The Talleys 3950FB Mods

[MCTalley]

At the suggestion of Jim Beletti, thought I'd add a thread showing the various mods we're doing to our 2015 Big Country 3950FB. Many long-time members of the forum and the HOC are familiar with the huge number of mods we did to our previous trailer, the 2013 Big Country 3690SL. Many of these mods were favorites from the last coach that we did again for this one. I'll add posts as I get good pictures of each modification.

To start with, a semi-simple mod - installing a Rev-A-Shelf pull-out wastebasket in the kitchen island. Since the bottom of the cabinet was an inch or so too low to mount the brackets, we put a couple pieces of wood in the bottom to build it up a little higher, then screwed the Rev-A-Shelf assembly down to those mounts.

We also used the Door Mount Kit to mount the door facing on the front of the pull-out, removing the hinges installed by the factory.

The attached photo shows the result.

 

[MCTalley]

King to Queen Bed Conversion

Another repeat mod - converting from a king bed to queen bed. Costco still carries our favorite memory-foam topped mattress for $499 and we picked one up and carried it back to the trailer. We also stopped by Home Depot and picked up a box of the cheapest vinyl peel and stick tiles we could find.

We pulled the king mattress out and marked the center of the bed platform box on top of the platform and determined how much to cut off each side of the platform to make it just a little narrower than the mattress (mattress is 60" wide, we cut the platform to 58" wide). This was a lot easier in this trailer as the 3690 had a hydraulic bedroom slide with a wider platform box (wider than queen size).

Once the platform was cut down, we put peel and stick tiles on the top of the platform to assist in moving the mattress around. Once complete, we laid the rolled up, vacuum-packed mattress on the platform and cut it loose to let it relax. We now have about four to six inches more room on each side of the bed to walk around it.

 

[MCTalley]

Laundry Closet Shelving

We don't have an on-board washer/dryer, so we've always utilized our washer/dryer closet for other purposes. In our new coach, there were two shelves mounted in the closet, screwed to the back to prevent them from sliding out of the plastic mounting rails. We've found that this type of mounting rail is not very sturdy and, sure enough after a couple drives, one of the shelves had broken loose and dumped the contents in the bottom of the closet.

We took out the existing shelves and rails, took measurements (29" wide) and headed to the home improvement store. We bought two rails and had the store cut a 12' long piece of 14" deep wire shelf to 28" widths. We bought a set of caps to cover the cut ends and a 1x4 board and headed back to the trailer.

We cut the 1x4 board down to two 28" widths and mounted the top one near the roof (to grab into the stud running along the top of the wall) and another down low to line up with the screw holes on the rails. Since the top 1x4 was mounted at an angle (the roof is sloping down at this point), the rails were offset by one "slot" to accommodate the odd-angled top mount. It sounds odd, but it works.

We originally planned for four shelves and were able to get five shelves out of the 12' section, but ultimately just used three. We stored the two extras under the bed for now. The "after" picture shows just the top shelf installed.

By the way, the advantage to wire rack shelving is that you can install them "upside down" and get a nice lip to keep things from sliding off in transit.

 

[MCTalley]

Basement Organization

One thing we missed from our last trailer was the nice storage location for our gas grill. It will fit in our basement, but not without piling a bunch of other items on top of it. Clearly an organizational mod was in order.

This mod was fairly simple, utilizing two 2' x 3' poplar boards for the shelves and a 2' x 4' board for the side. The whole thing was assembled using "L" brackets and wood screws. The two shelves are attached to the side wall and the 2x4 board, which just sits on the floor (not attached). The grill and various attachments all fit on the bottom, all our bag chairs and tables fit in the middle and our extending ladder and large outdoor rug sit on the top (and still need something to keep them from sliding around).

Once put in use, we realized we could put some cup hooks on the outside part and hang our grilling tools, as well. Note first picture shows an alternate use of the space as a small second bedroom (actually it is one of the Air Force's finest assisting his father in attaching the rear brackets to the side wall).

 

[Garypowell]

Re: Basement Organization

I wondered how long it would take you to get started!

keep the mods coming since Jim's seem to be slowing down I can now live vicariously through your mods.

 

[nander]

Great mods! Thanks for the pics!

I'm waiting to see the front with the golf bag storage.

 

[Hogladyrider]

Re: Basement Organization

Nice mods, thanks for sharing them with us!

Question on the memory foam mattress, was it two pieces? In the photo it appears like a mattress and a topper. How difficult was it to remove the king mattress that came with the RV and were you able to find it a new home?

I thought the new mattresses that came with BC's were Isleep, you were not a fan?

We have a 2016 Big Horn 3875FB on order so we are enjoying all your modifications as we will be transitioning to the full time lifestyle as soon as the house sells, hopefully sooner rather than later!
Susan

 

[VKTalley]

Re: Basement Organization

Nice mods, thanks for sharing them with us!

Question on the memory foam mattress, was it two pieces? In the photo it appears like a mattress and a topper. How difficult was it to remove the king mattress that came with the RV and were you able to find it a new home?

I thought the new mattresses that came with BC's were Isleep, you were not a fan?

We have a 2016 Big Horn 3875FB on order so we are enjoying all your modifications as we will be transitioning to the full time lifestyle as soon as the house sells, hopefully sooner rather than later!
Susan

Susan, the mattress is one piece. What you are seeing as a "topper" is part of the mattress cover. The bag laying on top is holding my mattress cover (to protect the mattress). The mattress that came with the rig was comfortable but we prefer a queen size bed...we slept for 26 years in a double (full) size bed. That and the space we gained on both sides of the bed.

