Another 24RBS mod thread!

[Jay2504]

Another mod. Replaced the rear 24” 2500lb. stabilizers with 30” 5000lb. Units. Got them for Christmas last year. Almost everywhere that we camped in the last 4 years, the rear stabilizers had to be lowered way more than the front ones. The idea is to carry less wood blocks to put in the rear. I have seen other campers (Keystone)with the stabilizers at an angle. I was told they work better that way, so I am going to try it! This Jayco is well built IMHO, but I couldn’t believe the tiny self tapping screws that were holding the “old” stabilizers to the frame. Jay

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

snip...... I have seen other campers (Keystone)with the stabilizers at an angle. I was told they work better that way, so I am going to try it!....snip

Jay,

Would be curious how they preform mounted at an angle with the length/weight of the 24RBS......, let us know at the end of the 2020 camping season.

Bob

[Jay2504]

Rustic Eagle, I’d be glad to. Unfortunately I won’t have anything to compare it to other than our other camper. I haven’t had this one out yet. Right now I’m fixing the bed frame/plywood like many others have done. Pictures to come as soon as I am finished. Jay

[Jay2504]

As promised, here is my version of “the bed fix”. One of my main goals was to add as little weight as possible. So I bought a 25’ stick of aluminum 1 1/2 inch angle and used it to reinforce the bed frame. The first 2 pictures are what I started with. Next, I show the top where I added 2 hinges after trimming the plywood to fit properly in the front. You can also see the 1/4 carriage bolts and fender washers I used.

[Jay2504]

Next, because the center 1x1.5 center support strip had a couple of knot holes, I decided to put a new 2x2 wood strip beside it.I didn’t remove it because I wanted a strong center. Both strips are screwed together. Each piece of aluminum angle is through bolted to the plywood and is secure to the side of each wood strip. I took the rest of the angle that I had and reinforced the top of the frame. Again both sides of the angle are screwed into the wood. Both ends of each lift cylinders have a through 1/4” through bolt in addition to the three screws. I thought about doing 2 through bolts but there is not a lot of metal on those brackets. After having the DW bounce on the plywood gently while I lay underneath, I had about 1/4 inch of flex in the middle. So I ran a cross brace in the middle. I used 5 inch L brackets instead of a center wood support to save weight. We will see how it works! The bed feels much better now, even stronger on the edge. Total weight gain 12 pounds. Jay

[Jay2504]

Another quick mod. Got rid of the leak prone vacuum breaker for the black tank flush. This failed on my last camper and made a mess. I don’t worry too much about a back flow, but a garden hose fitting could be used in its place at the attachment fitting on the camper wall. Jay

[Jay2504]

After cutting a pool noodle to hold the microwave glass plate in place during travel, I installed shelves in the bathroom storage closet. Per the DW, the bottom shelf is 16” deep and runs the full width of the closet. The upper shelf is 12” and goes about 3/4 of the way across, letting us hang up a few things. She plans baskets to go under the bottom shelf. The upper plate and the 2 upright brackets are safely screwed into wall studs. Jay.

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

Another quick mod. Got rid of the leak prone vacuum breaker for the black tank flush. This failed on my last camper and made a mess. I don’t worry too much about a back flow, but a garden hose fitting could be used in its place at the attachment fitting on the camper wall. Jay

I did the same as you. Took out the vacuum breaker and and put a Sharkbite 90* in there. I also removed the flange where the black tank flush hose screws into and put one of these in so I have a check valve where the hose screws in.
https://www.amazon.com/RecPro-Camper...s%2C201&sr=8-8 Quick question, how do use a pool noodle to hold the microwave dish in place?

[Atlee]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

Another quick mod. Got rid of the leak prone vacuum breaker for the black tank flush. This failed on my last camper and made a mess. I don’t worry too much about a back flow, but a garden hose fitting could be used in its place at the attachment fitting on the camper wall. Jay

I did the same. Now, I just use a portable one I attach to the hose.

