Design fail - Unsupported Cupboard Floor

**Labretrieverlover** · 01-17-2019, 09:10 PM

We hauled our new 297RSTS 1600 miles to California this week. Little did I know that you shouldn’t put something too heavy in the cupboards beside the couch at the back of the trailer. The bumps and rough ride caused the false floor in one of the cupboards to collapse and scrape a wire on the back lights from the inside. Now we have no brake or signal light on the trailer. Why would Grand Design not put some supports underneath this false floor? This is about the only fail I have seen, but very bad.

**DaveMatthewsBand** · 01-18-2019, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by Labretrieverlover

We hauled our new 297RSTS 1600 miles to California this week. Little did I know that you shouldn’t put something too heavy in the cupboards beside the couch at the back of the trailer. The bumps and rough ride caused the false floor in one of the cupboards to collapse and scrape a wire on the back lights from the inside. Now we have no brake or signal light on the trailer. Why would Grand Design not put some supports underneath this false floor? This is about the only fail I have seen, but very bad.

That was your first post on this forum?
Maybe think about swinging by the new member area and introducing yourself.
Then post some pics!

**Country Campers** · 01-18-2019, 04:58 AM

This issue is common among all trailers. Manufactures make short cuts to keep costs down.
By the way welcome to the group.

Brian

**howson** · 01-18-2019, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by Labretrieverlover

We hauled our new 297RSTS 1600 miles to California this week. Little did I know that you shouldn’t put something too heavy in the cupboards beside the couch at the back of the trailer. The bumps and rough ride caused the false floor in one of the cupboards to collapse and scrape a wire on the back lights from the inside. Now we have no brake or signal light on the trailer. Why would Grand Design not put some supports underneath this false floor? This is about the only fail I have seen, but very bad.

In a construction zone there was an unmarked dip in the road. I was doing about 35 mph. It felt like it does on a roller coaster when you get thrown against the restraints, except we were only wearing seat belts. I can't even imagine what it would have felt like in the trailer. At our next stop we found the restraint on the doors to the closet snapped, the shower door restraint opened with the doors free to slide (but not broken), the bathroom medicine cabinet apparently opened (tossing out several items) and then closed on it's own. Just about everything shifted or moved, but thankfully (in our case) there was no damage.

Experience is the best teacher, but it sure does extract a high price for the lesson! You'll figure it out--hang in there!

As DMB (pointedly) suggested, why not go to the New Member section and introduce yourself?

Welcome to the forum.

-Howard

**Sandi** · 01-18-2019, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by Country Campers

This issue is common among all trailers. Manufactures make short cuts to keep costs down.
By the way welcome to the group.

Brian

I totally disagree that it is to cut costs. I think it has everything to do with adding more weight to the RV. Now, should they have added extra support to that area? Probably. But to make a blanket statement that shortcuts are made to keep costs down, I disagree.

**Cate&Rob** · 01-18-2019, 06:11 AM

Hi Labretrieverlover,

We have had this same cupboard floor collapse. Also drawer bottoms falling out from heavy contents. As described by others, these trailers are built as light and inexpensively as possible. Things like these are part of towable RV ownership . . . any brand. Agreed that it shouldn't be this way.

WRT the title of your post, we try to use descriptive names so that the discussions can be found later by others interested in the same topic. I have extended the title you chose as it could have referred to many different things.

BTW . . . there are many dog owners and dog lovers on this forum . . . see the pet section. https://www.mygrandrv.com/fo...ay.php/83-Pets

Rob (moderator)

**gbkims** · 01-18-2019, 06:38 AM

A 3/4" piece of rigid foam insulation makes for a lightweight filler for the hollow cabinet floors.

**Big Blue** · 01-18-2019, 06:41 AM

A few years back we had a 5th wheel with a rear kitchen.. even on a decent road things would go flying.... on a bad road we'd find drawers and doors open, stuff everywhere... We modified the cupboards, used bungees on the doors, and changed how we packed the kitchen... I'm with Sandi in that it's more about weight than cost.. Especially on a Reflection... Hope the repairs go well... Good luck,.. Norm

**WhittleBurner** · 01-18-2019, 06:44 AM

We used scrap wood hanging around the house for supporting the cabinet floors next to the couch and resupported all the larger drawers, the smaller ones seem ok in an almost 5 yr old Reflection. Surprisingly the drawer under the oven has held up really well, it holds smaller pots and pans

**Canyonlight** · 01-18-2019, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Labretrieverlover

We hauled our new 297RSTS 1600 miles to California this week. Little did I know that you shouldn’t put something too heavy in the cupboards beside the couch at the back of the trailer. The bumps and rough ride caused the false floor in one of the cupboards to collapse and scrape a wire on the back lights from the inside. Now we have no brake or signal light on the trailer. Why would Grand Design not put some supports underneath this false floor? This is about the only fail I have seen, but very bad.

As shared, some of us have this happen due to overloading the cabinet along with missed staples as in our case causing one cabinet floor to drop down. There are supports in the cabinet to support the floor or at least there used to be. Could they be more robust and built stronger......sure but the key is if done here and in many other areas, there would be minimal to no CCC left in the RV considering total build price point and build stds.

What this forum has been so good about is sharing owner feedback on these items among this group as well as with GDRV as necessary so they can respond on the forum and implement any corrective action in the build process and/or materials. This is not a static process. With each new model and changing components, design, etc. it is a ever going dynamic event.

See this thread with more information on this relative to the light weight construction and the easy fix options to enhancing the cabinet:
https://www.mygrandrv.com/fo...1795#post81795

Dan