Mystery area?

[waltkaren]

Can anyone tell me what's in the raised floor space of the 5.0TA dinette area? I understand there would be supports for the floor but which direction are they installed. You never know what an unused space can used for?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by waltkaren

Can anyone tell me what's in the raised floor space of the 5.0TA dinette area? I understand there would be supports for the floor but which direction are they installed. You never know what an unused space can used for?

Hi: waltkaren... The floor is plywood across the frame rails and I think the raised area houses the fresh water tank. Be careful where you drill and how deep you go!!! Our 2014 5.0TA has a flat floor but the water tank is still under there. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[davidmurphy02]

I think on the current 5.0TA that the bottom of the shell actually bumps up in the dinette, I recall looking at that on the floor model when we were at ETI. The rails of the frame bump up correspondingly, I don't think there is any space under the dinette floor. When they were installing our pedestal in the dinette floor I asked how thick the plywood floor was and they said 5/8" and it sits directly on the shell.

We have the spray on foam underneath so ours is totally obscured and I can't confirm that or take a photo for you - but someone without the foam can look at theirs and verify.

[waltkaren]

Thanks for the heads up. Just got in from looking at that area in and around dinette, it definetly goes across the entire camper. After seeing a 5.0 then a 5.0TA, looked like they raised the floor. Mystery solved, with no hidden area to convert.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by waltkaren

Thanks for the heads up. Just got in from looking at that area in and around dinette, it definetly goes across the entire camper. After seeing a 5.0 then a 5.0TA, looked like they raised the floor.

Even the original 5.0 should have had the same step-up frame and matching floor, since it was based on the 17', which has this step like all Trillium-inspired designs. The oddball configuration was found in the 5.0TA and the 21' on which it was based, from the introduction of those models until the end of the "classic" (ending in 2016) body style: they still had the frame step up, but the floor was dropped between the frame rails in the dinette footwell area to make it flush with the main floor.

So the flat-floor 5.0TA's are those built from the model's introduction in 2014 through 2016.

Whether the floor steps up or not, the fresh water tank is immediately under part of the dinette floor.

[davidmurphy02]

The tech at ETI told me they use 3/4" screws to attach the pedestal to the floor, anything longer could puncture the shell below.

[Telescopist]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

The tech at ETI told me they use 3/4" screws to attach the pedestal to the floor, anything longer could puncture the shell below.

That is not much of a screw. I surprised there have been any threads about these screws tearing loose from the floor.

[emers382]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

The tech at ETI told me they use 3/4" screws to attach the pedestal to the floor, anything longer could puncture the shell below.

When the customer service guy at Springfield brought out the new pedestal to replace our broken one last month he wanted to see me screw it down and said here are the screws. I said no thanks I'll use these shorter ones and told him I would puncture the fresh water tank if I used the longer ones they supply.

[gbaglo]

Once you've run out of wood, there's no advantage in longer screws.

[Eggscape]

The square shows the frame step up at the rear of the 19 which I would imagine is similar on most models.

The circle on the showroom 19 shows what happens if the screws are to long.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Telescopist

That is not much of a screw. I surprised there have been any threads about these screws tearing loose from the floor.

But there are at least 6-8 screws per pedestal and 2 pedestals, so a bunch of screws are involved.