Leaving table open while towing

[tnsue]

I tow a 1995, Excella 28'. In the owners manual is says to have the table in front of the couch open while towing. So I did, but my RV guy says no, no. Said it would be to much pressure and movement on the hinges where it is connected to the wall.

It made sense to me to have the table open but now I don't know. This is the table that swings up, the legs come down and then you have another leaf that opens out. This gives you plenty of room to sit on couch and eat at the table.

Can anyone enlighten me on this subject? What do you do? Just need some help in decided which way to go on this matter. Sure don't want to rip the table plumb off the wall. Bad news for sure.

I decided to come to the experts and so here I am.

Would appreciate any feed back that comes my way.

TNSue

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by tnsue

I tow a 1995, Excella 28'. In the owners manual is says to have the table in front of the couch open while towing. So I did, but my RV guy says no, no. Said it would be to much pressure and movement on the hinges where it is connected to the wall.
TNSue

I originally put mine down for travel, but I now leave it up. When you think of it, if the table is down, the entire weight of the table is on the hinge since the table doesn't reach the floor and the latch is worthless for taking any stress. The worst movement, IMHO, is a folded table swinging out on every left turn and banging back down again.

With the table up, only about half of the table weight will be on the hinge and the table will not be flapping on the hinge because of the worthless latch. I figure that it is a whole lot less stress when it is up.

Most of the experienced Airstreamers in my unit leave their tables up all of the time over thousands of miles of travel. Several even have put file cabinets or other drawer units underneath the table that don't support the table but prevent it from being folded.

Mine stays up all of the time unless I need to fold it to use the folding chairs when we have a crowd in the trailer.

BTW, I have built a magazine/manual rack into the unused cavity behind my table. The table still folds normally.

[uwe]

TNSue,
I travel with the table open, about 50% of the time. I put it down if we need the front for sleeping, or if the bikes have to come with us.
I do not think it's a problem either way, although I prefer it staying out.
I would suggest to secure it well when it's in, and use the short leaf only when towing with it out.
A well balanced running gear will prevent the table from shaking loose in either position. See the threads on Centramatic wheel balancers.

[Pahaska]

Here is the rack I built under my table. It holds the trailer manual and a few magazines. The space was entirely wasted to start with.

And, yes, I have Centramatic balancers on the trailer and experience no vibration problems. Best addition I have made.

[Silvertwinky]

Interesting subject indeed!

In the year or so I’ve been on this forum I don’t believe this has been mentioned. I would say that I would go with what your owners Manuel says, especially if the table when folded up, might be somewhat loose allowing it to swing a little.

On our camper, the table rest tightly against the floor so we travel with it folded up. The carpet we installed makes for a tight fit so I don’t think there is any movement at all. This would be my concern with leaving it folded against the wall.

[Rick Alston]

Leaving table open while towing?

I have never done this, but like others, I wondered if it would be OK. When in the folded travel position, I insert a rubber door stopper (you know the type that is designed to keep a door from magically closing on its own) that acts to lift and support the table and relieves the stress on the support arm.

As a matter of fact, since I purchased the door stopper in a package of two, the second one goes under the rear bath door to help support it and prevents it from moving sideways which keeps pressure off the "toe killer" slide lock!

Rick

[85MH325]

Leave it up. In every trailer I've had that table always shakes loose if it's stowed. It is hard on the hinges to leave it down.

Roger

[tnsue]

John: Thank you for the picture. I am going to do that. Wasted space as far as I can see.

Silvertwinky: My table rests securely on the floor as yours. It does not have a chance to move since the carpet keeps it tight. But I will probably leave it partially open and use that as storage space.

Uwe: Your mention of Centramatic balancers was the first time I had heard of those. John also brought them up. Will check into this.

Thanks a bunch for the info.

[spinolio]

Hi Sue!

Being in a motorhome we have the oppportunity to see what happens to the table while in motion. We've driven with it in both positions, but mostly drive with it up, without the leaf folded out. One reason is that in the down position it makes more noise which is annoying while driving. In my mind, more noise also equals more movement which equals more stress on the hinges and housing.

Hope this helps

I just recently bought a 31' Sovereign and the PO had two of the rubber wedges that you see to hold doors open wedged under the front edge of the fold up table eliminateing any movement. seems like a good idea if you travel withit down.
Jack

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by tnsue

John: Thank you for the picture. I am going to do that. Wasted space as far as I can see.

I used dimension oak from Lowe's. The side and center vertical pieces ae 1/2" x 2" and the front pieces are 1/4" x 3". It has to be placed up a little ways, making use of the curve of the wall, so that the table can fully fold. I assembled mine with an air nailer, but screws could be used. I used 2 brass angles at the center to tie it into the wall since the manual is heavy.

The extra space for reading matter and a place for the manual is a welcome addition.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by tnsue

John: Uwe: Your mention of Centramatic balancers was the first time I had heard of those. John also brought them up. Will check into this.

Thanks a bunch for the info.

There is a long thread on the forum on the balancers. Do a search on Centramatic.

Since I installed mine, I have had no evidence of vibration in the trailer. Best $200 I have spent on the trailer. Thiings stay right where they are put now and there are no marks from things rubbing such as the silverware rubbing in the plastic tray as there were before.

Besides that, they look good!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Pahaska.

John.

From your last post, I would gather that you are "now" a firm believer in having the "running gear balanced."

There are stiill many that think it's a waste of time, and money.

How about you telling them the difference, especially since your Airstream has been on both sides of the fence, along with your personal observations.

Andy

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Pahaska.

John.

From your last post, I would gather that you are "now" a firm believer in having the "running gear balanced."

There are stiill many that think it's a waste of time, and money.

How about you telling them the difference, especially since your Airstream has been on both sides of the fence, along with your personal observations.

Andy

I mentioned some of the differences in the posts above. Since balancing, I have never had a screw back out of a light fixture as before. I no longer see black rub marks in the silverware tray or marks in the pantry from cans moving against the wood. When we forget and leave something on the counter, it is often in the same spot a hundred miles down the road; before balancing, everything would always be on the floor.

Years ago, I had a single-axle Scamp and even with the wheels/tires balanced, things routinely came apart inside. For instance, I never could keep screws in the stove top all the time I had the trailer; I just got used to replacing the screws at the end of each travel day. At the time, I had no idea that the balance problem was in the hubs.

I advise everyone in my unit to put the balancers on, but no takers as of yet.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Pahaska.

John.

As the saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

You, others and I can only preach and preach, on how to save, money, effort and a long list of bad words, but you can't make them do it.

So, we just sit back and repair the unnecessary damage they create.

What else can someone do?

Andy