Murphy bed problems part I

[DavidJ]

If you like to sit in bed, with your back propped up with pillows against the camper wall, beware!
The weak bed frame will not hold your weight and it will bend.
An indicator of this is it gets harder to clip the bolts that hold the bed in place when not in use. My Murphy Bed Part I covers the Piano Hinge problem.
I discovered this new problem by looking through the access compartment I created fixing the Piano Hinge problem. With the bed in the down position, one side of the bed frame hung down farther than the other. See pic. This view showed me a bent bed frame!
I also laid a straight board on the bed to measure the bend. See pic.
So to fix this issue, I screwed down 2 - 2x3s to the length of the bed to strengthen the bed frame. See pics.
The 2x3s now do not allow enough room to hold the mattress when put away, so we fixed that problem. We screwed down a 1x5 at the bottom running the width, to better hold the mattress onto the frame when putting the bed away. See before and after pics.
Even though this greatly strengthened the bed, we probably will not put all of our weight at the head of the bed anymore.
Sorry about the pic orientations. It was straight when I uploaded them.

 

[DavidJ]

The title of this should read “Murphy bed problems part II”

 

[CastletonRVers]

Made up a fix as I went along

We had the same problem of the Murphy bed with a bending and cracked frame. I took the platform off the piano hinge, removed the bottom paneling (room wall paneling), straightened the frame using clamps and blocks, then sandwiched the aluminum frame with 2 pieces of angle aluminum and used hose clamps to snug it all together. I only had to do it on one side but this could be applied to all four sides. I glued the paneling back on and replaced the trim.

It wasn't an easy job but it is still holding after 3 more seasons of travel.

 

[DavidJ]

We had the same problem of the Murphy bed with a bending and cracked frame. I took the platform off the piano hinge, removed the bottom paneling (room wall paneling), straightened the frame using clamps and blocks, then sandwiched the aluminum frame with 2 pieces of angle aluminum and used hose clamps to snug it all together. I only had to do it on one side but this could be applied to all four sides. I glued the paneling back on and replaced the trim.

It wasn't an easy job but it is still holding after 3 more seasons of travel.

Yeah you did it right. Mine was more of a patch fix but I believe it is fine. We are currently traveling for 3 months. Once we get home late March, I’ll check it again and see if my fix held.
Thanks for your pics.

 

[marone]

I just bought a very nice Rockwood M1905 with this same issue. The owner took a nice chunk of change off the total price when I pointed this out.

Did you end up doing any other fixes? I am not the best when it comes to stuff like this but I think I can manage. And other suggestions for anyone else who had this issue?

 

[bikendan]

I just bought a very nice Rockwood M1905 with this same issue. The owner took a nice chunk of change off the total price when I pointed this out.

Did you end up doing any other fixes? I am not the best when it comes to stuff like this but I think I can manage. And other suggestions for anyone else who had this issue?

This thread is 4 years old and the OP hasn't posted on the Forum for 2 years.
It's always best to send the member a PM, instead of resurrecting an old thread that died 4 years ago.
That way you can find out if they are still active.

 

[CastletonRVers]

Murphy Bed repair

No new advice. My repair has held without a hitch. 7 years and counting...

 

[RobbieH]

No new advice. My repair has held without a hitch. 7 years and counting...

If I understood, you have a fix for the piano hinge? Mine is coming loose from both the bed and where it mounts on the wall to make it part of the trailer. I'll get pics of that ASAP.

The frame on my bed was broken when I got it, I fixed it with steel.

EDIT: Since the pics are rotated it is hard to tell, but I reinforced both sides while I was at it.

 

[Chuck_S]

In the event I look at Murphy bed campers, what are the body weights involved here? NFL lineman? Junior high cheerleader? Curious if this is a wide problem or restricted to a specific body type.

-- Chuck

 

[RobbieH]

Evidently mine broke setting it down. Unlike the one at the start of this thread, mine has a latch that holds it down so it doesn't pop up while you are in it. We suspect the previous owner slammed it down without opening the latch, which broke it where it did.

I'm around 195, so we aren't talking huge. And I'm betting that in the last 6 years they've improved them. One of our co-campers has one and he's never had a problem.