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  1. #1
    Rolling Along
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    297RSTS Dinette / Couch Swap

    I have a 2018 297RSTS and have always fraught with the seating space with the free standing dinette. At 6' 2", there is just not enough room for two people to sit at the table, much less for 4 people, as intended by GD. During our last camping trip, I was looking at the interior and started thinking outside the box, so to speak. I got out the tape measure and found that I might be able to swap the L.H. side dinette and rear couch positions, providing a larger dinette area. I am still working out some of the details, but thought it might be time to share what I've done so far.

    First, I removed the dinette table and set it aside. Loosening the couch was simple, since it was never properly secured to the floor by GD when the unit was built. We were then able to side the couch between the island and the theater seating, and slip it into to space where the dinette was on the L.H. slide. We opened to couch to the sleeping position to verify that it was still functional as a hide-a-bed, and it was. Because the head of the hide-a-bed is now on the the raised slide, and the foot of the bed is at the lower floor level, this should help with the reverse pitch of the hide-a-bed where the head was lower than the foot of the bed. I intend to raise the couch a bit more to help this issue further.

    With the rear of the living area now open, we moved the table and chairs (qty 2 for now) to the rear of the living area. The open space between the rear side cabinets is 72", which is about the same as where the dinette was on the L.H. slide, but much of the improvement comes from the open space for the chair backs over the cabinets. The additional usable space is remarkable, and I can easily get in and out of the chairs at the table and sit comfortably.

    In addition to the larger seating area, we can now install a longer table. We found one on Amazon that is 55" x 24" (see pictures) which should allow 4 to sit at the sides of the table in real comfort. Furthermore, because the dinette table is now on a flat floor, a 5th person can sit at the end of the table. Viewing the TV from the L.H. side of the table is excellent. If desired, there is actually enough space for a 72" x 24 table if you needed the extra length, but it's a bit harder to find a 72" table that is less than 30" wide. If you replace GD supplied table with a longer one, you will need to rotate the table to fit flat to the rear wall to bring the slides in. Also, because the dining area floor is now vinyl, the table and chairs will need to be secured when traveling. I am still working on this part also, but may mount a 1x2 or 1x4 strip along the rear wall with tether loops in multiple locations to facilitate securing the furniture.

    Another advantage to this swap is the dinette now has a terrific view out the large rear window instead of the neighbor's patio, which is a deal-breaker for some RV shoppers.

    I am still in the process of adding some electrical outlets in the dining area. I added a Blue Sky 12 VDC powered dual USB charger on each of the side cabinets near the rear wall for charging portable devices. The cabinet top makes a excellent place to keep them when charging. I am also adding a hospital grade 120 VAC duplex outlet with dual smart USB charging ports to the center of the rear wall using Legrand Wiremold surface box and surface channel for the wiring from the floor to the box. I am still working on this part, so no finished pictures yet.

    I will fully document this modification on my web page, but I am also attaching a few of the pictures here. I'm interested to hear any and all comments.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Big Traveler Steve7's Avatar
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    Klenger, my DW and I love this idea. A couple questions. It appears that the couch won’t fit unless we move the theater seating over. Did you have to do this? And if so, did you modify the window side valance that is in the way if you move the theater seating?

    Did there appear to be much weight difference between the kitchen table/chairs and couch? Just wondering about weight transfer.
    Steve & Sue (pups:Sky & Sierra) Gardnerville, Nv
    2017 Refelection 297RSTS
    2017 Ford 350 CC 4x4 Lariat Superduty 6.7, Long Bed

  3. #3
    Rolling Along
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    Now that you mention it, I believe that I did move the theater seats some time ago in an attempt to gain some more room for the dinette. I didn't make any changes to the window valance. I have not done any weighing, but I suspect the couch is heavier than the dinette, but not by a lot. I believe my trailer was heavier on the curb side anyway because of the galley, so adding some more weight on the L.H. side should help that. I suspect I also moved some weight forward, but again, not much.

