Our 3 year old Sunseeker has compartment pans that are too thin and light, and had too few anchors to the outside sidewall. Our 2000 Four Winds has a pass-through compartment with a one-piece plastic pan, and after 19 years, it shows no signs of sagging.Too bad Forest River's bean counters cheapened things down to this point, but that's the way it is, bean counters being what they are.As the pans started sagging, they pulled the pan lips away from the outer sidewall. Note the gap between the pan and the outer sidewall, at the bottom of the image:Rather than simply add more screws to the lip, I decided to create some braces to bring the base back to level and to provide better support. I had some 1/2" angle iron and fittings from an old crib, so this is what I built:Installation details: outer end:Inner end, tied to frame rail:Outer end bracket extends just above the lip inside of the compartment, I cut just a bit of pan material down to install two self-tapping screws. I took this image after spreading sealant in the gap, then after installing the remainder of the screws, I spread sealant on the screw heads:After the initial fitting the brackets, I painted the complete bracket with paint I'd squirreled away in the chemical locker, heck, they'll get dirty soon and will look like the remainder of the underside of the coach: Once I have the brackets in place, I'll cut some 3/16" plywood to fit the inside dimensions of the pan to provide additional support.I have 3 compartments on our Sunseeker 2250, I suspect others have several more on their units, all with similar issues. I have these issues with the rear two compartments. The forward compartment just behind the rear door appears to be fine, though I'll add a few more screws to ensure it stays in place over time.

Terrible ! Not your build, the fact that you had to 'rebuild' in 3 yrs of typical part-time use. "Look at all the storage you get with this unit" They don't tell you it's storage for a person who is a feather collector. I thank you for taking the time to post the pics of your mod, I know it will be very helpful to myself as well as others. It's sad to have to admit that I suspected that I would be eventually doing the same type of fix and it probably will be sooner than later.

Only suggestion I might make is...please post this is the Do It Yourself Forum. It gets a lot of readers and contributors and this will no doubt help some folks.Gary Haupt

Yea, it is terrible. One thing I've noted in the last several years since the great manufacturing migration to China is that no matter how much we pay for products, we still get the same poor quality. We simply cannot buy good quality products any longer, no matter the price or where they are manufactured.Granted, the vast majority of RVs are manufactured right here in the good 'ol USA, but the theme is the same: "Give 'em less, and charge more for it!". One of these days, they'll get all of our money, and give us nothing in return (coughInsuranceCough)...garyhaupt wrote:Only suggestion I might make is...please post this is the Do It Yourself Forum. It gets a lot of readers and contributors and this will no doubt help some folks.Gary HauptThanks Gary! I post on the ForestRiverForums as well, and as the Sunseekers and Foresters are the same units with mostly cosmetic differences (Chevy vs GMC, for example), it's good to post a link in one to the other.I'll post a link to this article in the DIY forum.

When servicing my rig I get on my creeper with a flashlight and inspect the undercarriage. I have found numerous wires and lines loose. I do this on all my vehicles.Removed the front panels of my speakers, I have the entertainment center vs overhead bunk, and drove a few extra staples into the wood framework eliminating one annoying squeak. I like the posters fix. The photo showing the low hanging water piping concerns me. Seems like a road hazard kicked up could end in a stinky situation.

Storage compartment pans sagging, separating from sidewalls

17 Replies

AbdRahim
Explorer
Nov 29, 2018
When mine was brand new, it visited a local body shop several times to address the root sat separating front to outer wall of the MH.
pnichols
Explorer II
Oct 03, 2018
You might want to check out this discussion thread:
https://forums.trailerlife.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29756621/gotomsg/29757166.cfm#29757166
houstonstroker
Explorer
Oct 03, 2018
I have a Dynamax on a Freightliner chassis. This is what I did.

before[img][/img]

after[img][/img][img][/img]
BruceMc
Explorer III
Sep 30, 2018
Project complete.

Here's the second compartment on the passenger side:

Looking in:

Same issue as the drivers side:

Brackets constructed and installed, inner frame rail details:

Outer end detail before caulking - this is the material that lines the inside of the outside walls. Our old Four Winds had tin on these surfaces:

Full view - someone got carried away with the caulk, thus it was spread far and wide....:

Final result, floor is flat and supported. You can see the rails through the translucent pan material:

The plywood I had in my "stock" was a bit warped,

but will settle out over time with a load:

Next, I added 6 screws to the forward compartment just aft of the side entry door as it had just three; the new screws are in the pilot holes, ready to be set. Nothing else was needed with this compartment:

Back to the driver's side compartment; Plywood installed:

and loaded with a few things. I usually put my equipment box here; it contains a boy's axe, bow saw, small toolbox, flares, hitch ball mount, etc, so it weighs around 20-30 lbs. Additionally, the lawn chairs and other larger items go into this compartment:

BTW, many of the images of these Sunseeker Projects can be found in my image galleries.

