Table Leg Stabilizer To Prevent Kid Pancakes

[DrTwitch]

With two kids 3 years and under and a 100lb dog running around, it is only a matter of time before someone kicks the table leg out from under the cooler a claims a prize nobody wants to win. I reviewed all the other threads related to table legs (using lego blocks, welding an L bracket onto the frame to lift table off ground, etc) and I can not believe someone hasn't asked for this next solution before...

Can CampInn make a simple brace for under the table that prevents the leg from closing when engaged? Currently as stock, the table and leg make a two sided right angle, and are only missing the hypotenuse, AKA side C to the potential right triangle. It should be a simple solution to add two flat slotted metal bars of sufficient thickness to prevent flex, put a hinge on one end and use a hitch pin on the other end to pin it to the leg to prevent it from closing without permission.

Or rather than reinvent the wheel, can we come up with something similar to fold out picnic tables? (referencing the silver part). I'd buy an add on to these tables if one was available. If not, I'll zip down to Lowes and get crafty. My wife would prefer the former, myself I prefer the latter. Thanks!

 

[skissinger]

Fyi, a couple threads where others tried to solve for a similar concern,
Galley Table Leg Securing Tip!!!

Strut-supported (dog Proof) Side Table

 

[DrTwitch]

Good evening, thanks for the reply! Hope your weather has been better than ours in the lower Midwest.

I saw those threads, (actually like most people who have killed time waiting on their camper, I think I've read all the threads), and those solutions just seem more complicated than they need to be. I don't want to carry around a block of leggos when it is easier to just bolt angled support to the table leg. I also don't want to weld brackets.

I have a fishing trip this weekend, but when I get back I'm going to Lowes and seeing what I can rig up. I'll post pics when all the rubber bands and glue are set.

 

[hiadventurer]

I agree..we just put our cooler there which protects the leg...pretty simple solution and never had a problem...

 

[DrTwitch]

That's what we have been doing, using the cooler on the ground as a block against the leg. But ideally we would like to get the cooler off the ground and place it on top of the cooler table. Easier to access and keeps the raccoons and toddlers out of the cooler.

 

[Steve_B]

Maybe a side table similar to this would work well:

 

[DrTwitch]

OK, here's a simple fix that'll hurricane proof the cooler table and protect your expensive dometic and dog/kid(s).

You'll need:

2 coupler pins
2 pieces of 18" long steel flat bar 1" wide
1 silver bracket off an extra campinn table leg
2 beers
About 30 minutes garage time.

It works pretty well. Make sure to drill the hole in the leg above the top hole so you can make the leg as short as allowable when you need to.

I also drilled an extra couple holes to secure the coupler pins around the leg when the support is closed in the travel position. It works pretty well so far and feels very secure.

<$20 to have a less anxious wife.

Patent pending.

 

[Randy]

Nice job, this should be standard equipment going forward and offered for sale as an after market upgrade!

 

[DrTwitch]

Randy, I'll sell you one. I'll even paint it any color you want, as long as it's black.

But yes, seems like an easy stock upgrade for CI. I'm certain they could make it much nicer than I did. Probably more elegant to store also.

 

[Van_and_Terri]

OK, here's a simple fix that'll hurricane proof the cooler table and protect your expensive dometic and dog/kid(s).

You'll need:

2 coupler pins
2 pieces of 18" long steel flat bar 1" wide
1 silver bracket off an extra campinn table leg
2 beers
About 30 minutes garage time.

It works pretty well. Make sure to drill the hole in the leg above the top hole so you can make the leg as short as allowable when you need to.

I also drilled an extra couple holes to secure the coupler pins around the leg when the support is closed in the travel position. It works pretty well so far and feels very secure.

<$20 to have a less anxious wife.

View attachment 3917 View attachment 3918 View attachment 3919 View attachment 3920 View attachment 3921 View attachment 3922 View attachment 3923 View attachment 3924 Patent pending.

Very impressive Mod. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Randy]

Randy, I'll sell you one. I'll even paint it any color you want, as long as it's black.

But yes, seems like an easy stock upgrade for CI. I'm certain they could make it much nicer than I did. Probably more elegant to store also.

I would definitely take you up on that but I have a trash can holder mounted under my table so in my case it wouldn't work. Brilliant idea though, I'll bet some others would take you up on it.

 

[Jim Carter]

OK, here's a simple fix that'll hurricane proof the cooler table and protect your expensive dometic and dog/kid(s).

You'll need:

2 coupler pins
2 pieces of 18" long steel flat bar 1" wide
1 silver bracket off an extra campinn table leg
2 beers
About 30 minutes garage time.

It works pretty well. Make sure to drill the hole in the leg above the top hole so you can make the leg as short as allowable when you need to.

I also drilled an extra couple holes to secure the coupler pins around the leg when the support is closed in the travel position. It works pretty well so far and feels very secure.

<$20 to have a less anxious wife.

View attachment 3917 View attachment 3918 View attachment 3919 View attachment 3920 View attachment 3921 View attachment 3922 View attachment 3923 View attachment 3924 Patent pending.

Where do you get the extra leg bracket?

 

[DrTwitch]

You have to buy a spare leg in order to get the silver bracket. They're available on the CI online store under the parts category. $14.33 Camp-Inn Online Store

I ended up using the spare leg that came with the bracket anyways and replaced the original leg, as the original leg was hollow in the top so the tube was bending every time it was opened or closed. Even the small bend at the top made the leg feel unstable, which was part of our problem anyways.

The replacement leg came with a black plastic insert in the top so that it is no longer hollow. Very similar to the issue rotus8 was having: Table Legs Improvement (his solution was to create an aluminum insert, but I think the black plastic piece they now include will work pretty well too.)

 

[DrTwitch]

It works! Little monster was on the leg faster than we could even set the cooler on it.

Next up is the streetside table. I think the next one is going to be even more simple and can still get the same effect with a much shorter bar and a couple small L shelf brackets.