[Jay2504]

TCNashville, it’s pretty easy. I just cut the noodle to fit tight to hold the plate down and keep it from pushing open the door and falling to the floor. Atlee, I liked the way that you secured the plumbing when you got rid of the vacuum breaker. Jay.

[TCNashville]

Brilliant, thank you. Love your mods and keep 'em coming.

[Atlee]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

TCNashville, it’s pretty easy. I just cut the noodle to fit tight to hold the plate down and keep it from pushing open the door and falling to the floor. Atlee, I liked the way that you secured the plumbing when you got rid of the vacuum breaker. Jay.

Thanks. Even before I took the vacuum break out, that plumbing looked way too wiggly. Seemed like something that would eventually leak.

As for the plate in the micro, we just take it out and store it in the tub that's in the dinette seat.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Atlee

...As for the plate in the micro, we just take it out and store it in the tub that's in the dinette seat.

Good ideas, both. We put ours in a “nest” of bubble wrap repurposed from an Amazon shipment and leave it in the microwave.

[Jay2504]

Next mod, looking under the camper, I noticed that the drain valves for the water tanks were attached to the frame,making you get underneath the unit to reach the valves. Also while there I seen that the feed line for the water pump was hopelessly kinked. This, and wiring is why I am glad I don’t have an enclosed underbelly.

[Jay2504]

This is the finished product. For some reason, Jayco chose to tee the drains of both tanks together, then set up the water pump feed line to draw off both drains at once. I find this kinda weird considering that on the other end of the tanks, there is a fill hose size connection to both tanks. In other words, as you fill one tank with a garden hose,it automatically fills the other tank to the same level. Anyway, I left the pump line connected to both tanks. Drains easy now. If anyone wants to know, the hose is 1/2 ID. Jay

[Jay2504]

We finally got to take the new rig on a trip. Went about 1000 miles over 7 days. Some lessons learned: do not store the 5 gallon bucket upside down on this tounge Jack. As we bounced down the road, the bucket passed the button that lowered the jack. I heard the noise and pulled over to check. The jack extension is destroyed, but luckily for me the jack is ok and undamaged. I will replace with a longer one. No leaks! Yea! The rear stabilizer jacks that I added were a HUGE improvement over the front factory units. I’m going to replace the front stabilizers when I can. IMHO the 45 degree angle that I put the rear stabilizer jacks on made the unit more steady. Jay

[Jay2504]

One thing that I noticed on our trip, (other than the mattress is made of concrete), is the rear ladder is on the opposite side of the camper from the slide. That makes climbing up the rear ladder useless for checking for leaves or wiping down a wet slide roof. My 6’ ladder that I had stored in the pass through was a total pain to get in and out. So I came up with a way to attach my ladder to the factory ladder that was a little better than bungee cords! The brackets come from Harbor Freight and the clamps are for 3/4 metal conduit. I used stainless steel hardware. The red strap is just temporary to. Keep the ladder from jumping off the hooks on the road. Jay

[Jay2504]

A few more mods. Replaced the jack extension with a new longer one. About 4-5 inches of the old one was ground off. I also added stainless steel folding drink holders for people (me) that are sitting on the couch. They are heavy, but I am kinda clumsy sometimes, at least these won’t break. Jay

[Jay2504]

A couple more mods. Put one of those “light switch” led lights in the large bathroom closet. Just one screw holds it up and let’s me change the batteries when the time comes. The other mod is the installation of a retractable clothes line. DW picked where she wanted it, and I put it up. On the closet end, I installed a backing board just like Jayco did with the towel ring. On the bathtub end, I made sure that I screwed it in the stud. Stay tuned, more mods to come, Jay

[missey365]

Hi: We recently purchased a 2018 RBS January 2020, have you had any problems with the bathroom sink counter? I would like to know what mods you have done and how you improved the storage in the trailer. Ty very new to camping.