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Old 02-01-2017, 08:30 PM   #1
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Securing furniture when moving/driving

Hey Everyone! So I've been thinking about the future when I have my bus, (working on it) and considering the furniture, and how much it might move around when I'm driving and moving around. Do people find that to be much of a problem? Do you secure things? I guess I'd like to hear about people's ways they've secured just about anything inside the bus for moving.

I considered using short leashes that I could screw into the walls with little eye hooks or something, for my tables, for example.

The kitchen I plan to do an open system, I don't want tons of cabinets taking up space and making everything look smaller, so I plan on having things hang from secure hooks and stuff like that; mugs, pots and pans, hanging racks for dishes, containers holding the silverware... Gonna do a breadbox style door for the pantry I'm gonna make... save room!

Bookshelves, of which I will probably have two, I was considering tilted shelves, tilted back to hold the books in, or a sort of belt across each shelf to hold the books back...

Just some things I been thinking about, if there's already a thread on this I apologize, I tried to find it but I must not have used the right keywords...

How do you secure things in your bus for travel?

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Old 02-01-2017, 09:30 PM   #2
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I've seen some setups in which book cases and shelves have webbing that can be stretched across their fronts to keep the contents from launching themselves out whenever you go around a corner. It can be secured by something as simple as a few cup hooks on either side of the shelf.

If you are going to hang things from hooks, then you could use eyelets with carabiner style clips attached to them for pots, cups, etc. to make sure nothing is able to pop loose during travel.

If your tables are foldable, then I'd advise finding secure places to stow them while moving. If not, you'll want to attach them to walls/floors with brackets strong enough to hold their weight. I suppose some system of straps could be used to temporarily secure tables or other furniture for travel, provided that secure attachment points could be found.

If you are ever in doubt about whether an object (large or small) needs to be secured, just ask yourself: If the bus rolls, do I want to get hit in the head with this?
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Old 02-02-2017, 07:19 AM   #3
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Edit:
Walmart carries 100' piece of shock cord (bungee cord) in their marine section for pretty cheap... I've always got the old spring loaded bungee cord hooks in my junk drawer.... Makes for great customizable length bungee cords.

And paracord works for everything!


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Old 02-02-2017, 12:53 PM   #4
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milkmania, that's hilarious!! I kinda drive like I stole my mini van, lol prolly gonna be the same way with a bus after I get used to driving it...

Lucasd, thanks for the thoughts! Yea I figured the question I'd ask myself before taking off every time is, "Am I ok with this breaking or falling if I don't secure it?" the answer will probably be no, so I figured I'd just strap everything down...

I like the idea of the webbing over the bookshelves! I could make that into a spider web or pirate's net so it's also decoration!
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Old 02-02-2017, 04:41 PM   #5
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We have used bungee netting on our open faced cabinets on the road. They work really well for us. But its just keeping stuff like clothes, blankets and stuff like that in place, don't know how it would work for heavier items.

All our furniture and appliances are bolted to the floor, wall or both...
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Old 02-02-2017, 11:05 PM   #6
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I have a big heavy couch in my bus wedged between a couple things bolted to the floor, it doesn't move at all. The main issue is the light futon right across from it, several times when my friend was driving he had to make a hard stop and with 2-4 people on that thing it flew forward breaking our little stops and caused some damage. We're gonna put larger corner stops screwed into the floor. For the table I had the idea to secure it to the floor using the same thing as campers. Just google RV table base/posts. They are pretty nifty and you can also get ones that recess into the floor if you don't mind cutting a big hole in the floor. Granted our bus does get used most of the time while driving instead of parked so a lot of the solutions are meant to be able to be used while driving so they don't look as nice.
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Old 02-06-2017, 08:42 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yattmaster View Post
I have a big heavy couch in my bus wedged between a couple things bolted to the floor, it doesn't move at all. The main issue is the light futon right across from it, several times when my friend was driving he had to make a hard stop and with 2-4 people on that thing it flew forward breaking our little stops and caused some damage. We're gonna put larger corner stops screwed into the floor. For the table I had the idea to secure it to the floor using the same thing as campers. Just google RV table base/posts. They are pretty nifty and you can also get ones that recess into the floor if you don't mind cutting a big hole in the floor. Granted our bus does get used most of the time while driving instead of parked so a lot of the solutions are meant to be able to be used while driving so they don't look as nice.
A gallon of tea is one thing, a couch is another tho physics is the same regardless. People need to realize that in a crash that couch does not merely weigh 200 lb (without people).

A 30 mph wreck, merely a fender bender... no big deal.

