Two Mods: 1 quick, the other not so ...
One thing I love about our trailer is that the wheel wells do not impinge on any inside living or storage space. One thing I really dislike about our trailer is the lower fold-out step. After 2+ years of catching my fingers while unfolding it, I decided to see if I could attach a handle to the underside of the lower step to aide in its unfolding. I opted to use two small bolts to attach the handle - they slipped easily through the holes in the handle and the drainage slots in the step. The first two pictures show a close up of handle on the lower step as it is folded up; the third is the lower step unfolded. The bolt heads to not interfere with use of the lower step.
The second mod was installing a Hatchlift brand extra-small bed lift kit. Our under-bed compartment is not quite 23 inches deep, which dictated the kit size. I have no problems with the kit other than the fact that some provided screws were a tad too long, and if one wasn't careful they would stick through the compartment lid and tear the mattress ticking. I used shorter screws in lieu of those that were supplied. The lack of structural support on the side rails of the bed/storage compartment gave me fits. The compartment framing the outer paneling is stapled to would flex and prevent the bed lid from closing. I ended up using a long piece of blocking under each lower mounting bracket to add strength (see the white vertical strips in the photo). Another issue arose in that the mattress is not very heavy - the lid to the compartment would not stay down (really strong gas springs!). I attempted the adjustments recommended by the manufacturer, and by the time I got the lid to stay down the height of the lid opening was not satisfactory. I got around this by installing two gate latches on the end of the bed (visible in photo). The gate latches were chosen so they could be closed "by feel" instead of having to poke one's head down to view engagement. In order to accommodate a secure binding of the "hoop" to the compartment lid I used bolts rather than the supplied screws (which again would have been too long). This required me to bore holes into the upper frame member so the lid would lay flat. I expected to be able to complete this mod in only a few hours; instead, it was a drawn-out process over three days. But it's done and the DW is happy, which is what matters in the end.
__________________
Now: 2019 Winnebago 2500FL w/e2 WDH;Sold: 2015 Bullet Premier 19FBPR (shown)
2012 Ford F-250 Lariat Super Duty Crew Cab (gas 6.2 L, 3.73 gear ratio 2WD, 172" WB)
|