Rear Entertainment - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Waggin Tails · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rear Entertainment

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

As solid state as today's electronics are, I would not worry about them withstanding the extra shaking in the rear. Most larger 5th wheels don't have that much anyway due to their weight.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jerry and Carol,

While ours is a rear living, the entertainment system is mostly on the "roadside" just behind the wheels. With ours, there is little movement of things. However, our Mobile Suites has the TrailAire air suspension and TrailAire air pin box with what is called a "Tri-Glide pin box plate."

Those systems are designed to reduce bumps, some swaying, and "chucking" at the fifth wheel and pin box connection. So, I would say that a lot is going to depend upon the suspension of the unit in which you are interested. With the TrailAire systems, I've read other owner's forum comments about forgetting something on a table and going back after 100-150 miles and that item still being where it was left.

If worse comes to worse, ask the manufacturer or dealer if some cushioning pads could be placed under the electronics. Just keep in mind that there still needs to be air circulation around and through the components. Also, in some units, they attach the units to each other and to the compartment floor with velcro. So, some method would still need to be used to prevent the components from sliding around.

Terry

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Oh boy. This one will certainly have various opinions and so here’s mine:

There is no question the very rear of the RV, tag trailer or 5^th wheel, will have more vertical excursions (big bounce) than the other sections. The section over the wheels will have the least fulcrum activity – just like a teeter totter.

While I personally would not care for (just my personal opinion) a rear entertainment setup for various reasons including your concerns, if you can tie the gear totally down, so it doesn’t bounce after the rig bounces, it will probably be OK. I know the cabinet in the rear of our trailer, which is bolted to the floor, has more internal excursions (high flying stuff) than anyplace else in the rig. The other places just don’t move much, even on our Alcan trip. (However, that movement is relative in our case due to the excellent after market suspension system on both the trailer, long bed crew cab truck and air ride hitch, all of which contribute to the damping of the rear excursions.) The rig sort of floats better than some I have seen.But the rear bounces, they all do to varying degrees. It depends.

So with all that techo and opinion talk above, it is sort of up to your personal preference. Some will say, “Not a problem;” and that’s probably true for them. But the rear bounces more than the middle or front. Just sort of that physics thing and electronics don’t like to be overly jarred. It can break the circuit board traces, solid state or not.
Again, this is all opinions and experiences. Not absolutes.

Safe travels

Bill

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a number of heavy traveling friends with rear entertainment systems and there are many owners on the Carriage forum, and none of them are reporting any problems. I think the solid state electronics today are more robust than older models used to be.

Rob_Fla · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are looking at a Rear Entertainment 5th Wheel also and have no concerns about the layout with the TV being in the Rear.

Robert

Melstar · RV-Dreams Family Member

FYI, we have overhead cabinets over our rear living and just with something plastic in the cabinet...it cracked the glass. So, I can only imagine it's probably from the bounce...and we don't have any kind of trail aire suspension. We did have a lot of chucking on the rough roads. I have learned what NOT to put in the cabinets.

Waggin Tails · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for the responses. This gives us plenty to think about.

rjenkins · RV-Dreams Family Member

i would have to agree with some of the posters in that it should not make any difference. just look at trucks that do a lot of off-road stuff. i would say that in that environment it would be a lot harsher than what you would put a trailer through and you never hear of problems with their electronics.

tworootless · RV-Dreams Family Member

We owned a fiver with rear entertainment at ONE TIME. It did have a great look with two glass china closets set on both sides of a large TV. After stopping for the night after a rough trip, the TV had strangely flipped upside down in its opening! It didn't get damaged, but was the deciding factor on our current large rear window fiver!