The upper cupboards

[Dianne Dohei]

Hi there - we have had our Boler for a number of years and I have always been nervous about everything falling out of the upper cupboards while travelling. So I unload them before heading out and reload them when we arrive. Which kinda' defeated the purpose of the convenience of cupboards! The doors have never come open while we were on the road, no matter how bumpy, but they also didn't have any weight behind them to push them open.

I've looked at other's solutions and read different ideas on the various forums. Most involved changing the latches or tying the doors shut. Which we didn't really want to do. I was chatting to my husband about it the other day and he made a suggestion that got my mind working and VOILA as solution!

I have two small cutting boards (11x 8.5 inches) that "just" fit standing up inside the door. And one of those collapsible bowls that also "just" fits. I have to kind of force them in, but once there, they keep things from hitting the doors and forcing them open. And of course the cutting boards and bowl have other uses, which is always important (everything in the Boler has to have as least two uses!). I then stuff some towels in the space above the dishes and food to keep things from bouncing too much.

We tested the theory last weekend and it worked marvelously! All the stuff was even still standing. What a treat to not have to take the time and effort to load and unload. I've attached a couple of pictures to show what we did. The towels are not there, but the one picture behind the cutting board shows the table cloth and my wine glasses wrapped in a towel. I don't want to take chances with the wine glasses! Anyone who knows me knows that wine glasses have to be glass.

So I thought I would share the idea for those who have opened up their trailers on arrival somewhere only to find the contents of their cupboards on the floor.....

Dianne

[Donna D.]

ahhhh the Mother of Invention! Dual purpose stuff, I love it!

[Kevin K]

Take a 1/8" board and cut some slots where your handles are and put some felt on the back of the board. Now all 3 doors will not open when driving down the road..

[Dianne Dohei]

Attachment 23101

Take a 1/8" board and cut some slots where your handles are and put some felt on the back of the board. Now all 3 doors will not open when driving down the road..

That's a good idea Kevin. We have the regular type RV door latches, so that wouldn't work for us. There are always so many different solutions though to the same problem.

[Raya]

So have your standard Boler cabinet RV latches opened going down the road? Mine have stayed completely latched, although I haven't been out on boondocky roads.

Kevin.... I love that idea for doors with knobs Cool! I have many a time thought about replacing the original Boler latches with something I liked better, but then most of the locking hardware didn't suit, for one reason or another. With your method one could use regular "house" knobs, of which there is a much better selection.

Raya

[Rick Harmer]

Evenin'!
I've been looking at the handles I 've been dealt and found them wanting(my wife and I designed and built our own home 5 years ago,so we go a few tricks!).The cupboard doors in our Boler have the single knob style and,frankly,I don't like the look.Two points of contact(2 screws)are,to me,better for the doors and hinges,and a simple bungee cord could hold them all closed(I'm looking at magnetic contacts which we use in closets here)
My 2.1 cents worth,the dollar being what it is today!

[CharlynnT]

Clever ideas!

"Are we ready to go?"

"I just have to do the wedging, then we're all set!"

We travel almost exclusively on boondocky trails, old logging roads, etc., so things jostle about and sometimes fall.

The coolers go under the dinette, then are wedged with a backpack, the food boxes tucked up against the gaucho (couch) then wedged with cutting boards, the "flying drawer" has its own special heavy-duty latch, and the fridge door, closet, and most other cupboards are bungee-corded (not too tight).

Upon arrival, the chocks are placed under the Boler tires, the door-step put into position, the furnace cover replaced and the stove-top elements found and replaced. Then lower the jacks, light the fridge, install the tarp, create and light the fire pit, and ahhh......

[Joy A]

Hi Diane,

My third year out I purchased new dishes for the Scamp. On my first trip out with them I found one dish on the floor in a million pieces. Prior to that date I'd never realized that the cupboard came open, in fact they may not have as it could have been the way I stacked the new dishes.

My easy solution was like Keven's. I happen to have a piece of 1/4"x4"x4ft oak on hand. I simply made notches 1 3/8" long by the width of the handle posts. I too put felt behind the wood just where the notches are. I've been using this solution for about 6 years now, its just second hand to look up at the cupboards before locking the door and driving off.

[floyd]

Go to the hardware store and get cabinet locks, they are easy to install and can be bought with or without keys.

Like this...
http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/it.A/id.3843/.f

Or this.....
http://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalo...php?p_ref=4469

Or this......
http://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalog-prod...php?p_ref=17853