TV mount

wiredgeorge · 08-22-2020, 12:42 PM

Like many other units, the entertainment center in my camper is on the wall between living/kitchen area and bedroom. My LazyBoy love seat recliner is 90 degrees relative to the entertainment center. My entertainment center was about 18" deep when I got the trailer and so mounting the TV on the back of the entertainment center left the person closest to the TV unable to view it.

I installed a piece of 3/4" furniture grade plywood in the opening but only about 8" or deep enough so the slide could close without hitting the TV. I added a full-motion Armstrong TV mount so the screen can be turned towards the viewers and with its position I can now see the screen from that same inside seat almost full on.

https://www.harborfreight.com/37-in-...ugg_q=tv+mount

I did stain the plywood to look like other wood in the cabin and added a small, remote control soundbar so you can hear the TV with the A/C running. If you buy a soundbar and have a really cheap TV, make sure you have a way of connecting the television to soundbar.

QCMan · 08-22-2020, 01:18 PM

Nice setup!

BrooksFam · 08-22-2020, 01:42 PM

Good fix. After having motorhomes with a similar set up (TV over dash, sofa in slide) that was one thing we did not want again and one of the main reasons we went with the Bullet 291RLS. Like this orientation much better.

wiredgeorge · 08-22-2020, 07:09 PM

I watch that RV show on the tube where a couple is taken through three campers and at the end of the show they choose one. It is amazing the stupid places the manufacturers place TVs and is one of the common complaints by these buyers; mostly the guys. Some are almost at the ceiling line. Some are up in a corner above a dinette, that sort of thing. I would love to have moved our TV spot in front of the recliners but there is a big window there and mainly the wiring from the OTA antenna and sat dish are in the entertainment center and would be a chore to relocate. I also need a shelf for the DVD & my Wally and its hard drive and of course, the sound bar.

wiredgeorge · 08-22-2020, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrooksFam

Good fix. After having motorhomes with a similar set up (TV over dash, sofa in slide) that was one thing we did not want again and one of the main reasons we went with the Bullet 291RLS. Like this orientation much better.

That is a nice floor plan but would have preferred the TV down a little lower. Also the missus would scream about not have a BIG pantry. The full size mattress is a definite plus. My wife also loves a huge bit of counter space for coffee pots, toasters, odds and ends, etc. We like to pack HUGE amounts of food when we camp even for a weekend. Not sure why but if you look at me in profile you could probably guess!

BrooksFam · 08-23-2020, 03:12 AM

(thread jack/off topic) We are mostly weekend warriors with one, 1 week trip a year typically. We've gotten our packing down to a minimum and spend a lot of time outdoors at the campsite, but we do like our TV also.

We will be challenged thought for about six months soon, as we will live in this trailer while our house is being built. Luckily we'll be parked at the daughters house so we can go indoors when thing start to close in on us.

As for the RV show, As I have been an RV'r for quit some time and also the engineering manager for Country Coach for a while, I am still amassed at some of the coach/trailer layouts. But, there is an finite amount of room to work with and there are some limitations.

wiredgeorge · 08-23-2020, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrooksFam

(thread jack/off topic) We are mostly weekend warriors with one, 1 week trip a year typically. We've gotten our packing down to a minimum and spend a lot of time outdoors at the campsite, but we do like our TV also.

We will be challenged thought for about six months soon, as we will live in this trailer while our house is being built. Luckily we'll be parked at the daughters house so we can go indoors when thing start to close in on us.

As for the RV show, As I have been an RV'r for quit some time and also the engineering manager for Country Coach for a while, I am still amassed at some of the coach/trailer layouts. But, there is an infinite amount of room to work with and there are some limitations.

I get the feeling when looking at floorplans that the person who designs them may not actually be an RVer. If they were, they would use the space more intelligently and use features that made sense. TV mounts where a human gets a sore neck or can't see the TV from the cabin sitting locations, pantries where access is so deep stuff is in a semi-time capsule, cabinets placed so high that the average human needs a step stool. toilets placed or angled where a person can't sit comfortably, lack of toilet paper holders... If actual seasoned campers helped design floorplans and features/fixtures it would not cost much more (if at all) and make a little sense. And stop hiring the sight impaired to do the interior and exterior decorating. Do all RV interiors have to be ugly?

BrooksFam · 08-23-2020, 04:04 AM

WG, as you have noticed, especially with motorhomes, the designers do not usually have/use the product they are designing. Designers make $15-$20/hour and design coaches worth 100K to 1 million plus. Many didn't even own a camper. They cant afford one. One thing I implemented when engineering manager at CC was once a month to have my design team go out to a coach and have them operate everything, open and close everything and inspect everything so they could get a better sense of what a user may encounter. It did help uncover several design short comings in the coaches and gave the designers a better understanding of the usability of their designs.

**flybouy** · 08-23-2020, 07:55 AM

All designers or designs are not created equal. A designer of an end user product has the sale of the product as the first order of business. No matter how useful or practical if it doesn't sell it doesn't matter. As for anyone's "they should have" or "I don't like the colors" well that's what custom made coaches are for, your personal taste. While you may like the tv 6" higher maybe the other 99% of the population thinks it's great.

Not defending the designers or the industry but that's the reality of it. When I was working I regularly drove rental cars. Typically once a week but some weeks 2 or more if the visits were short to several states in one week. I climbed in and out of many cars that my 6'3" plus sized frame made it difficult to drive. I had to remind myself that it wasn't designed with me in mind.

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