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Old 09-14-2012, 07:02 PM   #1
BusyCarol
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Basement Organization

In an attempt to prevent everything from being stacked on top of each other in the basement(pass through area) I am reorganizing. They are VERY MINOR fixes/modifications but I thought I would share them so others might share there modifications to make their basement more efficient. This is an area that can be a nightmare upon arrival when all you want to do is jump in your Monty and relax.

When we bought the Monty the pass through was like a giant purse with NO pockets! So I have made the following modifications:

1. After attempting to mouse proof this area I moved the spare tire 'thingy'(jack)to the passenger side of the trailer because I thought it was absolutely absurd for it to be on the driver's side when the mechanism is on the passenger side. So I removed the velcro pieces, switched them to above the cable tv boxes and added a piece of red velcro to lock it down.

2. Put our slide protector noodles to the spaces in between the beams on the ceiling of the basement using small bungees and eye hooks.

3. Cut down the top of the Surge Guard box, duct taped it for added durability, and velcroed it upright on the drivers side front corner. I then added a piece of velcro to the surge guard itself to keep it from bouncing around in the box.

4. Took two small pieces of 3" pipe, drilled holes through the pipe, and attached it to the front wall of the basement. We then slide the fishing rods through these pipe pieces and then add a small piece of velcro to keep the rod from bouncing around. It also keeps them up off the other stuff!

See...I think I spent $2.68 total! So please share your modifications...as I am sure they are much more advanced than mine. I have pictures if anyone is interested!
 
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Old 09-15-2012, 05:00 AM   #2
jsmitfl
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I took a 8 ft piece of rubbermaid fast track and mounted it on the front wall of the basement. I then got some of their long straight hangers and put 2 of the square fence post covers on them. I store my folding ladder in one and other long misc. stuff in the other. At the DS end I have room for two seperate hose hangers. Below this track on the PS I hung another 4ft fast track. I took some more of the hangers and the square fence post covers and I use them to hold our fishing rods. On the wall above the tv hookup I put another 4 ft track. I have various hangers there. Sat tv cable. Extension cords. etc. Over by the convenince center on the wall in the basement I have paper towels hanging, and then I'm going to get a tissue holer to hold my box of latex gloves. I still have room to dbl stack 2 rows of bins in there if need be. You can get the fast track at Lowes or Menards. They have lots of diffrent hooks and it is so great.
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Old 09-15-2012, 11:43 AM   #3
BusyCarol
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Thanks jsmitfl for the idea of the fast track racks. We are going to check into that. Love the idea of the paper towels and glvoes being hung on the wall. That will be nice for when we do the 'black tank' dump.

We just got back from Home Depot and found some really cool velcro straps with carabiner clips on them. We are going to bolt some d-rings to the front of the basement wall and then when we want to hang the 50amp cable we will wrap the cable with the velcro and clip it to the d-ring. Then when the cable is not in the pass through the d-ring will drop back to be flat against the wall. We are going to use the same mechanism for the foldable ladder that we have. That will get it up off the floor but keep it from bouncing around.

Any other ideas anyone?

Any other ideas anyone?
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Old 09-15-2012, 01:06 PM   #4
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We use mostly storage boxes from Wally World of various sizes and types. We have a mosaic that works for us and keeps similar items together. I don't have pictures of the side where them most containers are, but here's an example of some of the things we've done. We took a black rolling storage container from Wally's, took the top off and made a wooden top to hold our Winegard carryout antenna then attached another Wally container to the back of the board to hold the cables, locks, chains and a bottle of small parts that go along with it. The brown container next to it has all our water hoses, filters and regulator and the upside down lid is where the Anaconda rides going down the road. Here's the link: http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/...out%20carrier/
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Old 09-16-2012, 04:38 PM   #5
BusyCarol
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Today was a busy day! We added a bunch of D hooks to the front wall of the basement area and hung the collapsible ladder, the extra power cords, a bungee cord to hold the chairs up against the wall, and put the noodles in between frame units on the ceiling. It is looking pretty good and makes things easier to get to.

