Bed Extension

[GaryWB]

Hi all, As a newbie, I’m thinking to buy a shorter Class C for ease of drive and maneuvering. I like the Redhawk 24B floor plan with the full slideout. However, the 70” long queen bed concerns me (seems too short). Has anyone made any bed length extension modifications? Seems it may just involve attaching a hinged extra piece of plywood at the bottom of the bed platform, although it may eliminate the walk-around feature in the 24B.

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by GaryWB

Hi all, As a newbie, I’m thinking to buy a shorter Class C for ease of drive and maneuvering. I like the Redhawk 24B floor plan with the full slideout. However, the 70” long queen bed concerns me (seems too short). Has anyone made any bed length extension modifications? Seems it may just involve attaching a hinged extra piece of plywood at the bottom of the bed platform, although it may eliminate the walk-around feature in the 24B.

While I have a Seneca now, my last Class C rig had a similar floorplan to the rig you are considering. I did as you were thinking, added a hinged extension to the end of the bed. It dropped down so the slide could retract without hitting anything and had hinged legs that you would support the extension when it was raised.

The platform was the first step, the next step was the mattress. We kept the original short mattress, and had a local upholstery shop fix us a rectangular piece of foam the same height as the mattress, 60" wide (queen size) and 10" long. Wife made a removable cover from a bedsheet so it could be laundered periodically. To "make" the bed we would extend the slide and raise the extension, dropping the legs down for support. Then pull the mattress towards the foot and insert the filler cushion. Then regular size queen sheets fit over both pieces. With the foam extension under our pillows we did not notice the mattress was 2 pieces.

When we had to travel again (but it wasn't laundry day) we would just lift the extension up leaving the fitted bottom sheet around it, then slide the mattress back up against the wall, lift the legs and lower the extension and close the slide. Take only a couple minutes to set up and tear down. Gave use an 80" long bed that allowed the slide to close. We also had a tag we hung on the bedroom slide control that warned us to stow the bed before slide closed. Better safe than sorry!

[Hilltopper9]

We have a 24B and tried the extension approach, thinking that my 72" body wouldn't like a 70" bed. Couple of problems when you pull the mattress down over the extension. You have to fill the void at the head of the bed with pillows or foam, and then you have to add support under the mattress because the folding mattress will not lay flat since it's thicker at the foot than at the head. In the end, I found that the original setup was fine and got rid of the extension. If you're 6'4" or taller, might be necessary.

We did add a 3" memory foam mattress topper and it made the bed much more comfortable.

[GaryWB]

Originally Posted by Robbbyr

While I have a Seneca now, my last Class C rig had a similar floorplan to the rig you are considering. I did as you were thinking, added a hinged extension to the end of the bed. It dropped down so the slide could retract without hitting anything and had hinged legs that you would support the extension when it was raised.

The platform was the first step, the next step was the mattress. We kept the original short mattress, and had a local upholstery shop fix us a rectangular piece of foam the same height as the mattress, 60" wide (queen size) and 10" long. Wife made a removable cover from a bedsheet so it could be laundered periodically. To "make" the bed we would extend the slide and raise the extension, dropping the legs down for support. Then pull the mattress towards the foot and insert the filler cushion. Then regular size queen sheets fit over both pieces. With the foam extension under our pillows we did not notice the mattress was 2 pieces.

When we had to travel again (but it wasn't laundry day) we would just lift the extension up leaving the fitted bottom sheet around it, then slide the mattress back up against the wall, lift the legs and lower the extension and close the slide. Take only a couple minutes to set up and tear down. Gave use an 80" long bed that allowed the slide to close. We also had a tag we hung on the bedroom slide control that warned us to stow the bed before slide closed. Better safe than sorry!

Wow, great reply. Thank you!

