Installing a gaucho 80 model

[ALANSD]

I salvaged the gaucho from my 78 Sovereign which was totalled in a storm, and would like to install it in my 80 Excella which has none.

I have all the parts and know how to set it up as I removed it to do the flooring in the old trailer.

Question is this- the Sovereign had 2 metal plates on the wall that the gauchos arms screwed into. Can I install without those? Will the arms be secure if screwed inot the walls directly if I find a support frame?
Thanks

[overlander63]

Alan, the reason those plates are there is to distribute the strain. If you only use the single attaching point, they fasteners will pull out of the wall. Our Sovereign has a similar issue, and plates were added to the existing hardware to keep the problem from recurring.

[ALANSD]

Can I get the plates somewhere ...or use a substitute ?make my own, ?

[overlander63]

I'd just use squares of aluminum or stainless sheet. That's what's in ours, and it is holding up very well.

[87MH]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

...make my own, ?

Shouldn't be hard to do....

[ALANSD]

Thanks guy, that is kind of what I was thinking, screw the mount plate into a support and then screw the arm plate into the mounted plate.

[ALANSD]

The gaucho is in and looks/ works well. I used aluminum cut to size and double in thickness where the plate goes into the wall.