Step 3: The bed & its supports

14 August 2017 4 Comments

Step 3 : The bed & its supports

The third stage of our construction was on the creation of the bed. After much reflection, and despite the small size of our van, we wanted a kitchen inside. Our bed had to adapt to this specificity, in order to be used, also, as sofa when we wanted to eat. We had the idea to build our bed in three parts on the model of our old  futon sofa. We appealed to our memory and our skills to recreate the same wooden structure to the dimensions of the van. Result, a bed in 140 cm that allows us to enjoy a real sleeping space and that folds into sofa 3 places.

In order to maintain a comfortable seat height, we created the supports of our bed as low as possible, we placed it just above the rear wheels.

For maximum strength, our bed has several supports. Two lateral boxes that rest on the sheet metal of rear wheelsand a system of two central rails, one fixed to the floor of the van, the other to the structure of the bed that allows it to remain mobile. Finally, two lateral feet unfold when the bed is pulled, and also serve as wedges when the structure is a sofa. Indeed, the lateral supports have holes on the top in order that the foldable feet can come to block the whole structure.

In order to follow the movements of our sofa bed, we opted for a foam mattress that easily fits.

As a bonus, it is possible to add two strings where the structure is folding and to hang them on the trunk cylinders in order to activate the transformation in sitting position more easily.

 

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