Under Bed Storage

1luvFishing

I have a bad back and accessing the under bed storage would cause me pain and spasms. The lift cup installed by NuCamp was located in an awkward spot, so having seen a mod done by another T@gger using a strap and cane props, that was what I thought the solution would be. Worked fine unless the cane prop was dislodged, which of course caused the bed platform to come slamming down. If I had to hold the bed platform up, my back would spasm. Needed a new solution....Pneumatic Gas Lifts. They work perfectly and no more back pain for me! Here is a video showing my process.
https://youtu.be/ZDHBXKFDgZM

tanda62

This is a great solution and very nice video. I wonder if the pneumatic would work with the hinges already installed or if the new hinges you put in make it work better.
Thanks for posting this!

1luvFishing

Yes, I think the pneumatics would work with the piano hinges, I don't know though since I removed the 3 mini piano hinges installed my NuCamp when I installed the cabinet hinges. Since I will still having issues with the propping situation, I installed the pneumatics with the cabinet hinges in place. You can see them in the picture with the green pool noodles. I like having the bed platform separated. I think the cabinet hinges give good stability.

Jay

The 3 hinges hold the two pieces together but don't hold them down to the base. I added the pneumatics with the three hinges only and the other side started to lift. I then added the new hinges. I used 27" pneumatics at 80 lbs for higher lift and was able to move the pivot point closer to the middle of the trailer to open up the access. Thanks 1luvFishing for the video, works great.

WilliamA

For alternate ideas to hold down the center hinges, I used standard door hinges and made a small bracket for each to keep it tight to the floor. An explanation of that can be found in this thread:
http://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/117/electric-opener-for-basement-hatch-s#latest

WilliamA

evpeeling

I know this is an older post but thought I would try—My struts didn’t come with any mounting instructions. How do you determine where to place the mounting hardware?

EDIT: I figured it out, I was way overthinking it 🤣

valmayer

Thank you o much! I am just starting to feel comfortable in our little camperC2 and understanding what improvements we need to do! LOVED YOUR POST! Thank you so much @1luvFishing I wish I can be as handy as you are @WilliamA but I am sure that my job installing something so sophisticated will fill my camperC2 with a very crappy handmade disasters!

rich67

Thank you, I have my winter project now.

daveandcorlene

Great instructional video! Thank you for sharing.

AustinHealey

I know this is an old thread , but thought I would try a question. Replaced the piano hinges with cabinet hinges as did 1luvfishing. Then installed the same 80 pound gas strut. The strut unfortunately pushes the bed support to the outside so that it overlaps about 1/8 inch and will not close. I either need to reposition all my hinges or take some off the edge of the bed board. Suggestions?

Jay

Trim off 1/4" to remove the overlay

ras

You may have to add a couple of hinges just to tie the plywood firmly to the divider. I used larger piano hinges and made some some 90 degree metal tabs (one of WilliamA's mods I believe) to fasten the hinges to the long central divider. One leg of the L has a hole that the hinge pin goes through and the other leg has two screw holes. Added one to each hinge, works perfectly.

evpeeling

@AustinHealey I had the EXACT same problem when installing my gas strut. I finally got the hinges installed properly and then the gas strut pushed it out of whack. I ended up getting so frustrated that I gave up on the mod. However with the piano hinge mod Ras suggested above I may give it another go! Its a great idea!

AustinHealey

I readjusted my hinges a bit and planed about 1/8 inch off the lateral side of my under bed door and it seems to work ok now, using the cabinet hinges. Evidently the force of the strut pushes the spring in the hinges out a bit.

DebS

Here's what I did. A few colorful words escaped my mouth during the process. debsilbert.com/improving-accessibility-of-under-bed-storage-in-tg/

JDW

1luvFishing , great video... Doing my research I found that the gas strut should be installed with the tube on the high side and the piston pointing down... I attached a file for information... Happy Camping...