Murphy Bed - don't forget to lock it in place!

[RockDrMike]

This is a warning if you have a Murphy Bed in your trailer.

Two or three days before my wife and I got home after an eight week cross-country trip with our Microlite 23FBKS, I was putting the bed up for travel while also cooking breakfast. I popped the bed upright, but forgot to engage the two slide bolts that keep it up. We headed down the road a short time later and somehow one of us asked the other if we done the locks - duh, no!

We stopped, but the bed had fallen down onto the back of the couch. The couch was fine, but the bulkhead to which the bed frame is hinged had torn out the screws that went into some very thin Luan plywood and the whole bulkhead had shifted forward several inches. Choice words were spoken.

I managed to horse the bulkhead back close to the original position and put some longer screws in to the aluminum frame and some thicker wood members. It held for the next couple of days, but I still need to go back and do a cleaner repair when some of the gear can be unloaded.

Moral: First, finish one thing before doing another. A couple of overly crispy pancakes would have been a better alternative. Second, keep your cordless drill and a good assortment of hardware handy on the road. You never know when you might screw up!

[jjmffca]

Unfortunately on my travel trailer there is no access to both sides of the piano hinge screws. I have to do some very elaborate moves to get access to concealed side, which is the side that the screws are coming out of. No under bed access nor other compartment. If you don't have my same situation, consider yourself very lucky.

[fella10]

with a Murphy Bed, access to the blocked off area can and should be made, ... getting into that area can make cleaning it, or retrieving a dropped item or curious cat, very easy, ... the panels on both sides are very thin paneling and can be cut with a box cutter or hacksaw blade(blade only), ... once cut, you can remove and replace those side panels as needed, ... you will also have easy access to the hinge as well, ...

[CedarCreekWoody]

When we had a Murphy bed we made it a point to always lower the bed for travel. I never trusted the latches to keep it up in a bouncing trailer. But I do realize that is not possible with some trailers, especially those with a slide out.

[jjmffca]

Oh how I wish the FR Rockwood 2304ks has an compartment access large enough to reach the piano hinge!

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

When we had a Murphy bed we made it a point to always lower the bed for travel. I never trusted the latches to keep it up in a bouncing trailer. But I do realize that is not possible with some trailers, especially those with a slide out.

I have a 2104S, and unfortunately this isn't an option as the retracted slide gets in the way. Definitely a good idea if the floorplan allows.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by jjmffca

Oh how I wish the FR Rockwood 2304ks has an compartment access large enough to reach the piano hinge!

You should be able to do the same mod that fella10 did in post #3. The front of the 2304ks is the same as the Flagstaff Micro Lite 25KS he has (it's a twin to my Rockwood Mini Lite 2503S).