Howdy Briar
Just thought I’d share how the replacement of the old-style CRT TV in the living room came to pass. This is in a 2006 Montana. Unsure if these pictures will upload.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attach...tml?sort=3&o=0
(Close Up of Livingroom TV)
First…I removed the old TV and was amazed to see how many long screws were used from the sides (through the wall) and bottom to hold the old TV in place. One interesting point: the long screws penetrated well into the TV so the factory undoubtedly “smoke tested” the units with some spectacular failures from time to time.
At the same time, I removed the “Surround Sound” speakers you see above the TV in the picture. Interesting they call this surround sound when the center-channel and the front left & front right speakers are so close together. The net effect of this arrangement is all the speakers combine into a single center-channel…also known as…not surround sound.
With the large cavity vacated by the old TV I chose to use an installation method so the back area could be used for storage. That said, I mounted a 4X4 in the center front of the cavity with some “L” brackets and placed two equal sized panels of ¼” birch plywood on either side. Using a combination of wood cleats, spring catches and some cabinet knobs from Lowe’s I mounted the doors so they’re removable. I mounted the TV on the 4X4 using a Sanus MF215. It’s been on a few rough roads in the Wasatch mountains and held up just fine. It also extends past the living room slide out edge and tilts down so the TV can be viewed from every position in the living room. Note: I bought a flat screen that was about 1” thick so I didn’t have any clearance issues with the living room slide out.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attach...tml?sort=3&o=3
(Backboard for TV)
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attach...tml?sort=3&o=5
(Side picture showing clearance)
I cut an access hole through one of the panels then used a wall grommet to pass wires through to/from the TV using a “Midlite 1Gbk-Gr1 Single Gang Wireport With Grommet (Black)” from Amazon.
I replaced the original DVD surround sound player (didn’t work anyway) with a Samsung HT-E3500, threw away the old speakers in favor of those that came with the HT-E3500 and rewired the front left, front right and back right speakers. Amazing what you can hide behind trim on the 5th wheel. I took some “3M Dual Lock Reclosable Fastener TB3550 250/250 Black, 1 in x 10 ft (1 Mated Strip/Bag)” from Amazon and used it to firmly attach the BluRay player to the bottom of the shelf.
You can see in the picture below a single center-channel speaker that I mounted in place of the three original speakers. Now we’ve truly got surround sound and a decent TV. At the same time I lost over 50lbs of legacy electronics and improved our viewing pleasure.
Finally, I mounted a “CargoBuckle F14073 Make-A-Strap Kit with 2 Snap-Lock Buckles” from Amazon on the 4X4 post to hold the TV secure while traveling. This has a 1” strap and is easily hidden behind the TV by wrapping it around the articulating Sanus mount.
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attach...tml?sort=3&o=6
(Installed & Strapped TV)
That’s about it.
Dane