Aluminum Camper Forum

We have a CL 14DBS with a small wobbly dinette table.  I was hoping to do something that would make the table more sturdy, while allowing us to insert a table "leaf" to have a little more space when we needed it.  To do this, I started by mounting a bracket onto the side of the slideout (Fig 1).  I was careful to find the location of the aluminum tubes inside the wall.  I made the bracket out of sheet PVC (NOTE:  burning PVC can emit dioxin, a poisonous gas... see caveat in this post).  The bracket has holes in the front that contain ¾" aluminum tubes that will be used to sturdy the table.  I covered the top with laminate that I had left over from work that I had done on countertops in the kitchen of our house, so that it could operate as a place to put your coffee when the table is removed (Fig 2).

Underneath the tabletop, I mounted a thick piece of material with aluminum tubes going through it (Fig 3).  When seated on the pole in the dinette, these tubes line up with the tubes in the mounting bracket (Fig 4).  I made inserts (Fig 5) that slide inside the aluminum tubes to hold the table top aligned with the mounting bracket (Fig 6).  The inserts were made from copper ½" pipe with nylon washers on the tip.  When they are inserted, the table does not wobble or tilt forward or backward, since the copper tubes slide smoothly/snuggly into the aluminum pipes.  This keeps the table sturdy!  When I'm not using these inserts, I keep them stored in the frame of the dinette bench (Fig 7).

I made a table extension (Fig eight) that slides into the front side of the table (Fig 9).  Figures 10 and 11 show what it looks like with the extension in place.  The extension is a little narrower than the table so that it will fit between the benches when the dinette is used as an extra bed. 

When the extension is not being used, it can be slid underneath the table.  I made grooves in the bottom of the extension (Fig 12) to allow it to be stored underneath the table without interfering with the large aluminum flange used to mount the tabletop to the pole.  To store the extension, flip it upside down and slide it into the aluminum poles underneath the table (Fig 13).  The copper pipes go through the aluminum tubing underneath the table, and into the aluminum bracket that was mounted to the wall.  This keeps the table sturdy.  Figures 14 and 15 show the table with the extension stored.

Thanks!  Paul had asked about the bracket that I made for the table, so I'll describe that in a new post.

Great cabinet!  I wish I was handy to do that!


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A very interesting review of the tow capabilities of the Tesla Cyber Truck vs Ford F-150: https://youtu.be/PK_EJ3DyiiA?si=s2R8b9RAIZ2IrAaU & https://youtu.be/ETcpQRjefQ8?si=ysIqOiiKhrL3wvsp

Good work! It is true that the table is very wobbly. My kids sometimes make messes because the table wobbles. I'd be interested in finding a solution for that!

On my camper with 13" wheels on Dexter Torsion axles, the lug nuts are 1/2-20.  I'll guess they are the same on all Camplites.

I recently had my wheel bearings repacked.  When I checked the torque on the lug nuts thereafter I noticed one lug nut was rounded off.  I am buying an extractor socket to remove that lug nut.  Has anyone replaced their lug nuts?  Not sure how to determine what thread pitch mine are.  I believe the size is 1/2" (which requires a 3/4" socket) but what thread pitch are they?  Any info on that would be very helpful.  Thanks!


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I tried to access the motor, and was not able to do so easily.  I was was happy to just lube the parts that needed it using the recommendations earlier in this post.  Many thanks to those that contributed.  I finally finished my bookshelf without any issues despite multiple slideout openings/closings... I put pictures in a recent post here.

Thank you both for the comments.  I've been trying to find extra space in a number of places.  I've managed to make a closet in the bathroom, cubbyholes above the dinette window, shelves in the wardrobe, drawers under the sink and over the frig.  I've also made an extension to the dinette table that made the table less wobbly.  We got the camper in 2014, but I think that I've spent more time in it doing projects than actually camping.  My wife calls it my "happy place".

Nicely done!