Under Bed Storage

[pvillebly]

I have a 2010 Mini Lite 2502s. Would like to use the under bed storage more but the support rods do not hold the bed open. Are these supports just for looks or should they hold the bed up when you access the storage compartment?

[Timtation]

A little of each. If your bed is comfortable they are probably undersized. We replaced the crappy standard issue mattress, and added a rod for holding up the bed when accessing storage.

[cpaulsen]

You can also move the rods. I did it on mine on the bottom frame....moved them 2 inches back and it made the bed easier to raise and also stay up. You might have to experiment with the distance to make it work. Was a lot cheaper then buying new ones.

[mark0224]

On our old trailer they wouldn't hold no matter what I did so I made a piece of wood the right length for a prop.

[gserve]

I have a 2014 2502s and the rods on mine hold the bed up.


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[trikebubble]

2008 Mini Lite here, and the rods hold the bed (with a 3" memory foam overlay) up fine.

[BruceM]

The bed storage locker will not stay open on our 2109S either.
I may try cpaulsen's solution.

[Ken K.]

Wait, there's rods for under bed storage? I didn't see any on my 2015 2502KS. Need to go back and look. I just pull it up and hold it up with my back. Been thinking about installing 2 hydraulic struts to hold it open.

[LandJ]

I have a 2014 2502s with rods that hold the bed up.

[BruceM]

Forest River needs to spec better bed support rods.
The ones I'm thinking of lock in place when you lift the bed up and then unlock when they are lifted slightly from the locked position.
They are mechanically actuated struts, not relying on gas under compression.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Forest River needs to spec better bed support rods.
The ones I'm thinking of lock in place when you lift the bed up and then unlock when they are lifted slightly from the locked position.
They are mechanically actuated struts, not relying on gas under compression.

They've used gas struts on the tailgates for cars, minivans, SUVs, ect... for years with no problems.

[BruceM]

They do wear out. I replaced the rear window struts twice on an Astro Van I had.
And in this case, on the Rockwood trailers, they are not strong enough to hold the bed up.
If they work so well on mini vans why do they not work on the Rockwoods?

[jerryliving]

I made access to under the bed with two drawers on each side in lieu of fighting with opening of the bed.

[Life Without Whine]

We just use that for more of the long term storage ...crock pot, extra paper goods, extra towels ....that way my back doesn't get worn out going in & out too often :-)

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by BruceM

They do wear out. I replaced the rear window struts twice on an Astro Van I had.
And in this case, on the Rockwood trailers, they are not strong enough to hold the bed up.
If they work so well on mini vans why do they not work on the Rockwoods?

Agreed that they do wear out. Although I've driven numerous vehicles with rear hatches for many years and have only had to replace one in my life.

My previous trailer was a Wildwood with struts under the bed. I almost had to put my entire weight on it to get it to close again after I opened it. So they worked extremely well.

As for the people having trouble, I can only assume their struts are either undersized or wearing out. I can't imagine the beds weigh any more than some of the tailgates the struts hold up.

[becca4vols]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Forest River needs to spec better bed support rods.
The ones I'm thinking of lock in place when you lift the bed up and then unlock when they are lifted slightly from the locked position.
They are mechanically actuated struts, not relying on gas under compression.

Ours locked into place and wouldn't unlock (even when we lifted from the locked position) the first time we took our TT out. So my husband removed them. It would be nice to have something that would work because now it is a two person job to get into the under bed storage.

[Slinks]

My bed is on a slide! Has anyone found a system that works with the slide?

[hbillsmith]

Mine came with 80# gas struts. The size is printed on the side. I believe all use 10mm ball mounts and are 20" length with 8" stroke. You can replace with 120#, 135# or 150#. Amazon cost is about $25. Thats what I did.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

Agreed that they do wear out. Although I've driven numerous vehicles with rear hatches for many years and have only had to replace one in my life.

My previous trailer was a Wildwood with struts under the bed. I almost had to put my entire weight on it to get it to close again after I opened it. So they worked extremely well.

As for the people having trouble, I can only assume their struts are either undersized or wearing out. I can't imagine the beds weigh any more than some of the tailgates the struts hold up.

Members who put "Memory Foam Toppers" on top of their Factory Matt.add a LOT of weight! Most of the time "Strut and Geometry" change is required also! Youroo!!

[Slinks]

I think my issue is the slide! The wood platform slides in and out, while the box remains stationary. Don't think there's anything that can be "fixed" in this case