2019 Fleet Shell flush top stove removal

[buffcrkrunner]

I have a 2019 Fleet Shell with just a stove and furnace. I was trying to install some folding shelf brackets on the front side of the cabinet the stove is mounted in. These brackets are for installing a cutting board that will fold down parallel with the front (front being the front of the truck side) of the cabinet when not in use.

This should have been about a 10 minute job but I just found out that the Dometic glass top stove is also held in place with caulking in addition to the four screws in the stove. This makes removing the stove a major pain. I would never have gone this route since the stove must be removed to access anything in the top part of the cabinet. I would have installed a gasket under stove so the stove can easily be removed if necessary. I need to drill into the front side of the cabinet to install fender washers for the mounting screws for the fold down brackets to strength the mounting.

Another thing that could have made accessing the area under the stove easier is the ~4"x4" panel on the side of the cabinet that on some models has a solar charger monitor installed. On my model it is just a blank 1/2 inch thick panel. Problem is that it is fastened to the cabinet from the inside. This also means the stove has to come out to remove this panel. I would have put the fasteners on the outside but I design things so they can be worked on easily.

My question is does anyone know how to remove the stove? Does FWC have some special way to break the caulking loose? Seem like poor planning for a service tech to have to spend an hour or two to repair/replace a stove when 5-10 minutes is all that is needed. I have tried pushing a razor blade under the stove to cut through the caulking. This is going to take a while and possibly scratch up the cabinet surface. I guess I am just venting at this point. The brackets should be installed by now so I can move on to my next project for the day.

 

[CoreyTrevor]

I have a really thin, flexible putty knife with rounded corners so it doesn't scratch things. I would try something like that.

 

[makalutoo]

In case you haven't figured a solution out. On my camper... on the front of the panel that has the battery door there are six screws, remove them. Starting at a corner pull the panel off. The panel has caulk on it and it is kinda a pain but once you get a part of it started it will come off. On my 2019 fleet shell there is no need to remove the stove top to access the front. I agree that the blank for the solar mount is pretty hokey.

Could you share info on the cutting board hinges that you are installing?

 

[bigdood]

@makalutoo, have you ever removed the panel below where the heater and battery sit? Curious how, mine has screws on the front but that metal corner piece seems glued on.

And yes, old thread, but figured rather than starting a new one ...

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Any ideas that you have to improve getting access to the inside of that cabinet, send to Stan...stan@fourwh.com. He will pass the idea to the design department.

 

[buffcrkrunner]

Hi Makalutoo, Sorry for the extremely late reply to your question about the cutting board brackets. I purchased the 10" brackets on amazon:

Amazon.com: Toirxarn Folding Shelf Brackets 10 Inch, Max Load: 330Ib, Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Collapsible Bracket for DIY Space Saving Wall Mounted Work Bench.Pack of 2 : Tools & Home Improvement

I installed a regular cutting board that I purchased from Amazon as well. They are mounted to the forward side of the furnace cabinet. I put screws (circled in the pics) in the brackets to be "stops" so when the brackets are closed, they don't hit the furnace intake or restrict airflow of the furnace. I also had to put some shims between the cutting board and the brackets to get the board level and flush with the countertop.

Happy New Year!

 

[astropuppy]

@makalutoo, have you ever removed the panel below where the heater and battery sit? Curious how, mine has screws on the front but that metal corner piece seems glued on.

I've been trying to figure that one out myself.

 

[desertmtn]

I've been trying to figure that one out myself.

I have a Raven shell and have removed that panel. I believe there were 6 screws on the front face and a couple on the side face. The corner bracket in mine is plastic but stout. On the side panel sits the co detector. After removing the screws I pushed on the corner bracket and noticed the less weight above the easier it moved. After removing the battery it moved much easier. After the large face panel cleared the door sill it moved much easier. The bracket can be removed and the panel removed completely