Plywood under mattress help

[AV8B6015]

So, I'm on the "big boned" side at about 250 lbs. The other night when I propped up on my elbow in the bed, I heard the unmistakable sound of wood breaking. Turns out, the "support" running from head to foot on my side separated from the plywood.

I'd like to beef it up, including the plywood. Has anyone done this? Any pointers? I was hoping to get a single sheet of plywood, but 4x8 is all I've found and 5x8 is what I would need.

I'd like to make the whole setup sturdier, but I'm not a woodworker and I could use some ideas. Thanks in advance!

[lx22f/c]

I would bet a 4x8 sheet would work just fine. Just get a sheet and lay it over what you have now.

[Jace817]

I'd consider getting some aluminum tubing or angle from the hardware store and through bolting it as a frame below for some additional support.

[Fire_Instructor]

A good lumber yard should be able to order you a 5x8 (or 9) sheet tha you can cut down.

[BigJohnD]

Might be a bit, but this is on the list to be included in my thread on mods to our 28BHBE. I will be putting a partition between front storage and under bed / bedroom side storage, so there will be a short insulated wall there. The plywood over the front storage will be more permanently affixed, with a small hinged access panel in the middle to access the inverter. I'll use a piano hinge behind that and make the bedroom portion accessible, and it's own storage area. So, will need to purchase 2 sheets of plywood, and only use a portion of each. Will also insulate and panel everything in the front storage while in the process.

[spoon059]

I'm 6-04 and 250 myself. What I did was add 2 little partition walls underneath the bed to support our weight.

One of them is about halfway down the bed. I used 2x4 "studs" attached to the 2x2 framing that makes up the bed, and then a 2x4 cross rail across the top. That actually gives some support underneath the 2x2 sleepers that are glued to the plywood.

The other is a 2x4 plate on the ground, 2x4 "studs", and another 2x4 plate up at the hinge area to better support that. It took all the flex out of the bed and makes it much more comfortable. It also provides a little bulkhead at the front of the trailer and gives me a place to store blocks of wood for under the wheels.

[3'senough]

Originally Posted by AV8B6015

So, I'm on the "big boned" side at about 250 lbs. The other night when I propped up on my elbow in the bed, I heard the unmistakable sound of wood breaking. Turns out, the "support" running from head to foot on my side separated from the plywood.

I'd like to beef it up, including the plywood. Has anyone done this? Any pointers? I was hoping to get a single sheet of plywood, but 4x8 is all I've found and 5x8 is what I would need.

I'd like to make the whole setup sturdier, but I'm not a woodworker and I could use some ideas. Thanks in advance!

Some good lumber yards either stock or can order a 5 x 10 "oversized" sheet of plywood. While this could be expensive not having a seam would be the best for the support. 3/4" would be a large heavy sheet to work with.

Another more affordable option adding about the same weight overall would be to replace the 2 x 2 or 2 x 3 strips under the bed support with 2 x 4 kiln dried lumber on edge with 3" screws at 6" spacing. Putting 2 under each person would sure up that board IMHO. If you really want to go crazy put a few cross pieces between the 2 at about 2ft and 4ft down from the head.

3 pcs 2 x 4 x 8 would do this and 2 x 1# box of 3" screws would take care of it. You should pre-drill to make it easier on you and rub the screws on a soap bar.

[SparkDr]

Source out a cabinet shop in your area. They have access to 5 'x 8' sheets of ply. I was able to get a 3/4" 5x8 and my local shop rounded off the bottom corners and beveled the edges for me before I picked it up.

[Iraqvet05]

Will the bed struts hold a heavier piece of plywood if you go with a thicker sheet?

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

Will the bed struts hold a heavier piece of plywood if you go with a thicker sheet?

I was thinking about this for a different reason. I've never had major trouble with my plywood bed support, and I'm a pretty big fella. It squeaks every now and again, so some examination and added support is probably in order at some point in the future. But I'm thinking about putting an 8" memory foam mattress there, so weight could be an issue.

Anyway, if you're re-configuring stuff anyway, why not just put an extra strut in the middle. The OEM configuration has one strut on each side, and if you're going to put in a whole new ply wood sheet, with some extra 2x support underneath, it would be pretty easy to configure those 2x's underneath to accommodate a third strut. You could even do 4, but then I'm wondering if there's enough weight for that...

Anyway, I was just thinking about this over the weekend when I was contemplating a new mattress. When we added our topper, with the added weight of the bedding we just about maxed out the 2 OEM struts. I had one keep popping off. Turns out the spring clips were shot. Manufacturer of the strut sells replacement parts (not just the clips though ), but by the time I purchased them and had them shipped, I could almost get a whole new pair of struts from Amazon; so that's what I did. I think I still have a perfectly good strut floating around somewhere, so I'm going to use it for this when the time comes. It'll be a while though, so don't hold your breath on a write up with pics

[AV8B6015]

Ran some more screws into the support for now as a temporary fix. We are going out for New Years, so I don't want to start too much right now. I would like to figure out something though, preferably something that doesn't cut down on the pass through storage. I may add a divider from left to right to separate the pass through storage from the under bed storage, but beyond that, I'm not sure.

[Biggiantshane]

I'm having the same problem with my 265RLS. We put a memory foam mattress on and after one night (brand new camper) I head a pop and the support boards had pulled completely away from the plywood. It also pulled apart the trim paneling next to the bed allowing me to see into the pass through storage. We store the camper at the lake so I will have to take a bunch of lumber and screws next time and see what I can do to beef it up. I think that super thin plywood is a very poor option for campers in the 250 lb plus range..

[remlapda]

I had the same problem and i'm a light weight. I sat up in the bed to watch the tv and popped the support loose. I put a few drywall screws through the wood onto the support. it works even for my wife who isn't lightweight, hope she doesn't see this.