Les Izmore
Junior Ranger
When we visited the Camp Inn factory in July we related to Craig how last year our dog had wrapped her cable around our side table, then took off after a squirrel. The result was the table collapsed and our Dometic came crashing to the ground. The purpose in relating the story was to illustrate our experience at how substantial the stainless steel fenders are - we now have a dent in the side table, but you can't tell where it impacted the fender! Fortunately the Dometic survived, to our great relief! But we aren't too sure how many more such incidents it would take until we weren't as lucky.
Craig, being a born problem solver, went inside and fetched a piece of angle iron. He adjusted the leg of the side table to the middle hole. We then attempted to keep the side table level while he determined if attaching the angle iron to our frame would work as a place for the table leg to sit against, allowing the leg to act as a strut to support the table.
It was possible, so he went inside, and cut the angle iron down to around 3" long. When he came back, we slapped our level on the table while he refined where to position the bracket. He then drilled two holes through the angle iron and frame, slapped on two bolts, and viola! Our dog can no longer pose a threat to our refrigerator!
The one word of caution is that the side table can be an inviting place for someone to come along and lean against, or for a kid to climb on. BAD IDEA!! That sort of stress MIGHT be sufficient to either pull the screws holding the table brackets away from the side of the camper, or create a sufficient lateral load to do something similar to the six screws that hold the leg bracket to the bottom of the table. To minimize the chance of the former, we drilled out the topmost screw hole of the forward table bracket (the one closest to the tow vehicle), replacing it with a 2" long stainless steel pan head bolt and nut (I think it was a #10). The hole thus created came through in the battery compartment, where it was easy to access and tighten down. It is possible to do likewise with the topmost screw of the other bracket, but good luck with seeing where it comes out in the battery compartment, as it will be hidden by lots of wires and stuff. So we only did the one.
Another benefit of this modification is that, when hitching up, we can now drop the trailer tongue on the ball without having to worry about the side table being deployed (though we generally don't do that).
Anyway, we've used the new strut configuration for close to two months now, probably moving the Dometic on and off the side table an average of a few times per day. Thus far, there is no sign of any of the table bracket screws or leg bracket screws working loose due to the added lateral load.
Before anyone else makes this modification, consider whether, for instance, you are routinely around small children who might be tempted to sit or lay on the table, as that would likely place a greater load on the table than we have applied to it.
While Craig did the design and install on this, we are using it at our own peril. For us, the risk is worth not having to go through the calculus problem of where to chain up Lana so that she can be near us and yet not endanger the Dometic. It has simplified our already simple lifestyle.
Craig, being a born problem solver, went inside and fetched a piece of angle iron. He adjusted the leg of the side table to the middle hole. We then attempted to keep the side table level while he determined if attaching the angle iron to our frame would work as a place for the table leg to sit against, allowing the leg to act as a strut to support the table.
It was possible, so he went inside, and cut the angle iron down to around 3" long. When he came back, we slapped our level on the table while he refined where to position the bracket. He then drilled two holes through the angle iron and frame, slapped on two bolts, and viola! Our dog can no longer pose a threat to our refrigerator!
The one word of caution is that the side table can be an inviting place for someone to come along and lean against, or for a kid to climb on. BAD IDEA!! That sort of stress MIGHT be sufficient to either pull the screws holding the table brackets away from the side of the camper, or create a sufficient lateral load to do something similar to the six screws that hold the leg bracket to the bottom of the table. To minimize the chance of the former, we drilled out the topmost screw hole of the forward table bracket (the one closest to the tow vehicle), replacing it with a 2" long stainless steel pan head bolt and nut (I think it was a #10). The hole thus created came through in the battery compartment, where it was easy to access and tighten down. It is possible to do likewise with the topmost screw of the other bracket, but good luck with seeing where it comes out in the battery compartment, as it will be hidden by lots of wires and stuff. So we only did the one.
Another benefit of this modification is that, when hitching up, we can now drop the trailer tongue on the ball without having to worry about the side table being deployed (though we generally don't do that).
Anyway, we've used the new strut configuration for close to two months now, probably moving the Dometic on and off the side table an average of a few times per day. Thus far, there is no sign of any of the table bracket screws or leg bracket screws working loose due to the added lateral load.
Before anyone else makes this modification, consider whether, for instance, you are routinely around small children who might be tempted to sit or lay on the table, as that would likely place a greater load on the table than we have applied to it.
While Craig did the design and install on this, we are using it at our own peril. For us, the risk is worth not having to go through the calculus problem of where to chain up Lana so that she can be near us and yet not endanger the Dometic. It has simplified our already simple lifestyle.
