Kitchen Drawer Problem Found*

[geokeg]

So, maybe I missed it somewhere along this thread but I am wondering what is the driving force to get your drawers to open?  My guess is maybe the installation is not level or you have some "snaking" going on with the trailer, or maybe Reed is a little lead footed in the right hand curves with the ML?  We are not having drawers opening at all, yet...

 

George

[KarenLukens]

Here's a picture of the screws used to fix the drawers. I used the 1" grabber on the left, in the center is the screw that Oliver sent as a replacement, and on the right is the original that pulled out. The 1" grabber really goes in nice and tight.

 

 

Then for the sponge drawer I bought #12 x 5/8 sheet metal screws and that's as large as the hinge would take.

 

 

Then here's a pic of the Blum---ing slide

 

 

Then I had to reset all of the magnet bars so that the magnets would lock on to them. I ended up having to shim them all out about 1/8" to 3/16" and then loosen the magnet half a turn to get them to hold the drawers closed.

 

 

The drawers actually click into place now like they are suppose to from the factory and they hold strong. But... I have to say that we will be blocking them in place from now on with the cushions from the couch coupled with some pillows from the bed to make sure because the reality is, we haven't even been seriously off road yet and all this damage happened on normal paved streets. The original mirror door was weak, really weak when compared to the new one that we put in the other night and that was a quick and easy fix. But why the one door was so weak and flexible from the factory when compared to the new one is anybodys guess. It's been 3 months and we already have over 7000 miles on the new trailer. It's been quite a ride :)

[KarenLukens]

So, maybe I missed it somewhere along this thread but I am wondering what is the driving force to get your drawers to open? My guess is maybe the installation is not level or you have some “snaking” going on with the trailer, or maybe Reed is a little lead footed in the right hand curves with the ML? We are not having drawers opening at all, yet… George

 

Yup, you've missed something... And can read about it here -

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/tsb-galley-drawers/

[geokeg]

I understand the short screw issue.  I was more interested in where the energy or force is coming from that causes " the body at rest" to no longer remain at rest, or if you might have an unlevel drawer mounting situation that lends to the drawer movement.

 

George

[KarenLukens]

Mostly I think that it's because the magnets weren't matched to hit the lock, so the drawers were free floating... And as always California highway 99...

[geokeg]

Okay, thanks that makes sense.  I checked our drawers today for pull force to start movement.  Did not use a fish scale but my guess is around 2 pounds of force before the drawer starts to move, a nice firm force was required.

 

George

[KarenLukens]

Okay, thanks that makes sense. I checked our drawers today for pull force to start movement. Did not use a fish scale but my guess is around 2 pounds of force before the drawer starts to move, a nice firm force was required. George

2lbs? Wow :) I probably have a pound now after resetting them. It took just a light pull before to open them. They slid in and closed on their own but didn't catch the magnet, so there was basically no force needed to open them being the magnets had a 1/8+" gap between all of them and the pieces of metal that they used for the catch plate.

 

We made it to Yosemite today and man 99 is such a rough highway... I pulled the cushions from the table and stacked them in front of them all to make sure that they all stayed closed because the road in is your standard old steep & twisting mining road. When I turned on the tablet I had 1bar and 4g and it worked. Then I turned on the Cell Booster and got 3 bars and the 4g is much faster.

[ScubaRx]

We have the oldest drawer slides of any Elite II on our 2014 Outlaw Oliver and we have never had a kitchen drawer to come open during travels. We do not have any magnetic catches on any of the drawers.  Some of the dampeners on the self closures have played out, but they still close (with a slight bang) and they stay closed.  I have several new drawer slides to replace them with but I'm always doing something "more interesting!"

[Hikegsm]

Reed, not sure where I read it but someone asked about if the tires needed balancing. I believe you wondered if that could be contributing to your drawer opening still.  I asked Anita and this is her reply:

 

"The tires are ordered and already mounted for us. I do not believe that company balances them. You would need to do that. "

 

Yvonne

 

 

[Mainiac]

I have heard from a customer that my unit of was done. She said it was waiting decals. I am waiting the call from the factory that that is so. Guess it was fortunate for us, it should have allowed for the drawers to be ‘fixed’. Guess we will inquire tomorrow. 3000 mile round trip, is not something we would do for 16 or so short screws…

 

We called and asked at sales office, and I was assured ours was ok. Mine was waiting in the lot, but no one evidently got around to fixing ours. I just got home and found a lightly filled drawer (dishtowels, potholders, and some napkins) dumped on the floor. Searching around and so far I have found 3 of these little 1/2 screws. I will fix this drawer and the others. One more thing that makes me distrust the old sales staff (or at least part of it). Bad drawers, wrong color awning, extra thick cushions on the dinette (when we specifically specified normal dinette cushions), cancelled hatches sitting in the closet. They sure screwed up the opportunity to make a good first impression. If it was my sales organization there certainly would be someone getting a "Plan for improved performance review". I see gaps in communication, both with production and customers, and a general lack of follow through.

 

Color me disappointed...

[KarenLukens]

Canoe12 wrote:

I have heard from a customer that my unit of was done. She said it was waiting decals. I am waiting the call from the factory that that is so. Guess it was fortunate for us, it should have allowed for the drawers to be ‘fixed’. Guess we will inquire tomorrow. 3000 mile round trip, is not something we would do for 16 or so short screws…

We called and asked at sales office, and I was assured ours was ok. Mine was waiting in the lot, but no one evidently got around to fixing ours. I just got home and found a lightly filled drawer (dishtowels, potholders, and some napkins) dumped on the floor. Searching around and so far I have found 3 of these little 1/2 screws. I will fix this drawer and the others. One more thing that makes me distrust the old sales staff (or at least part of it). Bad drawers, wrong color awning, extra thick cushions on the dinette (when we specifically specified normal dinette cushions), cancelled hatches sitting in the closet. They sure screwed up the opportunity to make a good first impression. If it was my sales organization there certainly would be someone getting a “Plan for improved performance review”. I see gaps in communication, both with production and customers, and a general lack of follow through. Color me disappointed…

 

Another set bites the dust... The replacement screws that Oliver sent were still too short, in my opinion, so I used 1" Grabbers. Then to lock the drawers back onto the slides, use a wash cloth or towel, pull the drawer and the slide out, then with the towel over your fingers, slip your fingers into the groove at the front of the slide and then pull the slide out into the locking mechanism that's screwed to the drawers, while holding the drawer in place or pushing it back to lock in the slidebar. You will feel and hear them lock into place. If you try it with just your fingers, it's slices up your finger tips just enough to feel some pain that takes a week to heal, but just holding a towel over them in the slide works great and totally protects your fingers from the sharp edges on the slide :)