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Old 08-03-2003, 08:18 PM   #1
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Default Towel rack solution found

With 10,000 miles under our belts since May of this year, we have both applied the many informative suggestions derived from this web site AND come up with a few of our own.

Hal's self standing shower, vent covers in the bathroom, door mounted towel drying racks and wheel well rebuilds (after blowing tires) mark just a few of what we have learned from you all.

Our bathroom came appart on several occations, but wood glue, longer screws and exact duplicate hinges all found at Wal-Mart, kept us rolling. While on the roll from home to our destination we stay at these giant stores and found all manner of supplies needed to keep safely on the road.

The best contribution we can make is the paper towel rack. We agonized over options until we found a magnetic base rack that now rests on top of the small microwave (which is set on the floor when the TM is collapsed). We also set up clip-on 12 volt fans for all beds at help circulate air within the TM on those hot southern nights.

Gregg

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Old 09-10-2003, 11:03 PM   #2
B_and_D
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

At Wal Mart we found two really useful items for over the door. The first one was a set of hooks about 2 feet wide that fits over the top of the bathroom wall (anywhere you want to put it). It has at least 5 hooks, maybe 6. Useful for hanging clothes as you change in or out of the bathroom, or towels.

The second one was the over the door hanger that is about 12" long and has holes in it for hanging hangers, but also will just act as a hanging rack for whatever.

At Bed Bath & Beyond this weekend, I found a really cool over the door "laundry dryer" that is a great shelf for the back of the bathroom wall over the bed in the back (or for the front of the bathroom wall over the sink, if you don't have the optional cabinet). We can put our tiny 12v tv on there, maybe a larger one. They are closing them out right now, $6.99.

I need solutions for the low cabinets. Have been looking for plastic bins that will act as pull out drawers so I don't have to lie down on the floor to look for stuff down there. Have measured all of the spaces, but have only found a couple of suitable bins that fit in each of the unique spaces. Looked at the standard bins, rubbermaid, even cat litter pans but the only thing that looks close to the dimensions I need are the hand shopping baskets in the supermarkets.

Has anybody found something that works for them?

Where do you keep your shoes? We have 4 people's shoes to store!!

Need input!!
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Old 09-10-2003, 11:18 PM   #3
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

You did not say what model of TM you have, that most likely make a difference as to where you would put shoes.

On the 2720 there is a little compartment just below the queen/rear bed. There is were we keep shoes, first aid kit, dry snacks (stored in those square plastic peanut jars) and some times extra hangers. The adults should put there shoes in first for that is a long reach to the rear/starboard side of the trailer. (Little arms might not be able to make it and would surely mess up any stacking that had taken place.)
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Old 09-11-2003, 08:45 AM   #4
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

We have a model 3225 with additional cabinet space, and store our shoes in the bottom cabinet nearest the wardrobe. It does get a little crowded in there with shoes for 4 people, and I am a bit annoyed having to get down on my knees to find one shoe of a pair that has worked its way to the rear, but it works. Maybe having a bin for the shoes that fits into the cabinet would be a good thing....
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Old 09-11-2003, 10:01 AM   #5
Denny_A
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

[quote author=B_and_D link=board=7;threadid=1113;start=msg9075#msg9075 date=1063256603]
-------------------snip--------------
I need solutions for the low cabinets. Have been looking for plastic bins that will act as pull out drawers so I don't have to lie down on the floor to look for stuff down there. Have measured all of the spaces, but have only found a couple of suitable bins that fit in each of the unique spaces. Looked at the standard bins, rubbermaid, even cat litter pans but the only thing that looks close to the dimensions I need are the hand shopping baskets in the supermarkets.

Has anybody found something that works for them?
---------------snip----------
Need input!!
[/quote]

Follow this link to a solution for the low cabinet inconvenience issue, as presented by Bill some time back (18 mos.?).

http://home.comcast.net/~trailmanor/kitch.htm

It's very well documented and presented.

Denny
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Old 09-11-2003, 11:35 AM   #6
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

We installed a wire bracket type drawers in our cabinets. In this way my wife does not need to get down on her knees to get something. We picked up the drawers from the Container Store. Each model (style) trailer should be able to duplicate what we did. If your air conditioner is built into the wall, you will have fewer drawers and if you have a larger trailer, you may be inventive and have more. I have the plans and directions that we made up for installing ours. The brand is Elfa and mini size work great.

2- Re the hanger system that is hung on the folding wall in the hallway. If there is one thing that bugs me about living in a trailer is the number of things I have to get out (install) and take down to store each time we raise the trailer or lower it to get on the road. Even removing one of these tasks makes camping much more pleasant for me. I did some figuring and discovered that if one is carefull in their measurment, a permant rack can be attached to this wall. When folded down, this rack would miss the terlit and the bathroom sink.

3- We have designed a shelf system that hangs on the clothes cabinet. The frame remains hung permanantly and the shelves are inserted into it. The frame is thin enough so that when the clothes cabinet is laid down on the floor, the rear bed can still pass over it. Also, this frame supports this cabinet in three places (the hinge plus to parts of the shelf frame.) It takes ten seconds to have the shelves in place and they are removed just as quickly for travel. I have plans for making this shelf system, free for a self addressed business sized envelope and a stamp. If I can figure how to get pictures on this new site, I will post them.

