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Question For 2552 Qwners

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bookspook

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  • Model: 2552
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  • Location: AR / FL
Question For 2552 Qwners
« on: November 08, 2015, 04:49:45 pm »
I have 2 parrots that travel with me.  Those of you with the 2552, can you tell me where you would place 2 cages in your rig.

Cage dimensions are:   18 x 18 x 31 and 14 x 16 x 21

I'm looking at 2552s and trying to see if I can make this work, along with the 3 cats pyho

Thanks,

Marcia

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Barry-Sue

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  • Model: 2551
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  • Location: Michigan
Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2015, 07:21:31 pm »
Hi Marcia,

We have a 2551 that is similar as far as the bedroom and bathroom area of the 2552.  If you are traveling alone with your parrots and cats then you could remove the mattress from one of the beds and use that area for them.

If you at times need more sleeping arrangements then maybe the sofa can be used.

Sue
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jfcaramagno

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Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2015, 08:02:27 pm »
Marcia,

I wonder, with three cats do you need to put the parrots up by the ceiling? Or can the parrots manage the cats on their own?
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Pax

Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2015, 11:14:33 am »
Marcia:

Although I'm not at our rig and can't do the measurements right now, I think there is enough room behind the passenger seat for the cages if you remove (or eliminate upon ordering) the barrel/Euro seat.  I think that way you'd be able to set them up and leave them there.  You'd want exact measurements first though...

The other possibility is to have the cages placed in one location during travel (strapped to the sofa or bed?) and move them to a better location when you are parked and the slide is out (behind the drivers seat?). The only other spot I can think of is right in front of the fridge when the slide is out, but you'd have to slide the cages out of the way to access the fridge.

- Mike
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Bruce

Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2015, 08:14:59 pm »
Marcia,

In our 2552 we constantly have a 13” x 15” x 24” plastic filing cabinet behind the drivers seat.  Your 14” x 16” x 21” cage would fit easily there, too.  It would not interfere with opening or closing the slide-out.

The larger cage would easily fit behind the passenger seat if you remove the euro chair, but we would never do that with both of us living in the PC. 

If you do have another person with you, the cage could be placed on one of the beds while traveling, then bring it forward when parked.  Rotate the passenger seat and move it back toward the windshield.  Then slide the euro chair toward the middle of the living area and place the larger cage in the space you just created.  You will be able to fully use the euro chair and might use the top of the cage as a small table top to the right of that chair.  (We use the passenger seat just as described above as the bed for our dog Sparky and place a small folding table in the space where you would have a cage.)

Hope this helps a little.

--Bruce and Sharon
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bookspook

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Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2015, 01:54:32 am »
Thanks for the replies.  Good ideas....keep 'em coming!

Sue - Unfortunately, there are 2 of us most of the time. How comfortable is the couch?

jfcaramagno - Most of the time, you need to keep your parrots at chest height to prevent dominance behavioral problems.  Without getting to far out in the weeds,  the higher they are the more bossy they get.  Think of the rooster on the top perch in the hen house....it becomes his job to "rule the roost".  As far as the cats go, I've never allowed any interaction between the 2.....no sitting and watching the birds, no toys with feathers in them, etc.  Besides, each cat pretends like they are an only child, anyway!  :-D

Bruce and Sharon - It's not a good idea to put them on the floor for any length of time for almost the opposite reasons that I gave for having them too high.  Would be stressful for them and could cause other behavioral problems, like pulling out their feathers or other things.  It doesn't interfere with movement of the drivers seat, having a cart behind it?  I suppose you could do the same with the other cage, of course they would have to be anchored somehow.  I, also, was trying to keep the euro chair.

I've wondered how difficult it would be to remove the shirt closets and install them there?  Would have to figure out a way to contain the mess.  They're not too bad......but, I also don't want to sleep with crumbs in the bed!   Hey, If you had to eat with no hands or no lips, you'd be messy, too!  :lol

Thanks,

Marcia
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TomHanlon

Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2015, 09:49:34 am »
Why don't you all Earl at the factory and talk to him about it. They are pretty good about coming up with new ways of doing things for the customer or future customers.

How about a small stand that you could mount the cage on top of with a strap or something. Then place the setup behind the driver and passenger chairs. If you get a small dog collar with a "D" ring, you can replace the bracket holding the euro chair in place. Just put the screw through the "D" ring and warp the collar around the base of the chair. That will give you the room needed for the cage and stand. I do this because I carry my camera backpack behind the passengers seat.

Anyway, talk to Earl.
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Bruce

Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2015, 05:31:10 pm »
Marcia,

There is a lot of space between our driver’s seat and the filing cabinet we have behind it—no interference there.  Even with the seat moved fully back there would be room for this.

You’ve educated me about the nature of your birds—I didn’t think about their feelings when making my suggestions.

