Small table in Nuevo

Mike Cope wrote:In our last van, we used a Fimma Tripod Pro, which is a collapsible 3 piece foot. It worked very well, both inside and outside the van.
They also sell the tube leg, and the conic connection to attach the tube to the table separately, if needed, we didn’t need them for ours. The Tripod foot meant the table could be used anywhere inside and outside the van. The Fiamma foot part no is 06362 - 01, and they are readily available. Good Luck. Mike

Thanks Mike.....
I have just purchased the tripod base and am thinking of also getting the leg ( the one with the plastic ends), as I understand it can then be cut down to size, otherwise you have to stand up to eat, lol.
G

with our two Swifts we had a stand alone table which was OK but a bit wobbly at times and had to be stored, and retrieved from, a cupboard each usage.
i also got hold of a smaller 'coffee table' which sat on a boom arm and was again ok but had to be swivelled out and away and it impeded swivelling the drivers seat.
when we bought our first German van we were a little apprehensive about having a 'fixed' table (not really a good word as the table slides and rotates every which way) but (like many Teutonic things) it just makes sense....its always there and available yet can be slid out of the way when required. 
its large enough for two to dine easily, four at a pinch, yet small enough not to be obstructive.
its there for reading or writing , using a laptop/tablet, coffee time and snacks and of course dining.
the thing is, its stable....as a rock..no getting multiple pieces out and then assembling it, or putting it away, no dedicated cupboard taking up space...
i know most uk owners hate the thought of a 'foxed' table yet spend ages inventing ways of geting one (or two....or more) into their van with ingenious 'kits' of poles and wooden 'platters' complete with solving the puzzle of where to store all the pieces.
im sure that those who do choose vans that have a fixed table come to appreciate their 'assets' rather than to curse their 'failings'.
i see some uk converters are now offering 'continental' style tables, along with garages...nice to see more layout choice for customers....AS to follow...?.

I can recommend the tripod leg great outside, have used inside in previous vans, but now no need to,  a table is the top of the chest of drawers pull out and flip top over , table for two or at a push four.

daisy mae wrote:I can recommend the tripod leg great outside, have used inside in previous vans, but now no need to,  a table is the top of the chest of drawers pull out and flip top over , table for two or  at a push four.

Thanks for that Daisy....
Happy camping 
G.  

Gabjack wrote:

Pete Taylor wrote:

Gabjack wrote:Is anyone else less than impressed with the practicality of the small table in the Nuevo (or other models with similar small occasional tables)?

When you're on the road and call in at a Motorway Service station, all you want is something to put your cup of coffee on and get your sites book out. But in order to use the small table, you have to turn both front seats around (not easy in my van as you have to alter seat back angles and front/back position) and even then there is no room to get either side of it in any comfortable position as the cab seats seem to be built for people over 6 ft tall. Why didn't AS put the base socket a foot further back into the habitation unit? This would have meant that you could sit on the bench seats and have a perfect place for a snack instead of having to get the big heavy fold-up table out for a short stop.

So my question is:-


Is there a bespoke product on the market that is cantilevered out from the upright pole that lets you fix the table top a foot further into the lounge?
Something that fixes onto the upright pole that has an extended arm with a short pole that accepts the table top bracket?
I've read on here about re-positioning the base-plate, but am a bit leery about cutting holes in the flooring above the tanks, etc.
Any suggestions welcome.

Gosh; all these complications!
Remove small table and stupid wiggly pipe bracket from van. Put it in your shed.

When you want to stop for a short time (as described above)… get the big table out of the wardrobe (20 seconds), erect it (10 seconds). Sit down. make a brew and get maps/butties/cakes out...  Relax.

Thanks for your understanding Peter.
Firstly, I do not have a stupid wiggly pipe bracket, only a straight pole that requires the the front seats to be turned in order for the table to set up and used. As I have an arthritic wrist, turning the drivers seat around is not an easy task as requires altering every angle of the seat as well leaving off the handbrake. 
Secondly, If I wish to find a suitable alternative for short stops, I consider that my business, so please indulge me.
I have had plenty of helpful suggestions from other forum members and am pursuing those. 
Have a nice day
G.

Well; there you go... I was trying to make a helpful suggestion to avoid you turning around the front seats (which on the Sprinter means you have to release the cab doors to rotate them but does not involve releasing the hand-brake, as it's a drop down lever) both equally painful to those of us arthritic conditions.
Perhaps I should have said that any table which relies upon a single (off-set or central) mount is going to be less stable than one with four feet and it involves erecting two components instead of one. Also the size of the small wobbly table can just about accommodate two cups and two small plates but no room for site hand-book, phone or anything else.

