Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

What are some options for a 6x14 bed? Currently I have a Twin XL day bed in my CTC but I feel like it takes up way to much space. I bought some E-Track and the 2x4 holders thinking about doing a bed long ways or one against the wall that will fold up with folding support legs. I have never done one of these and don't have welding equipment so it would have to be made from wood. Any suggestions? I have looked at several builds but the 6x14 flavor of trailer seems to be a rare one around here. Any help would be great!

For my 6x14, I went with two fold ups, one 30 by 72 and and the other 30 by 76 in twins.
I wanted a small walkway between them for my wife's night trips.
You can see some of the work in my thread below. I am further along on them now and will post new photos soon.

You might want to think about UniStrut too?
Strut is also 1 1/2"x1 1/2" like a half 2x4 and there is also thin strut that is 3/4"x 1 1/2" like dimensioned boards.

So yo can use Strut with the ETrack brackets like a big erector set to create all sorts of things like Beds and Shelves.
Without too much trouble you could devise folding beds using just the strut,ETrack brackets and some hardware for the strut and hinging you create.
There are all sorts of Strut fasteners and connectors too and many are hidden and adjustable.

The possibilities are truly endless and in a lot of ways Strut is cleaner looking than wood and a lot stronger too.

EZDog wrote:You might want to think about UniStrut too?
Strut is also 1 1/2"x1 1/2" like a half 2x4 and there is also thin strut that is 3/4"x 1 1/2" like dimensioned boards.

So yo can use Strut with the ETrack brackets like a big erector set to create all sorts of things like Beds and Shelves.
Without too much trouble you could devise folding beds using just the strut,ETrack brackets and some hardware for the strut and hinging you create.
There are all sorts of Strut fasteners and connectors too and many are hidden and adjustable.

The possibilities are truly endless and in a lot of ways Strut is cleaner looking than wood and a lot stronger too.

Do you have an example of this? I have honestly never worked with unistrut before. I do a lot of wood working that's why I thought the E Track bed would be easy. Does anyone run a bed across their 6ft wide CTC? Is the reduced length an issue for you?

How tall are you? I run my full size bed across the back of my 6X12, but I'm only 5'7" tall. No problem for me, and leaves a lot of space in the trailer. I bought a memory foam mattress and cut it lengthwise with an electric knife. Fits like a glove. It cut like butter. Best sleeps I ever have.
Click on photos to enlarge.

Check out Jiffypop207s Sno' Escape. Some of the best all around work I've seen. A real nice Murphy Bed. viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60663&hilit=SNO%27
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o96/ ... cjyboo.jpg

Or these?
http://www.amazon.com/SoundAsleep-Mattr ... 7WB9378G7B

McDave

Gonefishin wrote:How tall are you? I run my full size bed across the back of my 6X12, but I'm only 5'7" tall. No problem for me, and leaves a lot of space in the trailer. I bought a memory foam mattress and cut it lengthwise with an electric knife. Fits like a glove. It cut like butter. Best sleeps I ever have.
Click on photos to enlarge.

5' 9" so it shouldn't be much of an issue for me I'm thinking. I rarely ever sleep fully extended anyway. How thick of a memory foam did you get? I have a 6 inch right now but may buy another and stack them. How did you build your bed? Did you use E track?

Gunman9 wrote:

EZDog wrote:You might want to think about UniStrut too?
Strut is also 1 1/2"x1 1/2" like a half 2x4 and there is also thin strut that is 3/4"x 1 1/2" like dimensioned boards.

So yo can use Strut with the ETrack brackets like a big erector set to create all sorts of things like Beds and Shelves.
Without too much trouble you could devise folding beds using just the strut,ETrack brackets and some hardware for the strut and hinging you create.
There are all sorts of Strut fasteners and connectors too and many are hidden and adjustable.

The possibilities are truly endless and in a lot of ways Strut is cleaner looking than wood and a lot stronger too.

Do you have an example of this? I have honestly never worked with unistrut before. I do a lot of wood working that's why I thought the E Track bed would be easy. Does anyone run a bed across their 6ft wide CTC? Is the reduced length an issue for you?

Strut is just another material to think about,I would still consider using ETrack and the track brackets which I thought was obvious from what I described?
Like I said the Strut can bolt right up to the bracket or lay in there like wood will but can be much more low profile for the same usable strength.
You can cut it with any Metal cutting blade so I have used a Hacksaw,Sawzall,Cutoff wheels and Grinders to all do the cutting easily.
There is nothing more I can show you really just use your imagination after looking at the parts .
Strut is really strong and easy to work with and you don't need to weld it to make it go although you sure can too.

