Advice on Samsung fridge install

[STEVE-JUNELL]

Help
I finally decided to ditch the nocold and install the Samsung rf18 in my 05 madp 4304. My original plan was to bring the fridge thru the door.. But the old one came out but the new one being a little taller is not making the turn

I looked at taking the side window out but there is a large overhead cabinet that sticks down and not sure I want to remove that and talked to my local rv windshield specialist and he said when pulling a glass on this model it almost always breaks
So my question is to any of you guys that have replaced a fridge on this model which way did you get it in? Thanks in advance for the help

[HHIDan]

Side window above the dining table. You need about 24 1/8" and I had 24 1/4" with the window removed. I also have a cabinet hanging above, had to take the light fixture out...
My Norcold was a 1201LRIM which I had to disassemble. You will have to take the doors off the RF18 also.

[bcbounders]

Hi Steve,

We weren't as adventurous as you and didn't do the upgrade to our Samsung residential fridge ourselves... but the shop that did it used a glass professional to remove the driver's side windshield, then they emoved the steering wheel and brought the new fridge in that way.

They would have taken the passenger side windshield out... but we had a pretty big star in it at the time and they were concerned it would break when removed. The driver's side glass didn't have any problems with it, so they felt more comfortable being able to remove it without it breaking on them.

Once the installation was all done, they had the same glass guy come back and replace the windshield.

If either of your windshields have any stars or cracks in them... this could be a good opportunity to get them replaced! Check with your insurance to see what the glass replacement deductible is. Might be you could coordinate the two tasks without it costing too much more.

Good luck!

[Sky_Boss]

We had the RF197 installed over a year ago and a quick comparison of size specification between the 2 models me think they are pretty darn near the same size with the doors off.

We were able disassemble both the Norcold out and the Samsung and fit them through the passenger door without even removing the passenger seat. It was tight but got it done. Maybe removing the passenger seat wold have made it a bit easier. We did have to remove a head banger TV though.

[Mr_D]

Makes me wish we had the Samsung rather than the Jenn Air in our rig! We have a huge window in the slide on the drivers side so doing a swap won't be hard at all. I helped Lloydu do it in his Camelot and the Samsung came in through the pass side window with no trouble. Then he traded the Camelot off for an Essex.

[Dutch Star Don]

Did you remove the passenger seat? If so, would removing the driver's seat give you the space you need. I installed two, one in a Diplomat and one in an Itasca Meridian. Both went in easily with the seat removed.

[STEVE-JUNELL]

I did not take the pass seat out yet I thought about that just not sure it's gonna give me enough to make the turn but I'm gonna try that tonight I'll keep you posted thanks for the help

[patmsp]

I could not get it through the door opening, instead we had an emergency exit window in the bedroom. Tied the emergency window open from the roof, came through window on to the bed and then down the hall to install it. Had to remove door knob on the bathroom.

[docsdock]

Installed mine a year ago - removed pass seat and the door hard wear so it could be tied full open - Home depot delivery guys took the doors off and used a wide strap to cradle the fridge between them - the strap made it east to maneuver through the door. put doors back on and slide it into place -

[Dutch Star Don]

"docsdock" brought up a good point about the front door of the coach. On my Diplomat, I disconnected the door arm at the top, moved the outside passenger mirror forward and was able to gain 3 more inches in the door opening. This additional width may give you just enough angle to make the turn.

[jigsup]

Steve,

Here is a pretty detailed fridge conversation on a 2005 Dutch Star.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/out-g...tag-81685.html

[STEVE-JUNELL]

Hey guys

Well I took the pass seat out and I'm not sure how cause it was so tight but we got it through so here is a pic
Had it plugged in for half hour and it's already colder than the norcold

[Sky_Boss]

Originally Posted by STEVE-JUNELL

Hey guys

Well I took the pass seat out and I'm not sure how cause it was so tight but we got it through so here is a pic
Had it plugged in for half hour and it's already colder than the nor cold...

AHHHH...the glory of it all! I bet you are glad you didn't have to take out any windows.

One thing I see with your location that is similar to ours is the wall next to it. I don't know if you realized it yet but it would appear you will have to take the left door off if you want to adjust any shelves. You might even need to take the right door off too but if your hinge is like mine maybe not.

This assumes you can't "tilt" the shelves. My model puts the shelves in a slotted run so they only come straight out and without being able to open the right side door all the way, the door shelves are in the way.

Now go find something that is getting REAL cold in that refer to celebrate!

[bcbounders]

Originally Posted by STEVE-JUNELL

Hey guys

Well I took the pass seat out and I'm not sure how cause it was so tight but we got it through so here is a pic
Had it plugged in for half hour and it's already colder than the norcoldAttachment 90402

Glad you got it in, Steve! Enjoy it!!