Somewhere on this site is a picture of our hands free shower set up. These include instructions for tailoring your shower curtain to fit your tub. If you write you might as well ask for a copy of these plans.
-I also have plans for replacing the present door knobs with lever type, replacing the kitchen faucet with a single lever one. Also plans for installing 12 volt night lights which are hooked up to the "kill" switch. Each set of plans are free except for an SASE. You had better add a stamp or two if you request more than one.

And our pride and joy is our screen door. It fits on the sill of the lower door and swings with this door. Its frame is collapseable and all rolls up and slides into a 4" tube. The six page plans, complete with parts list, are available for $5.00 and an SASE.

Hal Swanson
709 S. York St.
Denver, CO 80209

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Old 09-11-2003, 08:11 PM   #7
B_and_D
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

You guys have lots of good ideas, thanks. What a great response!

I like the custom built wooden drawers, showed them to H, he says that they'll go on his honey-do list. In the meantime I think I'll try to find whatever plastic bins/cardboard boxes that I can come up with!

Haven't looked for the container store online (have never heard of them) but those wire baskets sound cool too, and would eliminate having to construct the drawers (and probably lighter weight?)

I agree that having more stuff to take off and put up is a pain in the kazoo, but our TM is so perfectly preserved/unmodified that I really hate to put any holes in anything. I'll probably get over it after using it more and getting it more broken in.

Finally noticed a alien HOOK in the wall next to the stove 2 days ago, for the potholder . That's the only hole/modification this one has (97 2720M). It's in amazingly good condition, I wish we had a bigger garage to keep it in. :-\

It must be weird to drill/screw through those foam panels...what comes out? Little white foam pieces? Plastic shreds?

Do you have to go all the way through and anchor stuff with a bolt vs a screw?





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Old 09-20-2003, 07:36 AM   #8
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

Hello everyone!
We had a great summer in our 2004SL and spent a month in it along the east coast from Maine to Florida. The storage in it for two of us was pretty good. Here are a couple of the things we did to make it better for us.

1. We use large plastic tubs for all the food and dishes so that we can just slide them forward to see what we need. These were bought in Walmart and of various sizes to fit the odd spaces under the stove side cabinets.

2. Instead of a complicated shower head holder, we bought a little plastic wall mounted holder that has two positions for the shower head built in, from Home Depot. With "Easy Pass" velcro (the really industrial strength kind), we velcro the plastic holder to the wall of the shower near the ceiling. We just put the shower head in there and it works great. Be sure to remove it before closing the TM.

3. We keep almost all of our shoes inside shoe bags in the wardrobe. We even use a shoe bag for storing underwear and socks. There are short shoe bags that have 12 pockets each.


4. Those small plastic self-sticking hooks are great for sticking on the wardrobe. We hang a clock there since our 2004 model didn't come with a clock on the front cabinet.

I did a lot of the ideas that I read in this board. Thanks to everyone for sharing!!

We shortened our shower curtain and added a row of pennies for weights. Also, we use clothespins to be sure the edges stay together.

I wish we had a more time to camp some more, but it is down for the season now.

The last tip: We keep an ultrasonic noise maker inside it all winter and cover it with a tarp. We live in the country and the mice discovered us a few years ago. Ever since then, we run the machine and it seems to work.
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Old 09-21-2003, 09:28 PM   #9
B_and_D
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

Ya know, we've been wondering when the mice were going to get into our TM....they got into our 63 Aloha.

We took it down to one of the Missions outside of King City, CA, (one of the kids had their standard 4th grade Mission report) and didn't know the mice were in there. Got into to bed Friday night, kind of felt some little pebbly things under the sheets, thought they were "nerds" (little hard candy things the kids like, and had that day) so just kind of brushed them aside, but when we woke up and it was light, well, ugh, we'd found mouse turds under the sheets.

And they were everywhere, in the silverware drawer, oven, all the places I'd so carefully cleaned weeks before. We couldn't use any of the silverware and had to go to Taco Bell in King City for dinner. We even found a dead mouse in the drain bucket we'd put outside. YUCK!

We live in the country and are used to those things OUTSIDE but I hate it when they get INSIDE. Our outside cat does a good job of keeping them away from the house.

When we got back, we used that expandable foam to seal up all the cracks and crevices and that kept the mice out.

Anybody else had mice in their TM? I can see a lot of daylight coming from under the sink, next to the water tank, etc. We bought a can of foam sealant but haven't used it yet.
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Old 09-24-2003, 06:09 PM   #10
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Default Re:Towel rack solution found

We really believe our ultrasonic noise machine helps keep the mice away because they trashed the inside of my 1988 TM and shredded the curtains, left their droppings everywhere and urinated on the carpet where their nest was. It was disgusting! I made all new curtains that spring.

The machine is something I paid $70 for from Fingerhut a few years ago. It can make 6 different sounds and they are intended to affect various animals. There are high pitches for mice, birds, etc. and low pitches for deer and larger animals. It is an obnoxious sound in the lower ranges. Maybe that is why it works. When the TM is closed, we don't notice the noise and neither do the neighbors.

Ever since we kept the ultrasonic machine inside the TM over the winter, we've been fine. As a precaution, we remove all the curtains and keep them inside the clothes closet, which totally seals up when shut.

One last thing: be sure to keep your TM away from bird feeders in the winter, which attract mice as well as birds. Ours was near the feeders, which now I realize was a BIG mistake.
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