Cabinet Hardware?

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Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown

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Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Posts
717
Location
So Cal
A special thanks to everyone who has gotten me this far in my RV usage and shopping!  The check lists, the help from fellow RVers out there has been amazing and so I wanted to say thanks.  I try to put my limited experience to use helping out when I can, but you guys are awesome!  Okay now for my question.

We will soon take delivery of a 2002 Bounder 36S on the Workhorse 22,000 lb chassis, with 10200 miles.  The bounder has spent all its life stored inside a warehouse, and is pretty much showroom quality.  It is a private party deal and assuming the guy doesn't back out on me it is an absolute steal at $32,000. 

There is one thing that must be done as soon as we take delivery, all of the cabinet hardware must be replaced from brass to chrome or nickle.  This seems like an easy afternoon task with an electric screwdriver and maybe the neighbor as a helper but what I really need to know is if I can use standard cabinet hardware or if RVs use a slightly different size of anything?  While experience with similar year Fleetwood products would be nice any thing you guys can think of that might be different for cabinet hardware in a motorhome vs a stick home could prove helpful!

Thanks,
Jeff
 
I'm not sure about your bounder, but I have replaced a few broken drawer pulls on my fiver with regular old knobs from Home Depot.  Congratulations on your new rig, sounds like a very good price.
 
There are a few different "standards" when it comes to cabinet hardware measurements, and while I don't recall the exact figures, I do know, from working in a Lowe's store, that the MH industry uses the less popular of them.  You might have a slight problem finding the correct spacing of the pre-drilled holes in patterns that appeal to you.  You can buy backing plates to cover existing holes if that becomes a problem.  Hinges will be fairly standard in size.
 
Jeff, normally pulls come in 3", 3 1/2", and 4" with 3" being  the most common in residential cabinets. It would seem odd to see RV dealers use something that would have to be manufactured out of the norm (hence higher cost) just to be different. I know the pulls on ours are standard 3" pulls.
 
RVs do use standard cabinet hardware, but as has been said, there are many standard sizes. Since RV manufacturers buy in bulk, they can easily get what may be relatively rare in mass market stores (which mostly carry only the most common sizes and styles).  I can't guess what's in that Bounder, but likely you will have no problem finding the right sizes.
 
I did not mean to imply, in my previous post, that the OP would not be able to find replacement cabinet hardware.  I just happen to know (because I have one) that Bounder has used cabinet polls with 4" spacing for many many years, and probably still does.  Having worked in and around the Hardware department of Lowe's Stores for nearly five years, I can assure you that 4" hardware is in the definite minority and the selection is extremely limited.

Since the OP stated that all cabinet hardware must be replaced, immediately upon taking delivery, I simply wanted to alert him to the possibility that an acceptable alternative, in the desired finish, may not be as easily found as one might think.  Been there, done that......
 
Porky, thanks so much for the heads up!  I also will be looking online for replacements so once I take delivery I can get the measurements done and either go pick up or order the correct sizing.  Interesting that Fleetwood not buy the most common hardware size for their most common rig. 

The Bounder makes me a bit nervous because we spent so much time in Southwinds but I just cant pass this one up.  It is everything we wanted (except for the hardware finish) for less than we planned on spending.  It is a pretty loaded coach and as far as options go I dont see anything missing in this Bounder compared to the same year Southwinds we have been looking at.

Everyone says Bounders are Entry Level but it seems so much nicer than the Flair or the Storm to me am I missing something or does Entry Level mean something I didn't think it meant?

Thanks again Porky you nailed that answer I needed think!

Jeff
 
Jeff, the Bounder is definitely a step up from the Flair, and as you have discovered, is a step below the Southwind and Pace Arrow in the areas of "Fit and Finish".  Cabinetry, our current subject, is one of the more prominent differences.  The Bounder has real wood paneled doors with composite base construction, where the Southwind and Pace will have real wood throughout the cabinet construction.

If you soak both in water for a period of time, the bounder cabinets will come apart first..  DUH!    So far, I haven't suffered a cabinet failure, nor have I had anyone ask me "did you know that your cabinets are not real wood?"

In areas of engine, chassis, appliances and functional plumbing, heating and electrical components, they are very similar, if not identical.

I purchased my Bounder used several years ago and have been very satisfied with it's reliability and performance.  As they say, your mileage may vary.

 
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