Coachman VIP575 Transverse bed
The bed in my 2016 VIP575 has two gas struts to support the bed in an open position but unfortunately they do not support the bed in the open position, the bed just slowly falls back down. Today my dealer changed the struts, under warranty, for a pair of
uprated units and now the bed with just the mattress on holds up in the open position, but if we make up the bed with a sheet and duvet plus cover the bed does not stay up in the open position. Surely this cannot be right that adding a duvet is enough weight
to prevent the bed from staying open means that it cannot really be safe without the duvet and why should you have to strip the bed every time you want access under the bed. Wondered if others have this situation or any suggestions on my next move.
Regards and thanks for reading
Dave
Comments
-
Dave - I don't know whether this is going to be of much help, but it strikes me that there is a design problem somewhere. We have a Bailey Barcelona with a fixed bed with gas struts. When made up, there is a duvet, mattress protector, 6 pillows! and two
decorative cushions on the bed. It stays up absolutey fine although it is quite heavy to lift even with the gas struts. (My wife doesn't understand about weight and caravans
)0 -
Dave - I don't know whether this is going to be of much help, but it strikes me that there is a design problem somewhere. We have a Bailey Barcelona with a fixed bed with gas struts. When made up, there is a duvet, mattress protector, 6 pillows! and two
decorative cushions on the bed. It stays up absolutey fine although it is quite heavy to lift even with the gas struts. (My wife doesn't understand about weight and caravans)Thanks for your reply, as you describe your Bailey setup and bedding load is only what I would expect what is the point of having an access that can only be used with an extra person holding up the bed - or stripping the bedding from the mattress everytime
access to the under bed area is required. Not impressed.Dave
0 -
I can remember a story some time ago about gas struts on Bailey vans. It goes along the lines of a large number of vans were having the same problems. Replacement struts made no difference, and the strut manufacturer could not fault them.
Someone had the bright idea to get the weight of just the mattress. It was heavy. Too heavy, and it gained weight in use. The story concluded that the mattress manufacturer was using the wrong materials. Over a short space of time the mattress would absorb
moisture from the atmosphere, gaining sufficient weight, causing the problem.I don't know how true this is, but if others find the struts work fine, and you have had them changed yours to no effect, then it could be an overweight mattress.
0 -
I can remember a story some time ago about gas struts on Bailey vans. It goes along the lines of a large number of vans were having the same problems. Replacement struts made no difference, and the strut manufacturer could not fault them.
Someone had the bright idea to get the weight of just the mattress. It was heavy. Too heavy, and it gained weight in use. The story concluded that the mattress manufacturer was using the wrong materials. Over a short space of time the mattress would absorb
moisture from the atmosphere, gaining sufficient weight, causing the problem.I don't know how true this is, but if others find the struts work fine, and you have had them changed yours to no effect, then it could be an overweight mattress.
Thanks for your reply, The mattress is featherlight and is a new van so I would hope it has not absorbed any moisture. My previous caravan had a domestic style mattress which was heavy but the struts held that up no trouble.
I have just spoken to Coachman regarding the bed/struts who inform me that the struts are there only to assist lifting not to support the bed in an open position. I disagreed with this referring to other people who expect the bed to stay open and that if
the design is such as they say only to assist lifting then a amendment to the handbook is required and a label on the bed warning of this before someone has an accident.0 -
I can remember a story some time ago about gas struts on Bailey vans. It goes along the lines of a large number of vans were having the same problems. Replacement struts made no difference, and the strut manufacturer could not fault them.
Someone had the bright idea to get the weight of just the mattress. It was heavy. Too heavy, and it gained weight in use. The story concluded that the mattress manufacturer was using the wrong materials. Over a short space of time the mattress would absorb
moisture from the atmosphere, gaining sufficient weight, causing the problem.I don't know how true this is, but if others find the struts work fine, and you have had them changed yours to no effect, then it could be an overweight mattress.
Now that is very interesting...... I have currently got a warranty claim with Baileys re the bed mattress. Whilst I can't say it is light by any means - quite the reverse - but the fact is that the mattress seems to have gone soft at one side to the extent
that the person sleeping on the other is lying on a slope. Our dealer has confided that they have had quite a few similar complaints. I am just wondering whether, despite my contention that it is quite heavy, it is actually a lot lighter than the Coachman
equivalent. The above post does seem to suggest that Bailey may have lightened their mattresses. They have certainly done that with the seat cushions which I have just paid £250 to have professionally re-filled with better (and much heavier) foam on the
basis that replacements from Bailey would have merely replicated the same problem.0 -
Dave
In that case, I would stick by my original post and suggest that either the struts aren't strong enough or the length / angle of them is wrong. Some years ago, I was looking at a company called SGS Engineering in Derby to provide struts for a radar arch
on our last boat which weighed probably 10 times the weight of a caravan bed, so if they are capable of doing that, lifting a bed should be straightforward. Looks like Coachman have an issue, so good luck with getting them to do what in my opinion is obviously
required - i.e. to upgrade them.Richard
0 -
this is undoutedly wrong and the bed should be fully supported in the open position, so that use can be made of the underbed area without resort to you holding it in place.
if the level pf support given is so marginal that a duvet makes the difference between staying up and falling on your head then the manufacturer has an issue....
sounds like they are trying to wriggle on this when its fairly obvious the design isnt fit for purpose...
