How to Remove Overhead Gaucho Cabinet on Bigfoot ???

[babs08]

Good Morning all ...



we recently purchased a17 ft bigfoot trailer, whose previous owner sealed shut the overhead bunk above the Gaucho couch. As a result they also removed the support post for the inside corner of the bunk.



We are a family of five and will really need that bunk. I am not about making and unmaking beds, so we would make it permanent.



We would like to remove the existing cabinet completely and use the "side walls" (head and foot boards) to mount a new platform. The existing cabinet has no screws, it is just "glued" in with some adhesive. Long story I know, but here's the goods:



Question : how do I remove the cabinet with minimal demo destruction? Is there any product that might dissolve this glue?



Normally I'm all for demo and destruction.... but I don't want to hurt our precious Notorious B.I.G seeing as we've owned for for a whole 22 hrs...



thanks in advance for your knowledgeable advice!



kindly,

Barb

[KeithA]

Hi Barb,

I know this is long after the fact. However we too are a family of 5 with a 1985 Bigfoot 17' foot as well. The gaucho bunk was so close to the ceiling, that even for our smallest kid, it was uncomfortable. So like what you are suggesting, I removed the upper cabinet completely and built a permanent bunk lower down.

I built a frame near the door out of 2x4 with a ladder on the end. The bunk bottom is built the way they build Murphy beds - two sheets of 3/4" ply, with 3/4" ply spacers in between, screwed and glued (so it's 2-1/4" thick). The wall end towards the back of the trailer was tougher to build a support for, it is' a bit of an improvisation, with some supports going down to the floor.

So we sleep adults on the dinette, the middle (9) and oldest (13) on the pull out couch, and the youngest (7) on the bunk, dog (80 lbs) on the floor. Cozy is an understatement.

During the day, we cram all the bedding up in the bunk out of the way.

[babs08]

Hi Keith. Thanks so much for your reply. Any chance you have pics? I had a hard time convincing my husband to lower the bunk. He was worried about blocking the window. Sometimes, even though I know my way is better, I have to let him move forward. So our bunk is in the original spot and our 8 tpyr old slept there this summer. We also put all our bedding there during the day, and leave the bed. We tend to eat outside anyway. I will try and post some pics of our trailer. I don't think hubby wants to redo his work even though he recognizes the bunk is too high.... .

Thanks kindly for your reply! Would love to see yours sometime. Are you in YYC by chance?

[KeithA]

Hi Barb,

We are in NW Calgary (Hidden Valley). I am putting my trailer away this weekend, so I can grab some pics before then. I have a parent meeting at school tonight, but tomorrow I can get some pics.

We did debate how low to make the bunk - ours is low enough it impairs the function of the couch below (for adults at least), but there's enough space up in the bunk that 2 kids can play up there when they need to be out of the way. I kind of "overbuilt" it, but I don't have to worry about it collapsing if the kids are horsing around.

[babs08]

Ha! My husband also "over engineered" our bunk. An elephant would be easily supports, if one could fit!! . We are also NW YYC in Mt. pleasant. Perhaps next season we can do a live comparison! . I'm trying to attach a few pics myself now!

I never really wanted a trailer to stay in, just a safe warm place to sleep, to that effect we never used our dinette. We kept all areas as permanent beds!

Thanks for your input!

[babs08]

A few more pics. Not sure why some are upside down...http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/a...1&d=1443640479

[babs08]

Last one, sorry.

[KeithA]

Looks like your bunk is plenty big enough!

Hopefully I can figure out the technology here to attach photos of ours.

[KeithA]

Apparently, just lay your monitor on its side.

[KeithA]

BTW that picture of your camp setup looks suspiciously like Vancouver Island

[SOCK MONKEY]

Hi everyone, just joined up here looking for any glimmers of info on our 1993 17' we just bought this summer. We love it. I was wondering if that overhead was originally a bed. Ours has been screwed down solid and has a shelf in it. But it did look like it was a bad attempt at a kid bunk.
THe 74 Vanguard 17 we just sold had the same thig over the dinette and the doors would fall open, just like a trap door.. It had the identical floor plan but this Bigfoot is so much of an upgrade for us. I'll be asking a few questions next spring when I prep it for next season.

[Bigfoot1992]

Yahoo - we just bought our 1992 Bigfoot last week so just working on winterizing it correctly. I'm happy that there are a few other older bigfoot owners out there.