New 161 Octane owner seeks advice

[Cass]

Hello,


My first RV is the 2017 161 Octane which I picked up a month ago. I have a few questions...
1) Pull Down Screen. It came with a uninstalled pull down screen and I am not sure how it secures. I would love it if someone could take a close up picture of one side.


2)TV mounting. It also came with a tv in a box leaving me to figure out where to mount it. Over the refrigerator seems way to high. I found a small tv mount that allows for the tv to be rotated giving me the option to mount the smallish tv against the bathroom wall and rotating it 90 degrees for viewing (yes it will stick out and could be bumped but it will store neatly). Other/better ideas?



3) Motorcycle. I have a 1700 cc full size motorcycle and will use the D rings to secure it. Has anyone taken the extra step to install a "stop" for the front tire?


4) Battery. I inherited two marine batteries in a battery box neatly mounted on the black metal rack at the front. I purchased two more batteries and am looking for a box that neatly fills the other (larger) side of the metal rack. Any ideas?


5) Storage. I love what people have posted on what they have done to increase storage. I will probably install wall cabinets in the obvious places. I am hesitant to place screws into the walls without having any idea what is behind the interior wall and how much strength ins in the wall board. How thick are the walls and would an ordinary short wood screw hold up most things?


6) Mattress. I replaced the mattress with a very comfortable ordinary queen mattress which is shorter leaving me a place to place some removable storage compartment at the head of the bed for personal items. Ideas?


I want to thank the forum members for the valuable tips and advice. I have learned so much already and I will do my part to contribute (my pics are forthcoming).


Cass

[Cass]

Test

[taylormade21]

Originally Posted by Cass

Hello,


My first RV is the 2017 161 Octane which I picked up a month ago. I have a few questions...
1) Pull Down Screen. It came with a uninstalled pull down screen and I am not sure how it secures. I would love it if someone could take a close up picture of one side.

-On my 2015 Octane 161, the pull down screen just stays in place. It doesn't latch into anything.

2)TV mounting. It also came with a tv in a box leaving me to figure out where to mount it. Over the refrigerator seems way to high. I found a small tv mount that allows for the tv to be rotated giving me the option to mount the smallish tv against the bathroom wall and rotating it 90 degrees for viewing (yes it will stick out and could be bumped but it will store neatly). Other/better ideas?

-I haven't installed a TV yet either and am also a little curious as to where the best place to mount one is.

3) Motorcycle. I have a 1700 cc full size motorcycle and will use the D rings to secure it. Has anyone taken the extra step to install a "stop" for the front tire?

-Currently I use a Baxley roll on wheel chock and canyon dancer tie downs. I also use a tie down for the rear tire/passenger pegs as well.

Cass

congrats on the new rig

[Cass]

Here are some pics on my tv installation and wall cabinets

The tv is mounted such that the tv rotates and can come away from the wall. I used cutting boards on each side of the wall to distribute the weight/force

The cabinets are all uppers. I used a large prince of live edge cherry to create shelves. It also creates a neat hiding place for valuables underneath. I used two offset wooden “hockey pucks” which could be rotated to make a snug fit

I used a combination of glued 3” finished flooring
(Maple and Brazilian cherry) to create a kind of black splash above the shelf which also supports the weight of the upper cabinet. Nice finished look with good structural integrity

Worried that my wall screws were not strong enough to secure the upper cabinets, I installed a ladder frame glued to the ceiling and around the ac unit which is cut to be snugly fit. This was made with 2” square “plastic wood” found in Home Depot.