Drop down beds

[barge1914]

Not having had one of these I am curious...

Can you sit up in bed, is there anything to lean against...important to those like us who are avid readers in bed? Can you get some sort of clip on table/pocket/box or something?
Is there a light to read by that doesn't dazzle snoozing partner.
Where do you put all those bits and pieces that normally live on a bedside table/cabinet...book, phone, glass of water, hanky etc. that you want to reach without getting out of bed?
And as for those trips to the loo in the night in the dark???

 

[jagmanx]

I think given the questions you rightly pose they would be a nightmare (Ha Ha)
But seriously from what I have seen a ladder is normally involved.
Surely they must also restrict headroom when in the Not in use position.
I have seen 1 in the flesh..As in Little Britain "Don't like it"
Just my very biased opinion !!!

 

[Fisherman]

Not having had one of these I am curious...

Can you sit up in bed, is there anything to lean against...important to those like us who are avid readers in bed? Can you get some sort of clip on table/pocket/box or something?
Is there a light to read by that doesn't dazzle snoozing partner.
Where do you put all those bits and pieces that normally live on a bedside table/cabinet...book, phone, glass of water, hanky etc. that you want to reach without getting out of bed?
And as for those trips to the loo in the night in the dark???

I know what bed you are talking about.
yes you can sit up, I like watching the news in the morning with a nice cup of coffee. But sadly there is nowhere to put the coffee down. There is a place where you could fit a drop down ledge on one side. As for reading there is an excellent reading light above the bed you don’t see till it’s lowered. It only limits headroom in the cab area a 7 foot man could stand up in the lounge. And it takes seconds to bring it down, 45 seconds to be exact.

 

[rugbyken]

some of the older vans had only 650 sitting up room when down others as much as 1200 our b544 has 950 plenty for a six footer like me , we have a cube box on the bench seat which acts as a bedside table , we have a set of the steps with large flat steps and at almost 70 find it easy to manoeuvre in & out of bed

 

[Linda]

Our drop down bed is very comfortable, we don't use a ladder so step on to the seat then I launch myself across the bed...

Lee sits up to read or watch the TV.. unfortunately we don't have anywhere within reach to use as a bedside table..

 

[SquirrellCook]

I was once asked to manufacture and install a drop down bed. I was told it had to withstand passionate sex! The bed got manufactured, but before it was installed the owner changed his mind about having a camper. When I built "Murky" I trimmed said industrial bed to fit. Rigged mounted. Still it's never been subjected to passionate sex

 

[Mr and Mrs Tupcox]

Tried a few at shows .
As I get out 2/3times a night fo r a pee not practical.

 

[MarkJ]

We’ve plenty of little shelf crannies for things like glasses of water, alarm clocks and so on, but nothing to lean against.

Biggest drawback in ours is both having to go to bed at the same time because it drops down into the seating area. I always moan about staying up late and have to listen to complaints about going to bed too early...

 

[Fisherman]

Bottom line, a fixed bed is best if you have a van big enough to carry it.
But if you are looking at a 6m van it's got to be a drop down bed.
Ok you can go for the Chausson 514 which is 6m and get a fixed bed.
But you compromise with a tiny lounge no separate shower and a tiny kitchen.
It's a good van with a large garage for a 6m van.
But I feel the compromises are too great for a fixed bed in such a small van.
Some drop down beds come all the way down with no need for a ladder.
But when they are down they cover the lounge.
With an a class the bed sits above the cab, when brought down you still have your lounge.
Also with the bed not sitting above the lounge, you get no height restrictions.

 

[Toffeecat]

My Adria 590 has a dropdown bed and as with most things its a compromise. You get the extra space for a table and more space with having a drop down. Its easy to lower by just a button. The light comes on automatically. TV is adjustable to watch in bed, you can sit up in it. Theres either the ladders or if your a bit more athletic,the drawers turn into steps. Theres netting on the bed to stop you falling out and its great waking up and looking out over the big window above the driver. But....….you dont have anywhere to put that cuppa but I guess it would be easy enough to knock something up. Worst of all though is if you have two people. Its great for one but if theres two you will have to climb over the other half to scramble down the ladders. For me its great you get the best of a smaller van wth advantages of a bigger one but with a couple of issues.

 

[colinm]

Drop down beds vary greatly, some have not a lot of headroom, others have loads of headroom, the later are usually only a hop up to get in. Some are transverse, others are longitudinal.

 

[The laird]

We have always had hymers with drop down over cab beds,present van hymer 572 travel van just under 7 mtrs
Two rear singles with infill to make a huge double which rarely we use,the singles are the most comfy beds we have ever slept in.so much so we’ve even been tempted to kip in it in the driveway( sad or what)
we think it’s had mattresses upgraded at some point ,don’t think we would ever revert back to a drop down but do loose on space but get a huge garage

 

[Fisherman]

The problem with large garages is payload.
Look at the roller team Pegaso 740 and 745, and others.
7.5m vans with lovely big garages you could watch the telly in.
But the payload on a 3.5 T chassis is only 325kg.
I was told before buying my first van, never buy a van with less than 500kg payload.
Also check out what’s included in the figure.
My current van has a 635kg payload including, the driver, full diesel and water tanks, and a 13kg propane cylinder. It’s all about compromise this game, and depending on how you see it is why there are hundreds of variants available.

