Reed's 2017 Elite II Drawer Fix

[KarenLukens]

I've been using cushions to keep the drawers from opening until today... Yesterday I found the magnets that I've been looking for at Ace Hardware, they are 07217, 25lb magnets made by "The Magnet Source". They're more then strong enough to hold the drawers closed by themselves and they fit the original strike plates installed in the Oliver's perfectly. I had thought originally about just doubling up on the original magnets until I saw these Yesterday.

 

 

I just had to mark and lower the middle and bottom drawer screws on mine, the top drawer lined right up. I had some good 1/2" sheet metal screws with a socket head that made them easy to install and though it says that it will hold 25lbs, it's maybe 6lbs of pull to open the drawers. So they are snug but still easily opened by anyone.

 

Here's more pics and a pic of both the old and the new... major difference. I ended up screwing them in all of the way and then backing them out 1/2 a turn. I also adjusted the strike plates out enough to hit the magnets and hold solid. We will be heading down a washboard road here in a day or so to really put them thru the test... Well, I will be going really slow anyway... but still :)

 

Reed

 

[Corcomi]

Well done...will wait for your test run!

[John E Davies]

Reed, set up a phone so you can video the galley drawers, they may open and close yet you would never know it. The only reason we knew ours were dancing is because we found a spatula lying on the floor. It had hopped out and the drawer closed itself again.... there was no other sign of distress.

 

I hope your magnets work, but straps are 100% guarnateed, as long as you remember to rig them ;)

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[KarenLukens]

After getting the new magnets installed, the 3 stack of drawers weren't solid. I pulled them back out and found that the 1 x 2 board that held the magnets had simply 1 screw holding it in from the top... The other screw on the bottom that was at one time screwed into the 1/8" access door, was no where to be found. With nothing holding the 1 x 2 to the bottom and being that it was cut 1-1/2" too short to make a solid connection to the base... Now as an after thought, it would have been best to just cut out the 1 x 2 and replace it with one the right length that fit tight, top to bottom... but, I bought a 3" L Bracket, which did the job and the drawers are all secure. There's no way that they will come out now with the new magnets holding them, and the tension is easy to adjust simply by moving the magnets up or down the board, so that just enough touches the strike plate to give the drawers enough tension to keep them in place. I fixed them this way because I still wanted working, self closing drawers; and this way they actually snap closed into place, tightly to the magnet. It's a nice, secure sound :)

 

Reed

 

 

 

[John E Davies]

found that the 1 x 2 board that held the magnets had simply 1 screw holding it in from the top… The other screw on the bottom that was at one time screwed into the 1/8″ access door, was no where to be found. With nothing holding the 1 x 2 to the bottom and being that it was cut 1-1/2″ too short to make a solid connection to the base…

Sigh,,,, that is disheartening. I'm glad your magnets work now.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Mmoren]

John

 

How are you rigging your drawer straps?

 

 

[KarenLukens]

John How are you rigging your drawer straps?

You can do a simple search for John's thread, it doesn't need to be reposted here....

[Rumline]

For future ease of navigation:

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-to-galley-drawer-travel-straps/

[KarenLukens]

I’m glad your magnets work now. John Davies Spokane WA

 

Honestly, because Oliver's cabinet maker didn't install the hold down bar behind the drawers correctly, all of the 2017 models need to be checked. They put a #8 screw through the 1/8" piece of fiberboard with nothing else to back it up, leaving the 1x2 loose on the bottom and its 1-1/2" air gap from the base was simply put, poor workmanship, so the screw pulled itself out way back when the drawers all fell out because that little screw in the low density fiberboard had no chance of ever holding even empty drawers closed with nothing to hold on too... Then being coupled with the small magnets being misaligned and not ever matched up to hit the strike plates, they were a complete failure from the day they were built. With the magnet bar now locked in place, coupled with the right magnets, the drawers once again work as originally designed. They are self closing and they lock in place without the need for the straps. Plus, the strength can be easily adjusted for each drawer by simply moving the magnets either up or down or in and out a touch with the screw for fine tuning. This is the right fix, simple, easy and out of sight.

 

It works perfectly.

 

Reed

 

 

[MrBig1]

Like it Reed, well done. Clean and simple.

[MrBig1]

Reed, set up a phone so you can video the galley drawers, they may open and close yet you would never know it. The only reason we knew ours were dancing is because we found a spatula lying on the floor. It had hopped out and the drawer closed itself again…. there was no other sign of distress. I hope your magnets work, but straps are 100% guarnateed, as long as you remember to rig them John Davies Spokane WA

John,

 

Those straps you came up with are a clean addition if you are gonna really test out the off road capabilities of the Oliver. Well done also. IMHO both of these gentlemen deserve a bit of thanks for sharing their ideas with us all.