Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: What Did You Do To Your Class B Today ?

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Topic: What Did You Do To Your Class B Today ?

Posted By: JimBollman on 08/25/18 04:42pm

I got the front hitch on yesterday, a lot easier with a lift. Also easier after we gave up fishing the bolts through holes that were not big enough and just took the bumper off. The reason for the front hitch is to carry a storage box on the front for some trips and for pushing trailers into tight spots. Of course the 2"x2" tube I used on my F250 wasn't long enough on the E250, the bumper sticks out more over the hitch. Longer tube has been ordered and should be here next week.

Got two things done today. I haven't pulled the battery from it's enclosed box underneath to see what the previous owner had installed. He claimed he put a new battery in less than a year ago, but I had no idea what he installed. The good news it was less than a year old and a deep discharge RV/Marine battery, a type 29DC. Was the brand Walmart sells which gets mixed reviews. Bad news it is a heavy battery and once I had it partially slide out trying to find a date and capacity I got it far enough out I did a control drop of the battery. No damage but online they say the battery weights 65lbs and trying to lift it while laying on my back wasn't going to happen. Maybe when I was 30 years younger (maybe 40) but not anymore. No one close to call for help. I worked it up on a piece of 2X8, then worked another under it, and so forth till I had 4 stacked but I was still short and I didn't have leverage to move it up any more. Went to thinner/narrower boards and did the teeter totter routine till I had 6 2X8s under it and was getting close. One more teeter totter and I got the edge of the battery started into the box and slid it up and in place. Not fun and I will come up with a better plan next time.

My other project was easier. The 1999 E250 console is margin at best. The cup holders are not deep enough and in the case of mine the glovebox had a homemade latch and someone had gutted the inside for an unknown reason making it worthless (no sides). After finding out that 1997 to 2014 had interchangeable consoles, I started looking. Found an almost new one on eBay, a bit pricy but I didn't have to run all over looking for one in a junkyard. I picked a year with good cup holders, a small glove box and a huge open storage bin. It was delivered this afternoon and it slipped right on. Much more usable for a travel van.

Posted By: Traveler7 on 08/26/18 06:32pm

Boondocked in Fairbanks after 9 days driving from Boise- did some cleaning and basic repairs in the house- some duct tape work required after bumpy Yukon roads lol.

"We are not defined by our limitations, we are defined by our potential"

Posted By: rvroadtrips on 08/26/18 09:16pm

I've been working for 10 years first on the mechanical then on the asthetics. Since I recently listed it I made and posted a video showing the inside if anyone wants to see what I've done with my 1989 Dodge 350 Class B Xplorer.

Here's the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/jUX7Sp8TEu8

Christine

Posted By: goreds2 on 08/27/18 07:41pm

rvroadtrips wrote:

Very nice,

See Picture In My Profile
I have a 1989 Dodge XPLORER RV Class B - Purchased 10/15/10 IN CASH
Fiance' purchased a Class C 2002 Dynamax Carri-go on 5/1/15 IN CASH
We've got the best of both worlds

Posted By: rvroadtrips on 08/28/18 01:41pm

Thank you. If it wasn't going to sit for 2 years when we take off I would keep it. Class B's are great, aren't they?

The best thing I've done to my Class B in awhile is take her for a ride. I needed that.

Posted By: JimBollman on 09/07/18 08:02pm

We are a bit more basic than some of you Bee owners. I removed the recirculating toilet that seemed pretty disgusting and was in a location that was unusable by a normal size person and replaced it with a porta-potty. It couldn't go back in the same location because it would still be unusable to us.

Over the last week I layed out the size & shape of a cabinet for between the front seats for the new porta potty, a friend help build it out of some scrap plywood I had. When I say help he did most of it, I have a hard time cutting a square corner. My wife then made an upholstered cover for it with cup holders in the front for our water jugs, which I attached to the box. Then made a pair of brackets that would allow it to be removed if necessary with two thumb screws and installed it this morning. Came out pretty good. The top can be use for extra seating while camped. The flap is held in place by a couple of snaps, the lower flap can be tucked under. The wife added some attachment snaps to the sides of the box and is making a removable tray out of stiffened cloth to snap to the top for extra stuff while traveling.

