Help with Table and Filter on 313RE

Nobody seems to know the answers to these two questions around here, so I'm betting the Wildcat community can help me with our new Wildcat 313RE.

How is the pedestal dining table secured for traveling? It came with only two straps one on each side of the table that the dealer said were to tie down the chairs and that makes sense. He also said the table did not need to be secured, but after two turns the table tumbled so that advice was nonsense.

Next question, does anyone know if the 2012 313RE came with a water filter and, if so, any idea where it might be located? I thought it would be near the water pump, but I can't seem to find it.

Many thanks!

On our old 2006 29RLBS, the table had 4 feet like supports at the bottom of the pedestal, in the center of each foot, there was a hole which a screw went through and into the floor.

See if your feet have these holes.

Cant tell you how long of a screw you need, but I'm sure someone will chime it.

Oh, and to the forum....

The four pedestal legs do have countersunk holes for screws. However, the table is on a slide and I'm thinking the screws couldn't penetrate the slide floor more than about a quarter of an inch. Plus the finish on the screw holes is not scratched or scraped which would indicate it never was attached to the floor.

Almost forgot the most important thing. Thanks for the welcome to the forum, Tom and Sharon!

to the forum.

On my 31TS, the water filter is on the driver side and can be reached through the basement dooor. The water filter is behind the rear wall of the basement next to the left outside wall. I have to remove a few screws and remove a small panel on the rear wall to access it. I can see it from the passenger side through the little door that accesses the plumbing under the toilet.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the idea, BobnPi. The pump is back there on the left side, but no filter. I am trying to find it to drain it before freeze season.

The straps for the free-standing table should have come with the Wildcat from the plant -- that's how they're shipped out securely. Occasionally, these straps are misplaced when the RV is being shown or setup at a dealership. If you didn't get them, please have your dealer contact Forest River's parts department.

The water filtration system was removed from 2012 Wildcats due to the possibility of reduced water flow/pressure for the tankless water heater.

Hope this helps!

Stu,

We moved our table out and turned it, so the long side is almost up against the outside wall of the slide, and in the corner. There is only the 2 of us, we leave 2 chairs at home. We ride with both chairs on the tables long side, so the chairs are facing the long side of the slide. Once parked, I sit at the head of the table, DW has the long side looking out the slide window.

The floor of the slide is fairly thick, so a screw protruding through a 1/2 inch wont hurt. I almost want to say, my screws were a good 2 inches long. Remember, there is insulation in the floor before the outer bottom.

Hopefully, someone will go out and take 1 out and measure it for you and report back.

Mine didn't come with any straps and the table was not screwed down to the floor. We didn't keep the table in the trailer very long, we substituted a dog kennel there BUT the times it did ride there I never had a problem with it moving. The chairs hooked seemed to stabilize it.

Thanks to all for your help. I hope our dog doesn't read bighornrams comments or else he will be pushing for a bigger kennel. Hopefully wheels are in motion to get a table tie down as shown in pictures of East Coast manufactured units, cabinet dents fixed and I can quit looking for a nonexisting water filter.
Remarkable, there were more solutions in one day on this board than from the dealer in five days and counting.

Same here with the missing straps. Most of our trips the table never budged, it fell over once & crushed Dumplin's coffee maker. (Not Good!). Now I just lay it on it's side against the outer wall, the chairs never move. Everyone is happy now.

Scruffy says the screws that we removed from our table went into the floor about 3/4 of an inch. Don't remember the total length of the screws.

You can see how we turned our table (got the idea from oldelmer1) and secured it by clicking on the picasa photo link in our signature.

We also had to move our table, and all four screws were every bit of 2".

TC

Westernflyer wrote:The four pedestal legs do have countersunk holes for screws. However, the table is on a slide and I'm thinking the screws couldn't penetrate the slide floor more than about a quarter of an inch. Plus the finish on the screw holes is not scratched or scraped which would indicate it never was attached to the floor.

The floor of the slide is 3/4" plywood on my 29RLBS. Measure the countersink depth, subtract that from the height of the foot at the countersink point and get a screw whose total length is 1/4" less than the combined measurement of the plywood floor and the countersunk foot. That will give you 1/2" of grab as the screw penetrates the slide floor.

Many thanks for all the help in measuring the table hold down screws and all the other ideas and comments.

Are table is not screwed down, moves very little, and we attach the 2 chairs to the arms on the table to hold it down. The only oops is when we extend the leaf. Do not lean to hard on it. We also leave to chairs at home. Only need 2.

Wildcat Chris wrote:The straps for the free-standing table should have come with the Wildcat from the plant -- that's how they're shipped out securely. Occasionally, these straps are misplaced when the RV is being shown or setup at a dealership. If you didn't get them, please have your dealer contact Forest River's parts department.

The water filtration system was removed from 2012 Wildcats due to the possibility of reduced water flow/pressure for the tankless water heater.

Hope this helps!

Removing the water filtration system and installing the tankless water heaters in the new Wildcats are two steps backward in my opinion. I love the fact that my water is filtered before flowing from the faucets.
As for the tankless water heater, I have read a lot of posts and talked to a few people who have these and I have yet to hear, "I love having a tankless water heater." The most positive comment has been, "I've learned how to use it but I'd rather have a real water heater."

Removing the water filtration system and installing the tankless water heaters in the new Wildcats are two steps backward in my opinion. I love the fact that my water is filtered before flowing from the faucets.
As for the tankless water heater, I have read a lot of posts and talked to a few people who have these and I have yet to hear, "I love having a tankless water heater." The most positive comment has been, "I've learned how to use it but I'd rather have a real water heater."

