RV Drawer Upgrade

[Gadget Man]

I’d like to replace all of my RV’s drawer slides with the new soft closing drawer slides. I think they would work well in an RV, since they require extra force to open, which should prevent unwanted drawer openings while going down the road.

Has anyone in the forum tackled this type of project yet? If so, what brand of drawer slides did you use? I’m currently looking at the KV (Knape & Vogt) slides sold on Amazon.com.

Thanks.

Craig

[MSHappyCampers]

Craig, that would be a good project if it can be done easily. I'll be watching this thread for further info! Thanks!

[EDALLSAILS]

Our drawers wouldn't stay closed. Tried couple of different fixes and had poor results. Remember the old saying "KISS"? Well my wife suggested adding a Velcro tab in each corner of the drawer to keep them secure. It has worked for over 20,000 miles. A lot easier than switching slides and less expensive. safe travels.. ed

[336muffin]

We have six of these drawers In a custom made credenza, we had doors built over the drawers to hold the drawers while traveling. However the drawers are carrying a LOT of weight. Files, printer, paper shredder two samsung tablets and so on. The doors have a lock to insure the drawers stay put. We also have a huge drawer with these slides under the kitchen sink, this is fullsize and comes out for convenience, even the trashcan. This also has to be locked for travel. I don't know if I would trust these slides even with a normal drawer while in route.

[Gadget Man]

Originally Posted by 336muffin

I don't know if I would trust these slides even with a normal drawer while in route.

Could it depend on the brand of soft closing slide? I was looking at a new motorhome last year at an RV show, the MH had soft closing drawer slides throughout the entire coach. I don't recall the brand of the MH, but I said something to the salesman about it and he said they were installing them in all of their units. I drew the conclusion that they must work well in an RV environment, but who knows...

Craig

[Ed-Sommers]

i took the drawers out, filed a small depression in the static installed portion with a round file to allow the drawer portion to "settle" into the depression.

Problem solved!

Ed

[njs42]

Originally Posted by Ed-Sommers

i took the drawers out, filed a small depression in the static installed portion with a round file to allow the drawer portion to "settle" into the depression.

Problem solved!

Ed

You gotta love it for simplicity. Good job.

I guess I would be dead bang certain the soft closing slides would solve the problem. A change out is a big job I would want a big, certain return.

[mel s]

I have a suggestion.
To prevent your drawers from opening while traveling try adding screws behind the drawer rollers on one of your drawers.
If it works it would be much easier and cost less than changing drawer slides......(if not, little is lost).

As built by SMC, all of the drawers in my coach have a pan head sheet metal screw in the slides/guides, (just behind each front roller).
The screw head holds the drawer closed while traveling.
When opening a drawer it must be slightly lifted so the roller clears the screw head.

Mel
'96 Safari, 132k miles

[Gadget Man]

Thanks guys, but I think I gave the wrong impression...I'm not currently having a problem with the drawers opening up while driving. My drawers slides are junk and they bind up a lot. Every trip I find ball bearings on the floor where they are coming apart, so I want to replace them. They do however stay put for the most part while traveling, thanks to a metal catch that Fleetwood mounted separately from the slide.

We had some custom cabinetry done in the house last year, and the drawers all have the soft close slides. We love them. I was thinking they may work well in the RV, especially since I want to replace the OE slides anyway. I'm just looking for the right hardware.

Craig

[njs42]

Originally Posted by Craig P.

Thanks guys, but I think I gave the wrong impression...I'm not currently having a problem with the drawers opening up while driving. My drawers slides are junk and they bind up a lot. Every trip I find ball bearings on the floor where they are coming apart, so I want to replace them. They do however stay put for the most part while traveling, thanks to a metal catch that Fleetwood mounted separately from the slide. We had some custom cabinetry done in the house last year, and the drawers all have the soft close slides. We love them. I was thinking they may work well in the RV, especially since I want to replace the OE slides anyway. I'm just looking for the right hardware. Craig

No brainier then:

Proceed with due haste. If they do as you think they will it would be a nice addition,

[steinjef]

Originally Posted by Craig P.

I’d like to replace all of my RV’s drawer slides with the new soft closing drawer slides. I think they would work well in an RV, since they require extra force to open, which should prevent unwanted drawer openings while going down the road.

Has anyone in the forum tackled this type of project yet? If so, what brand of drawer slides did you use? I’m currently looking at the KV (Knape & Vogt) slides sold on Amazon.com.

Thanks.

Craig

I worked for a large manufacturer of office furniture, and then i worked in the kitchen cabinet industry. My work history spanned a 40 year period. I made (hands on) as well as "designed" furniture.

KV are good slides. There are other manufactures such as accuride (probably the best in the market). Grass is another manufacturer with a good reputation. Grass also makes soft close hinges for the cabinet doors.

Not a hard job, just time consuming. It will keep you occupied that's for sure.

good luck!

[Gadget Man]

Thanks steinjef,

I was hoping a professional would weigh in! I'll check out those additional slides.

I'm retired now so I need something to consume my time, especially during the winter!

Craig

[Gadget Man]

After reading comments about my project in this forum as well as another, I decided to visit a cabinet supply store so that I could compare the different drawer slides, side by side. My son’s hobby is woodworking so I asked him where I should go. Without hesitation he said “Rockler”. Rockler is a toy store to him so he asked if he could go with me. That turned out to be a wise decision, as you will later see. Rockler had sample drawers in their store with various mounted slides. This made narrowing down my choice much easier.

Below is a photo of one of the areas where I plan to upgrade my drawer slides. This is in the bedroom, right above the water heater. This area is occupied by a washer/dryer on models ordered with that option. If you happen to notice that the water supply hose to the water heater us missing in this photo, you’re very observant. I removed it while the drawers were out, as I’ve been meaning to replace the cheap vinyl supply hose with a steel braided hose. If you look at the top center of each drawer opening, you’ll see the OE brass catches that prevent the drawers from opening while in transit. I plan on retaining these, even though I’m not sure they’ll still be needed.




The below photo shows the OE 1x2 wooden supports for the OE drawer slides. Not only are they weak and flimsy, the replacement slides are longer with screw holes that are spaced further apart. This forced me to beef up the supports.




The below photo shows the additional 1x2 support added. It is the pale piece of wood shown butted up against the existing support. This is where the help of my son came in handy, as he is much better at woodworking than me and he is much more nimble at getting into tight spaces! This photo only shows the left side, but rest assured we added wood to both sides.




I really liked the feel of the CenterLine Comfort Close Slides. They were $20 per pair. They are 75 lb slides which should be more than enough. They have a smooth self-closing design and require an extra tug to open, which may or may not eliminate the need for travel catches. But as I said earlier, I’m going to retain them to be on the safe side.




My son & I only installed one set of slides, to make sure they are exactly what I want. I really like them, so I will be buying a set for every drawer I have, with the exception of a couple of very small drawers. My son is also going to reinforce the bottoms of my largest drawers, as they flex to easily, which could result in them caving in. Thank God for good sons who love doing this sort of thing!

Hope this helps any of you who might be thinking of the same upgrade.

Craig

[336muffin]

I sure do envy your access to the water heater! We have a washer & dryer over ours.