Floor Registers are junk

[Crischan]

Recently purchased a Bullet 290BHS (less than a month old) and have not even camped in it and already have to replace the two floor registers. I stepped on one and it bent and the second one, my foot actually pushed through it and ruined it.

Hoping to find a much better floor register that fits. I know that they are trying to save weight but this is ridiculous.

I hope this is not a sign...

[flybouy]

It should be a standard floor register that's available at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. A couple of bucks will solve the problem.

[Crischan]

Yeah, looks like a 4x10...lets hope it works!

[sourdough]

You can get heavier covers. I avoid stepping directly on mine and haven't had to replace any. I was in a CW in FL one day when a guy pulled up out front with a nice Class A. Parked, rummaged around inside for a bit then came out. Both hands/arms full of floor registers (looked like 8-9) all bent up. He wasn't a "happy camper" but I left before I'm sure they told him they wouldn't have that many.

[JRTJH]

If you look at the "cargo carrying capacity" of most trailers, it's "right down to the pound"....

What Keystone (and every other manufacturer) does is calculate the weight of every component in the trailer to determine if they can build a floorplan that people will buy while keeping the "features" of that trailer competitive with the other manufacturers models that are similar....

They "gain an edge" on each other (manufacturer vs manufacturer) by ordering vinyl flooring that's 2 mils thinner, mattresses that are 1" thinner, windows that are 2" narrower, carpet that is 1 ounce lighter and floor registers that are 0.5 ounce lighter than the ones used by the competition.... Doing that gives them an extra 15 pounds or 25 pounds or 155 pounds of "extra weight savings" to offer a 40" LED TV in place of the 32" that's in the competition's floorplan. Or, they can offer a "porcelain toilet in place of the plastic bowl toilet" in the competition's floorplan.....

EVERY (did I mention ounce for ounce EVERY) item in every trailer is calculated and when the competition announces an upgrade, Keystone looks for a way to offer it AND keep the same payload, same price, same weight, same availability.... NOWHERE in those calculations is "long term reliability" a "first consideration".... A "1 year survivability" (to get through the warranty period) may be considered, but after it's no longer in warranty, it's not Keystone's problem.....

Before someone disparages Keystone for "thinking that way"... Think back to the aluminum F150 and GM's tool box drop advertising or think back to the introduction of the 2011 SuperDuty 6.7L diesel with 385 HP that was upgraded to 400 HP as soon as the truck was introduced to counter GM's DuraMax that was introduced with a 390HP rating.... Or how about the current "GM Zombie Tailgate Walk"..... All to "outdo the competition" while maintaining every other feature currently available... That "3 position tail gate" doesn't just get hooked to the bed without some careful considerations about what it will do to the "best in class payload" that's also affected......

So, those "bend when you step on them floor vents" are a "carefully considered, lowest bid, most readily available, right color component" that has to weigh less than Forest River's floor vents so Keystone can offer a nicer kitchen faucet.......

Sounds crazy, but think about what would happen if "every component was built to be durable and last the lifetime of the purchaser's intended ownership..... Trailers could only be towed by DRW trucks, and we all know what that would do to the "half ton logo".....

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by Crischan

Recently purchased a Bullet 290BHS (less than a month old) and have not even camped in it and already have to replace the two floor registers. I stepped on one and it bent and the second one, my foot actually pushed through it and ruined it.

Hoping to find a much better floor register that fits. I know that they are trying to save weight but this is ridiculous.

I hope this is not a sign...

Maybe a sign that a diet is in order? Bwhahahaha Welcome to the forum. I have stepped on my registers a zillion times and they don't bend and I bet I have more than ample weight to do so if they were bendable. Sounds like the stuff they are putting in now is supplied by "low bidder". Same will be true of most of the plumbing fixture unfortunately.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by flybouy

It should be a standard floor register that's available at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. A couple of bucks will solve the problem.

Well the heavier one will hold up better, but will still eventually bend. We have one almost center in our kitchen, and got the heavier ones they hold up better, but still will bend.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-...4X10/300848367

[sourdough]

Just something to note on these registers. Our last trailer (2014) had significantly heavier registers. They did bend when stepped on directly (with my clod hopper boots I wear from daylight til dark) but only slightly. In right at 7 years they still looked good. The registers on this trailer are much lighter weight; pulled one up to check it after the first time I stepped on it. Sort of like "super duty" tinfoil doubled over ( exaggeration). What they did do however is make the registers more narrow; maybe an inch or little more. That helps a lot to support your weight should you put a heavy boot in the middle of one - which we try to avoid.

[JRTJH]

Thinking about a "BHS" floorplan ultra-light trailer with one of the bunks about 4-5 feet off the ground, "hovering" over that 1/8" luan sandwich floor, the first time a 80 pound youngster "flies out of the bed to beat his little brother to the toilet"... Well, a bent floor register won't be the biggest issue... In fact, that register may no longer even be "on the radar".... So, while replacing the "bendable floor registers" take a look at just how "sturdy" or better defined as "how fragile" the floor around that register really is.... Depending on the "agility of your "flying tigers" you may want to sit them down and have a "safety discussion" about not jumping out of the top bunk......

