Removing overhead entertainment center

Years back I got the information for a fella who wanted to do the reverse. Perhaps the factory build provides a stouter frame work for the bed than the entertainment center? however.

If winnie says don't do it, I think I would follow their advice, regardless of any body doing it. let the kids sleep on your jack knife sofa.
bumpy

Bumpyroad wrote:
Years back I got the information for a fella who wanted to do the reverse. Perhaps the factory build provides a stouter frame work for the bed than the entertainment center? however.

If winnie says don't do it, I think I would follow their advice, regardless of any body doing it. let the kids sleep on your jack knife sofa.
bumpy

X-2

Dusty

I saw a post on here from someone who had done this... I think he did reinforce the structure somehow. Do a search on these forums in the class C section, maybe you can find it.

Found the post:

Changing entertainment center to bunk cab-over.

There is a link to photos of the project.

I tried the search but no luck; maybe I used poor wording. I'd like to find out what extra reinforcement was used by Winnebago before I decide what to do but would like to switch it out. And other thoughts? Thanks.
Marty

coolmom42 wrote:
Found the post:

Changing entertainment center to bunk cab-over.

There is a link to photos of the project.

yep, I note in one of those posts that the mfr. said they were constructed differently to support a bed.
bumpy

Dusty R wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
Years back I got the information for a fella who wanted to do the reverse. Perhaps the factory build provides a stouter frame work for the bed than the entertainment center? however.

If winnie says don't do it, I think I would follow their advice, regardless of any body doing it. let the kids sleep on your jack knife sofa.
bumpy

X-2

Dusty

Triple ditto. Don't do it.

Also: If you want to trade in or sell it later you would most likely be decreasing its value if you did such a structural change.

If you need extra sleeping room, consider a popup bed trailer built for motorcycles or small vehicles. Several are listed HERE..
This would give you better options for maximum cost recovery later should you decided to sell and get another mh. It's easier to recover the cost for the small camper trailer by advertising in the motorcycle community.

Oh, MY! I never would have thought a builder would use a different outside wall to handle the bed vs. the entertainment center. I think there's a melding of strength (stiffness) and flexibility involved here. Our coach has the cabover bed. When we hit a dip or hump in the road, it at least "seems" that the cabover has additional motion, compared with the hood and the cab roof. It might just be that the top of my visual "horizon" (the bottom of the cabover) changes as the whole coach pitches up or down, though.

I don't usually say this because I believe it's implicit that our statements here are our own, unprofessional, often uninformed, opinions. THIS IS A SHOT IN THE DARK. CONSIDER THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! If the reinforcing in the cabover side walls isn't adequate to help with the weight of people up there, I might consider making the chassis' cab responsible for that weight with 3/4" plywood. Cabover is bigger than 4x but Oversized plywood is available. Put a second "deck" in, and count on that to support the kids' weight. Only if I could get a full-sized piece in, and only if I could securely tie it to the cab, with nothing between that could flex. Ideally I'd put angle braces down to the back edges of the cab. But at a minimum find out how the cabover is attached to the steel of the original cab and improve it. Say stainless machine screws with nylon locking nuts, appropriate washers, etc.
Are you willing to give up the opening above the center of the cab? Doing so will make it tough to get in and out of the cockpit from/to the coach. But it'd retain a lot of the stiffness of the plywood. On our first C, we made the cabover bunk our permenent bed. In fact had a full queen innerspring mattress up there. We had to duck to get in/out of the cockpit but it wasn't bad. We had flat floor, coach to cockpit, because we didn't have basement storage. The Winnies we looked at had a big step there and that would make it a gyration to get in and out. Of course, there are cab doors to come and go through.
Again, my thought may well be severely faulted.

I read that other thread, and I see the SunSeeker project was BruceMc. That's good, because he's still active here (but with a different coach he's also modifying!) and his work is always beautiful. He wasn't concerned about structure, though, so proceed with the greatest of care.

Most entertainment cabovers are just a fiberglass shell and that is it. They build a face to it and the inside is unfinished, the one on the link above is actually beds on the side and the TV in the center so the strength is already there. The shells are the same on most units (sleeper or entertainment) as the cost of having two different molds and carrying extra inventory is not worth it. BUT the difference is that the sleeper units are reinforced on the inside with material bonded to the fiberglass to add strength, lights added and windows added.

You could do this yourself, it would not be hard just a lot of work. ANYTHING can be modified if you want to it is just is it worth it or not.

My concern would be how much use it gets VERSUS cost/work/potential problems. May be better to bring a tent along, make a bed up across the front seats or have them sleep on the floor and save all the hassle.