Drop down double bed
Just out of curiosity - how do you all find the drop down double bed (above the cab type) in many MHs? Are they designed for two adults or children - thinking of the maximum weights. Can't find any specific details in brochures etc, but would welcome your findings where you have one fitted.
Motive for the question - We're considering changing to MH and want to keep the overall length under 6.5/7m but want a good size lounge seating area with a good size toilet/shower. Quite happy to sleep on 'bed length' lounge seats individually, but like the idea of having a bed made up, tucked away during travelling leaving the lounge seats available.
Appreciate its a bit 'how long is a bit of string' question as I guess some manufactures have varying specifications. What are the pros and cons youve found?
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I'm on my third A-class in 17 years because the drop down bed allows for more usable motorhome space which is important to me. To set up my drop down bed at night on my current A-class, I have to adjust the steering wheel to its lowest setting and fold down the cabs seats.
Here are some of the impracticalities of drop down cab beds:
1. Not everyone is happy sleeping close to the front panel of the van; certainly not for the claustrophobic! Good ones don't get cold 'upstairs'.
2. The one on the inside has to clamber over the one on the outside and the bed rocks a little when they do.
3. Rattles when driving are quite common but not loud or worrying.
4. Weight restriction on the bed - mine is 200kg, some are 150kg.
5. Useless for storing, you might be able to store the bedding but in some, the quilt, not the pillows, is all you can manage. Mine thinks pillows are children and the electric motor stops until I remove the 'children'. Manually operated drop down beds do not have a problem with storing pillows.
6. Access is by clambering over the furniture or up ladders, not easy for the infirm.There are also difficulties in owning an A-class such as access to the engine bay which can increase service time/costs. My Fiat Professional dealer used to try and get another £100 of me for a service.
Having had three, would I have a fourth? Yep - especially if I could run to a Frankia. The benefits of the shorter vehicles, the vista out of the cab windows, and the absence of damp in beautifully designed, well-made vehicles make it all worth while. The cab on a good A-class is integral to the design whilst still retaining all the Fiat/Mercedes/Iveco crash protection systems.
I had a Hymer 544 which, with its two longitudinal bench seats and drop down bed, is a fabulous layout for two. Now I have a 6m long 504 which has a single bed at the rear over the garage which my missus will use if she has back ache. Doesn't have a big lounge though.
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Aspenshaw has pretty much nailed the situation.
I've had two Rapido's with drop downs and they've been fine, from memory 200Kg weight limit, never found them cold to be honest.
He's got a point about some places charging extra to work on an A class, but that's just a con IMO, just trying to get more money because you have a more expensive model.
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Had a look at the Hymer 444 at the NEC show. Very clever use of space but we thought the drop down bed would be like sleeping in a small tent. Need to climb in and try it!
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We went to the Glasgow show the other day and was pretty impressed with the Pilote P650GJ 6.4m coachbuild, 2 fixed single beds and a drop-down over the cab, clever use of the bathroom/shower.
They have another model G650GJ its an A class also 6.4m very similar layout, they didn't have one on display at the show but one is due in to the dealers in a couple of weeks so will be having a look at that one.
Its not long since I said on here that we were not that keen on continental style MH's as they were all to big, however these ones are the same size as our current van. The advantage here is that the bikes would be in a garage rather than on the back adding another half a metre to the length.
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We have had our drop down bed in the van since new and frankly, it's been a pain. The problem has been with the mechanism for pulling it down and for preventing lateral movement. Some of the screws fell out in the first month (it was bought new in 2017) and it went in for repair. It has since been in for repair twice more and for considerable lengths of time each time. We lost one holiday that we had booked and paid for and were unable to go away for many weeks while it was in the workshop. We were due to go away this easter and took the van to get it cleaned. The same mechanism has failed again and we have had to cancel our holiday.
Are we the only people with this problem? Ours is a manual drop down bed on a Swift 685.
On the positive side, the bed, when we can use it, is very comfortable. The extra daytime space it affords is great as we go away with just two people sometimes but also have children and grandchildren at least as often. Also, the rear lounge is a fantastic feature. In principle, I'm still a big fan of the drop-down bed as long as our experience is not typical.
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We have just got a Roller Team T590, used the bed 8 times so far, cannot fault, electric, operates as required, no issues at all very comfortable. Did look at the Swift, to be honest the bed let it down, was still a pull down, the show model already had an issue in how far It went back up, plus the fittings were loose, spoke to sales team who blamed the punters for not knowing how to operate, decided if faulty already, then issue would arise again.
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Are we the only people with this problem? Ours is a manual drop down bed on a Swift 685.
I think this says it all, get a continental model and no such issues.
We are changing to an A class next week with a drop down over the cab, on trying it out last week it seemed easy to deploy, came down quite low and looked a good size. Will probably only be deployed if the grand children come with us or maybe another relative.
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It doesn't answer the essence of your query, but here goes anyway! I've had four vans with drop-down beds, all European - Hymer & EuraMobil A-classes, La Strada coachbuilt, and currently a Laika A-class - they've all been well constructed as regards strength. What you may well have to watch is that they are often aimed at the upper end of the market and so get loaded with extras, nice but not necessarily things you'd die for. That can mean that in a 3500kg van a decent payload is all but impossible. It's can be something of a nightmare, but if you're licensed to drive something around 4000kg or upwards, you should be fine.
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…my ansum 😋
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We too have had no end of problems with the manual drop down bed in a Bessacarr 496.
The bed has caused many months of missed holidays since purchased new in Aug-17. 92 days off the road in our first year of ownership.
The bed has been repaired five times in that time with a month long stay at the Cottingham factory for "full repair".
We got it back and stored it over winter and on the first outing (two nights) it seemed to have been resolved. The next outing proved that it hadn't been resolved when just lowering the bed into position caused the pulley system to snap off and the bed to swing violently into the forward facing passenger seats. Luckily no one was sitting there otherwise having a 100kg bed smashing into a passenger might have had a different outcome entirely.
Swift now want the vehicle back to the factory (another month?) for inspection and repair.
I don't have any confidence in Swift being able to suitably and permanently repair the bed. I fear it is a design issue that cannot be overcome.
ps this is in addition to the other 40 odd repairs and fixes they have perfomed on the vehicle over the past 18 months, QUALITY nil!
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Hi Paul & Cheryl, we recently bought a Roller team T590 (new) spent months looking at variants our spec was Like yours, under 6m, drop down bed (electric), we have used on 3 trips so far 9 nights and am 100% happy, can leave bed fully made up with ladder, Still walk under, basic advice has to be look at as many as possible, we did look at A class, but the boss did not like the layout, its such a personal thing, good luck. Malc
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We have had two MHs with a drop down bed. They are great because you have a made up bed ready for you, which tucks away and gives you more space!
My only advice is to choose one that pulls down manually. The electric ones seem like a good idea but they can be trouble as we found out.
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