Arghhhhh! Broken the bed again!!

I took the bed support runners off today. I think I am just going to buy replacements. They are eye wateringly expensive though at £125 per side. They look like they would be pretty difficult to remake so I wonder about supporting them and making them stronger. Some pics below of what they look like from the end. They basically sit on the wooden frame and the complicated bit houses the wooden slats which have little nodules that slot into the runners you can see. I think its to stop them falling off. Both the runner housing and the supporting bit underneath have gone. I might be able to saw a bit off and save it for a spare if it breaks again.

I think it would be useful to try end re-enforce them somehow so open to suggestions. I don't think I can ask Tim to try and replicate this.

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Would it help to inject something into the closed sections to stiffen up the assembly? One of the Sikaflex products perhaps?
 
barryd said:
Both the runner housing and the supporting bit underneath have gone.
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From what you've described you need to at least fix the supporting part underneath before simply replacing that flimsy plastic rail, if you don't it'll break again immediately. Ideally the support needs improving so that it doesn't break, once that's done I think the rail will be ok and be should last. Can you glue/screw a timber batten or Ali angle to the uprights?
 
merl said:
From what you've described you need to at least fix the supporting part underneath before simply replacing that flimsy plastic rail, if you don't it'll break again immediately. Ideally the support needs improving so that it doesn't break, once that's done I think the rail will be ok and be should last. Can you glue/screw a timber batten or Ali angle to the uprights?
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I don't think its worth repairing the old runners. I did wonder about that though if they were in short supply. See if they could be plastic welded and made stronger but I have no idea. Obviously new runners should be fine but for how long? In the last van they seemed to last five to ten years.
 
trevskoda said:
Each side and fill left to right with new battons for bed. (y)
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They are the wrong shape though. However they do give me an idea. I think you could re-enforce the plastic runners with some steel or metal brackets that hooked over the bed sides and under the proper plastic runner but I suspect the runners then wont slot over them. It will be too tight.
 
Just checked this thread for first time.

No helpful suggestions I'm afraid. 😕

But wow! There sure are some Heath Robinson moho designers & builders out there there - and they have the brass neck to demand extortionate sums of money for their rubbish builds, just to add insult to injury...!! 😲 🤪 👎😂

Hope you manage to come up with a good solution that sorts it for once and all, Barry 🤞
 
I am meeting my clever neighbour this morning (Think Doc from back to the Future). I think some kind of wooden or metal support underneath a new runner (on both sides) will suffice. Someone on another forum made their own but I think just the angled steel bit underneath the plastic runner will do or even just some wood that blends in.

metal runner support.jpg
 
So my engineer type neighbour has had a look and I sent some pictures over to Uncle Tim @zzr1400tim in Birmingham. Next door neighbour said some matching timber supports would work but maybe metal might be better. One thing I discovered is the angle is not 90 degrees on the underside of the bed runner structure. Perhaps it was designed this way to increase strength. Doesn't work then! :D

This is what Tim knocked up yesterday as a quick back of design. Probably in 50cm sections (easier to ship).

If I go this route ill just buy another strip of the original bed runner and fit the supports. Which will be best and look the best do you think. Steel / Aluminium or timber?

tims design.jpg
 
barryd said:
So my engineer type neighbour has had a look and I sent some pictures over to Uncle Tim @zzr1400tim in Birmingham. Next door neighbour said some matching timber supports would work but maybe metal might be better. One thing I discovered is the angle is not 90 degrees on the underside of the bed runner structure. Perhaps it was designed this way to increase strength. Doesn't work then! :D

This is what Tim knocked up yesterday as a quick back of design. Probably in 50cm sections (easier to ship).

If I go this route ill just buy another strip of the original bed runner and fit the supports. Which will be best and look the best do you think. Steel / Aluminium or timber?

View attachment 139482
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6 inch nails
 
Nabsim said:
So why can't you just remove the plastic stuff and screw a length of wood in their place for the slats to rest on?
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Hmm. Thats a very good point. There must however be a reason that motorhome manufacturers don't do this. My old van had much simpler runners but they also hooped over the vertical bench seat sides. These newer ones however also have runners a bit like a gutter that little nodules on each slat slot into. Presumably just to stop them falling out which they sometimes used to do if you didn't bring them out straight on the old van. Im guessing that with the hook over design its forcing much of the weight directly down on the top of what is a fairly flimsy bit of wood. Im also guessing that if a length of wood was just screwed into the side of that with no loop over it would eventually sheer off. However you can write what I know about engineering on the back of a postage stamp so would be interested in opinions on that.

I have took a video just now for Uncle Tim "the greatest product designer in the world" which ill post later that shows how it all works. Well kind of.
 
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