Great mods! Thanks for the pics!

I'm waiting to see the front with the golf bag storage.

Nancy and Dave, I'll make sure Malcolm gets some pictures of that for you to see. He did the same thing on our old rig and just moved it to the new one.

 

[Nabo]

Re: Basement Organization

 

[MagnoliaTom]

Nice work!

 

[MCTalley]

Re: Basement Organization

How difficult was it to remove the king mattress that came with the RV and were you able to find it a new home?

It was pretty easy to remove from the rig. Finding it a new home was a different story altogether. We naively put the mattress on the back of the truck and drove to Goodwill. They won't take mattresses, no matter how new looking they are (hygiene reasons). Neither will most places that take donations. We were in Houston at the time of the conversion and there is a place that takes mattresses and recycles them, but it was an hour drive either way (well, it is Houston, so really two hours each way) just to get it dropped off and we were wanting to move on, so we carried it with us.

When we got to Louisiana and were checking into the campground there, I half-jokingly asked the registration staff if they knew anyone that would like a pretty new king RV mattress. Turns out they did, so after unhitching, I drove the mattress over to the registration office and dropped it off.

 

[MCTalley]

Pots and Pans Rev-A-Shelf

Another Rev-A-Shelf mod. This time a double sliding drawer model to put the pots and pans in. This one is located to the right of the stove. As with the other installation, the floor is much lower than the door opening, so a 2x4 was employed to produce two mounting surfaces at the correct height.

It turns out that the opening was only 11" wide instead of the recommended 11.5" wide, so we had to do a little modification to the right side of the opening using a combination of a hacksaw and the circular saw to widen the opening a half inch. The door still covers it fine. We used the kit that attaches the cabinet door to the bottom drawer of the unit.

 

[MCTalley]

Chalkboards and Magnetic Boards

We had made chalkboards for the Norcold refrigerator in our old rig. They were attached with command strips. We brought them with us, but put the two longer ones on the side of the coat closet just inside the front door. That way we can write little notes or let grandchildren scribble on the boards.

In place of the two long chalkboards on the refrigerator, we put up two metal boards so we can put magnets, notes and pictures up. Though they aren't the full length of the door, they look fine and serve their intended purpose. Again, everything was put up with Command Strips (honestly, how did people live in RVs before those were invented?).

 

[MCTalley]

Main Bath Mods

Several bathroom mods in the main bath:

1. Oxygenics shower head (with various spray patterns) and Command Strip brand corner shower bottle holders (one of two shown).
2. High-falutin' toilet paper holder.
3. Dometic 320 toilet (a.k.a. "swirley water").
4. Since the Dometic toilet's water supply hookup is a few inches to one side compared to the original Thetford toilet, I had to alter the feed line with a 90 to move the hookup over. While we were shopping for Sharkbite pieces and parts, we found this spiffy inline cutoff valve and installed it at the same time (also pictured is the ubiquitous sawdust that magically appears everywhere in a new coach).

 

[MCTalley]

In-house EMS Install

When we were moving from our old coach to the new one, I took the opportunity to snag our EMS from behind the AC breaker box (that I had originally installed). I reinstalled it in the new coach today.

On advice from others here on the forum that had done this installation before me, I had originally purchased a couple feet each of red, black, white and green wire (2 gauge, I think) from the home improvement store. Instead of trying to cut the existing 50 amp service cord, it is easier to unhook it from the breaker box and connect it to the EMS, then use the new 2 foot sections of wire to go from EMS on into the breaker box.

I mounted the remote monitor on the front of the 12V fuse box door with a command strip. The EMS sits down on the floor below the coat closet and the breaker box. Of course, safety first - I turned off the 50 amp service at the pedestal and pulled the plug at the pedestal.

 

[jbeletti]

Re: Main Bath Mods

Malcolm - great thread! Say, which Oxygenics shower head is that? Looking on their website, I don't see it. Also, have you used it yet and do you like it?

 

[MCTalley]

Re: Main Bath Mods

Malcolm - great thread! Say, which Oxygenics shower head is that? Looking on their website, I don't see it. Also, have you used it yet and do you like it?

We picked it up at Camping World. It is the "Fury" model in nickel. Link here.

We both like it a lot. Val mentions she likes it better than the plain Oxygenics shower head we had in the last trailer.

 

[jbeletti]

Re: Basement Organization

...Note first picture shows an alternate use of the space as a small second bedroom (actually it is one of the Air Force's finest assisting his father in attaching the rear brackets to the side wall).

Ha ha! Now I get it. I saw that and was thinking - man, I don't know a lot of RVers that will fit into a space like that. Hope David is doing well.

 

[jbeletti]

Re: Main Bath Mods

We picked it up at Camping World. It is the "Fury" model in nickel. Link here.

We both like it a lot. Val mentions she likes it better than the plain Oxygenics shower head we had in the last trailer.

Thanks - we'll think about this.

 

[VKTalley]

Re: Basement Organization

Ha ha! Now I get it. I saw that and was thinking - man, I don't know a lot of RVers that will fit into a space like that. Hope David is doing well.

Jim, David is doing very well! He was with us over Easter weekend (hence the photo of him helping) and we will be with him this coming weekend in Panama City for the Air Show at Tyndall AFB.