[GaryWB]

Originally Posted by Hilltopper9

We have a 24B and tried the extension approach, thinking that my 72" body wouldn't like a 70" bed. Couple of problems when you pull the mattress down over the extension. You have to fill the void at the head of the bed with pillows or foam, and then you have to add support under the mattress because the folding mattress will not lay flat since it's thicker at the foot than at the head. In the end, I found that the original setup was fine and got rid of the extension. If you're 6'4" or taller, might be necessary.

We did add a 3" memory foam mattress topper and it made the bed much more comfortable.

Thank you, Hilltopper! Just curious, at 72" tall, do your feet hang off the end of the bed? That may drive me nuts. Perhaps I could employ Pythagorean's Theorem and sleep at an angle to gain an extra inch or two!

[LuckyDuck]

I’m 6-6 and when we bought our 212QBW i figured I’d need “more bed.” I bought some 6-inch thick foam the same width as the mattress and cut a 6-inch slice off. I put it at the head of the bed, making the mattress effectively 6 inches longer. We then put a 3” memory foam topper on all of it.

The setup worked OK, but I didn’t add any extension to the plywood base. So, the mattress and topper weight made them “droop” some off the foot. Plus, it reduced the passageway around the foot of the bed by 6 inches, making it a little tougher for DW to get around.

After a while, I reverted back to the original setup (with the topper). Yeah, if I extend all the way, My feet hang over. But I found it easy enough to sleep a little at an angle, plus my legs are usually bent anyway. So far, I’m comfortable. YMMV.

[GaryWB]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

I’m 6-6 and when we bought our 212QBW i figured I’d need “more bed.” I bought some 6-inch thick foam the same width as the mattress and cut a 6-inch slice off. I put it at the head of the bed, making the mattress effectively 6 inches longer. We then put a 3” memory foam topper on all of it.

The setup worked OK, but I didn’t add any extension to the plywood base. So, the mattress and topper weight made them “droop” some off the foot. Plus, it reduced the passageway around the foot of the bed by 6 inches, making it a little tougher for DW to get around.

After a while, I reverted back to the original setup (with the topper). Yeah, if I extend all the way, My feet hang over. But I found it easy enough to sleep a little at an angle, plus my legs are usually bent anyway. So far, I’m comfortable. YMMV.

Thank you!

[drmike961]

Originally Posted by GaryWB

Hi all, As a newbie, I’m thinking to buy a shorter Class C for ease of drive and maneuvering. I like the Redhawk 24B floor plan with the full slideout. However, the 70” long queen bed concerns me (seems too short). Has anyone made any bed length extension modifications? Seems it may just involve attaching a hinged extra piece of plywood at the bottom of the bed platform, although it may eliminate the walk-around feature in the 24B.

You need to walk around in a 24B when closed and opened and you will see that there is not a construction mod that is going to work, there is just no room and the mattress is goofy. That is if the slide will even operate to open the bed up anyway.

[Pfflyer]

Melbourne owners have your issue and a few more with the short folding bed. The following link explains our problems but the second and third page in the link gives some solutions using a folding platform. I am 6'5" and I managed to get a full size queen bed in our bedroom. The top of page 3 has my solution which is similar to what others have used.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ess-49622.html

[rdnissen91]

This is our second season in our rig and wanted to post the modifications we made to make the mattress more comfortable for this 76" (6'4") guy. When we discovered the extension from Camper World (and elsewhere) for most short queen mattresses, the unique (?!) design of the mattress at the fold makes the depth 4" taller at the head where we place it AND leaves a 4" deep gap underneath the mattress when it is pulled out for use. We added a foam topper as many have stated here, but it still was not at all comfortable to sleep on.

The mattress extension can be found here: https://www.campingworld.com/short-q...er-622923.html

And to fill the gap underneath, I cut a 6' 4"x4" vinyl fence post to fit the width of the mattress and added end-caps for a finished look. Here's an option from HD: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda-...0699/202084744

Here are some pictures to demonstrate (hopefully) what we've done. It's much more comfortable than before even though still 'short'.