2 Easy and Cheap Upgrades to Make Your RV Enjoyable

good morning guys as you can imagine I do receive a lot of emails and a lot of comments on these videos looking for advice from RV owners I can assure you I do my absolute best to answer all those emails and comments that I can I can't get to all of them so I thought I'd make a video about one of the most common questions I get what are some of the most effective and worthwhile upgrades to do on an RV and I came up with two and both of them at the front door because how fun is it to RV if you can't get in the front door very easily now most RVs will have a fold away entry step just like that and a tiny little assist handle right here to get in that might be okay for some people but for other people that's quite an awkward uh grab handle these little tiny plastic assist handles aren't usually mounted very well and then not everybody can reach the heights required to even grab this grab handle or grab it tightly so my first recommendation would be to upgrade the entry door assist handle on any RV and for me the easiest recommendation is going to be standard Linda Hand a fold away assist handle now this is not a sponsored video by any means uh this is just the tried and true Linda Hand assist handle there's a few different variations on this one but there are other ones on the market they have collapsed straight down you pull them up and Telescope them out and become more like a stair rail handle uh those are good too uh these are just they've been around for well over 25 years so it's really easy to recommend these because they work I think there may be uh fifty dollars there about too now you could go a little bit different and get a decorative assist handle like this acrylic and chrome one however this one's a lot more difficult to install even though it doesn't seem like it should be even if you refine a stainless steel one uh at one of the big box stores to put over the top right here it does take a little bit of modification whereas this is ready to go and that's mostly because the anatomy of an RV trailer is there's really usually no structure right here right here except for a little bit right here by the entry door so if you were to put this handle on or a similar one on those two screws would grab something but these two screw holes won't grab anything and so it will Flex quite a bit that way also you can't just go over the top of this handle because existing handle is in the way so you'd have to replace the existing handle and of course you can cover up the top holes with this handle but not the bottom holes so you'd have extra holes in the sidewall of your trailer at that point whereas the Linda handrail if you take a look at it's vanity the screws are actually Offset you can only grab where the framing is going to be and it goes over the top of that handle when you have it folded away you can actually still use the existing handle just fine or you can Fold It Forward in front of the entry door just like that and it acts as a little bit of a backup safety so the entry door doesn't open as you're driving down the road the collapsing telescoping handle that goes straight down this handle would be in the way and these are so incredibly common now that many manufacturers like Forest River on this Cardinal fifth wheel just have it installed as standard equipment you'll even see on this 2021 voltage from Keystone they have an extended handle but it's still a fold away assist handle that comes standard on this RV and the installation is incredibly simple with just a very basic tool set wow power tools help it could be installed with hand tools there's all the hardware you need the screws come with it really the first thing you have to decide is the height you want it to be and I think this existing handle gives me the height that it's going to be at I can either go over the top of it or underneath it now if I just mock it up with some duct tape hanging from that handle right there honestly below it seems a lot better to me it seems to be a lot more comfortable to grab from the ground to the top of the handle this point it's just about 57 inches but it's very accessible for anybody of any height now I'm six foot tall seems seems about the right hike for me especially coming back out again so that's where I think I'd like to be if I were to go above that handle right there that's six foot just to the top of the handle right there it's a I mean yeah I can grab it there but I don't know even coming out that's pretty awkward lifting up and go down so I think underneath the handles where I want it to be well I guess it's fair to ask why do I have to decide above or below but I could just take the handle off yes I could take the handle off but like I said they don't have extra holes down here or up here that will then have to be covered and I promise this was an easy install and now with the handle where I know it wants to be I just have it taped up there for now I'm just going to take a pen or a pencil I'm just going to mark on the wall those top three holes just the top three don't worry about the bottom yet I'll get this out of the way and now you can see my three holes right there so first thing we need to do is just drill a pilot hole now these are about a quarter inch uh lag screws 3 16 is probably taking away too much material so I'm just going to start with a 5 32nd drill bit so the next step is just to drill out those three holes definitely hit wood there [Music] definitely hit wood there I'll be surprised if I hit anything here though some wood right there too now I'm just going to take a number three Phillips bit and now just go ahead and put the first one in just like that I'm just going to put one more in right next to it just to hold it in place and now with the top bracket secured I can mark the bottom ones if I try to mark all of them at the same time all too often this is up or down a little bit and it starts to jam that handle up for folding operation so I like to mount the top and then the bottom and now with those marked we can go ahead and drill those out too foreign go ahead and put two more test screws in that way I can try it out before I deal with any sealants perfect and it still works pops into place very easily we'll make sure it does set down all the way so really the next step is just to take it back off again and seal it up and then put it back on now I know traditionally most people just use a butyl putty tape to act