[Crischan]

Ha...maybe!

They are super thin and of course in the main walkway so not really possible to avoid in my trailer. What is worse is that one pushed through the floor. The hole was cut too large for the register. I replaced them both with a mobile home floor register and hopefully that works. I may need to come up with some sort of bracket or support if these push through the floor.

I get that they are looking to save weight but the registers that they used are junk...wishing I had ducted ports at this point!

[JRTJH]

Depending on how the ducting is run, many of the "cabinet/wall registers" have an extra 90 degree bend and that reduces the air velocity enough that people with some of those styles complain of "limited/no airflow" from the vents.

So, be careful what you wish for, you may wind up with a cold trailer in exchange for fragile floor vents.....

[Crischan]

Good point!

lol

[Crischan]

Thought a picture would show the "bending" of the registers...lol

[Crischan]

Guess I do not know how to add photos...maybe the floor registers are the least of my worries...lol
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vNRKpxB1Jjyx5NPM6

[daveinaz]

I guess that is one good thing about our older Montana (2008). From all I’ve seen from using it and working on it, it seems more solid than all the newer ones I’ve looked at. The registers in it are fairly thick and don’t even flex when I step on them.

[rodgebone]

I replaced mine with adjustable sticks n bricks registers from Home Depot. same size/fit with the added convenience of shutting them off if desired. no bending here

[adeakins]

As noted earlier, RV brands like keystone assemble - they do not build - products from components procured by low cost providers. Most are owned by hedge funds or other tactical oriented investment firms. Keystone is owned by Thor Industries which controls roughly 60% of the market (by sales volume). Their warranties even contemplate weak points in the product by excluding or severely limiting what is covered. Most of the issues associated with RVs today are readily solvable applying iff-the-shelf technology. Even so, reaching that level of technology would be a huge leap forward for the industry. In addition to more stringent standards, the definition of an RV should be changed so as to better clarify the intended use of the product. Units being used occasionally are a less rigorous use-case than those occupied full time over a decade or more. The latter need to be designed with longevity and sustainability in mind than than the former. Once you build to the functional requirements of these two very distinct use-cases, real “recreational” vehicles become more affordable while full-time mobile residences (for lack of a better term) become a bit more pricey to buy, but much less costly to own and operate. — End of Sermon —

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by adeakins

As noted earlier, RV brands like keystone assemble - they do not build - products from components procured by low cost providers. Most are owned by hedge funds or other tactical oriented investment firms. Keystone is owned by Thor Industries which controls roughly 60% of the market (by sales volume). Their warranties even contemplate weak points in the product by excluding or severely limiting what is covered. Most of the issues associated with RVs today are readily solvable applying iff-the-shelf technology. Even so, reaching that level of technology would be a huge leap forward for the industry. In addition to more stringent standards, the definition of an RV should be changed so as to better clarify the intended use of the product. Units being used occasionally are a less rigorous use-case than those occupied full time over a decade or more. The latter need to be designed with longevity and sustainability in mind than than the former. Once you build to the functional requirements of these two very distinct use-cases, real “recreational” vehicles become more affordable while full-time mobile residences (for lack of a better term) become a bit more pricey to buy, but much less costly to own and operate. — End of Sermon —

The RV industry has "fought tooth and nail" to remain independent from the manufactured housing industry... There are federal guidelines that regulate the manufactured housing market. Things like VA loans, FHA, HUD, HQS, and similar agency confines force specific standards to be met "in manufactured housing"...

The RV industry has, so far, successfully remained outside the oversight from those agencies. Arguments have been made that RVIA (the self regulated arm of the RV industry) can provide oversight to the "mobile manufacturing industry".....

The main argument being presented by the RV manufacturers is that "our products are not permanent housing and shouldn't be regulated as such. We're NOT manufactured housing like mobile homes"....

So far, the government has "allowed the exclusion"...

To your point, trying to divide RV's into two groups, those intended for occasional use and those intended to be 'permanent housing" would defeat parts of the ability to remain "outside federal regulatory standards"...

While that improvement in regulatory standards can (and should be eventually made), is the federal government any better equipped to regulate quality in RV's than they are in keeping our pipelines safe from hackers ????

In short, I agree with you, RV's need to improve, but the question is, "HOW" ?? If we involve the federal government, it's going to be a confused mess at best, if we try to divide RV's into "temporary and permanent housing models" then we'll "defeat the main argument keeping RV's from being regulated as mobile homes and fall under VA/FHA/HUD oversight....

Careful what we wish for or suddenly we may find MSRP's doubling overnight with no change in quality, just in whose "approval decal" is on the door....

[LHaven]

I'm a huge fan of the replacement registers you can buy on the web from Signature Hardware. Pick your metal, size, and style, and they probably have something you like. I replaced all the mashed up registers in my Cougar with them, and also the heavy traffic registers in my double wide guest house. (In the guest house, one register is located in the dining room precisely under where the chair leg lands when you pull it out to sit. Used to be a major replacement problem before I found the steel registers from Signature.)

[SC GT Yellow Jacket]

Thank you, thank you. Thank you! I will check these out for my Cougar.