Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am new to the forum and will start my conversion on a 7x14 in about 6 weeks. I think I've read every post on this forum and have learned so much from everyone. It seems many a folk are looking for a simple way to make a bed that raises and lowers. I came across this video on youtube on how to build a bed on a simple cable system using a boat winch. Ben Drury made 3 videos on his conversion and the second one shows how he constructed the bed. I will definitely be using his system when I get started on mine. Hope it helps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPhlUivq_lk

ya sweet!

I made this sketch a while ago while I was brainstorming with Flboy on how to simplify a bed lift, all the pulleys
are in the bed frame and the cables attach to trailer. Also, I personally don't think you need guides and rails.
The video is a great example of a bed without guides.

I like the idea. Not a big fan of 2x4 guide rails though. I am going to be utilizing a similar pulley system, but I will be making my tracks out of unistrut and trolley wheels.

Great idea on the couch conversion. I'm gonna steal that one!

Iconfabul8 wrote:I personally don't think you need guides and rails.

I too can't see where the precision of guides and rails is necessary. If you want to keep the bed from banging against the wall when raising or lowering, perhaps you can use tilt casters such as these:



http://www.reliablehardware.com/mediumrecessedtiltcasterhousing.aspx

One of these could be placed at each of the four bed corners. With a 1/4" to 1/2" clearance, the wheels wouldn't normally contact the walls. If a wheel does come in contact with the sidewall, it would roll and not gouge the wall. If you're concerned about the wheel itself marking the wall - which is probably doubtful since it rolls - you could add 1" aluminum strap along the path of the wheels.

Issue isn't just swinging while raising/lowering, but also in use, not a platform for corpses, live people do move around.

I'd prefer to not need anything fixed to the walls, also prefer to be able to stop at any height.

For safety, just need to make sure the wire rope and its attachment point is properly load bearing.

Two lengths of wire (or rope, not load-bearing) fixed to the ceiling and floor, threaded through small vertical tubes mounted catty corner to the outside of the platform edge, could more flexibly act as a horizontal guide/restraint without needing to fix anything to walls.

John61CT wrote:Issue isn't just swinging while raising/lowering, but also in use, not a platform for corpses, live people do move around.

I'd prefer to not need anything fixed to the walls, also prefer to be able to stop at any height.

For safety, just need to make sure the wire rope and its attachment point is properly load bearing.

Two lengths of wire (or rope, not load-bearing) fixed to the ceiling and floor, threaded through small vertical tubes mounted catty corner to the outside of the platform edge, could more flexibly act as a horizontal guide/restraint without needing to fix anything to walls.

I guess I'm not following you on your method of horizontal restraint but am interested to hear more.

In my example, the casters were for location only. There would still need to be a cable/winch system to raise and lower the bed. There would also need to be positive stops for the raised position and lowered position. For the lowered position, it could blocking on the wall or fold down legs on the bed platform. I do think that there will need to be four positive stops to keep the bed from racking when in use.

Imagine the bed platform as a sheet + frame out in the middle of a much larger space, not near any walls.

The raising/lowering rope/pulleys are free swinging, so getting in and out, any movement while in the bed, results in horizontal swinging, which needs to be suppressed.

So, attach short tubes vertically to the outside of the frame, since holes in the platform sheet will interfere with the foam/bedding. Vertical wire/rope passes through, and is tensioned between the ceiling and floor.

Four at the corners would be overkill, two cater-corner on opposite edges enough.

aggie79 wrote:In my example, the casters were for location only.

To the extent your casters aren't actually touching the wall, there will be horizontal play while the bed is in use, thus swinging banging against the walls.

Also need to account for possibility walls not vertical, maybe shelving, windows etc.

aggie79 wrote:There would also need to be positive stops for the raised position and lowered position.

I would prefer not, have a raising/lowering rig worthy of trust to bear the load securely, allow stopping at any height desired.

Like a self-tailing winch on a sailboat, or mechanical cleats used to hold a line, two spring loaded cams, lots of possibilities. The only fittings fixed to the floor are the two vertical guide lines, and even they can be removed if the platform is secured against the roof in the top position.

This would allow for carrying wide loads, 4x8 sheets or ATVs as in the video.

I was looking at the 2x4 build as a way to keep the weight off the actual frame of the trailer, meaning all the weight on the pulley's is distributed on the 2x4's. Is my thinking wrong to not want the bed weight, when raising and lowering, on the trailer ceiling/wall studs. Or does it matter. I understand the bed has to be supported when lowered and in use.

The weight while raising and lowering is not nearly as much as when in use.

If the ceiling doesn't have strong support beams, you couldn't walk on the roof or install solar panels or a rack, maybe like a foamie?

Then you would need to construct a frame so that all the weight gets borne by the floor.

John61CT wrote:The weight while raising and lowering is not nearly as much as when in use.

If the ceiling doesn't have strong support beams, you couldn't walk on the roof or install solar panels or a rack, maybe like a foamie?

Then you would need to construct a frame so that all the weight gets borne by the floor.

Probably the right way to go in any case, as the trailer may not always be "square" or as it was when installing bed. Big objects moving in little spaces can be....fussy.

McDave