T@B U model... removing back cabinets, wondering if they support trailer structurally

andyhe

So I need more headroom when laying down on the bed as I'm 6'2" and feel a bit claustrophobic when my head is underneath the cabinets.  Last night I thought "how hard could it be to remove them?" and it turns out that it's quite easy.  I'll be putting back 6" of the cabinets on each edge just to mount the speakers and lights on. 

My question is : does anyone know if the shelf provides any structural support to the trailer and if so, how much of a cross brace do I need to put in instead of the cabinets to satisfy the structural requirement?  The brace would span the the back wall where the cabinets were and use the same screw holes that the bottom of the cabinets used and tie into the wood triangles that are screwed to the interior side walls.  I'm thinking perhaps a brace that was something like 1"x3" that spanned the back wall would be good just to be on the safe side and I could finish it in a similar fashion to the veneer on the back wall so it wouldn't be noticeable.  Big enough?  Too big?  Unnecessary?  Looking for other opinions.

I gave a quick call to the dealer and he said that the cabinets weren't providing any support at all but I'm thinking that was just a guess on his part.  Has anyone else removed the cabinets or had any other relevant experience with this?  

I'll post some pictures soon of what it looks like... none of the back wall was marred when I removed it so I believe I can make it look like it came from the factory that way.

Thanks. -Andy

Cyclonic

The cabinets provide no structural support, so you are good to go to remove them if you want to.  That is lossing a lot of storage space, which is the plus on the U layout.

andyhe

Thanks.   Yeah, I realize we're losing a fair percentage of storage within the trailer.  We've got the back of a Tacoma pickup truck so overall we'll still have plenty of space (I say now before looking at a pile of stuff to put fit into the camper)...

TABaker

Another option is to put your head at the other end, and your feet under the cabinets.  We sleep that way often.