U Shaped Galley in Vectra/Horizon

arkaussie · 03-21-2006, 03:30 PM

We have a 2004 40AD Horizon which has the pull out section in the galley. It has a lock for it's closed position but is free to move when opened. I was wanting to be able to lock it in place and found the 2006 has a lock that works at any position from closed to totally open or anywhere in between.

My question has anyone looked into this and tried to retro fit it to an earlier model which does not have it.

arkaussie · 03-21-2006, 03:30 PM

We have a 2004 40AD Horizon which has the pull out section in the galley. It has a lock for it's closed position but is free to move when opened. I was wanting to be able to lock it in place and found the 2006 has a lock that works at any position from closed to totally open or anywhere in between.

My question has anyone looked into this and tried to retro fit it to an earlier model which does not have it.

BucknJeff · 03-21-2006, 04:06 PM

Arkaussie,

We have the same problem in our coach, we were going to see if we could get some type of locking hardware that could be installed from the rear of the cabinet by opening the access panel to the right of the sliding cabinet, behind the chair. The only problem with that installation would be having to open the side of the cabinet every time you wanted to push in the sliding island. Still looking for a better answer, and maybe the best thing to do would be to just order that mechanism and attempt to retro fit it in. It can't be that hard to do.

We are constantly reminding guests not to lean on the counter. I now know why they installed that locking mechanism.

Maybe we'll get an answer from someone who has already tried.

Cheers!

John_Canfield · 03-21-2006, 04:54 PM

Hmmm .. ours will resist movement quite a bit when pulled out but it can be pushed in with a determined guest leaning against it. Is the 2006 island latch/lock different from the 2005?

BucknJeff · 03-21-2006, 05:08 PM

Hey john,

We have NO latch lock.

Zips right in with very little resistance.
Quite dangerous if you dont know that it will just slide in on you.

I need to figure out a way to lock it in place once slid out.

I'm sure i'll come up with something.

Cheers!

cbeierl · 03-21-2006, 05:10 PM

The pullout counter on our 2005 36RD seems to clamp in whatever position it's left in when the undercounter handle is released.

arkaussie · 03-21-2006, 05:23 PM

John,
Thought you would have picked up on this as you are normally so observant. The new ones have a pull handle on the end in the middle and it is a cable which goes to the back of the moveable cabinet. I assume there is a strip with holes on the underside of the fixed counter and the cable operated catch mech.

I was hoping someone else had did the research to ensure it would work on our older models.

BigTrace · 03-21-2006, 05:55 PM

To All,

Our latch WILL latch at any point when pulled out. It can be pulled out 6" or the whole 3 feet. It doesn't matter. The island will stay put until you pull the lever again to move it back or forth. I don't know if you can retrofit that or not.

LK23 · 03-21-2006, 06:49 PM

A word of caution to anyone who has the latch that locks the cabinet position when released. Don't let anyone force the cabinet closed without using the latch.

Ours never worked very well and totally malfunctioned when we started this trip in January. This allowed the cabinet to freely come out while traveling. As a temporary measure I put a door stop under the cabinet until I could find the time to fix it.

Later, I removed the sofa to gain access to the side door where the latch assemble is located. The mechanism works by means of a gas assist rod similar to those on the basement doors. It is different from the doors in that it has a pin on the end of the rod that when depressed allows the rod to move. I found that someone prior to our purchasing the coach had forced the cabinet closed while the latch was released. This tore the gas assist rod retaining screws out of the wood and bent the gas assist closer rod. To repair this, someone (probably the dealer's maintenance person had moved the gas assist rod attachment point several inches to the rear. This caused the cabinet to be hard to open and close and totally defeated its purpose.

To repair my unit I ordered a new gas assist rod ($130). Ouch! In order to install it at its correct position (halfway out) I had to invert the assembly and install it on the bottom of the cabinet instead of the top of the cabinet. It now works very well and the gas assist rod functions to assist in opening and closing. When the latch is released the cabinet locks in place.

I have attached a photo of the gas assist rod where it attaches to the back of the cabinet. Note the release cable is disconnected. It normally attaches to the gray colored piece and actuates the pin on the end of the gas assist rod.

John_Canfield · 03-22-2006, 07:17 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by arkaussie:
John,
Thought you would have picked up on this as you are normally so observant. The new ones have a pull handle on the end in the middle and it is a cable which goes to the back of the moveable cabinet. I assume there is a strip with holes on the underside of the fixed counter and the cable operated catch mech.

I was hoping someone else had did the research to ensure it would work on our older models. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Silly me - I assumed there was an improvement over the pull handle that we do have! I just assumed that the 2004 had the latch that we have

Winnie continues to tweak the product which is a good thing unless you happen to miss out on the improvement!

arkaussie · 03-22-2006, 01:59 PM

Opps John, it could be silly me as I thought you had a 2004. If you have the pull tee handle then you already have what I'm looking at on the 2006.

kenbt · 03-23-2006, 10:33 AM

On our 2005 Vectra, from the locked in position you have to pull the handle to open it 1/2 and then pull it again to extend it completely. The same going in, you have to pull the handle to start the push in and then again to complete it

starchy · 03-24-2006, 11:40 AM

arkaussie:The 2005 gas assist rod shown in LK23 reply is on the 2005 model. We had a problem with the slide and it turned out to be loose screws in the brackets that attach to the slide and the wall of the cabinet. Winnie only installed 1 screw in the top mounting bracket. This allowed the gas strut to fall along the side of the slide and caused the pullout to come out freely. My solution was to slightly reposition the mounting brackets and install two or three screws thus solving the problem. Also Winnie use a nylon tie to secure the flexible release cable to the shaft of the gas assist rod. This tie cannot be pulled too tight as it causes the cable to come loose from the rod. You can remove the panel without removing the sofa. It is difficult but not impossible.

rebelsbeach · 03-24-2006, 11:46 AM

Thanks for your post starchy....we've got to get that post count up!!