TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > How to and Modifications
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-05-2006, 11:47 AM   #1
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default How to mount a flat panel TV

We used to have a 9" CRT-type television, which we set up on the counter above the refrigerator. It took up too much precious counter space. We bought a 15" flat-panel LCD TV, which we set up in the same place. It was better, but the base of it still took up too much space. What to do? Owners of 2007 TMs can solve this problem by ordering their TV mounted in the bathroom wall. But I have a 2006!

I finally decided that I could hang the TV from the top edge of the over-sink cabinet, as shown in the photo below. It turned out to be quite easy. I bought a 6" x 18" piece of sheet steel from Home Depot, cut it into two pieces, and bent the pieces into a mating pair of hanging brackets. The brackets are quite similar in concept to the brackets that hang the cabinet on the wall, but bigger. One bracket hangs over the top edge of the cabinet. The mating half is mounted on the back of the TV (where standardized mounting holes are thoughtfully provided). When we arrive at our campground, the TV slips into the bracket, and when we leave, it slips out for travel on the couch. It should be easy to duplicate, as long as your TV is not too big.

A quick technical note. I have one of the first LCD TVs. These early versions suffer from a limited viewing angle - that is, you have to view them from pretty much straight on. (Newer TVs are better.) To aim it to eye level in the middle of the couch, I bent up the cabinet half-bracket so that the TV is not flat against the cabinet wall - it angles out into the room a bit. If you have a newer TV, you probably don't have to do this.

Bill
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Hanging TV far small.JPG
Views:	1393
Size:	24.6 KB
ID:	1517   Click image for larger version

Name:	Cabinet.gif
Views:	1090
Size:	6.0 KB
ID:	1524  
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2006, 09:59 PM   #2
idaho-steve
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Bill,

This looks like exactly what I am looking for. If I understand your design correctly, you cut the 6 x 18" sheet to make a pair of 3 x 18" brackets. From there you formed a hook at the top to enable it to hang from the cabinet and the lower half of the bracket screws onto the TV. If I have it right so far and before I head off to my local Home Depot can I ask what thickness the original sheet was? Thanks,

Steve
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2006, 08:42 AM   #3
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

Steve posted
Quote:
If I understand your design correctly, you cut the 6" x 18" sheet to make a pair of 3 x 18" brackets.
Steve -

The cut is in the other direction - each piece was approximately 6"x9". The pieces weren't necessarily identical, though. Be sure that you make rough patterns out of heavy paper or light cardboard before you commit yourself.

I don't recall the gauge, but Home Depot had only one thickness in the bin, so I bought it. This morning, I put a mic on a scrap of it, and it came up 0.056" which looks like 16 gauge. This is a pretty heavy gauge to deal with if you don't have a bending brake (I don't), and a lighter gauge would make bending easier.

I went back and attached a sketch to my previous post, to show an edge view of the whole thing. You can see how the two bracket halves fit into each other easily, and come apart easily.

Also, I just noticed that if you don't have a hanging cabinet, you could hang the TV over the bathroom wall above the sink.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2006, 02:07 PM   #4
idaho-steve
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the quick reply and especially the drawing. I would have really mucked it up. I do have the hanging cabinet and I like the screw idea on the top to keep everything secure. Very nice design.

Steve
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2006, 05:39 PM   #5
MidwestDave
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default TV mount

Looks good Bill! I like the idea that you can remove it easily when you close up the unit. What did you do to hide power and antena cables?

Midwest Dave
Northern Illinois
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-07-2006, 07:34 AM   #6
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

Oops! I didn't have the TV hooked up when I took the photo. The wires will simply be bundled, and hung down along the wall. Any real "hide" seemed like more effort than it was worth.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2009, 02:42 PM   #7
OneMoBear
TrailManor Master
 
OneMoBear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 605
Default

Hey Bill,

I know this is an older post but we just used it to hang our new television and wanted to thank you for the great advice. We bought a bending brake (which is our new favorite tool by the way and pretty inexpensive). We actually made two brackets so we can choose to hang it on the cabinet or on the bathroom wall and at different heights. Anyway, thanks again! What a great idea!

Malinda
__________________
'06 2619
Gene & Malinda, Delilah & Koko
'12 Toyota Tundra 4.6 V8 Tow package - Leer XL
Thule for our tandem Hobie Kayak :-)
120w Solar Panel - 2.5" lift 15" Marathons
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
OneMoBear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2009, 06:36 PM   #8
Jim&Joan
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by OneMoBear View Post
Hey Bill,

We bought a bending brake (which is our new favorite tool by the way and pretty inexpensive). We actually made two brackets so we can choose to hang it on the cabinet or on the bathroom wall and at different heights.

Malinda
So, you'll be able to go into business making brackets for us. :-)
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2009, 07:32 PM   #9
B_and_D
Site Sponsor
 
B_and_D's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Santa Cruz County, CA
Posts: 2,405
Default

At the Petaluma rally the 50/50 raffle included quite a few flat screen TV hangers as prizes. Custom RV donated them, I believe that they were designed to hang over the bathroom wall. Perhaps someone who won one and has had a chance to use it can chime in here and let us know how they work. You could probably order one from Custom RV, don't know about the factory.
__________________
'97 2720 & '01 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4
2011 & 2017 Prii, 10'x18' & 10'x9' Tents
B_and_D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2009, 05:37 AM   #10
OneMoBear
TrailManor Master
 
OneMoBear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 605
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim&Joan View Post
So, you'll be able to go into business making brackets for us. :-)
Ha! I think we'll leave that to Custom RV as B & D suggested

Malinda
__________________
'06 2619
Gene & Malinda, Delilah & Koko
'12 Toyota Tundra 4.6 V8 Tow package - Leer XL
Thule for our tandem Hobie Kayak :-)
120w Solar Panel - 2.5" lift 15" Marathons
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
OneMoBear is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.