Dog House Removal

[Knightly]

I noticed from a goggle search that removing the dog house cover is a common problem. I had the same problem so would like to share the solution, at least as it applies to my model of coach. I have a 2007 Itasca, 35A Sunrise motorhome with a W24 chassis.

I found two machine screws, one on each side of the cover adjacent to the firewall and partially hidden by carpet, that have to be removed. In addition, there is a cantilevered type latch on the underside of the cover, located in the center of the rear of the dog house. The latch will accept a flat, large screwdriver, however the access hole is also difficult to find through the carpet material. Once located, I turned the latch counter clockwise which releases the entire cover. Then it is easily lifted off from the top.

I have attached some pictures which should help explain the process.

Knightly

[Statgeek]

This is cool. I have never seen what it looked like in there!

[CJBROWN]

The twist latch at the back is actually an allen socket - wrench comes with the owners manual pack.

I tossed the front screws, just use the rear latch. Sometimes it does come unlatched, has been adjusted to be tight. It came back one time and my buddy's camera was sitting there and it got sucked into the fan. Hmmm...he bought a new camera. LOL. We turned around and went back, found it and got the sd card out of it so at least he got his pics.

I've insulated doghouse covers before but this one is really quiet.

BTW, there's another allen wrench supplied with the Velvac mirror pack as well - check those mirror heads! We had one come loose in a wind storm going down the hiway, thought the mirror head was gonna pop off, it was twisting all around.

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by Knightly

I noticed from a goggle search that removing the dog house cover is a common problem. I had the same problem so would like to share the solution, at least as it applies to my model of coach. I have a 2007 Itasca, 35A Sunrise motorhome with a W24 chassis.

I found two machine screws, one on each side of the cover adjacent to the firewall and partially hidden by carpet, that have to be removed. In addition, there is a cantilevered type latch on the underside of the cover, located in the center of the rear of the dog house. The latch will accept a flat, large screwdriver, however the access hole is also difficult to find through the carpet material. Once located, I turned the latch counter clockwise which releases the entire cover. Then it is easily lifted off from the top.

I have attached some pictures which should help explain the process.

Knightly

the ''latch'' is actuated with a 5/16 allen wrench. it was included in the ''big black satchel'' when i bought my moho used.
the latch is an over center design and can be adjusted to keep it from coming loose by itself. a tight latch puts forward pressure on the doghouse, keeping it in close contact with the fwd bulkhead. i also threw away the hard to find sheet metal screws in the vicinity of the forward bulkhead. imho these screws have no useful function.
i insulated the inside of my doghouse. this made a big difference in noise and heat from the engine.

[retired2002]

After I decided to do some sound proofing on my W18, I found the dog house was different than this post. It has a access panel on the top and the rest of the dog house is screwed and silicone to the floor. I have not been able to move the doghouse and fear I may crack the fiberglass. There is not enough room with the panel off to place sound proofing under the dog house. Anyone else have this problem? Thanks for any advise.

[paz]

The doghouse is provided by the manufacturer of the motorhome, not by Workhorse, so there will be differences in size, shape and methods of attaching the cover.

The cover on our Allegro Bay is held on by 4 long sheet metal screws that go through the cover right into the fiberglass doghouse. Of course, any screws holding the cover in place are almost always buried in the carpet.

[Fl_Richard]

Originally Posted by retired2002

After I decided to do some sound proofing on my W18, I found the dog house was different than this post. It has a access panel on the top and the rest of the dog house is screwed and silicone to the floor. I have not been able to move the doghouse and fear I may crack the fiberglass. There is not enough room with the panel off to place sound proofing under the dog house. Anyone else have this problem? Thanks for any advise.

It looks from the picture like you could easily pull back the carpeting. Get one of the vibrating trim saws fine saw they used to call them . I'd make it re moveable. Makes it much easier to change belts service engine, look for leaks.... Install noise proofing. It would suck to break down and not be able to see if it's something roadside-fixable .

No hidden latches under that carpet?

[retired2002]

Thanks for the suggestion. I agree that the small access hole does not give me a lot of room for any maintenance. I have since pulled up all the carpet and the entire dog house is silicone to the floor with no hidden latches. Also, I failed to mention that my RV is a 2006 Fleetwood Fiesta.

[C350AMG]

I am not an expert on motorhomes but i am amazed by the rudimentary methods used to keep that doghouse in place and how complex it is to remove.

Let me share a very easy method, my 98 Triple E commander can have its doghouse removed and put back on in maybe ... 10 seconds, it came that way from the factory and it is fully insulated with automotive insulation.

There are 3 butterfly clips that hold it down extremely securely and only requires half a turn to remove

[iRV4FUN]

Originally Posted by C350AMG

There are 3 butterfly clips that hold it down extremely securely and only requires half a turn to remove.

I can see the center butterfly clip. Where are the other two clips located?

The reason I'm asking is your system seems quick and easy. I like quick and easy. Speaking of quick and easy, anyone know where to purchase these butterfly clips (clamps)?

[C350AMG]

The 2 others are on each side in front of doghouse. See picture of the left one (driver side)


Turn all 3 half a turn a doghouse is removed

[C350AMG]

I found this website that you can look at, these are basically used on big trunks that you often see with music bands on the road

http://www.diyroadcasesstore.com/pro...252dmount.html

[retired2002]

Update - I removed the dog house that was silicone to the floor and installed some Dynamat sound proofing. Also, added a strip of weather proofing along the edge. The carpet is indoor outdoor from Lowe's. I formed the carpet around the dog house using a heat gun and construction glue. I just covered over the small factory maintenance area that was on the top. The tie downs are rubber hood latches I purchases at Northern Tools. I can now removed the entire dog house by only lifting the 3 tie downs. What a difference this will make for any future engine maintenance.

[CJBROWN]

Nice installation job, but why did you change the carpet pattern direction on the cover?