How To Secure Loose Furniture While moving?

[bzumwalt]

We recently updated our rig by removing the dinette and replacing it with a round pedestal table and two dining room chairs. We also replaced the sofa sleeper with two recliners. Since these are all loose pieces of furniture, we would like to find a way to securely strap them down while moving to make sure they don’t tip over or become large flying “death objects” in the event of a catastrophic accident. All of this is in the large slide on the pilot’s side of the coach.

The simple solution would seem to be d-rings in the floor and cargo straps. However, to securely install d-rings, they need to be attached with nuts and bolts and washers or an anchor plate on the bottom side. The bottom of the slide is smooth sheet metal because it has to slide over a long rubber seal when moved in and out. So, I’m worried the extra hardware might damage the seal. I guess you could screw the d-rings into the floor with lag bolts, but then I’m afraid they wouldn't be strong enough to hold in the event of a real emergency.

How have others done this? Any thoughts or suggestions?

__________________
Bob Z
06 Fleetwood Discovery 39S / 08 Buick Enclave

[tbutler]

The first thing you may want to try is to talk to the manufacturer for your coach. See if they have suggestions or a system that they use to anchor heavy objects in slides in your coach. There may be hidden anchor points or a layer of strong material which would support anchors without having to bolt through the floor of the slide. Just getting definite information on the construction materials in the floor and walls of the slides may help your efforts to anchor the furniture.

I gave this some thought and I believe you are correct, the floor anchors may not work. One way to compensate for an inability to locate heavy duty anchors is to use more anchors for each object.

I thought perhaps a two axis anchor system might work. Put in floor brackets that will anchor the furniture against vertical movement and then attach the furniture to a wall to keep it from shifting away from the bracket horizontally. By using two axis you may be able to prevent movement with anchors that are not as difficult to install as a well anchored D-ring.

Consider the center of balance for each object you are anchoring. A table has a high center of balance so the horizontal anchor should be near tabletop level. Chairs and a couch have a lower center of gravity so anchor them near seat level. The mass of heavy objects like recliners and a sofa sleeper will require many anchors for each axis.

[kaypsmith]

I know you just bought new chairs, but I found two very nice looking fold up wooden chairs at Lowes. While traveling, we fold them up,I added hooks on the wall that they nest into, then

strap them in place with strong rubber tarp straps into eye hooks in the wall.