 

[QFour]

Most of the beds are supplied by the same company its just not cost effective to have workers playing around trying to bend steel parts. Our Laika has a bed that pulls down over the cab but it has nowhere to lean as their are struts in the way and these are covered by a curtain. I use the front bed and can hop up using the side seat. Try a kindle you can happily lay down and read one of them. For a bed to sit up in the Laika has a double at the back. You don't have to climb steps to get in but you can raise it if you want more room in the garage. Our two folding electric bike go in the garage with ease with the handle bars folded down. Everything is a compromise you just have to find something that ticks most of the boxes.

 

[Fisherman]

Depends on the van.
Our 6.95 metre Hymer Exsis before extras had a payload of around 670 kg. With extras fitted, it is around 500kg
The garage is large enough for a scooter and has a 350kg capacity. The only problem is finding space up front to get weight onto the front axle

Yes ***** I know that some vans even on a 3.5T chassis do manage larger payloads but some don’t. I am reading this months mmm right now and they did a report on a Benimar Tessoro 482 with a payload of 300kg on a manual and just 247kg on an auto box, and that is with an empty water tank. There should be a standardisation of payloads, so that folk no what they are getting before buying.

 

[Fisherman]

Yes, I agree, but it will never happen as many dealers and some manufactures fiddle the figure and some try to hood wink the uneducated buyers.
It was very refreshing when we talk to the Travelworld Hymer Centre Salesman, that they do know what the manufactures state the payloads are.
BUT the advertised payloads are on a basic van and before factory fitted extras.
Hymer technical brochure, does state a weight for every extra, including an extra weight for silver paint

edit
My own opinion is that to get a workable payload in a coachbuilt, you need either a short van or a low narrow van. Both of these will reduce panel weight (roof, sides and floor) and reduce interior cabinet weight.
Along with this some manufactures are now using light weight GRP flooring.
It is no good having a 7 meter or over in normal old construction and full of extras and expecting to be weight legal (If the person carry's much)

Payload is one of the reasons why I like 6m vans.
Obviously parking and manoeuvring are other advantages.
We basically sacrifice not having a fixed bed to achieve this.
But our drop down bed is remarkably comfortable.
But using a short ladder is not ideal.
But then in a 6m van we get a large lounge, separate toilet and shower, and a decent kitchen. But that’s not for everyone, hence the massive selection available.
But I have seen folk with vans that are clearly overloaded.
I was chatting to a man in Dunbar, when I asked him what the payload in his new van was he answered, “what do you mean”
I googled his van and he only had 300kg.
yet he was carrying his wife and two kids with lots of extras on his vehicle.
I decided not to spoil his holiday, and never mentioned it to him.
But he should never have been sold that van with a family to transport.
And manufacturers should not be making 5berth vans with tiny payloads.

 

[Fisherman]

This guy had a large overhang too, and his van was a Bailey if I remember right.
Folk don't realise the consequences of being overloaded.
If they have an accident they will be in serious bother, and their insurers may walk away.
But what's required is standardisation and better highlighting of payload.
Dealers should be made to carry out a full survey of the likely demands of what they are selling.
And Payloads should be highlighted by them to those buying their first vans.

 

[barge1914]

The problem with large garages is payload.
Look at the roller team Pegaso 740 and 745, and others.
7.5m vans with lovely big garages you could watch the telly in.
But the payload on a 3.
I was told before buying my first van, never buy a van with less than 500kg payload.
Also check out what’s included in the figure.
My current van has a 635kg payload including, the driver, full diesel and water tanks, and a 13kg propane cylinder. It’s all about compromise this game, and depending on how you see it is why there are hundreds of variants available.

I spoke to Roller Team dealer today, he reckons only 1/3 tank of water is included in the MIRO for Pegaso 590. I wonder if that’s why your weighbridge number was higher than their 2838Kg

 

[QFour]

These manufacturers really need sorting out. There is no standard for anything. Some come up with weights with driver, with fuel, with water, without addons while others do the complete opposite so they have a van under 3000kg with a 500kg payload. They cannot even build them the same weight in the factory. The real solution is the Dealer gets it weighed then everyone knows where they are. Our Laika came with a weigh ticket so we knew the weight of the vehicle as it stood in the showroom with it's extras. No water and a few litres of diesel. So no nonsense and no unrealistic expectations. Trouble is it doesn't stop there and the new owner wants to add his toys. The only problem is that he has no idea how much they all weigh and is not really interested. He has not been educated about payloads and does not realise what is going to happen if he hangs a tow bar off the back and sticks a scooter rack on it.

So what we need is Dealers who are truthful and well educated Motorhome owners who understand about payloads.

..

 

[Deleted member 52181]

It’s not just our Motorhomes that can have weight issues. A few years ago we had an incident with a large tractor and it’s hedge cutting equipmen, the driver was traveling too fast on uneven ground but we had a near fatal accident so it was thoroughly investigate And the large 4x4 tractor was Found over weight. This lead to looking at our 4x4 vehicles LR 120,s and Discos, many of these were found to be over weight on the front axel if more than the driver was in the vehicle. The vehicles were in operational mode with lots of equipment and extras. But not what you would expect with real 4x4,s. This unexpected outcome led to looking at our fleet cars and we found some 4 and 5 seater cars could only take the driver if they were rather large, say 20st. Clearly vehicle weight issues are not just restricted to our motorhome. I had a N&B 69 Arto plated at 3850kg and this was always overloaded but currently a newer N&B of the same model but plated at 4500kg so I have any amount of weight to play with and the individual axel loads are also ok. So don’t just worry about your motorhome thing about your car.