I have a 2004 540 GT. The bed on the wardrobe side iss a couple of inches shorter than tother due to the slot for carrying the huge overweight table. Table lives in spare room. This means that her bed is a bit too short. The slot, not the whereabouts of the table. It looks like it should be possible to remove the wood that creates the recess but I'd like to make it a reversible process for when I sell the van. Has anyone done this please. If so any advice welcome.

I'm not certain but I think it may be that the table was only stored that way on '04 540's, our '05 having changed to it being slung under the offside bench. If so there'll probably be very few '04's where it could be a potential issue and even fewer where someone would deem it necessary to do. The likelihood is that nobody on EF will ever have attempted it.

Our 2005 Triton 430 has a similar slot for the table and I find it a stupid design, because the table sticks out if you put there and it's so easy to put it under the bed - I know the beds are tranverse on a 430, but it still makes one side a strange shape. Neither of our previous (earlier) 420 or 430s had the same design and I am very tempted to remove it. I can't see why, if done well, anyone would miss the slot when buying your van in the future... So my vote is for changing it.

Quote: Simboc2004 wrote in post #3

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Our 2005 Triton 430 has a similar slot for the table and I find it a stupid design, because the table sticks out if you put there and it's so easy to put it under the bed - I know the beds are tranverse on a 430, but it still makes one side a strange shape. Neither of our previous (earlier) 420 or 430s had the same design and I am very tempted to remove it. I can't see why, if done well, anyone would miss the slot when buying your van in the future... So my vote is for changing it.

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Quite possible. All I know is that I was told it was a 2005... :-))

Our table is a single-legged one that clips in at the window, but then iy had this storage slot with carpet at the bottom. If it's so unusual then I am sure no one would miss it if it disappeared... I'll try and find a photo, or I'll have to go to the storage compound and take one when I can.

You can just about make it out in this photo. It takes a good few inches off the length of that seat and it is, quite frankly, useless

I did wonder if it had been adapted to carry a tv whilst travelling. Something was clearly mounted on that cupboard wall at one time.

I've never owned an '04 540 but I knew someone who had one. My recollection was that there was a corresponding gap between the roof locker and wardrobe, plus a means of securing the table to the wardrobe wall. Sadly I can't remember but possibly some form of strappage.

I suspect that if it's Eriba France built it will be a fairly complex job to get it apart, whereas if it's DIY then it should be simpler.

You could also check out either end of the bench cushion for signs of DIY shortening. If the interior of the cushion was standard foam then shortening would be relatively simple but if the optional sprung interior that would be another matter.

Just took a screen grab from a low res video of a 2004 Troll 540GT for sale in the Netherlands and this has that feature just like our Triton 430, so 2004 MY is looking more likely for ours.

We have the little shelf for the table storage in our 2008 Troll 530 but it doesn’t have the guard piece. Neil uses the shelf as a place to put his phone at night.

This is a quick shot while unpacking the van t'other day. A simple solution would be to just buzz the divider off at the point where it joins the mini shelf and trim the exposed end with vinyl. That way I can just pop in some extra foam for the bed and job done.

To some extent I am concerned that will detract from the value of the van as it does represent a bit of butchery and that was why I wanted to find a reversible way of doing it. Leaving the beds made all the time we don't use the big table - who does????

Does the table in the 530 just slot between the end of the cushion and the wardrobe???

Simboc, JG's mention of a shelf got me thinking. Presumably there's a shelf somewhere on the wardrobe wall that the end of the table fits under, which helps locate it. In which case the bedhead can't be for a TV. That also made me realise that the table will be about 18ins shorter than 420/540 tables and therefore not reach roof locker height and that means there's no need for a gap between the roof locker and the wardrobe.

Our table just stands on the little shelf and two straps press stud onto the wardrobe wall. Having said that it doesn’t as the bed is permanently made up and the table supports the bed.

Quote: Julie Grafo wrote in post #12

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Our table just stands on the little shelf and two straps press stud onto the wardrobe wall. Having said that it doesn’t as the bed is permanently made up and the table supports the bed.

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I'm sure there's a better use for the space than table storage. I will engage my designer brain (and DT teacher skills...) and have a look at it once the touring season's over and see if it's possible to remove the upstand part and fill in the gap in a way that looks as if Eriba had planned it that way. We have got round it by sleeping with our heads on the other side of the caravan (being a 430 it's a transverse bed), which also has the bonus of meaning the green fridge light is no longer a pain at night!

Simon

Andy, the shelf, only a couple of inches wide, is below seat cushion height.
Occasionally we sleep with our heads at the kitchen side avoiding the dreaded green light but normally only when we can’t get the van completely level and we’d be sleeping downhill. I normally chuck a tea towel over the light.