Lifting pop top bed out of the way solution

scandy

Member
I just finished up with what I thought would be my solution to lifting my bed frame out of the way, i've got a pop top delica, hinges from the front, higher at the back, basically reverse westfalia style. But we did some redesigned hinges so the front lifts a little higher than stock, and at a shallower angle to allow for standing room throughout the length of the van.
I also did a 1 piece bed frame, so getting it out of the way is a little more tricky. I got 4 tie down straps and attached them to the roof, so basically you tighten the straps and it sucks the bed up to the roof. it "works" but its a huge pain to get the whole thing up doing 1 corner at a time, and its very unstable. I've got locking gas struts but its so much additional weight that if one of the struts accidentally unlocks, that sides going to come down fast.

So now i've got to find a better solution. I think ideally i'd add gas struts to the sides of the roof opening and bottom of the bed frame, but the trick there will be getting the struts to lift the bed straight up. If i mount them so the shaft pushes forward then up as it lifts, its going to just push the bed forward unless i find a way to guide the bed vertically as the strut extends.

I've been looking around for some kind of hinge i can mount to the front of the bed frame to allow it to lift up but prevent it from being pushed forward, but i havent been able to find anything that looks like it'd work. I'm pretty limited on space up front as well, maybe 2" of free space on either side of the bed frame that i can mount a hinge to.

I could find a way to do 4 struts, 2 pushing forward and up, and 2 pushing back and up. but not sure how that would work, i feel like 1 would over power the other.

any ideas?
 

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