0 -
Dave
In that case, I would stick by my original post and suggest that either the struts aren't strong enough or the length / angle of them is wrong. Some years ago, I was looking at a company called SGS Engineering in Derby to provide struts for a radar arch
on our last boat which weighed probably 10 times the weight of a caravan bed, so if they are capable of doing that, lifting a bed should be straightforward. Looks like Coachman have an issue, so good luck with getting them to do what in my opinion is obviously
required - i.e. to upgrade them.Richard
Thanks for the SGS name, I have used this company in the past for a pair of struts for my swift to give a higher lift. When the dealers technician told me on Thursday that the new struts were an upgrade of the originals my first thought was why would coachman
send upgraded struts if they thought the originals were upto the job? He also told me the struts now fitted were the strongest available, knowing of SGS I thought yea right and thought I would get some and fit them myself but then came to my senses and thought
this is a brand new caravan, over to coachman.0 -
Dave - thinking about this, isn't it probably the case that all caravan fixed beds are more or less the same size/weight and that manufacturers fit very similar if not identical struts - therefore, is it simply that you have a faulty strut or struts and
that it / they are leaking? Just a thought.0 -
There is a greater load on a longitudinal lift than a side lifting bed. HAs that been taken into account?
0 -
Cy - you are probably correct but I think it would be marginal. With a side lifting bed you are lifting some of the pillows etc whereas with a longitudinal lift, all the pillows are close to the fulcrum and therefore wouldn't have the same downward force.
Overall, I don't think there would be all that much differenceIn any event, there are loads of other manufacturers with longitudinal lifting beds and no one else seems to be reporting problems. All in all, it seems to me to point towards faulty struts in this case.
0 -
Dave - thinking about this, isn't it probably the case that all caravan fixed beds are more or less the same size/weight and that manufacturers fit very similar if not identical struts - therefore, is it simply that you have a faulty strut or struts and
that it / they are leaking? Just a thought.Could be but they were changed under warranty on Thursday 12th May for apparently upgraded units and Coachman tell me that they are not designed to support the bed only to assist lifting it, do not agree with that!
0 -
There is a greater load on a longitudinal lift than a side lifting bed. HAs that been taken into account?
You would expect the manufacturer to have taken that into account and I have seen other similar beds that hold up OK. See reply on next post.
0 -
Dave - I don't know whether this is going to be of much help, but it strikes me that there is a design problem somewhere. We have a Bailey Barcelona with a fixed bed with gas struts. When made up, there is a duvet, mattress protector, 6 pillows! and two
decorative cushions on the bed. It stays up absolutey fine although it is quite heavy to lift even with the gas struts. (My wife doesn't understand about weight and caravans)Write your comments here... Richard which model Barcelona do you have? We have the S1 (2012) and the fixed bed never holds the bed up even with just the mattress in place. I have to wedge it up wth a wind break which is stored underneath.
0 -
Dave - I don't know whether this is going to be of much help, but it strikes me that there is a design problem somewhere. We have a Bailey Barcelona with a fixed bed with gas struts. When made up, there is a duvet, mattress protector, 6 pillows! and two
decorative cushions on the bed. It stays up absolutey fine although it is quite heavy to lift even with the gas struts. (My wife doesn't understand about weight and caravans)Write your comments here... Richard which model Barcelona do you have? We have the S1 (2012) and the fixed bed never holds the bed up even with just the mattress in place. I have to wedge it up wth a wind break which is stored underneath.
Tirril - it's a 2015 S3. The mattress is really heavy, as I know when pulling it off the frame to help Ros fit the bottom sheet! In addition to all the stuff mentioned above, I have also lifted it with the TV (24") stored under the duvet and the odd bag
of bits and pieces on it - no problem at all in staying up and I often leave it up for half an hour or so whilst coming and going getting bits and pieces to put the awning up etc. The struts really do their stuff and you have to physically push it down to
get it started before it descends.0 -
Latest developments:
Told by Coachman that the struts are only to assist lifting - seems naff.
Told by Dealers technician that the new struts he fitted were uprated and were the strongest available.
On inspection found that the replacement struts fitted by the dealer were exactly the same force of 375 Newtons as the originals.
Have now purchased from SGS engineering a pair of struts rated at 440 Newtons and now the bed fully made up stays up in the open position.
Lost for words, especially complimentary ones except for kind words to SGS engineering.
Thanks to everyone for your replies and comments
Dave
0 -
.... plus a contact address for SGS please.
0 -
Hi CraigW and tirril
SGS engineering 2 West Side Park, Belmore Way, Raynesway, Derby DE21 7AZ.
Tel: 01332 576 850.
The struts can be regassed and uprated for £9.95 each or new ones at 440 Newtons for 18.99 each all plus vat.
Quite happy with mine now.
Dave
0 -
Judging from your avatar, CraigW, saggy bed struts are the least of your problems. You van has blown over.
0 -
Now here's an interesting sequel to my contribution to this saga. Our 'soft' mattress has just been replaced under warranty by Bailey and guess what - the struts no longer support the bed! The new mattress is much heavier / firmer and deeper and there is
no way the struts can cope with the weight. That said, it's much more comfortable and obviously totally different in construction from the original.0 -
One of the points mentioned during the collection of my new VIP 575 March 2018, I too was informed by the after sales staff that the fixed bed does not hold in the open and up position and therefore the current gas struts are for assistance only (what rubbish) one other customer had the bed crash down on his wife's head, thankfully she wasn't seriously hurt, but a shock never the less...how many more customers have had similar accidents or near misses?
As the are no warning signs around the bed or H&S messages in the handbook, I believe Trading Standards is my next port of call.
0