X2!!

If I didn't have a water filter, I would install one or purchase a brand of camper that did.

They are only good for target practice.

They are only good for target practice

It's only happened to me once, but once would have been too much. We were at a campground where they had just installed new water pipes to fully refurbished sites. I always run a few gallons of water before hooking my hose to my camper. As I ran these few gallons on the ground, I noticed it appeared slightly muddy. I continued to run for a few minutes until it cleared up. After that camp, I checked my filter and it had a lot of dirt and sand. I've never had that problem before or since, but I'm glad I had a filter that time.

The dirty filter would indeed have made great target practice.

Richard Mondavi wrote: As for the tankless water heater, I have read a lot of posts and talked to a few people who have these and I have yet to hear, "I love having a tankless water heater." The most positive comment has been, "I've learned how to use it but I'd rather have a real water heater."

Well, for the sake of discussion, I'll tell you that your experience greatly differs from mine. I've spoken to hundreds of satisfied customers, dealers, and techs on this subject. I've seen the demos. I've seen the data. We've had it independently tested. We've done market testing. It just doesn't match up with your posted response...

Richard, have you used one yourself? Would you like to?

Since this continues to be a talking point for members here, I've shared my thoughts on the matter:
http://www.wildcatcamperforum.com/t3285p150-girard-tankless-water-heater#48624

On my WC '05 model 27F, which had the built-in filter just inside the driver side storage door, there was no way to remove the sediment bowl and swap out the filter without dumping a gallon of water. They had run a water line infront of it, and I couldnt even remove the wrench. It only took me one time, and I just removed the filter element and went back to the inline filter attached to the hose model. Sure glad my '10 313RE doesnt have it.

I have also had no problem with my table moving or falling over in travel. I would have thought so after that 7500 mile trip this past summer, but nope, rode nice and steady. The 27F's table legs were screwed down, which let go not too long after getting it, because the screws had only gone into the floor 1/4"....surprised they didnt use staples ..

John&ConnieNeeley wrote:On my WC '05 model 27F, which had the built-in filter just inside the driver side storage door, there was no way to remove the sediment bowl and swap out the filter without dumping a gallon of water. They had run a water line infront of it, and I couldnt even remove the wrench. It only took me one time, and I just removed the filter element and went back to the inline filter attached to the hose model. Sure glad my '10 313RE doesnt have it.

I have also had no problem with my table moving or falling over in travel. I would have thought so after that 7500 mile trip this past summer, but nope, rode nice and steady. The 27F's table legs were screwed down, which let go not too long after getting it, because the screws had only gone into the floor 1/4"....surprised they didnt use staples ..

If you had gone to my post you would not have to dump a gallon of water in the trailer. I installed a drain which works very well.

Chris - They are not for dry camping. They waste to much water. Need to have the old 10 gallon as an option.

Portagie1968 wrote:

John&ConnieNeeley wrote:On my WC '05 model 27F, which had the built-in filter just inside the driver side storage door, there was no way to remove the sediment bowl and swap out the filter without dumping a gallon of water. They had run a water line infront of it, and I couldnt even remove the wrench. It only took me one time, and I just removed the filter element and went back to the inline filter attached to the hose model. Sure glad my '10 313RE doesnt have it.

I have also had no problem with my table moving or falling over in travel. I would have thought so after that 7500 mile trip this past summer, but nope, rode nice and steady. The 27F's table legs were screwed down, which let go not too long after getting it, because the screws had only gone into the floor 1/4"....surprised they didnt use staples ..

If you had gone to my post you would not have to dump a gallon of water in the trailer. I installed a drain which works very well.

I dont own the 27F anymore, so dont care..

Wildcat Chris wrote:

Richard Mondavi wrote: As for the tankless water heater, I have read a lot of posts and talked to a few people who have these and I have yet to hear, "I love having a tankless water heater." The most positive comment has been, "I've learned how to use it but I'd rather have a real water heater."

Well, for the sake of discussion, I'll tell you that your experience greatly differs from mine. I've spoken to hundreds of satisfied customers, dealers, and techs on this subject. I've seen the demos. I've seen the data. We've had it independently tested. We've done market testing. It just doesn't match up with your posted response...

Richard, have you used one yourself? Would you like to?

Since this continues to be a talking point for members here, I've shared my thoughts on the matter:
http://www.wildcatcamperforum.com/t3285p150-girard-tankless-water-heater#48624

Let me respond to your first question, “Richard, have you used one yourself?”

Well no I haven’t, but I thought word of mouth from other RV’ers would be sufficient for making comments. Apparently not, so from now on I will only comment on those items that I have experienced with my Wildcat, such as major water leak in main slide out, major leak water leak in bedroom slide out, leaking hydraulic pump, shower stall that leaks onto the floor, weak circuit breakers, furnace and thermostat issues, air conditioner issues, propane regulator issues, landing gear issues, abnormal tire wear, and holding tanks issues.

Now let me address your second question Wildcat Chris, “Would you like to?”

No thanks, I’ve experienced enough aggravation with my 2008 RKBS, I don’t care for more.

My wife and I love the RV lifestyle and snowbirding and we have been looking for a new fifth wheel to purchase in the next year or two. So here is a question for you Wildcat Chris. Do you think we will be buying a Wildcat?

I am glad I am not the only one stuck with a Lemon.