TV swivel arm

[Ron in BC]

I managed to push aside the frozen flap of my trailer cover in get in my frozen trailer to test fit my new swiveling arm for my new 19" tv.

Sorry for the crappy photos. Between the darkness from the trailer cover and not having the interior lights on the camera didn't focus even with the flash

I cut a piece of cardboard the exact size of the tv. I wanted to test the mounting position by holding the arm with C clamps. I didn't want to accidentally drop the tv before I'd even got to use it.

We wanted a location that worked 3 ways; could glance at the screen while watching the news and eating dinner; could watch from both sides of the dinette while turned sideways and lounging and be able to watch tv from the bed.

That bracket location seems to work just fine. So, if the door's not frozen shut tomorrow it'll be time to drill some holes and put a real tv on the arm.

The mounting plate is detachable and the tv will be detached for rough roads.

Ron

[rbryan4]

Interesting mounting location Ron. I assume you sleep with your heads on the drivers side?

Our TV cable/antenna jack is mounted high on the bulkhead on the passenger side, so that location wouldn't work for us.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Interesting mounting location Ron. I assume you sleep with your heads on the drivers side?

Uh, yeah! Any normal person would, you know.

That is where we were set up for a TV in our 19, though we never used it.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Uh, yeah! Any normal person would, you know.

That is where we were set up for a TV in our 19, though we never used it.

Normal. Lol. You are actually describing yourself as normal my friend?

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Normal. Lol. You are actually describing yourself as normal my friend?

Well.... um.... I guess you got me there.

[Marry]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Normal. Lol. You are actually describing yourself as normal my friend?

It IS normal!! We do too!
Albertans just make different choices

[rbryan4]

Ok, I'll tell you why we sleep with our head on the passenger side, but you may find it strange.

I sleep better on my right side. Always have. And I like to face away from the center of the bed. My wife is a traditionalist who refuses to sleep closer to the door than her husband. I'm there to "protect her". Therefore, the inside position is mine and there's no two ways about it. Since I like to sleep on my right side, head on the passenger side it is!

[Kountrykamper]

I thought everybody slept with their head on the DS. I Can't stand the fridge lights shinning in my eye and I got tired of hanging a towel over it.

We are moving our TV connections to the passenger side on the new camper so it setup for sleeping with head on DS.

[Marry]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Ok, I'll tell you why we sleep with our head on the passenger side, but you may find it strange.

My wife is a traditionalist who refuses to sleep closer to the door than her husband. I'm there to "protect her"!

"Past tents"....
You probably kept barking to protect? There is NO door...
No wonder you two moved up

[davescape]

Originally Posted by Kountrykamper

I thought everybody slept with their head on the DS. I Can't stand the fridge lights shinning in my eye and I got tired of hanging a towel over it.

We are moving our TV connections to the passenger side on the new camper so it setup for sleeping with head on DS.

ETI recommends the tv bracket go on the driver's side on the 19' because the passenger side cabinet gable end is substantially scalloped. The gable end adjacent to the fridge is full sized and therefore fits the bracket better. The bracket can be placed near the edge of the panel which permits it the tv to be swung around the corner for viewing from the table. On the gable end next to the stove, the bracket would have to be mounted closer to the exterior and the tv would not be able to swing far enough around for viewing from the table. The bracket seems to work somewhat on Ron's trailer but it might have a longer reach or the tv is small enough. I think the gable is a little different on the second generations trailers too, but I'm not certain and too far away to check.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Marry

"Past tents"....
You probably kept barking to protect? There is NO door...
No wonder you two moved up

No door Marry? Sure there is. Of course, I had to sleep next to it, even in a tent. It's not something we even think about after 20 years of marriage. We just know where our side is...

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by davescape

ETI recommends the tv bracket go on the driver's side on the 19' because the passenger side cabinet gable end is substantially scalloped. The gable end adjacent to the fridge is full sized and therefore fits the bracket better. The bracket can be placed near the edge of the panel which permits it the tv to be swung around the corner for viewing from the table. On the gable end next to the stove, the bracket would have to be mounted closer to the exterior and the tv would not be able to swing far enough around for viewing from the table. The bracket seems to work somewhat on Ron's trailer but it might have a longer reach or the tv is small enough. I think the gable is a little different on the second generations trailers too, but I'm not certain and too far away to check.

