floor hatch

[gerrym51]

since i searched but could not find answer. to anyone that has a floor hatch for underfloor storage or
recessed shower pan(especially). Is there any problen walking on these hatches. do they hold up just like the regular floor; I'm making a plan that will require a lot of standing on this hatch.

thanks

[gerrym51]

105 looks and no responses. Nobody walks on their floor hatches?

[scatter]

I don't walk on it much as I have an RB50 floor plan. But, I have stood on it a few times while doing work and it's solid. Seems the same as the floor around it.

[Roubo]

We walk on ours all the time (it's between the bench seats), and I often kneel on it also. I'm north of 225 lbs, and it's solid.

[gerrym51]

since i'm on the subject of floor hatches does anybody have a floor hatch to the house batteries and where located

[Viejo]

Ya - I've got a battery hatch that is just inside the side doors. Walk in & out on it all the time.
Some pics in my gallery on the bottom of 1st page and top of 2nd.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by Viejo

Ya - I've got a battery hatch that is just inside the side doors. Walk in & out on it all the time.
Some pics in my gallery on the bottom of 1st page and top of 2nd.

if i remember correctly wasn't it the previous owner you bought it from who installed his own hatch/

i guess what i',m asking is does anyone have a sportsmobile itself installed floor hatch over the batteries. will they do it if you pay them or is it one of their no no"s

thanks

[daveb]

At least on my EB-50 build the batteries are not in a sealed box like the XL storage so the lid would have to be sealed tightly or dust would be a problem. On top of that the batteries are covered with a plastic cover that is strapped and zip tied down. I still would have enough access to be able to remove the cover and that would require a pretty big opening because I have two 4-D's. But I'm sure you can design something to suit your needs. I would have to remove the bed to get to an access hatch like that. In my case I would rather have a nice easy way to lower the battery tray.

[Viejo]

if i remember correctly wasn't it the previous owner you bought it from who installed his own hatch/

Yes, he went thru 2 sets of sealed batteries and decided if he was going to burn thru batteries, he might as well burn cheap ones. The van has deep cycle lead acid vented batteries that need watering occasionally. Not practical if you have to unbolt 'em and jack 'em down every couple of months.

The way SMB does it seem like short term expediency for something that someone else will be stuck trying to maintain. If a battery set had the service life of a transmission or radiator it would be ok, but for something with about the lifespan of a set of tires - no.

In their defense - there is probably some safety reg about having hydrogen spewing batteries accessible to an enclosed living space.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by Viejo

Yes, he went thru 2 sets of sealed batteries and decided if he was going to burn thru batteries, he might as well burn cheap ones. The van has deep cycle lead acid vented batteries that need watering occasionally. Not practical if you have to unbolt 'em and jack 'em down every couple of months.

The way SMB does it seem like short term expediency for something that someone else will be stuck trying to maintain. If a battery set had the service life of a transmission or radiator it would be ok, but for something with about the lifespan of a set of tires - no.

In their defense - there is probably some safety reg about having hydrogen spewing batteries accessible to an enclosed living space.

and some owners have them in their dinettes in battery boxes vented to outside. I have seen coyotearms sportsmobile pictures. he has 3 batteries in battery boxes in his van each with an outside vent. his van is the cruiser II top and you can see the 3 vents in the side. I've also seen pictures of 2 others(i can't remember names) with batteries in dinettes