I think that Tom’s idea of placing the cages on stands could work in the same locations that I was suggesting.  But, the side wall behind the driver’s seat has the panels for the Inverter, GenSet, Tank levels, and Slide-out that might be blocked from view.  You can see these panels in some of the photos online on the Phoenix website (I just looked at the photo of that wall on a new 2350 that looks exactly the same as ours).  You might put wheels on the stands to make them easy to move around as needed.

Earl could also offer ideas for building special cabinets for the birds in place of the shirt closets.

--Bruce
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bookspook

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  • Location: AR / FL
Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2015, 10:14:36 pm »
Pax - I was concerned that the cages would not fit side by side in that area because of the slanted wall.  I'll see if I can get the measurements.  Moving them back and forth would be doable but would sure get old after awhile.  I'd like to find a permanent solution, if I could.

TomHanlon -  I didn't feel right about calling Earl and taking up his time when I wouldn't be buying new, but would be looking to purchasing used.  I have tried to figure out the dog collar, D ring thing but I just can't seem to picture it.

Bruce - How much room is there between the the driver's seat and the slide when it's in?  How would you anchor the stands so that they are stable while traveling?  You couldn't like bungee them to the seats unless you wanted holes in the seat from the birds chewing on them. :)

Parrots are very loving pets.  They have the intelligence and, some, the vocabulary capacity of a 5 yr old child with the emotional maturity of a 2 yr old.......So it's like living with perpetual 2 yr olds.  Well, here I go, out in the weeds, again!

Thanks, everyone.  Please keep the ideas coming.
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TomHanlon

Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2015, 07:56:09 am »
We are all one big happy family willing to help each other no matter what we buy or where, new for used. Call him and you will see how friendly he is.
 :) ;)
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Ron Dittmer

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Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #10 on: November 11, 2015, 09:23:36 am »
The gears inside my head are turning.

Since Marcia is traveling with one other person, 2 large bird cages (with birds of coarse), and 3 cats, I wonder if a more dramatic modification might provide the solution, of coarse with sacrifice to something else.

If the couch inside the slide out was removed, then install a captain seat with pedestal like we have by our entry door, the change might provide enough out-of-the-way space for your little companions.  The cages could be mounted higher, the floor below for cat beds or litter box, the space in between could be cabinets to store all pet needs.  You might need to buy cages specifically fitting the motor home, not use the ones from home.

Unlike the bedroom shirt closet sacrifice idea, the birds would always be in "day" space, I think a better social setting.

With the new captain seat mounted forward inside the slide out, it would be directly across the isle from the euro chair where a table could be set up as needed for the two people to eat at.  If you replaced the euro seat with another captain seat, then you would have four matching seats which would look like the rig was designed that way to begin with.  Captain seats to match your front ones can be ordered from Phoenix regardless of the year the rig was made.  You would need to get pedestals & seat belts which Phoenix can supply.  Then go somewhere local to have the changes made.  Each additional captain seat will cost $500-$600 including pedestals, seat belts, and shipping.  With specific dimensions, Phoenix can even build a cabinet inside the slide out per your specifications, and it would match the rest of the interior like it came that way from the factory when new.  I would wait to order the cabinet until after the seat was mounted to know exactly the remaining space you have to work with to maximize the size and configuration of the new cabinet.  I would imagine the cabinet could cost around $500 including shipping.  Call Phoenix for prices on the chairs and cabinet to know exactly what such an idea would cost.

The captain seat pedestals adjust in all directions so they can slide out into the open floor space as needed to eat at a shared table or watch TV better.

Just tossing out this idea, one of many from the PC family.

Ron
« Last Edit: November 11, 2015, 09:37:57 am by ron.dittmer »
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TomHanlon

Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2015, 10:54:41 am »
Ron's ideas are good but you would need to put the captains chair in the rear of the slide out if you plan on watching tv from it. In the front of the slide you can only see the tv if you lean forward.

You might want to ask about the factory getting what you want, chairs and cabinets etc, and then doing the install. It might be about the same price as having everything shipped and installed locally. The factory does execellant work like this. Would not hurt to ask. Besides you get a trip to the factory to see how they are built.
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Ron Dittmer

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    • My 2007 2350 Phoenix Cruiser
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Re: Question For 2552 Qwners
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2015, 11:38:13 am »
Good input Tom,

Admittedly I have no slide out to study, but maybe the captain seat could be mounted further out from the slide, more into the room.  If that person wants to watch TV, they could adjust/slide the seat out further yet to view the TV.  I measured 7 inches of travel on our pedestal.  The captain seat could be pulled out of the slide out by that much.

So the question is: Between mounting the seat at the front edge of the slide out, and the additional 7 inches of travel the pedestal provides, will that be enough to watch TV without needing to lean forward to see around the wall of the slide out?

There is another consideration regarding seat height.  The floor in the slide out is higher, a small step up. The pedestal should be a little shorter to compensate for it.

Like Tom says, if you have Phoenix make the changes, they do much of the research for you.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2015, 05:58:41 pm by ron.dittmer »
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