Where to put the tv?

Simply place a "backer board" inside the cabinet to screw the mount onto. Make the plank as large as will fit to distribute the load. At 10 pounds or so, it doesn't have to be very thick.

We just purchased a 32" Samsung smart television for our 26' trailer. The mount we got makes it easy to remove the television and put it on the bed while we are moving. This also makes it easy for the television to do double duty as a kitchen television when we are not using the trailer. We started with a 24" Vizio smart TV from Walmart ($188) and it was OK but way too small for my eyes so we returned it!

We went for a smart Samsung television. I use my cell phone as a repeater to provide an Internet connection for the smart TV. BUT!!! I have unlimited data on my cell phone account.

Anyone have one of the newer Element tv's that Sams Club sells? Looks like decent specs and reviews. They have a 22 with dvd built in for $135. It weighs 10 lbs.

On the wall mount, I was having a hard time finding something I have confidence in holding up. Our trailer is really fiberglass outside and cabinets inside. The little wall where the bed and kitchen separate, is not solid. Thats really the only wall. We have cabinets all along the rear of the trailer. Then the bathroom. Then fridge, sink, microwave. Along the opposite wall, there is a couch and a few cabinets above. It's perfect for our small family, but not for a wall mount tv. I know you guys have done some creative stuff.

Measure the space, then take your tape to where you are planning on buying from. Measure the display models to see if they will fit. Remember that TV measurements are diagonal - so a 23" TV measures 23" from the lower right corner to the upper left corner. You may consider mounting it on the wall - find the stud or mounting area close to the outlet using a stud finder. Buy a wall mount and secure with lag screws - drill pilot holes first.

Many newer LED TV's operate on DC voltage and have an external 110V AC to 16-19V DC adapter/transformer. It would be simple to find a 12V DC to 16-19V (whatever flavor your TV prefers) laptop power supply and skip the 110V AC altogether. We found an LG 24" LED TV from Best Buy for $159. It was a bit bigger than we expected to get, but the price was right and we had a wall space to hang it.

The DVD is similarly small, but we need to find a DC adapter for it as well so we don't have to run it off the invertor. Small DVD players can be had for $50-60.

Both draw very small amperage, so it would be easy to run off a small invertor. LED TV's and DVD players use nothing near the amount of power as old tube TV's and VCR's...and even Plasma and LCD TV's use more power than LED.



Short answer: Forget counter space--wall hang it!

jfkmk wrote:
You don't need to get a rv specific tv. We have a very small (17') trailer and bought a 19" LCD TV with a built in DVD from Walmart a couple of years ago for about $180. I don't know if they still carry it, but it is perfect for our application. The only disadvantage is it requires 110 volts, so no watching tv off the grid. We don't watch it a lot while camping, but it is nice to catch the local news and weather, and we sometimes have our movie night.

If watching off the grid is something you want to do, purchase a small inverter. It doesn't take much power to run a TV.

You don't need to get a rv specific tv. We have a very small (17') trailer and bought a 19" LCD TV with a built in DVD from Walmart a couple of years ago for about $180. I don't know if they still carry it, but it is perfect for our application. The only disadvantage is it requires 110 volts, so no watching tv off the grid. We don't watch it a lot while camping, but it is nice to catch the local news and weather, and we sometimes have our movie night.

walmart has, or had, several small low cost TVs that will work for you.
bumpy