Author Topic: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?  (Read 3375 times)

Mike Shumack

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Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« on: September 10, 2019, 02:22:17 PM »
When the engine is idling the cabinet over the bed rattles. I can push on the wood trim piece above the cabinet doors and it stops.

I don't see any fasteners looking inside the cabinets or looking down from the top.

I can reach over the top wood trim (hand between ceiling and the top edge of the horizontal wood trim piece) and feel the gap between this trim piece and the top of cabinets. It feels tight but I may be able to get some wood glue in there (sort of run a bead along the inside/back edge) - however I'm not sure if gluing this joint is a good idea.

Any suggestions?


Carl Boger

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2019, 12:21:02 AM »
Before I glued it, I believe I would try putting  either a wood shim in the gap or a piece of rubber foam to see if that would stop the rattle.  If it does great, if not it didn't really cost anything and is easy to remove. 
Carl

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David T. Richelderfer

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2019, 02:08:59 AM »
The length of that row of cabinets has to be very heavy.  There is quite a bunch of wood in it... plus the weight of things that are stored in the cabinets.  Thus, I would think the top of the row of cabinets has to be bolted up to the ceiling of the slide and perhaps to the aft vertical wall of the slide.

We have much the same looking wood cabinet structure over the head of our king-sized bed.  Interestingly, in our case, the fore-end of the row of cabinets has dropped about one-half inch.  But the aft-end remains up tightly against the slide's ceiling.  I can push the fore-end of the structure up to the ceiling but it takes a lot of force.  When I let go, it immediately drops back down that one-half inch.
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Mike Shumack

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2019, 03:18:37 PM »
Thanks for the replies.

I'm not sure the top row of cabinets is attached to the ceiling of the slideout. I can see any fasteners. Maybe it is just attached at the sides and all the weight is held up by the header and footers above/below the cabinets. I'm going to try to get a better look at it tonight.

We are packing now for our trip to PA (and I've been occupied doing the coach pre-trip inspection,mechanical checks, greasing, etc.), so I haven't had time to get more into this.

Fred Brooks

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2019, 02:44:51 PM »
     Mike, The horizontal trim you refer to can be removed to reveal attachments. Note: The vertical and horizontal trim pieces are called the "horse shoe". They are the last pieces installed after the slide room is installed in the opening.
  The overhead cabinets in that slide are inclined to loosen over time. I am pretty sure there is a cleat behind the face frame at the ceiling inside the cabinet. If you slide the mattress out of the way, you can get a bottle jack and cut a 2 by 4 and push the cabinet back up against the ceiling and re-secure. Fred
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David T. Richelderfer

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2019, 03:59:39 PM »
In our coach, there is another two-door cabinet structure (3' 6" long) over a chest of drawers and countertop to the fore-end of the four-door cabinet structure (7' 9" long) which is over the head end of the king-size bed.  The cabinet structures appear to be totally separate (unattached to each other) yet are snugly placed end-to-end between the two vertical walls of the ~11' 6" long bedroom slide.  The only place I can see that either cabinet structure has settled down is at the fore-inward corner (front towards the center of the bedroom) of the four-door cabinet structure.  The other three corners of the four-door cabinet structure appear to remain up against the slide's ceiling.  And all four corners of the two-door cabinet structure over the chest of drawers and countertop appear, also, to remain up against the slide's ceiling.  So... whatever holds that one corner of the four-door cabinet structure over the king-sized bed up against the slide's ceiling has loosened or released or otherwise allowed that one corner to sag about 1/2".

I used a small mirror to look into that fore-end cabinet door (where the sagging is) looking for some ceiling attachment device - none to be seen.  I used a mirror to look down behind the front fascia of the cabinet structure (where the sagging is) - no attachment device there either.  I am thinking I need to get the advice of someone from the construction process to make this repair or take the coach to Bend (217 miles away) to have someone at BCS make the repair.

BTW, because I am the driver of the coach, I am unable to tell if the cabinet structure moves, bounces, or squeaks while traveling.  Its location is about 35' behind the pilot's seat.  I have the feeling that whatever is allowing Mike's cabinet structure to squeak is the same problem allowing our cabinet to sag.  Our problem is simply older and more "mature" than Mike's problem.  I know our sagging cabinet structure at that corner has existed for several years and has not gotten worse that I know of.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2019, 04:06:40 PM by David T. Richelderfer »
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Mike Shumack

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2019, 04:50:53 PM »
     Mike, The horizontal trim you refer to can be removed to reveal attachments. Note: The vertical and horizontal trim pieces are called the "horse shoe". They are the last pieces installed after the slide room is installed in the opening.
  The overhead cabinets in that slide are inclined to loosen over time. I am pretty sure there is a cleat behind the face frame at the ceiling inside the cabinet. If you slide the mattress out of the way, you can get a bottle jack and cut a 2 by 4 and push the cabinet back up against the ceiling and re-secure. Fred

How does that trim come off?
Is it attached with velco? I've seen other pieces in my coach attached with velcro and it's tough stuff - you really have to pull.

Fred Brooks

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2019, 10:05:11 PM »
   Mike, Not sure on your 05. Some mfgs run a screw in from behind and draw the horse shoe in tight. Some use Velcro industrial strength, some use pin nails. Is there a center trim overlay? something that can be removed to reveal hidden screws behind it. Keep in mind if you wanted to remove the room, the horse shoe has to be removable. Soldier on my friend.Fred
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Roy Warren Co-Admin

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2019, 03:39:17 PM »
Mike,
Mine is attached with Velcro and I have the same coach only a couple of months older.  Most of the noise of my cabinets is from the vertical side moldings and they are secured with screws and at the bottom on the right side looking at the coach, the small corner molding is attached with either Velcro or glue, depending on which person put it into the coach.  I am sure Fred is correct and has the correct method to tighten the cabinets if they really are loose.
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Mike Shumack

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Re: Cabinet over bed rattles - how to fix?
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2019, 11:13:14 PM »
I have not gotten into this yet, but on the wardrobe slide, I did remove the trim to inspect and lube the slide mechanism. There are two wood buttons/plugs in the trim pieces. You pry them out and there are screws behind them. Maybe the bed slide is the same.