Drawers coming out of rails.

[Chippendale]

This is my first post and I am expecting great answers to all my problems from you guys. LOL With that being said, here is my first problem.

I have a 2006 Challenger 32TKB with the kitchen island. One of the drawers in the island keeps coming out of the rails. I loosened the screw where the rail is attached to the frame of the cabinet and adjusted the rail and re-tightened it and thought I had solved the problem. Wrong! The fittings that the rails sit in are of course plastic, and in looking at the plastic fittings on the other drawer, it looks like they too are splitting and about to fail.

Has anyone with the "island kitchens" had this problem, and if so how did they solve it? Will appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,
Chipp

[Jim W]

These are nothing more then low cost drawer slides. With my former 5er a 2006 Ameri-Camp, the drawer slides in the entertainment center need to be replaced. I had replaced my drawer slides with new slide extensions from Rockler, here is the web site. http://www.rockler.com/index.cfm?&DID=6
You will need to measure the extensions and order the proper length. I put in extra heavy duty extension.
Jim

[campingcpl]

We have had that same problem with a wardrobe drawer and a pots and pan drawer in the kitchen. A lot of your local hardware store have drawer guides that are a lot better quality. Just makes sure you measure your current ones to get the right size.

[ogultan1]

I recently purchased some Accuride drawer slides on-line which did not come with screws. I know that the right screw must be used to mount these slides to avoid binding in the slide. I am having trouble locating a local source for the proper screws, does anyone know what I can do?

[Jim W]

I would try a wood working supplier like Rockler or Wood Craft stores/on line.
If you can find a store close by then take the slide with you to get the proper wood screw.

Jim

[DocData757]

Had the same issue on a new Alpine. It wasn't the quality of the rail but the quality of the installation. I put spacer washers where the rails are screwed to the cabinets and it solved the problem. The opening is too large for the drawer. The spacers made it narrower.

Dave

[har29]

We have just ordered a 2012 AlpineRE, all these problems I have been reading about really bother me. There should be no installation problems if these units are Quality controlled. The flimsey brouchure on the Keystone site is very pretty, but doesn't really show any real construction methods used. I am trying to find drawings or pictures of how they install the larger slide-outs as they use angled bolts with lock washers(lock washers do no good without flat washers and installed on an angle) also, on another slide they use angled lag bolts....
I'm really wondering if they know what they are doing. Also, does anyone know why they appear to use wood trusses for the roofing? Again their useless brouchure doesn't say what size and how far apart the trusses are.
Is Keystone trying to hide poor quality on the Alpine?

Frustrated Newby

[Bob Landry]

The drawer issue has been discussed reatedly. The problem is the way the rails are attached to the cabinet. Keystone(and most other builders) use scraps of 1/8' luan and brad staples to hold them together. Thus is shown in the second photo. I replaced the cheap stuff with 1/2" plywood pieces and used screws to hold it all together. That's the first photo.

The third photo shows the single screw that KS uses to attach the horizontal back support to the cabinet wall, shown circled. This allows the entire drawer rail assy to rotate and the cheap plywood splits and the staples pull out. When you reinstall the frame, put a second screw through the back support to stop the rocking. To reattach the rail in the front, use the same size screws, I don't remember if they are #6 or #8, and go longer so it will bite into undamaged wood when you screw into the cabinet frame. Round or pan head screws will give enough clearance so the rail slide does not bind and the drawer will slide easily. I did this on all of the drawers in the galley and also the bedroom, and have not had any more issues, at least with drawer slides.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_26046_0_b580fb319be0a9ff93dd9a10416a9c79.jpg


http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_26046_1_703e847d959a2942e545c59432d6a984.jpg


http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_26046_2_54574cdc3fc9d0217cf89c9f17f8730a.jpg

[Festus2]

Several members have expressed a desire to obtain wiring, plumbing, and other construction details (location of studs, for example) from Keystone but have not had any success. Is Keystone the only RV manufacturer who does not provide construction details and methods for its customers? I don't know for sure but I suspect that it is not. This may not be of any comfort to you but the Alpine is not the only Keystone model that is lacking in quality control in some areas. It is found on nearly all assembly line, mass-produced items. However, I think that in our case, we have purchased quite a decent RV for the price paid. I never have had the impression that Keystone is trying to hide a lack of fit and finish. In some areas, it is quite obvious.

[Bob Landry]

I have had to fix several issues on my new Outback, but they have been attibuted to "cost cutting" in the build process and not poor quality parts and materials. I didn't and still don't mind doing it because my result is better than the dealer would have done. For people with limited mechanical and electrical abilities, I can see where this is a real issue, and I agree, construction and QC could be a little better with little to no cost increase to Keystone. If it's any consolation, I had a Jayco that also needed some tweaking. I think it's the nature of the beast. I agree with Festus, I think I got a lot of trailer for my money.

[JRTJH]

I've owned some "top of the line" some "middle road" and some "entry level" RV's. Every one of them has had issues with quality control when as it pertains to fit and finish, assembly and construction techniques, care and craftsmanship in building the RV.

For the most part, the components in my Airstream were of the same quality as those in my Springdale. The big differences are fit and finish and the obvious lack of craftsmanship in construction. But, both serve the purpose and for the cost difference, there's a lot of trailer in my Springdale. To compare, Springdale is about $600 a ft where Airstream is about $2500 a foot. You can do a lot of "craftsmanship" for $1900 a foot. In a 27' RV, that's a difference of around $51,000. And even then, you may not get what you pay for!!!! So, Keystone does a very good job on most of the RV's they build, even with the few problems we encounter.

That being said, I agree with previous posters, Keystone could do a lot better without having to spend any more money on the line. They need to hold the line crew accountable for what they put out at then end of the line. Sometimes, from what I've read on this forum, there are nightmares being produced and delivered to dealers. How much of those nightmares are repaired before the customer ever sees the unit? That depends on the dealer and his service department. When I bought my Holiday Ramber, the dealer, a personal friend, wouldn't even tell me it was on the lot until his service department had a chance to prep it. Why? Later he told me that they had received trailers with missing parts, components half installed, damaged components, wrong parts installed, etc. He didn't want me (or any other customer) to see it (even though it was a special order) until any possible "suprises" were resolved. He wanted my first impression to be a good one that would lead to satisfaction down the road. And this RV was from, at the time, one of the best, most reputable manufacturers in the RV industry.

So, every manufacturer has "issues" it really depends on how they and the dealer network respond that makes RV'ing a success.

As for Keystone's reputation, like most other things in life.... It takes a thousand "attaboy's" to wipe away one "Oh sh**" Reputations just don't happen, they are earned and for the most part, Keystone seems to do as good or better than some other manufacturers.

[jje1960]

Just my 2cents.... Have been extremely satisfied with our Keystone. From my perspective, kind of nature of the beast, RV and quality goes with weight, the more you expect out of options and relative price, your going to get what you pay for. At any-rate, we are happy we ended up with what we have, which happens to be a Keystone. Those quality control issues... I've seen them with full range of units, bottom to the top, that's with talking round the camp fire or personal. Deal with the problems quickly, hold your dealer to contract and choose your units closely. If your expecting top of the line, buy top of the line.