TV Mount

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BaylissMason

BaylissMason

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2017
Posts
8
Location
Midlothian, VA
So I bought a cheap 19" TV and stationary mounting kit for our TT bedroom. There is a sticker on the wall (underneath the cable & power outlets) that says "TV Mounting area". The sales guy told us there was extra material behind that area so that a TV could be mounted safely. So, we grabbed the drill and it went straight through like nothing extra was there. We were too afraid to continue until we had a stud finder. Should we be concerned? Has anyone else mounted a TV (I swear this thing weighs at most 10 pounds)? HELP! We don't want to put the mounting bracket on then have it fall off the wall and ruin the walls and TV. Any and all help is much appreciated.
 
Welcome to the Forum!

The stud finder is an excellent idea.  Depending on what you find, options include simply screwing the mount to the wall,  or use molly bolts (expandable behind the wall) to hold the mount.  You may also choose to remove the TV from the mount for travel, and lay it on the bed.
 
If it is an outside wall, it may have sheet metal under the paneling.  Check with a strong magnet.  If it is sheet metal, fasten using sheet metal screws.
 
RV's often do not have a standard "stud" spacing - they often just put them wherever it is handy or needful. The presence of a window or door really distorts the wall stud locations.

There may well be some extra thickness in the wall to help support of TV and you just missed it. It may not be very large or very thick, and may not be ideally placed either. A stud finder might help, but the magnetic ones probably won't work - they rely on having nails in the studs and RV walls are sometimes primary glued in place.  You can also try tapping the wall and listening carefully for a more solid sound. The ultimate technique is to use a tiny drill (1/16") and drill holes until you find something more sturdy. Don't expect a lot - the "extra" may be as little as 1/4".

I would not use a swing-out mount - odds are the wall won't handle the leveraged weight. Mount it as tight as possible. Placing a support under the lower edge of the tv is often wise, since standard tv mounts are not designed to be bounced by potholes and RR tracks.  You can probably glue a lip to the wall to provide support if there is no extra padding there.

The bottom line is that each RV layout and brand is different and mounting anything takes some thoughtful exploration and often some creativity as well.
 
You have two existing openings in the wall: the power and antenna outlets. Remove the covers and see if they provide clues as to what's behind the wall.
 
HappyWanderer said:
You have two existing openings in the wall: the power and antenna outlets. Remove the covers and see if they provide clues as to what's behind the wall.
Click to expand...

Good idea.

As a backup up plan, just in case my TV's decide to fall off the wall or countertop, I cut a piece of the strapping that is used in the ratchet straps we all have that hold down items in trailers -tops of trucks etc. and cut about a 12 inch piece and attached to the wall or ceiling and to the back of the TV (with a small sheet metal screw). Keeps them from being destroyed if they fell.
 
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