Wood ceiling cabinets & safety?

[skodacanada]

Quick question - I have a fiberglass roof, and typical heavy wooden cabinets mounted to it. They are in good shape as is the rest of the truck.

As I have two little ones, I do worry a bit that in a worst case scenario, possibly a roll-over, the cabinets may work loose and come right down with not-nice results. They seem firm and secure.

My question(s) - when mounted to fiberglass, how strong is the connection? Do these ever come down in an accident? Has anyone ever replaced them with lighter storage bins or trays for safety reasons?

Just curious...

Thanks,
Chris

[Rickf1985]

I hate to say it but in a rollover the coach is not going to fare well since there is no kind of roll cage. It is not something that RV people like to talk about but they are only wood frame and some thin metal framing on the later ones. I have never heard of the cabinets just falling down in normal use.

[Oz]

I was being followed by a 1975 Winnebago Indian and one set of cabinets (over the kitchenette) did fall when they drove over some pretty good bumps.  However, the cabinets were completely loaded with canned goods and I think that had a lot to do with it.

I've never seen any of the replacements you mentioned.  Typically, they are glued and screwed to the interior wall from what I've seen on the older RVs.  The "newer" ones may use some staples.  You should be able to lift the interior cabinet base board (usually just a thin panel) and see if they are screwed in.

And like Rick said, a hard accident or a roll-over is going to result in much more substantial structural damage than just the cabinets coming loose.

Safety - store heavy items such as pots, pans, appliances and canned goods in floor cabinets, or keep a minimum of them in the upper ones.

[PwrWgnWalt]

Hi Chris;

From your profile, looks like you have a Class C (Dodge van conversion)...  if so, your cabinets are likely mounted a little differently than on our Class A's.  I'm not sure how your coach was built, but what Oz said is still a good idea - keep the heavy stuff down low when moving. 

If the coach-maker mounted the cabinets directly into the fiberglass, they probably used some sort of reinforcement in there.  As long as your '89 is is relatively good condition, they should be fine.  Even my half-rotted press-board cabinets (back of MH) would not come down easily when I replaced them.  I tried to just tear them down, but had to unscrew them from the cheap, thin paneling and ceiling (they were not screwed into the steel framework).   

If you really want to check, without getting too crazy, put some down force on them (~ 20# maybe?) - then watch and listen for any signs of movement or looseness.

[Rickf1985]

Sorry, I did not notice you have a class C. That makes it much safer in an accident but a rollover would still be very bad.

[skodacanada]

Hi,

Thanks very much for the replies.

I actually have a Class B (see attachment if it worked) so I know it doesn't quite belong here but the only B forum I could find was for newer stuff. At least I have the 70s brown tones going inside and out despite being an 89.

So, it has the solid metal sides with the fiberglass 1 piece top with the upper cabinets attached to the fiberglass.

We try to travel light, but absolutely everything heavy is low - I save the upper ones for plastic food containers, paper matter, and electronics and what not.

If it were just the two of us, I wouldn't worry all that much, and the nose is pretty well protected. Just thought I'd ask for some experiences etc...

[TerryH]

If it were me with your concerns, maybe consider:
your bottom photo, cabinet above the cook top that incorporates the stove fan - using that photo, where would you expect the greatest force to be applied to the cabinet? Lower right corner. Applies weighted force to the top right, then top left, then lower left. Two possible work around are:
Posts from the lower right of the cabinets to the floor.
Not really nice.
Second would be remove the inside base of the cabinet -relatively easy because it hides wiring - and then start caulking every joint and connection (inside the cabinet) with a good quality PL Adhesive.
I mean all framing to coach wall and ceiling, framing to finish wood, framing to framing, etc. Doesn't require a large caulking bead, but they must be tooled or they are useless.
Will possibly require some trimming of shelves.
Doing this would distribute the cabinet to coach fastening force, as well as the integral cabinet strength.
Sorry for the length of this, but your concern for your kids are obviously your main concern.

[Rickf1985]

That is a really nice looking coach, I have never really seen a van type coach set up like that. I would just pull down on them a bit by hand and see just how solid they are, I think you will find that they are tighter than you may think.

[skodacanada]

thanks very much. She's 99.5% rust free and mold/rot free too.