Arghhhhh! Broken the bed again!!

I'm just resurrecting this after someone bumped another thread with the same problem.

I've still not resolved this. I now have two new sets of bed supports which I have not fitted yet but they will just break again eventually if I don't improve them. My local guy is dragging his heels over sorting it so I'm back to looking for help on here. I know Uncle Tim @zzr1400tim did a lot of work on this and some great drawings. You can find the early ones on page 5 of this thread but this is a screen shot I pulled off my email just now.

I think I just need these steel or aluminium supports underneath on both sides although my motorhome guy reckons timber will do for the back supports under the seat out of view. Trouble is without pestering uncle Tim and going off to see him I don't know who to approach.

 
Are you just needing the angle on the left hand side or do you also need the goal /rugby post setup as well?
 
In the drawing there is a screw and through bolt holding the angle on, as drawn the screw will take most of the loads, as it will be fixed into what is probably a flimsy panel it will be prone to being torn out, if at all possible it would be better to have the through bolt at the top.
 
Does it fracture on the red line or the green one Barry? If it's the red one then the proposed support probably won't help.
1000012836.png
 
colinm said:
In the drawing there is a screw and through bolt holding the angle on, as drawn the screw will take most of the loads, as it will be fixed into what is probably a flimsy panel it will be prone to being torn out, if at all possible it would be better to have the through bolt at the top.
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My local guy was on about gluing aluminium supports on one side and just putting timber under the right angle single support on the other side but I get your point. The wood is fairly flimsy.
 
Save people going back through the thread here are the photos and videos from the first time they broke. New ones were fitted and within a few months they went the same way. Actually if you look a the third picture you can see that its come away above where the slats run. I suppose if its supported underneath this might help prevent this happening.










 
Im not convinced now that the supports will stop the top half from breaking. Maybe they will help but there is some doubt I think. One thought I had was a wooden hinged square that you could put under the slats to support it in the middle. Bit of a PIA as it means dragging it out from a locker each night but its maybe a simple fix.

Its a real PIA as everything else about this van is great. Its just the blood bed supports. The alternative is just to have it all completely redesigned. No idea where to start with that.
 
barryd said:
Im not convinced now that the supports will stop the top half from breaking. Maybe they will help but there is some doubt I think. One thought I had was a wooden hinged square that you could put under the slats to support it in the middle. Bit of a PIA as it means dragging it out from a locker each night but its maybe a simple fix.

Its a real PIA as everything else about this van is great. Its just the blood bed supports. The alternative is just to have it all completely redesigned. No idea where to start with that.
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Your dead right Barry, it can clearly be seen that the break is happening on the red line and the vertical 'flap' is breaking off at the corner. This I think is being caused by those locator teeth on the slats rubbing internally on that corner and gradually wearing the plastic, as soon as you try and push or pull the slats on an angle it immediately pulls the flap sideways and eventually it breaks off on the corner.
 
MERL said:
Your dead right Barry, it can clearly be seen that the break is happening on the red line and the vertical 'flap' is breaking off at the corner. This I think is being caused by those locator teeth on the slats rubbing internally on that corner and gradually wearing the plastic, as soon as you try and push or pull the slats on an angle it immediately pulls the flap sideways and eventually it breaks off on the corner.
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Yep I think so. The original proposal for the supports might stop it collapsing but I don't think it will stop them breaking. I think the only solution is either a complete redesign (by who I have no idea) or to somehow support it underneath in the middle with my crude but simple idea. I have two full sets of new supports now and some cut offs so it might just be a case of simply replacing them when they go but what if they stop making them?

Another idea was to strengthen them. I think at some stage someone suggested filling the cavity below where the runners slide with resin but no idea how that would work.
 
If like most cases the slats etc push back into the base at the front....

Could you not just use a short length at the front to act as a guide (and taking little if any actual strain/weight)

Then run 2 solid battens(or even aluminium channel along the seat bases at the correct height to have the slats just sit on top or in the channel....)

This doing away with the plastic junk?
 
mistericeman said:
If like most cases the slats etc push back into the base at the front....

Could you not just use a short length at the front to act as a guide (and taking little if any actual strain/weight)

Then run 2 solid battens(or even aluminium channel along the seat bases at the correct height to have the slats just sit on top or in the channel....)

This doing away with the plastic junk?
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I don't quite get what you mean but ultimately I think they have to go. The issue is those crap channels and the way the slats slot into them. The old van was much simpler. If you could do away with these stupid plastic ends and just have something really solid for the pull out slats to run out onto as long as you can secure them tight at the far end of the bed when pulled out they wont go anywhere. Its maybe more a joiners job perhaps. I dunno. I need a permanent solution though. I think we will be ok for this year but as the vans a keeper it needs fettling. Its bloody hopeless round here though for finding anyone.

 
barryd said:
Yep I think so. The original proposal for the supports might stop it collapsing but I don't think it will stop them breaking. I think the only solution is either a complete redesign (by who I have no idea) or to somehow support it underneath in the middle with my crude but simple idea. I have two full sets of new supports now and some cut offs so it might just be a case of simply replacing them when they go but what if they stop making them?

Another idea was to strengthen them. I think at some stage someone suggested filling the cavity below where the runners slide with resin but no idea how that would work.
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It was me who suggested a metal rod and resin in the cavity but at that time we were trying to strengthen the plastic in a similar fashion to the Ali support rail. I think we now know that it's probably NOT the issue anyway.

Do the ends of the slats (the ends of the plastic ends to be precise) run up against anything?
 
MERL said:
It was me who suggested a metal rod and resin in the cavity but at that time we were trying to strengthen the plastic in a similar fashion to the Ali support rail. I think we now know that it's probably NOT the issue anyway.

Do the ends of the slats (the ends of the plastic ends to be precise) run up against anything?
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They have to be precise to fit in the rails they slide along in but if you simply had a flat strong surface for them to run along on each side as long as they were taut and held in place when run out they would be fine and you could get rid of the stupid plastic ends or at least the knobbly bit. Its the most stupid design I have ever seen. The only reason I can think of for them doing it this way is that on the earlier vans the slats were not stuck in the rails like a curtain rail so if you were a bit pissed and pulled them out wonky the whole lot could end up on the floor but it was easy enough to just pull them back up, drag them to the end and secure them in the end stopper.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
I'd be inclined to look at a L or T shaped piece of Aluminium extrusion and do away with the plastic runners.
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I agree. It needs completely replacing rather than fixing long term but its not a job I can do. I mentioned it to my joiner / builder guy a year or so ago and he didn't seem interested and I don't think my motorhome guy is either.
 
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