap doesn't help. These things are great in drywall, but thin wood is too much for them.

I've seen these in soft metal, which might work, but might turn in lauan when you try to insert the screw.

GaryUT · 11-26-2019, 06:36 PM

I used this type of anchor to re-hang the medicine cabinet in my last trailer. None of the factory screws went into the wall framing. Never had a problem with it falling off.

Customer1 · 11-26-2019, 07:24 PM

I wouldn't trust them to hold a television but the Hillman 1/8" pop toggles are great for attaching to an RV wall.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hillman-...6254/202243046

Mikendebbie · 11-27-2019, 03:39 AM

Roscommon48 said “Interesting that is all I can say. Why don't you send the pic to manufacturer and ask them. I'd love to hear their response.”

Keystone’s response would be “Contact your dealer for information on that item”.

Dan Lockwood · 11-27-2019, 03:40 AM

I know that this thread got a bit off course, but I'm will look for studs in the half bath when I get a medicine cabinet. If I can get two out of four into a stud, that's a good thing. Or I will do the wood reinforcement through a larger hole and then brad nail it in place to keep it from falling when doing the install.

I'm still looking for an acceptable cabinet. I've really disappointed that RV salvage yards are less than willing to "look" around for something like this. But I'll keep trying to find something either unfinished or a darker contrasting wood finish.

I've had lots of fun with this thread and reading all the options proposed. The disco ball still ranks high on the list.

Speaking of disco, the wife and I have Harleys and we have a favorite hangout spot about 10 miles from home on the Lewis and Clark Trail, or old 94 in St Charles county MO. With our Road Glide I have an iPod dock and we listen to some varying music; sometimes disco. So here we are riding through Defiance with the tunes blazing listening to disco when a hard rock band is playing loudly for all the bikers. We chuckle every time we do something funny like that...

If anyone just comes up with a medicine cabinet source, let me know.

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

**flybouy** · 11-27-2019, 06:25 AM

[QUOTE=Dan Lockwood;368320] I've really disappointed that RV salvage yards are less than willing to "look" around for something like this. But I'll keep trying to find something either unfinished or a darker contrasting wood finish.

If you think about it can you really blame them? What are the chances that you would pay for the shipping?

Unlike an auto recycling yard where there are computers that know the transmission they pulled out of the 1999 Chevy will fit Chevy's, Pontiacs, Olds, and Cadillacs from 1980-2005, the RV trailer industry isn't that sophisticated. A medicine cabinet in your camper may not be the same as the one built 2 weeks after yours.

The RV salvage yards are a "come and take a look" kinda place.

**JRTJH** · 11-27-2019, 07:33 AM

I look at RV salvage as a "back country garage sale" when compared to the auto salvage which is more a "sophisticated WalMart/Amazon" type of business.

Most RV salvage yards are independently owned, not connected with any other yards and, for the most part, small businesses without a "networked connection" to other similar businesses.

When you consider the RV industry and its "non-standard way of doing business" or more appropriately, "build 'em one at a time approach", as fast as things "that you see" change, the fabric from a 2018 would clash with the fabric in a 2017 or 2019, as would most of the woodwork, vinyl coated paneling, blinds, etc.

Then, there's the problem with removing parts without damage. After all, the "overuse of staples" in the industry puts most interior components "riddled with holes" once removed.... Many (maybe most) would be reluctant to buy a medicine cabinet with the mounting strip split during removal. Some would think, "It's hidden, no problem, worth $40 while the next 10 would think, "It's going in my "perfect RV" and if it's split, I'm sending it back." So, the customer's expectations of seeing that yellow enamel paint marking on the side (like on almost all auto salvage parts) would be a "deal breaker" for many....

People are "fickle" when it comes to buying used equipment or parts that they look at every day, unlike a transmission that's "OK as long as it works"...

Besides, if it rains on a transmission in a car that was "crushed in a crash", rebuilding it will fix any issues. If it rains in an RV that was "crushed in a crash" then the vinyl covering separates, the wood warps, the MDF swells and the cabinet is toast".... Not to mention, scratches, water stains, sun fade and mold/mildew.... Most would balk at used RV parts that go "inside the coach"....

Dan Lockwood · 11-27-2019, 08:32 AM

I've contacted a few salvage yards and Colaw in Carthage MO is what they claim the largest RV salvage in the US.

I've asked them via e-mail and they say NO. I can't believe they don't have something that would work. But hey, I understand that a $50 item is not what they're in business for.

I think the wife and I will make a long weekend out of a trip there for a looks see. It's just over a 4 hour drive for us and Branson is not that far away that we couldn't take in the sites there as well.

AND now that I think about it, it does NOT have to be a weekend at all. I only have 15 working days until I get to retire. I've been in the plastics machinery business for over 37 years and now at 70, it's time to pull the plug and enjoy ourselves. Hence the new to us toy hauler and RAM. So every night is a Saturday night from now on...

Thanks for the input guys!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

**sourdough** · 11-27-2019, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Lockwood

I've contacted a few salvage yards and Colaw in Carthage MO is what they claim the largest RV salvage in the US.

I've asked them via e-mail and they say NO. I can't believe they don't have something that would work. But hey, I understand that a $50 item is not what they're in business for.

I think the wife and I will make a long weekend out of a trip there for a looks see. It's just over a 4 hour drive for us and Branson is not that far away that we couldn't take in the sites there as well.

AND now that I think about it, it does NOT have to be a weekend at all. I only have 15 working days until I get to retire. I've been in the plastics machinery business for over 37 years and now at 70, it's time to pull the plug and enjoy ourselves. Hence the new to us toy hauler and RAM. So every night is a Saturday night from now on...

Thanks for the input guys!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Congrats on the retirement Dan! It IS all it's cracked up to be. When we retired (14 years ago) we thought the same thing about "Saturdays". It's hilarious but now we don't have a clue what day of the week it is unless we look at a calendar, AND, we detest "Saturdays" because that's when all of those that have to work (of the few left) are off and clogging the highways and stores. Naw, we like in the AM on a weekday now....just like being off and out of the crowds!! Have fun!

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