I'm a make it only if I can't buy it kind of guy. Since no motor home meets my ideals and budget, I'm making. Since I'd rather not take time to make a Murphy bed mechanism if I can buy a perfectly suitable one off the shelf, and I've found this one, before I purchase it, does anybody know of others, or have experience to relate? The goal is one queen size bed in the workshop area.
J, check out Rockler, they are online shop supply company that has a nice Hardware kit for sale. Kit is offered in either direction for opening, I will be doing one in my conversion, planning on a lock of some type for travel mode.....
A mechanism to take a bed up to the ceiling seems complicated while the Murphy bed seems straightforward and simple. The benfit of not taking up floorspace is offset by complexity and reduced headroom. Anyway, I was impressed by the short video of the Murphy bed mechanism on the Rocker site. Fortunately, I have the skill set to make the wooden parts of the assembly. In fact, Lynn commented one of those would be nice in one of our spare bedrooms too.
I do lots of business with Rockler, I am very happy with the quality of their products, and all their stores that I have visited have great customer service. I have been thinking about buying the Murphy bed kit to build a bed with cabinets each side for our spare bedroom I agree that a Murphy type bed would be a great way to utilize space in a rv, and far less complicated than a lifting bed. If you go that route, let us know how it turns out and please post some pics...
i am just finishing building my bed that lifts to the ceiling. it took several attempts to make it work. i was going to make it work even if it broke the bank. i took a toy hauler wall bed and disassembled to use. i was trying to make a roll up door operator and tracking work. 1st mistake i made was to use 1" tracking and rollers with standard spools. after about 80 hrs. i call a over head door company. they said i should use 2" tracks and rollers. also needed to use tapered spools. i never knew they made them. they said i was trying to raise same amount of weight all the way up. as you normally raise a door weight decreases and door goes around top tracking. then i tried an electric motor to raise bed. it would raise bed about 1/2 the way up and run out of power. as soon as you let up on power switch bed would fall back down. now i went hydraulic lift gate motor assembly with a char-lynn motor. works just like i wanted it to. i am going to run hoses from pump to a selector valve which i can switch between two motors. one for raising bed and other for raising toy hauler door. i don't want to work when its play time. i took it part way back apart to paint. when i get it back together i will post pictures.
full fold down bed $500.00. 1st roller set up was about $120.00 that i couldn't reuse. electric motor was $100.00 cash. 2nd roller and operator assembly $300.00 bed motor $181.31 2) selector valves $58.02 each to switch oil flow back & forth. i don't remember what i paid for lift gate pump. i had it quite a while. sprockets and chain about another $60.00.
with what i know now i could do one for about $900.00 to $1000.00 for just a bed.
i have 9 foot ceiling so head room wasn't a problem. only sticks out about 3" from wall.
Murphy beds
Linear Mode