We don't watch that much TV so we don't permanently mount the TV. We are just installing a custom size flip up counter extension on the bedroom side of the kitchen wall and have a 13" TV that will fit fine. If we want to watch it from the dinette area we set it on the stove. Most of the time we don't even bother to get it out and it stays under the bed.

[cpaharley2008]

Unless you had the wall reinforced I would not mount there. Most of the straight walls have corner pieces that are long and thick, floor to ceiling, just like at home, with studs that are secure. The kitchen wall with it's in and out build does not have such support, short pieces for the panelling mount. Any structural support is in the exterior side, in addition there are wires going up the insides.

[dan55]

Anyone mount the TV bracket at the dinette end in a 19'? Don't watch much TV in bed...

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Unless you had the wall reinforced I would not mount there. Most of the straight walls have corner pieces that are long and thick, floor to ceiling, just like at home, with studs that are secure. The kitchen wall with it's in and out build does not have such support, short pieces for the panelling mount. Any structural support is in the exterior side, in addition there are wires going up the insides.

We had it reinforced. Also a custom size flip up extension made specifically for that wall.

[Marry]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

No door Marry? Sure there is. Of course, I had to sleep next to it, even in a tent. It's not something we even think about after 20 years of marriage. We just know where our side is...

Ours only had a zipper .
Anyways, glad every one can figure out a way that works best for them to get a good night's sleep.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by dan55

Anyone mount the TV bracket at the dinette end in a 19'? Don't watch much TV in bed...

I mounted a tv at the dinette end in both of my prior Escapes, a 19 and a 21 on the refer wall in the dinette area, corner which is reinforced. Left the tv mounted during towing without any issues. If you are ordering you need to have cable and power installed in the area also.

[MyronL]

I was thinking of buying a TV mount bracket like yours, Ron, to replace the shelf for the TV I made. We only watch TV when in bed and connected to the DVD player, or on rare occasions when there's cable, or antenna reception. Nice in the morning to get the latest horrible news-weather stories.

My TV shelf was just fine, it also has a fence in front to keep anything from rolling off it, but there's no room for the DVD player. That meant I couldn't make any hot chocolate because DVD must sit atop the stove cover/tray.

Wanted assurances for sleep if we're camped in a rowdy neighborhood to keep a clear eye on the door should a home defense be required. TV is therefore on curb side. I proceeded to design and construct my own swinging, custom bracket arm. Planned to attach it where the buttons are at the wall, because there's reinforcement studs there. After trial and error with wood and aluminum, wit-defying mis-match-ups ala Laurel and Hardy, etc., finally had to call a stop and face facts. My ideas just not clever or clean enough. In WallMart I found a bracket that looked good enough for the $20 bucks.

Was about to buy it but decided first to go back into the trailer and study the problem one more time. The swinging wall bracket idea seemed logical and simple. It would lift the TV up so the DVD player can now be set on the shelf. Lying in bed is way more comfortable than sitting at the dinette; the swivel part suddenly made no sense.

[Ron in BC]

Whoa, some interesting comments for sure, the things I never knew.

First of all, there's no issue attaching the bracket in this location. The interior edge of the bulkhead may not be vertically continuous but that's not important. It's not the same as attaching a load at right angles to a stud that isn't anchored top and bottom. The arm base is attached by bolting through both panels and the interior structure. The panels may be thin by they serve to distribute the load over a wide area. The arm is rock solid.

Speaking of the arm, I'm happy with it. It was inexpensive and seems perfectly suited to the tv and the space.

We could have skipped installing the arm and put the tv on our flip up counter but then it'd have to be moved and it'd sort of be in the way even when being used. So, all in all, the arm was the way to go.

A couple of shots of the arm by its' self.

Ron

[cpaharley2008]

Ron,
Do you plan on removing it while in transit?