Now that this project is complete, I'm off to other projects in my copious spare time between work and other issues life throws at us..

I'm happy to hear it has helped others as well.

--Bruce.
BruceMc
Explorer III
Sep 29, 2018
bobndot wrote:

Maybe next year I will weld up two 3" wide straps with 90 degree angles and attach them to the interior right and left edges , run them down the interior sides and across the bottom of the bins.
I will make a new plywood bottom to rest on the 3" bottom straps as a full bottom support. My goal is to keep weight off the plastic bin.
When I do it, I will post step by step pix. When I do this can I call it the 'BruceMc II project' ? :B

I like it!

I'll post a few images once I complete the passenger side compartment, probably today. The brackets needed a bit of modification as that compartment is a bit different.
BruceMc
Explorer III
Sep 29, 2018
Gee Bob, I'm at a loss for words... thanks for the compliment!

I have several other projects in the queue. One that is planned for this winter is to replace all the MDF counter tops with solid surface. Part of what started the desire to replace them was that one of those dreaded bubbles appeared in the counter top just to the right and forward of the sink. Apparently the sealant around the sink is insufficient, and after a couple years of cleanings & moisture, water seeped in under the lip & into the unsealed MDF. (Medium Density Fiberboard, aka furnitureboard) Upon arriving home, I rigged up some boards & put pressure on the bubble, and it disappeared as it dried. Now having a reason to replace them, we wanted to shrink the sink size and change to a rectangular shape so we'd have more counter space.
But I digress....

bobndot wrote:

After closer examination of my Sunseeker bins I noticed that your bins seem to sit higher than mine . You have framework around the bottom exterior of your bins that I don't have to install support crossbars, I have nothing to drill into .
My bins are only supported by the top inside plastic lip which is just screwed in place on the edges.

Sounds similar to mine... the lip is/was attached to the inside of the inner side of the sidewall by a few screws & adhesive, and suspended from other points around the pan.
It looks like it has support along the hatch opening, but its only because the inside of the sidewall is covered in a thin black woven plastic sheeting, much like blue tarp material. Behind that is the same wall as you'd see inside the coach, which covers luan and adhered to foam. There should be wooden and/or aluminum framing around the hatch openings. This is why the brackets on the outer ends extends up between the pan and sidewall, so I could attach them to the hatch framing inside the compartment.
This image may be a bit misleading, as I had slid the putty knife between the pan and sidewall. You can see the end of the putty knife:

Conversely, the inner sides are a couple inches from the frame rails, which is spanned by the brackets. See the last image in my original set:
bobndot
Explorer II
Sep 29, 2018
Bruce Mc, you're an inspiration. :)

Geez, shame on me for not noticing this when I bought it. Double shame on FR for installing something that can fall out , spilling its contents all over the highway possibly injuring someone. :S

After closer examination of my Sunseeker bins I noticed that your bins seem to sit higher than mine . You have framework around the bottom exterior of your bins that I don't have to install support crossbars, I have nothing to drill into .
My bins are only supported by the top inside plastic lip which is just screwed in place on the edges.

As for now, only light (very light) items will be carried in those bins. I emptied the heavy stuff .
I will cut plywood covers and allow the inside wooden edge of the compartments framework to support the new wood bin covers. I will then have the plastic OEM bin for light items and heavier items on top of the new wood lids. I have a few more trips left this season and will see how things go, storage wise.

Maybe next year I will weld up two 3" wide straps with 90 degree angles and attach them to the interior right and left edges , run them down the interior sides and across the bottom of the bins.
I will make a new plywood bottom to rest on the 3" bottom straps as a full bottom support. My goal is to keep weight off the plastic bin.
When I do it, I will post step by step pix. When I do this can I call it the 'BruceMc II project' ? :B

Thanks again for caring and posting what you did, I think you might have saved me a big headache.
Bob
Chum_lee
Explorer
Sep 28, 2018
Unfortunately, in these days that's pretty much par for the course. At least half the work I do to my Class A is putting back together pieces (like what you did) that IMO should have been assembled differently in the first place. About all you can do is be thankful YOU found the defect(s) before more damage was done, and, be glad you had the time/ability/tools to do something about it. It never ends.

I just saw a +20 minute video of a 1987 Airstream Class A MH for sale on Youtube. (very rare) Wow. That 34 footer was still clean, dry, tight, and in great condition. Airstream knew how to build things right!

Chum lee
T18skyguy
Explorer
Sep 28, 2018
Very nice work. Since we end up rebuilding so much of the junk they hand us, they ought to just sell it in kit form.
BruceMc
Explorer III
Sep 28, 2018
BTW, here's a view from a normal perspective. you can see the drain point just behind the rear wheels:

And another (in Fields Station, Oregon)

The oddity is the black dump valve is on the passenger side, where the gray is on the drivers side. The 3" black pipe does not contain effluent except while dumping!