    From the factory, my side-to-side weights are: Left side: 3,474, Right side: 3,852, so moving weight to the left side is a good thing.

    I do want to mention that this mod is not for those who want to pack up and go with minimal fuss. There will be some minor stowage and securing when traveling, but I think I can keep that to a minimum with convenient tie-downs. Also, if you want to add an electrical outlet on the rear wall, it requires some additional wiring below the floor. If the existing side outlets work for you, then no bother.

  4. #4
    Big Traveler Steve7's Avatar
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    Okay, that’s what I figured. After typing about any weight differences, we realized the same thing you say about evening out the sides a bit more. I see us doing this. Thanks for posting!
    Steve & Sue (pups:Sky & Sierra) Gardnerville, Nv
    2017 Refelection 297RSTS
    2017 Ford 350 CC 4x4 Lariat Superduty 6.7, Long Bed

  5. #5
    Site Sponsor theclarks's Avatar
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    Very nice mod and write up Klenger. . . . . . .
    Joe & Dee
    Ontario, Ohio
    2018 Chevy 3500HD LTZ Duramax Crew Cab SRW Short Bed Payload 3523#
    2019 Reflection 337RLS bought February 2019 Dry Pin Weight = 2,320#, UVW = 11,100#
    Hitch - PullRite Super Glide 2700 - 16K
    Bed Cover - Roll-N-Lock
    TPMS - Tire Tracker TT-500 (non flow thru)
    Rear Observation Camera - Rear View Safety model RVS-155W-FB (2400-2500MHZ)

    2017 303RLS bought April 2017 / Traded February 2019

    Map represents States visited with our 303RLS /337RLS

  6. #6
    Setting Up Camp
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    Thank you for posting this. I think I may have to do a bit of reconfiguration to ours.
    2017 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Crewcab
    2019 Reflection 297RSTS

  7. #7
    Rolling Along
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    It's still a work in process and hope to have it completed this weekend. Will post more info then. We did get the 55"x24" table I ordered and assembled it yesterday. At $104, it's not great quality, but it will do the job and the size is great. I will most likely look for something nicer in the future. I did confirm that we CANNOT bring both slides in unless we store the table long side against the back wall for transit.

    For anyone attempting this mod, measure twice and cut (or drill) once (so to speak) and don't proceed with any changes that you can't reverse until you are confident this is what you want to do.

  8. #8
    Big Traveler Steve7's Avatar
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    We went ahead and changed the furniture around yesterday. We had to bend the bottom valance mount a bit on the small window near the theater seating. I didn’t want it to rub every time the chair was reclined. We decided to have the dinette sideways after experimenting. It’s just the two of us, and this seems to increase the floor space. It’s now easier to reach the upper cabinets with the couch out of the way. And I won’t have to worry about centering it so that the slides don’t come into contact with the table. I think I’m gonna use the same hole in the floor where the couch was secured to put a tie down like the originals. I may even just use the originals that are now under the couch on the carpet.

    Thanks for the idea Klenger!

    Here’s a couple pics.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 23BDEC87-094D-4557-A0FC-CF26360ACD3F.jpeg   93A52687-0042-40D6-AA23-4C010C362D64.jpeg  
    Steve & Sue (pups:Sky & Sierra) Gardnerville, Nv
    2017 Refelection 297RSTS
    2017 Ford 350 CC 4x4 Lariat Superduty 6.7, Long Bed

  9. #9
    Rolling Along
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    ^^ The dog seems to like it.

    I updated my web page with some new pictures. Still working on a tie-down method for securing things. My solution is to install a length of stained-to-match brick molding along the rear wall with bungee tether loops in multiple locations to facilitate securing the furniture.

    web page link is: http://www.klenger.net/dinette-swap.html

  10. #10
    Rolling Along
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    Looks like a great modification!

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