as sealant on the holes behind this bracket right there and yeah that'll work I personally don't like it in this application because putty works on compression you're going to be rocking this bracket back and forth and eventually it'll look like this handle up here and the putty won't keep it sealed it's not a good adhesive either so personally I find just 100 clear silicone is going to work fine you could use white but clear is easier to clean up and I want to leave such a obvious mess and then for all you putty tape purists out there if you look at the back sealing surface right here it's just going to be this tiny little disc that's gonna actually have a ceiling surface on it even if you try to get around the edge of that bracket again that's not a lot of uh space for the putty tape to compress against and that's got a built-in wheat pull on it too so I think silicone is still the best choice again just pick this up from the local Big Box store nothing special about it just exterior grade uh 100 silicone we'll take the handle back off let me just go ahead and put some clear silicone right in those holes right on the along the side right there same thing down here I have to question whether putty's getting over it or not [Music] foreign [Music] is that simple we just installed this a Linda Hand folding assist handle for the entry door it only costs about fifty dollars in parts and supplies took me about five minutes to do the installation and now we can safely enter and exit the entry door on this travel trailer without worrying about falling out the uh front door because I have done that a number of times with that installed like I said you shut the door you can flip this the opposite way it's a little built-in uh insurance policy it says if the front door doesn't open and you're driving down the road put this set up to flip it the other way too if you did want it out of the way completely like I said this handle is still very accessible okay let's tighten that up because sometimes you are still in a hurry [Music] and this handle is good enough at a storage facility or possibly in a parking lot where this handle still might be in the way so there it is the Linda Hand folding assist handle from Stromberg Carlson it does come in different colors uh white silver or black or like I said they have different versions where this one will actually extend out a little bit further or another one that comes out and droops down quite a bit to the lower stairs so if the Linda Hand folding assist handle is my number one recommendation what's my number two now I've already pointed out on this voltage they already installed this assist handle and this has the extended handle on it and you'll notice this is a toy hauler and this front door is already about 38 inches off the ground and the handle starts at about 55 inches off the ground but more importantly this towable has the new stairs on them that most new towables are coming with rather than the fold down stairs From Below these have the solid permanently mounted flip downstairs from more ride they do a suspension upgrade and even King Pins on a lot of these fifth wheels and I'm a big fan of these solid and stable entry stairs rather than the fold out ones that always seem to shift on you as you're walking however that assist handle is still pretty far up again I'm six foot tall so you're still having to go up the first two or three stairs without even having a handhold so when these stairs were developed a more ride I already planned for that and I didn't even know about it for a number of years until just recently they already have nut search right here to accept an assist handle made specifically for these stairs that get bolted on the stairs and flip up with the stairs all in one piece so it's a very simple install the only thing you have to do is know if it's a three-step or a four-step entry step from more ride and if it's a first generation or a second generation and the way to tell on that one is just to flip the steps up the link right here these have the extension legs on them now this one has a pin that you have to push to pull out to adjust those uh stabilizer feet that will come in contact with the ground if it has a pin on it that's first generation so on this 2022 MPG it does have the step above for more ride but it's a three-step and so it takes a different handle right there but this is the second generation because if I lift it up you can see it has those release uh levers right there you don't have the push pins they have to pull out on it over here at uh RV AZ Ona and they're having me install this uh handrail on this 2022 Sandpiper fifth wheel gonna attempt to show how easy it is so this is the more ride uh step above entry step it has four steps on it and if we flip this up very easily we can see it's the second generation because that does have those uh release tabs right there for the adjustable legs no push pins on it if we take a look at the box right here it'll actually show you on the side three-step four-step three-step four-step second generation second generation first or first so those are what you need to know and it's important to know on this video not all flip down entry steps like this except a handrail more ride is separate from Lippard for now so what we'll do is uh pull this stairs back out again put them down open up the box we'll find the hardware right here just four uh 7 16 bolts and washers we'll do a test fit to see if it fits looks like it does so all we'll need is a 7 16 socket for the bolt and a ratchet you don't have to use Electric but it does make it easier all we have to do is put the washers on the bolts just like that all you have to do is see the bolt through the handle right there line it up with the threads already in the stairs put it on there hand tight yeah the third one on there now we'll just get the last one started didn't have to stretch that or do anything all I have to do now is tighten up the bolts [Music] that's it I don't think there's an easier job I've ever done in my life it's bolted on we have a nice solid handle right here that helps you get in the first step and the Second Step very easily and because this already has the extended Linda hand on it basically we can go from that handle straight to that one and walk in without ever losing our hand grip on the stairs that'll be true when we come out too we can just walk down the stairs and Never Letting Go of the handle and I think it