Securing freestanding dinette table in 25 RDS
I recently bought a 2021 Cougar Half Ton 25RDS SWE with the large dinette in the rear with the free-standing dinette table. I bought it 8 hours away in the Riverside, CA area and had a long drive home. I was perplexed on how to travel with a loose dinette table that would destroy the entire interior if not secured.
I asked the dealership where to store the table when towing and they said they didn't know. I then asked how did the transporter secure the dinette during the trip out to CA. Again, they said they didn't know. I even called corporate Keystone and asked for recommendations on how to store the dinette while towing. Again, they said they didn't know.
Now, I'm not bagging on Keystone, but I thought it was odd to make a floorplan with a freestanding table without providing direction on how to secure it during travel. I ended up folding the legs and putting it in the back of my Superduty crewcab. That was fine for pulling it home alone, but not very conducive to family travel.
So, after much thought with no dealer or corporate direction, I did this:
1. Add 1" wide trim board to each side of dinette seat
2. Apply industrial strength velcro strips to bottom edge of
dinette table and 1" wide trim board
3. Fold dinette legs and place table on dinette seat edges as
if I were going to make it into a bed.
From the factory, the dinette table (when placed down on the seat edges) only has about 1/2" overlap. This may work ok when making the dinette into a bed, but if placed this way during travel, the table would eventually bounce up and off of the edge, sending the table flying around the trailer.
By adding 1" trim boards to each side, the dinette now rests securely on the wood. And by adding velcro, the table will not move at all during transport.
How has anyone else secured a loose table? I couldn't see myself drilling holes to make tie-down cleats in the floor or edges of the dinette seats. And Keystone doesn't provide a slot where the table can be stored. I was really baffled by this.
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