Murphy Bed Designed to Self Destruct
The hinge structure of the Murphy Bed in our 2012 Mini-Lite 2304 broke away from the exterior storage bin on one side.
I removed the mattress and then the base of the bed by unscrewing it from the piano hinge. Here’s what I discovered:
• The hinge is attached to a substantial rectangular aluminum frame.
• The frame is held into the side walls of the storage bins by two flimsy, small screws screwed into a weak 1X1 corner trim in the inside corner of the exterior storage bin. The bottom of this frame is securely attached to the floor by a few wood screws. When the side screws tear out (which they must do sooner or later) the frame holding the bed via the piano hinge can sway freely. So your bed then is disconnected and is supported by the couch underneath and is impossible to raise or lower without collateral damage.
• THE FIX: Disconnect the gas springs on both sides by raising the ball & socket spring clip. Remove the bed by unscrewing the piano hinge. Replace the 1X1 from the insides of the exterior bins and replace with 2X2 on both sides. Screw and glue securely into place (making sure not to screw into the sliding drawers). Drill through the aluminum sides, paneling and 2X2 and connect with 3” long bolts, washers and lock nuts. I’m putting two through each side. Reassemble the bed and you have a properly engineered bed.
The key is to make sure your new 2x2 struts are solidly in place. I used black screws from the inside of these side bin/cabinets, not being concerned too much with appearances. Also angle screw the bottoms of the 2X2 into the floor.
FR should have engineered these side bin structures to handle the support of this heavy Murphy bed pivoting up and down. Ideally these two bins should have had 2X2 corner frames all the way around.
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