Difficult Storage Access

[Winnefredo]

Our View has outside storage bins that are difficult to access because of the door design that pops up to about 90 deg. (Tiffins open sideways). I used to be a Ninga, but now at 66 I have to get on my knees to get under the door. Are there different pistons that can be used? If I undo the stop cables the door can rise an appreciable amount making it easier but that stretches the pistons and I'm wondering if that will that damage the pistons? Any help?

[ThomB]

I'm in a similar predicament only I don't have any pistons at this time. I've not yet pulled the trigger, but I have these saved in my Amazon cart. They come in different sizes if you have doors that are larger or smaller. It seems that maybe there is adjustments that can be made for the amount of opening that can be done. Maybe your's adjusts? If not maybe a complete replacement would help?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Y666HW...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[creativepart]

I removed the stop wire on the three doors that open up on my Adventurer and it’s never caused any issue with the door lifts in 3-yrs of use. In my case those doors were under slides and the stops were there to keep the door from hitting the slide. But still, it’s a low risk “Mod” to make your RV more usable.

[HFA]

19D On the View/Navion Facebook group, several people have increased the height to which these doors open by moving the strut up one screw hole. That seems to increase the height of the opened door by about 4 inches and provides a little better access.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/View...epa=SEARCH_BOX

[ForestF]

Originally Posted by HFA

19D On the View/Navion Facebook group, several people have increased the height to which these doors open by moving the strut up one screw hole. That seems to increase the height of the opened door by about 4 inches and provides a little better access.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/View...epa=SEARCH_BOX

I just did this on my 06 View. Works great. Took about 2 minutes.

[Winnefredo]

Thanks guys for the tips on storage door mods...

[Lutefiskers]

We have a new 2020 View with same design issue. My solution = finally found a use for my father in law’s old fashioned 3 legged milking stool. Just plop it down in front of the bay, open the door and sit down. Everything is at eye level. Just watch your head if you stand up with bay door still open. Also comes in handy as a “leg up” to the ladder.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by creativepart

I removed the stop wire on the three doors that open up on my Adventurer and it’s never caused any issue with the door lifts in 3-yrs of use. In my case those doors were under slides and the stops were there to keep the door from hitting the slide. But still, it’s a low risk “Mod” to make your RV more usable.

Yes the wires are usually checks to prevent the doors from being left up and crushed when bringing the slides in. Removing the wires usually only helps when the slides are not extended. I loosen the screw anchoring the wire to the coach frames so I can flip it off if I need the extra room when the slides are not extended but flip it back on afterwards just in case someone else leaves one of those bins open.

[AlanO]

... but wouldn’t it be so much better if the doors simply opened to the side instead of up?
I’ve been trying to figure a way to replace the door hinges and latches to allow side opening.
Anyone come up with a way to make this work??

[JerryP]

I had the same idea. I use a 3 leg camping stool. It folds down to a small size. I sit to the left of the door and reach in with my right hand. If I have to get on the ground, the stool helps me get back up again. I have bad knees. (just recovered from left knee replacement). The stool helps a lot.
Regards, Jerry 17View-V

[mikemakay]

I had a 2002 Brave that had most of the storage doors open to 90 degrees. I simply unscrewed the piston bracket from the box, raised the door to the height that worked for me and screwed the bracket at that position. That being said I had to get a different size piston on a couple of the doors.

[Coffie Drink]

I have HWH levelers that raises the storage boxes. I have a pad that I use to use all the time but I don’t need it much. I made changes to make setup faster. My Water fill has snap on connectors. I made a short power cable that plugs into the generator plug and I connect it to the power cable. I use a 30 foot 30 amp extension cord that I use when plugging in. I added a storage tube for my waste hose and I have 3 hoses in that.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by AlanO

... but wouldn’t it be so much better if the doors simply opened to the side instead of up?
I’ve been trying to figure a way to replace the door hinges and latches to allow side opening.
Anyone come up with a way to make this work??

Yes and No on the better. In the storage lot and tight spaces the side opening doors can be a detriment as they are usually so long that they can only be opened a fraction of the way making it so you can only easily access one end of the bin plus they are more prone to damage due to the hinges being on the short end of the doors. Side opening doors also provide little to no rain protection making it so the bins get wetter when its raining out and you open them.

I tried a few coaches with them and overall did not like the side opening doors which also can block you when opening multiple bins.

[bkg]

Originally Posted by NeilV

Yes and No on the better. In the storage lot and tight spaces the side opening doors can be a detriment as they are usually so long that they can only be opened a fraction of the way making it so you can only easily access one end of the bin plus they are more prone to damage due to the hinges being on the short end of the doors. Side opening doors also provide little to no rain protection making it so the bins get wetter when its raining out and you open them.

I tried a few coaches with them and overall did not like the side opening doors which also can block you when opening multiple bins.

You pointed out an excellent trade-off on the top hinge opening versus side swing hinge opening. When we were performing the pre-delivery checklist on our coach, the PDI tech was also the dealers service guy, he opened each of the exterior storage bins for us as we walked around. He stated that this was the best exterior storage door design. I asked why and he pointed to their service bay where he stated they had one Newmar and two Tiffin coaches in there getting storage bin door repairs. He stated inevitably owners tend to place their body weight on the side opening door. Whether leaning in to look for something or used as a "grab rail" to pull themselves up off the ground, the door/hinge is not designed to handle that weight and rips out.
I mentioned that it would be helpful if Winnebago allowed more than 90 degree opening range. The serivce guy replied that opening angle was done on purpose by Winnebago. He said at 90 degree, the storage door would not direct rain water into the storage bin. When he release the restraint cable and you can easily see that at that angle, the storage door would certainly direct water into the storage area. He said a number of owners say they don't leave their storage doors open but he said he has seen his share of swamped storage bins.
We were thankful for having a knowlegable PDI tech. He was very enlightening on a number items.

Point is, we often look at things with RV design "now why did they do that?"; with Winnebago it is usually because it was a problem that surfaced years ago from owner input so they upgraded. I now appreciate the trade-off of the lower crawling.

Bobby

[jayelldouble]

I've recently started carrying a folding "garden kneeler" that works as a kneeler or a seat depending on which way is up. The frame of the kneeler also makes it easier to get up after accessing the bins. Before that I used a "portable creeper" which is just a folding foam pad - still carry that too - GF likes to use it as a footrest while we drive.