I got the impression that you wanted alternatives to wood but nothing needing welding but if you are OK with wood use what you know already.
The ETrack bracket to me is just another way to connect to the wall surface regardless what I then attach to it.I also got a few ETrack Spare Tire Mounts which are nothing more than the track connector with a long 3/8 stub sticking out from it. I wanted to see if I could devise something easier or better with those than with the wood bracket but so far have not really beaten the wood bracket for my application.

My bed is setup across the rear of the CT but I also got a 7' wide CT just so I could lay it out that way too,it feels like I am just wasting space going lengthwise but I can also imagine it is a lot more simp to make the bed swing up to the wall if it is positioned against one!
I have mine switch from Bed to Couch back there so the flipping was not a big requirement for me.

Gunman9 wrote:

Gonefishin wrote:How tall are you? I run my full size bed across the back of my 6X12, but I'm only 5'7" tall. No problem for me, and leaves a lot of space in the trailer. I bought a memory foam mattress and cut it lengthwise with an electric knife. Fits like a glove. It cut like butter. Best sleeps I ever have.
Click on photos to enlarge.

5' 9" so it shouldn't be much of an issue for me I'm thinking. I rarely ever sleep fully extended anyway. How thick of a memory foam did you get? I have a 6 inch right now but may buy another and stack them. How did you build your bed? Did you use E track?

Memory foam is 10". My bed frame is steel, free-standing, but never moves, I assume due to the weight and lots of leg/floor contact points. Rock solid. I originally bought it to go in lengthwise, but shortly after cut the frame to fit across. There's room under the frame for a bunch of plastic boxes I use for clothing on extended trips, extra blankets, towels, and a host of other goodies I want inside. The entire floor under the bed is storage, accessible either from the back door, or inside. If I were setting up another trailer today, I'd use the same frame with the same mattress. Love it.

Google Pragma Bed Frame. Everybody has them. For a little under $100, I'd never consider the parts and labor to build my own.
"The PragmaBed Simple Base Bi-fold is the original foldable foundation, designed to eliminate the traditional box-spring. We've carefully engineered the frame to offer a firm and flat foundation ideal for latex and memory foam mattresses.
All of our foundations have a simple assembly process that don't require additional tools as the frame unfolds to its full size. To support the portability of the design, we use heavy duty steel at a thicker gauge than standard metal frames to ensure a solid foundation for all mattress types, and especially well suited for latex and memory foam."

Gunman9 wrote:

Gonefishin wrote:How tall are you? I run my full size bed across the back of my 6X12, but I'm only 5'7" tall. No problem for me, and leaves a lot of space in the trailer. I bought a memory foam mattress and cut it lengthwise with an electric knife. Fits like a glove. It cut like butter. Best sleeps I ever have.
Click on photos to enlarge.

5' 9" so it shouldn't be much of an issue for me I'm thinking. I rarely ever sleep fully extended anyway. How thick of a memory foam did you get? I have a 6 inch right now but may buy another and stack them. How did you build your bed? Did you use E track?

I laid on the floor to determine if the room is adequate. While I have a 6' outside dimensioned CT, the inside room, after insulation and wall installation, was only 68"; not enough for me at 5' 9". And with the use of a pillow, the available room is lessened some more. And I like to stretch out now and then, so I really had no choose but to go lengthwise with the bed frame construction.

Gunman9, Howdy;

Gunman9 wrote:What are some options for a 6x14 bed? Currently I have a Twin XL day bed in my CTC but I feel like it takes up way to much space. I bought some E-Track and the 2x4 holders thinking about doing a bed long ways or one against the wall that will fold up with folding support legs. I have never done one of these and don't have welding equipment so it would have to be made from wood. Any suggestions? I have looked at several builds but the 6x14 flavor of trailer seems to be a rare one around here. Any help would be great!

I've no choice, at 6' 1" with size 13 feet and stretching out is mandatory mine goes lengthwise.
Still just doing temp stuff. Finally have some funds to start doing a few things to make it more
"livable" for more then a day or 2.
Yep 6X14 may be the odd duck but for me it's more like a 6X12 wit 2' of storage, front or back
builder's choice ... (6'X2'X6.5' = 78 cu/ft of extra space)

hank

My thoughts... Decide permanent or foldaway. Then Orientation. Then Murphy or loft/bunk. If your sleeping one or two I'd go bunk or Murphy. If your sleeping 4+ I'd go loft or triple bunks. Loft wise the best bet and easiest is happy jack. But they're a bit pricy for most including myself. Bunk beds I'd go with etrak. Loft I'd lean toward custom Alu or steel framing or unistrut/super strut. There are a few examples of both styles on here. We have a strut version that works well. Current arrangement until they get older: Me and the two boys up top. My wife, daughter and dog underneath.

I am planing on doing something like this in my 6x12. Fresh water tank and storage under couch/bed

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/371617406732847022/