Moving RV furniture

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CujoQuarrel

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Jul 30, 2005
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This is going to be the first in , all probability , a long list of dumb questions so please bear with me

How do you get furniture into an RV? It looks like the doors are two small. Looking at gettinga 5th wheel
(someday) and I'm starting my planning. Since I will be buying used I'm interested in finding out how I would
go about replacing the couch etc in an RV. Is it possible? Do you have to dissasemble the furniture and rebuild?
Can you remove the picture window if the RV has one and slide things in that way?

Any info will be greatly appreciated
 
There are no dumb questions, although there might be some dumb answers.

I'll be facing the same furniture question shortly as I'm planning to remove a sofa that doesn't look like it will fit through the door of my motorhome. A friend with the same brand was told by the factory that everything will fit through the door except the refridgerator. However, during manufacture of this brand, all the furniture is brought in through the opening for the windshield. Presumably, they would use the picture window on a 5th wheel.
 
Hi ,

There are no stupid questions. point
Are those  windows fixed or can you open them?
 
CujoQuarrel said:
This is going to be the first in , all probability , a long list of dumb questions so please bear with me

How do you get furniture into an RV? It looks like the doors are two small. Looking at gettinga 5th wheel
(someday) and I'm starting my planning. Since I will be buying used I'm interested in finding out how I would
go about replacing the couch etc in an RV. Is it possible? Do you have to dissasemble the furniture and rebuild?
Can you remove the picture window if the RV has one and slide things in that way?

Any info will be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum. As Tom said, no dumb questions here. :)

Many times the couches in an RV can be removed through the door. Most are designed for sleeping so they can be flattened and carried sideways. When you need to remove something that can't fit they will usually remove a windshield. In fact when Prevost conversions are built all the appliances and cabinetry must through the windshield. I sure would not want to remove the windshield of one of the newer motor coaches with a one piece windshield!!!

I'm not too sure how a sofa sleeper would be removed from a 5th wheel but I'd guess there's a chance it'll go through the door at a certain angle. :)

 
Haven't purchased the RV yet so I don't know about the windows. I'm still in the far range
planning stage. Really far range :)

My intent is to find a good used RV and replace some of the furniture with stuff that I really like
with the intent of eventually going full time. I am very partial to large leather couches like I have at
my home to the point that I don't even use a bed anymore I just sleep on the couch. (Yeah Im
single)

I'm positive that it couldn't fit thru the door in any manner so I'm wondering it it's even possible
to get it in the RV. I assumed that most of the furniture is put in as the RV is built.

 
RV furniture is built in at the time of manufacture.  Furniture that is designed for aftermarket RV use will usually fit but may require some folding to get through the door.  We installed an aftermarket recliner that fit by opening it up all the way so it was nearly flat.

Also, RV furniture is generally secured to the floor as a safety measure.  In fact, when we had the factory barrel chair removed and replaced it with the free standing recliner, the dealer that did the work told us he could not install the recliner as it wasn't designed to be fastened down. 

I don't think I'd want a heavy, leather couch unsecured in the event of a major accident or rollover.  I'm thinking more of motorhomes where things fly around the occupants, rather than a trailer.  In the case of a trailer, unsecured furniture will do a lot of damage, but not hit anyone.
 
Ned,

I agree with you on unsecured furniture, especially in a motorhome. We do have one piece unsecured and it hasn't moved yet but certainly could if we had an accident. I have noticed in many of the new 5th wheels they are using regular sofa beds instead of the sleeper/couch. These, in some cases, are not secured. The reason is there is usually some obstruction in the way to be able to open the bed in a fixed position. If one can move the sofa slightly then it will open all the way.

 
At the Newmar factory I saw some furniture being passed through the slideout openings before the slideouts were installed.  Not that this would help many people here.

I have two unsecured recliners.  They are very well designed to be freestanding, and have not moved yet with two panic stops.  I am sure they will move in a serious accident, but so will a lot of other things.
 
Jim,

Unsecured furniture in a trailer isn't as big a hazard as in a motorhome as there usually are not people in the trailer while traveling.  I just hope we don't rollover as we have the freestanding recliner right behind my chair.
 
Ned,

You are correct about no passengers, usually, in a trailer. I think there are some states that allow passengers in a 5th wheel but I sure wouldn't want to be one!!! Imagine what I10 would do to someone in the 5er!

 
Aye Ned I know what you mean!  I have two freestanding recliners behind the driver seat.  But at least when traveling there is a slideout wall between me and the recliners.  But also a window on that same wall ouch!  :eek:
 
One advantage to a factory is you can put the furniture in before the walls go up.

However... As others have noted often a piece of furniture too big to fit through the door can be dissassembled and takn out in pieces, or it can be re-adjusted to fit, or a few other tricks,  Also in many motor homes there are "Escape" windows which can be opened and items too wide to go through the door can go out the window.

That said I do wish the door was wider on my MH, it's 24 inches, A motorized wheel chair (A friend tools around in) is 25, won't fit

30 or the house standard 36 would be nice
 
I recently removed the sofa/bed from my '05 Travel Trailer, Holiday Rambler Alumascape. At first I thought I would have to take it apart but while examining it closely for disassembly I stumbled upon the secret. The uppermost section of the back of the sofa simply slips into the lower base unit. Once removed the base unit fits easily through the door.
 
We replaced the sleeper sofa in our 40ft 94 Travel Supreme 5th wheel this summer with a new Lazy Boy sleeper.? After and I do mean after we took the old one out the door we found out the back does lift off real easily.? It fit going out the door without too much trouble.? The new one did not have a removeable back but did go thru the door with only removing the legs.? I think it was 76 inches long.? Just last week we put a new washer and dryer in and if it was another 1/8 inch bigger we would not have been able to get it thru the door? into the bathroom-laundry room.? Good luck but I think they are made to replace the furniture.

Roger
 
Here's our sofa bed removed from the slideout and ready to be taken outside through the door.
 

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