Murphy bed problem

[sjudd]

We have a 2013 Solera 24MS - bed "grinds" and/or "clicking/clacking" when raised or lowered. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, how do you fix it. We are very concerned but dealer says it is natural. Worried that we are going to have major problem in future.

[Don Wills]

I have a 2012 MS. Had clacking/grinding noise. Dealer service manager said it was normal. Then it froze in the down position when I was on the road. I was able to get it up enough to close the slide to limp home. Took it back to the dealer. Broken supports. Out of alignment. All sorts of issues. In general, it appears very poorly engineered. One of the techs at the dealer disassembled, repaired and re-engineered it with heavier support brackets and additional bracing. Works like a champ now. No grinding or funny sounds. Get it repaired before warranty runs out!!!

[bclemens]

Shouldn't be grinding. If the anything ever got caught in the track it could cause it to jump teeth and become misaligned.

[sjudd]

Forest River has agreed to "rebuild".

[Petemoss]

My Murphy bed jumped the track and will be in for repair a month, at least. Thankfully is in warranty. However my worry is when it is out of warranty I don't know if I will be willing to pay for that repair. So I'm wondering if will be possible to replace the Murphy with a sofa sleeper. Any ideas out there?

[bcunning]

Our Murphy bed failed soon after we bought the Solera in March last year. The dual rack and pinion lift mechanism supplied by Lippert was defective and they supplied a replacement mechanism which was also defective - but I installed it anyway because in my judgement, the defect would not prevent it from working while I waited for another replacement and we had a trip planned. When the second part arrived, I did that replacement as well and it has been working fine since then.

The manufacturer agreed that both replaced parts were defective from the factory so I was not charged for them - which is a good thing because it would have been about $800 each (without shipping and it is a large and heavy package). It also might have been a full day of labor in the shop requiring two people for some of it - possibly more. Lippert was good about expediting getting the new parts to me.

I certainly would not recommend trying this repair yourself. It's one helluva job just to get at it and the R&R is also difficult. I'm an engineer and a good mechanic as well and I just didn't want to have the Solera out of service for the time it would have taken to get it done at the repair shop.

I now always give the mechanism a bit of manual help as it goes up and down as I think the design is not very robust considering the application. Also be very careful about preventing anything at all from sliding or hanging down between the mattress and headboard as it goes up and down. Even a handkerchief can destroy the mechanism if it gets caught between the pinion and the rack. Any strange noises going up or down are probably indications of a serious problem and should be checked out and fixed to prevent being stranded somewhere with the bed down when it fails catastrophically as ours did. A steady (a bit slower when lifting going either up or down) whirring or whining sound from the two motors and the gears is OK but any change in that sound over time should be addressed with a very thorough inspection and probably lubrication before it gets any worse.

[Petemoss]

Thank you sir for your advise and quick response. Since we bought the rig there has been a popping noise when the bed approached its full up position. Being ignorant of the operation and since it was extending and retracting i assumed it was a normal operation. How does a person inspect the mechanism?

[bcunning]

good question - inspection is not easy, to say the least

You can see part of the racks through the gap below the headboard in mid-cycle, but you will not be able to see the drive motors.

You can see the rest of it from below if you empty the outside storage compartment on the slideout, get in there with a phillips screw driver and remove the panels fastened to the slideout frame above the compartment, and get in there with a light to look at the mechanism from below. (You need to be reasonably thin to do this.)

If you want to get a full view, you will need to remove the mattress, take the piano hinge screws out that secure the mattress board to the horizontal part of the mechanism, and slide the board all the way to the cabinets to expose the rest of it. I'm thin enough to climb down in the well above the storage compartment for a close look and work on it if necessary. You can observe the mechanism throughout its full range of motion if you do this to see what's going on when it makes strange noises.

If you choose to do this, an electric screw driver is handy with a fillips and a nut driver for the screws along the horizontal member. Also be careful to not over tighten the screws when you replace them - it is easy to strip the threads in the holes in the aluminum - just snug them up. There are enough of them that collectively they are strong.

(You won't find this information in your owner's manual :-)

[Petemoss]

Thank you again. Maybe I'll be able to watch the repair at the dealer ship.
The service Mgr. told me that most of the M's sold have been in for repairs.
I guess they need the work.

[sjudd]

Bed rebuilt, but now it does not "seat" properly. Am concerned because bed leans forward and sways with the bumps in the road. I think tech did a good job, but question whether the replacements parts were defective. Have asked Forest River to authorize another "rebuild."

[bcunning]

I think I overstated the inspection difficulty. As the bed is being raised or lowered, you can peek over the mattress and using a flashlight see the horizontal member with motors on each end cranking their way up and down most of the traveled racks fastened to the outside wall. If you look through the gab below the bed platform, you can see the lower end of the racks. You should be able to see damage or irregularities in the rack slots that are gripped by the gears on the motors. It is also possible to get some lubrication in there as needed.

Whoever did the "rebuild" (whatever that means) should have tested the full range of motion and fixed that seating problem. Could be the bed board was not positioned properly on the rollers or there is some kind of obstruction which causes the current limiting switch to go off because of the resistance before the end of the bed bottoms out. I'd just take it back and tell them to finish the job.

Position the bed about 2/3 up or so and look through the gap below the end of the board to see if there is anything in the way. It's supposed to come to rest on the two aluminum square tubes and then flip against the wall.

[Petemoss]

I like the idea of the bed (obviously) just hate living with hindsight.