Quote:
For the car crash scenario where a car stops in 1 foot from a speed of 30 mi/hr, what is the force on the driver? Assume a 160 lb (mass = 5 slugs) driver.
If firmly held in non-stretching seatbelt harness: Stopping distance 1 ft.
  • Deceleration = 967 ft/s2 = 294 m/s2 = 30 g's
  • Force = 4813 lb = 21412 N = 2.4 tons
If not wearing seatbelt, stopping distance determined by nature of collision with windshield, steering column, etc. : stopping distance 0.2 ft.
  • Deceleration = 4836 ft/s2 = 1474 m/s2 = 150 g's
  • Force = 24068 lb = 107059 N = 12 tons!!
Car Crash Example



So, you're telling me your couch has no seat belt and you're going to use a little wooded block (larger corner stops) to stop it? The quotes above are JUST for a person. Not a futon, fridge, etc.
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Old 02-12-2017, 08:06 PM   #8
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Figure out a way for sure to keep anything you dont want hitting you secure. We thought about sewing slots in a futon mattress to let seatbelts through. We wound up with foam cushions that let us snake seatbelts through. Pretty much everything on open shelves is non lethal. Towels, pillows, small container of bungee cords, a few gatorades, etc. Everthing is mostly secured in underseat storage or cabinets.

I use the same type of force calculations to try to convince kids, when off roading, not to use snatch straps/chains on trailer balls to pull out stuck trucks.

Some angle iron tabs and bolts with wing nuts to make quick release mounts? I really want to keep the family from bouncing into the roof if we hit a curb or something. 60" Lap belts can be bought for $16 each from seatbeltsplus.com

Jeep, bus, repeat.
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Old 02-12-2017, 08:15 PM   #9
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Anything in a bus that is not secured to or through the floor and/or walls...is called a "lethal projectile" during hard stops or an collision.
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Old 02-12-2017, 10:00 PM   #10
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Quote:
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Anything in a bus that is not secured to or through the floor and/or walls...is called a "lethal projectile" during hard stops or an collision.
I recall a woman killed by her loose laptop in the car's back window shelf.
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Old 05-13-2017, 09:34 PM   #11
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Well damn! I don't want my precious laptop to kill me!!

I'll take sensible guesses when first securing things like my books, kitchen stuff, and living room/electronics, then take little drives to test and see what falls down and go from there I figure. Honestly, for me, the whole thing is about getting out on my own, and I'm excited no matter what the problems arise. Securing furniture and stuff sounds like the EASY parts...
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:45 AM   #12
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Another consideration is noise. Our old Airstream motorhome was a noisy devil, and I spent some quality hours trying to find and silence various creaks and rattles. The bus was fairly quiet pre-seat removal, except for a slightly ill-advised file cabinet I used at the back, which rattled and carried on like it was trying to get away! Be prepared to track down stuff in your kitchen and put that cushioning stuff in between everything.
It seems in our bus that the further back you go, the more motion there is, so I am trying to really focus on securing items well in the back. We use a huge JobBox construction storage chest for parts and valuables, and it is bolted through the floor very securely, and because the top and sides are so heavy, nothing inside makes any noise.
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Old 05-18-2017, 01:29 PM   #13
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For my kitchen and elsewhere I have a large number of hanging baskets I've been collecting and scavenging. Thought that might come on handy... gonna build my bookshelves with a lip or woodbelt for each shelf. electronics are just gonna be tucked in... tv mounted... I expect a small learning curve when it comes to securing everything, but I reckon it won't be steep for me.
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Old 05-18-2017, 02:43 PM   #14
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I agree. If you've got a bus you're already ahead of the learning curve.
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Old 05-18-2017, 02:52 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DreamWeaverBus View Post
For my kitchen and elsewhere I have a large number of hanging baskets I've been collecting and scavenging. Thought that might come on handy... gonna build my bookshelves with a lip or woodbelt for each shelf. electronics are just gonna be tucked in... tv mounted... I expect a small learning curve when it comes to securing everything, but I reckon it won't be steep for me.
I drive around with loose screws laying on the dash. Unless some asshat cuts me off, they almost always stay put. If I'm on an especially bumpy road stuff will vibrate off.
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Old 06-02-2018, 03:55 PM   #16
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Microwave is secured with earthquake straps. Don't know why the pics are inverted.
Attached Thumbnails
Micro restraint (2).jpg   Micro restraint 2 (2).jpg  
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Old 06-24-2018, 11:03 PM   #17
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Oh, microwave straps! Nice!
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