"Secondly, If I wish to find a suitable alternative for short stops, I consider that my business, so please indulge me." 

OK. I thought that you asked us for help; my mistake. 

Thanks for your suggestions Pete....
Lets leave it there.
G.

Pete Taylor wrote:
Well; there you go... I was trying to make a helpful suggestion to avoid you turning around the front seats (which on the Sprinter means you have to release the cab doors to rotate them but does not involve releasing the hand-brake, as it's a drop down lever) both equally painful to those of us arthritic conditions.
Perhaps I should have said that any table which relies upon a single (off-set or central) mount is going to be less stable than one with four feet and it involves erecting two components instead of one. Also the size of the small wobbly table can just about accommodate two cups and two small plates but no room for site hand-book, phone or anything else.

"Secondly, If I wish to find a suitable alternative for short stops, I consider that my business, so please indulge me." 

OK. I thought that you asked us for help; my mistake. 

You are doing it wrong if you need to open the cab door on a Sprinter. Slide the seats forward towards the dash, and they rotate fine.

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Don't know who wanted one but I have a similar one for my Nuveo. Comes apart and used to store in bathroom but since I bought a back box stores in there. Very very light legs and plastic top. and it is light.  Got mine from Chichester Caravans Droitwich.
Used outside or in.

Not sure if this might solve your problem or not but in our current van ( not an AS) we've removed the bracket that the supporting pole fits into from underneath the small table and attached it ( slightly off centre) to a round wooden breadboard. This makes a great surface for a couple of coffee cups etc. We painted it black to match our decor. 
New 'table' slots easily into pocket on back of passenger seat.

Pete Taylor wrote:
Gosh; all these complications!
Remove small table and stupid wiggly pipe bracket from van. Put it in your shed.

When you want to stop for a short time (as described above)… get the big table out of the wardrobe (20 seconds), erect it (10 seconds). Sit down. make a brew and get maps/butties/cakes out...  Relax.

Our method is even simpler. Get out of bed in the morning, make up the bed and put the stuff away. Get the table out of the wardrobe, erect it and use it during the day. Leave it out whilst driving. When stopping for a brew just go to the kitchen, make the tea, sit down and eat croissants, baguettes and so on whatever you bought from the French supermarket. When finished, put the crockery in the sink, get in the front seats and drive off.
Thinks: I must get the silly small table out and stick it in the loft. I tried using it and so far as I can tell it is Number 196 on the list of 200 useless things on the Nuevo that will never be used while in my ownership. I wish they would make one at £10,000 cheaper without the 200 undesirable unnecessary things it comes with. I won't bother listing them here. After all, other motorhome manufacturers make a standard model and a deluxe model. Some of them have four or five different levels of sophistication. I suppose we could start a thread called "List the things you will never use in your Autosleeper" and see if there is a demand for a 'standard' version. The standard version would need a reversing camera with two cameras, one for looking down at the bumper and the other for normal driving. Or even no reversing camera, you can always add one. It would have a 100 watt solar panel instead of a 30 watt one, or no solar panel, you can always add one. It seems to me that the accessories that are fitted, 'almost work' but not properly as an owner might hope.

I will be able to tell if anyone reads this because there will be cries of 'You mustn't drive with the table in situ'. My reply is that if the table takes off and flies over your heads, it will be the least of your worries. Driving with good observation skills reduces the possibility dramatically.

Before we changed to a Nuevo five years ago we had a Stratford that was fitted with "dog-leg" chrome pole as the small table there was fitted near the cab whose chairs could not both swivel right round. Don't know if the poles are the same size as for the Nuevo, or whether you can still get them. We usually put our mugs on the work surface above the fridge.

We bought a table connector (something similar to this [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].  We also bought a folding tripod leg similar to this one [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] at a place that was selling off some random accessories years and years ago.  Before that, I had (and still have) a surface mounted floor table connector fitted to a piece of faced chipboard (about 30-40cm squarish) to which I added some rubber door stops underneath to act as softer feet.  

For a minimal-DIY table TOP, go to IKEA or B&Q (or anywhere else that sells modular kitchen units) and buy a flat door or drawer front in a size and finish of your choice and fit the conical connector to the underside of it.  For greatest flexibility, fit the connector somewhat off-centre so that you can turn the table to reach in different directions (or always the same connection if that's what works best).  

My latest "coffee table" was made from an IKEA Besta 60x38mm door ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]); my previous one was made from a smaller B&Q drawer front. 

It stores pretty securely behind the bench seat backs in my Legend.