looks pretty slick too I know what the next question is these are fold away steps do you have to take this off to fold it away more right actually did think that through for you guys does go ahead and fold up with the stair itself now it does stick out a little bit so depending on your entry door situation maybe it might hit the wall I don't think it will as most entryways on trailers will have a fairly open Landing right here but there it was my second recommendation for the easiest and most cost effective upgrade you can do to the entry door on your travel trailer or your RV the stuff above handrail I think starts about fifty dollars goes up to seventy dollars depending on the one you want pretty good bang for the buck and even though they've been out for a couple of years now I was completely unaware that they existed so that's why I want to get the video out to let people know that such a product even existed because I'm very impressed by it I think that maybe took me two minutes to do and that was grabbing tools but I hope that helped a few people out there that have been asking me some questions on a good upgrade on a travel trailer I think there's a great update along with the fold away Linda Hand I know Safety Products aren't as exciting or sexy but it's hard to really enjoy your RV if you can't even get in the front door comfortably or safely thanks a lot for watching guys but one more thing but I know a lot of you guys are thinking can we take a look inside this 2022 Sandpiper yes but I'm Gonna Be Quick the guys here are still doing some more work on it still now I'm a big fan of these uh flip floor plans where the living room's in the front where the bedroom and the bathroom used to be it does have two slide out rooms in here they are electric slide outs now this sofa does turn into a bed it's very simple just lift that up Flip It Up put the legs down put the other leg down and now you have about a queen size bed in here it does have roller Shades they're just going to be night roller Shades there's no day section on it so it's just uh blackout shades please excuse me I don't have any power right here so I can't show you that this countertop has a televator built into it where the main TV will come up the roller shade right there does give you access to a really nice window at the front cap area electric fireplace and sound bar entertainment center down below wow they even still have a CD player in this one that's interesting now this is just a laminate countertop it is engineered lumber for the Cabinetry and the trim on the second slide out right here you have the same exact sofa and that one turns into a bed too this reclining sofa which of course looks out on the main TV entertainment center but it is a manual ones you just pop it right there becomes quite comfortable even has a laminate countertop right behind it is a nice Shelf to be quite convenient when you're sitting in it but it does have built-in cup holders on the armrest you overlook the entire Galley area down here it is rolled vinyl flooring in the galley area carpet on the slide outs there and I didn't point it out rolled vinyl flooring in the living room area uh this is the third slide out where we're going to have it's not a freestanding dinette it is mounted securely to the wall just have a stainless steel residential 110 refrigerator in it and that's just gonna be the lock for the refrigerator it's pretty clever I wish I could have come up with that and so with the Residential Refrigerator it does have more of a residential feel to this fifth wheel Ample Storage over here in this built-in pantry wow I didn't realize that it has soft close feature on the hinges while not incredibly rare full-size ceiling fans aren't as common as you think they all would be in an RV then the sandpipe we're going to find laminate countertops but it does still have soft clothes on the drawer features a three burner propane stove top with propane oven down below with a residential LG range hood microwave right above nice Corner countertop right here probably should have got this masking tape off a little bit sooner but a oversized under countertop mounted stainless steel Galley sink I do like that and this is actually a flip away countertop extension so quite a lot of extensions here you can get a garbage can on that corner there going through the hallway right here directly to the left we will find the bathroom again residential size has an ABS shower pan with a built-in bench seat and abs shower walls kind of made to mimic the marble look now it does have the dreaded difficult to clean three panel tempered glass shower door but it is very solid and still has a skylight right above still a laminate countertop in here while it might look like porcelain that's just a ABS sink but it is under countertop mounted no mirrored medicine cabinet above it's just got a mirror hello and some found storage space right there the toilet is a porcelain gravity toilet as we go back out into the hallway past this door we'll find the main bedroom it is a queen size bed on the fourth slide out room uh built-in cubby sections right here phone charging 110 outlet pretty nice to see right next to the bed where you need it uh looks like the TV is meant to be installed right there a nice vanity on top of the dresser space over here and a rear looking window which is always nice and yes yes there is some storage under the bed right there that was a 2022 Sandpiper fifth wheel I think they left the information right here for us if we want model number saf 377 at zero FL Dash w AZ Auto Corral in Mesa Arizona give them a call if you have any questions but I really am a fan of this handle we just put on it seriously couldn't be any simpler and I think bet what type of RVs are what are some of the most what are some of the most con what are some of the most effective what are the some now the other hand so really I'm just going to take a pen and mark the front I'm going to take a pin and just Mark I'm just going to take a marking knot I'm just going to take we'll take the handle back off we'll take the handle back all we have to do is put the washers just like that just like that made to mimic a marble stone look the three dreaded uh stain that it does have the dreaded three panel

Channel: AZ Expert

Views: 69,798

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Id: mtbFgpJNLKk

Length: 23min 10sec (1390 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 20 2023