If you have any suggestions please let me know! I love to organize so I am always looking for new ways to organize!
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Old 09-17-2012, 02:50 AM   #6
1retired06
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Best thing we did for outdoor storage was to install a slideout cargo tray.
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Old 09-17-2012, 06:42 PM   #7
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

Best thing we did for outdoor storage was to install a slideout cargo tray.
Oooohhhh!!!! Hubby and wifey LIKE that idea!!! I am only 5'4" so trying to reach what is in the middle of a basement that is 8' wide can be challenging to say the least! I LOVE the slide idea! This rig is going to be totally tricked out with all of the great suggestions from our MOC friends! Now if we could just find a 'money tree' to plant in the backyard all would be good!
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Old 09-18-2012, 07:05 PM   #8
McIver
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Like the idea of a slide out. Can y'll send a pic of your slide out and a link to the site that sells them.
Thanks
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Old 09-19-2012, 02:40 AM   #9
1retired06
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I dont have a picture, but bought my kit through camping world. Do a search for cargo side outs via CW OnLine, and the manufacturer, Stromberg Carlsen has an excellent video link showing their product and how to install (which was pretty easy if you can cut plywood straight, and drill a few holes).
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Old 09-19-2012, 03:45 AM   #10
BusyCarol
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Those are way cool Mike! Thanks for sharing! Now where is that money tree growing because I am going to need some extra cash! I would love those for getting the chairs, which are so cumbersome, out of the trailer belly!
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Old 09-19-2012, 07:30 PM   #11
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The only thing wrong with the slide out is that it is very heavy. For those having weight issues, you need to consider that. Also need to make sure it is latched or when you go around a corner it can knock out the side door!!
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Old 09-20-2012, 06:01 PM   #12
BusyCarol
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I checked out CW for the slide out tray and read that it was 55 pounds. That is a chunk but would be really handy to keep things organized! I think a generator is going to come first on our Christmas list this year but the tray is definitely on the list. Of course with the generator and tray we are going to have to get a bigger truck!

Thanks for your input! Is there anything else we could do to make our basements more efficient? I am thinking of hanging a magnetic strip on the front wall to hang all of the many locks that we have for all of the doo-dads we have added! I need a wagon to carry all of the keys and may have to shell out some more dough to get a set of locks all keyed the same per DQDick's suggestion.
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Old 09-21-2012, 03:28 AM   #13
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Mor/ryde makes slide out trays in various lengths and widths for RVs also. Ours is 36" wide and fits the full length of the basement garage. I never weighed it but I am sure it weighs more than 55 lbs, but like everything else Mor'ryde has it is 1st class and is a little pricey. It extends a full 5' out from either side and has spring loaded latches to keep it in place when traveling. You need to add some 1X6 boards when you install it to raise it so it will clear the lips of the storage compartment. That's good because that additional inch provides ample room for storage underneath the sliding tray for tools, hoses, electrical cords, etc... The convenience of having a sliding tray is a real advantage for accessing anything and everything you have stored, and it is really a back saver too. We found some plastic storage containers at Costco that fit side to side perfectly and allows us to stack them. My biggest concern with a 36" wide storage tray is my ability to access the water pump because there is not a lot of room to remove the convenience center housing cover.
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Old 09-21-2012, 12:03 PM   #14
1retired06
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If an additonal 55 pounds is a deal breaker, there are bigger weight issues than installation of a slide out cargo drawer.
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Old 09-21-2012, 12:52 PM   #15
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When we had the Montana, each big box was numbered, and I made a list of what was in each box. With the MH, I have a list of what is in each basement bin (there are 12), and what is in the box(s) in that bin.
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Old 09-24-2012, 03:44 PM   #16
BusyCarol
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Some of you have PMd asking for pictures. This is my first time adding photos to a reply so here goes nothing:



Here is the connection in the front area(the other side of the basement wall)



Here is what it looks like from passenger side. We wanted the ladder to be easily accessible for emergency use:



Here is how we locked the chairs into place:





The hardest part is making sure you aren't inserting a bolt through some wiring on the front area. We triple measured to make sure we were in a safety zone. We even drilled a test pilot hole so we would know exactly how everything lined up and we measured from there so we would know where the drill would come through on the front wall.





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Old 09-24-2012, 03:50 PM   #17
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Okay...why did it not add all of the photos like the first one? MMMmmm could it be that I am tired and I am not doing the process correctly??? Any suggestions on how to do it correctly please let me know! I know I can do it just not right now! Sorry for the links!
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Old 09-24-2012, 05:10 PM   #18
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The only difference between a "link" and an imbedded photo is the "Img" tags before and after the url. I suspect you had a [img] and [/img] sequence before and after the url of the first photo. That caused the image to be included when viewing. I bet the subsequent photos don't have the Img control sequences. You can edit your posting by clicking on the icon with the paper and pencil (the third icon at the top of your posting).
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Old 09-24-2012, 05:28 PM   #19
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Okay I will take a look at that! Here I go! So if they appear that is what it is!
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Old 09-24-2012, 05:30 PM   #20
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That was it! Which is weird because I added them all using the same picture button and it added the first one correctly! Oh well...now I know how to fix it if it doesn't work! Thanks!
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