This is probably not relevant but years ago in a caravan I replaced a pedestal mounted table top with a slightly larger and more useful table top which happened to be made from veneered MDF.  I hadn't taken into account the increase in weight of the table top which wasn't designed for a caravan and as a result overstressed the leg socket in the floor of the caravan causing it over time to crack and fail.  Had I offset the original lighter table top or fitted it with a cranked leg instead of the vertical one, it might also have caused the socket to fail as the stresses would not have been perpendicular to it.  The floor socket fitted to our motorhomes may be a lot stronger and so not a problem but it's still something to consider when making modifications.

A good point Caraman. 

I'll repeat one of the images I linked to earlier, and it will be seen that your issue is not a problem - with this particular kit and installation anyway.

The bracing ring part way up the leg takes any lateral strain away from the floor socket. (Is "lateral" the right word??)

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Paulmold wrote:I just wish there were cup holders in the Boxer cab.

 Agree entirely Paul. I bought some hook-on cup holders off ebay which can hook over the edge of the door bins or similar edges. Not ideal I'll grant you but is better than the silly table.
Good luck
Jon

rogersrimini wrote:
I bought some hook-on cup holders off ebay which can hook over the edge of the door bins or similar edges. Not ideal I'll grant you but is better than the silly table.
Good luck
Jon

What is silly about the table Jon? (Just asking   )

It may not suit you of course because a lot depends on how it's used, but to us and lots of others on here it's extremely handy and convenient, specially when en route and you want a quick stop for a snack lunch without delving into the wardrobe for the big table with the ankle trapping legs.

I quite agree it's not very user friendly on the straight leg as supplied by A/S, in the socket which is never in quite the right place. However, the swan necked leg and offset boss put it into a different league. Ours stays up all the time while we meander through La Belle France, so it's dead easy when (more likely "if" these days, sob  ) we find a frites stall.

Each to his own, eh. 

Hi travellers....
After taking the advice of several Nuevo owners on the forum, I purchased a Fiamma tripod base and found it a little too high at that length of leg. I subsequently bought the (so-called) adjustable leg with te black caps on either end to cut down to get the perfect height. How the hell do you get the black ends off to adjust its length. I contacted Grasshopper (sales) and was told "The end is not actually fitted, this needs to be done once you have decided on the length you want, the fittings are actually under the black cap."
This makes little sense to me as the end caps seem to welded to the poles.
Help anyone?

Mine is the same as Gromits !! However the leg is wider and aluminium and a bracket underneath the tabletop allows the top to swing down 90 degrees for easy stowage.
Boaby

Gabjack wrote:Hi travellers....
After taking the advice of several Nuevo owners on the forum, I purchased a Fiamma tripod base and found it a little too high at that length of leg. I subsequently bought the (so-called) adjustable leg with te black caps on either end to cut down to get the perfect height. How the hell do you get the black ends off to adjust its length. I contacted Grasshopper (sales) and was told "The end is not actually fitted, this needs to be done once you have decided on the length you want, the fittings are actually under the black cap."
This makes little sense to me as the end caps seem to welded to the poles.
Help anyone?

Makes no sense to me either.

Don't know if yours are similar, but ours were certainly attached very firmly with glue, and I had to apply a lot of heat with a hot air gun (could have used a blowtorch) and the glue released. Obviously be careful not to overdo it melt the plastic caps.

Wear heavy gloves as you will need to get it pretty hot, and play the heat on the aluminium pole as near as you dare to the plastic cap, but not actually onto it. The heat will be conducted in and under the cap and the glue will soften enough to pull off the cap. Give it a twist and pull at intervals as you heat, and it should eventually come off cleanly.

Hopefully . . . it did with ours.

Fingers crossed.

Thanks for that Grommet. Sounds tricky. 
Think I'll just send it back as it is sold as fully adjustable and doesn't mention using blowtorches in the adjustment process!
Think it is a dud purchase......

If at first you don't succeed, Use A Bigger Hammer. That's my motto.
It works for Jeremy Clarkson!

No that is silly, you shouldn't have to melt plastic to get at parts inside.

Ours doesn't have any fittings inside the (carefully not quite melted) plastic, Gassy. Don't see how it could have, other than sprung fastening clips, which it doesn't have.

It has two recessed holes in the end of each cap so they can be screwed into the extruded aluminium leg, but these were apparently ignored by whoever assembled our leg. (No risque comments here please!!  )

I can only think the assembly monkeys found it quicker and easier to use a bit of glue, rather than drive in four self tapping screws. And I have to say the glue does just as good a job - until you want to remove an end cap to saw a bit off the leg. 

This is my small table that fits inside the Neuvo and l also eat off it inside as well when stopping for a night. Very light and folds up

Just realised my google account showed in first photo. I have now deleted and put another photo on. 

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