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Posted By: goreds2 on 09/26/18 10:26am

Took my elderly mother shopping in it yesterday.

Posted By: Pawz4me on 09/26/18 04:57pm

Got back from a 2500 mile, seven states trip. The only problem encountered was a broken catch on the bathroom sink.

Me, DH and Yogi (Shih Tzu)
2017 Winnebago Travato 59K

Posted By: JimBollman on 09/26/18 05:28pm

Wasn't just today but over the last week. Our B is a 1999, so it originally had a old style TV in the overhead space above the front seats. A previous owner took that out and filled in the space using assorted pieces of wood and 36 screws and mounted a small flat screen TV. We never watch or wanted to watch TV while traveling and camping and I just knew there was some good storage behind all that mess. I removed it and found a cavernous space empty accept it had all kinds of exposed wiring, insulations and such. I took the opportunity to add some charging plugs in the two cabinets on either side and did some repurposing of the wiring and then boxed in the area for general use. I made it so it could be removed with minimum work if I need to get to the wires again. That left me with a large hole with no door. I asked a couple of places if there were standard doors that could be bought. The answer was no or it will cost as much as a whole cabinet. I went to a custom cabinet place and they would be happy to make me one for $120 in 4-8 weeks. Went back to Lowe's and looked again at stock cabinets on the shelf and found one with the right size door if I rotated it 90 degrees. Bought the whole cabinet for $67. I now have a spare door and an open cabinet above the door to my shop for more storage. The cabinet was just particle board but had a nice oak front. The door stained up nice and matches pretty close.
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A month or so ago I ordered two all wood oak cabinets from Lowe's which came in. One was a upper cabinet that was added to the kitchen area as a lower in place of the 3rd bucket seat (I made it removable if I want to switch back to a seat when not camping) and the second was a lower cabinet that I sawed the toe hole off to lower it and it went in the back in the space were I removed the recirculating toilet. I didn't want to pay the minimum charge for countertops so I found a 1 inch thick cutting board on Amazon for the counter in the kitchen and since the back cabinet is for supplies I cut a piece of plywood the right size and covered it with carpeting so things could be piled on top if needed. The power that use to run the toilet now powers another aux power plug in the back if needed for a future cooler/frig for longer trips when the frig isn't big enough.

All in all a very protective week. Did a few other smaller projects and getting close for the next trip in 2 weeks.

Posted By: JimBollman on 09/27/18 06:33pm

Slow day, had to make an unexpected trip to the dentist to get a broken tooth repaired and took the B. First time out since I mounted the back cabinet with the drawer. I thought the drawer had a pretty good close spring but I didn't even get out of my drive before it opened. On the way home I stopped at Lowe's for idea on what to use to keep it in place and came home with some child proof latches that didn't really work on a drawer. After much contemplation and sorting through my junk drawers for inspiration, I came up with a solution and fixed the dawer.

I had a 1/4" rod with a knob on the end, not sure what it was originally for. I found a collar and a spring that slid over the shaft. I drilled a slightly oversize hole throw the side of the cabinet and about half way through the side of the drawer. I cut the shaft so it fit in and secured the drawer with the knob against the side of the cabinet. With the drawer out, I put the shaft with knob through the side of the cabinet, on the inside I slide on the spring and colour putting just a little tension on the spring and locked down the collar with a set screw. Now the knob can be pulled back about 1/4". I reinstalled the drawer and now the rod slides in the hole locking the drawer in place, pull out the knob and the drawer opens.

Not sure anyone can follow that description but it worked great, took a lot longer to figure out what I was going to do that it did to do it when I came up with a solution.

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