Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks: Screwing into cross braces to make a hideaway bunk

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Screwing into cross braces to make a hideaway bunk

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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13747
Printed Date: 22 Jun 2025 at 6:22pm
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Topic: Screwing into cross braces to make a hideaway bunk

Posted By: Oldskool
Subject: Screwing into cross braces to make a hideaway bunk
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2020 at 11:46pm

Hi All
We just bought our first Rpod 2 weeks ago. It’s a 2011 177. Last weekend was the first trip and it was awesome. However with 3 little ones we want to add a single bunk above the dinette that’s folds away (upwards). The basic design will copy what was in our Trillium 4500 which had a plywood strip mounted to the wall. Attached to that strip I would mount a long piano hinge to the plywood base of the bunk. There will be two aluminum commercial grade legs for support that collapse down.When we want to use the dinette we will fold it upwards towards the ceiling.

Based on the research I’ve done, it appears that the cross braces at the front are wood not aluminum ? I’ve used a stud finder and located one at around 30 inches above the seats of the dinette which would work for this application.

My questions are if anyone else has screwed into these wood cross braces and what type and length of screws they’ve used? I also want to make sure that the Cross braces are strong enough for this application.

Thanks again, I look forward to your thoughts! Once I get rolling I will certainly post pictures of this project for anyone else.
Gerhardt

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Happy Camping,
G (Oldskool)

Replies:

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2020 at 6:47am

Look at this construction video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXNYA73rCNE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXNYA73rCNE

There isn't much there to tie into, and the whole wall is only an inch thick so you're talking about 1 inch screws max. And, as these are just light horizontal stringers they don't have any capacity to take vertical loads.

Personally, I wouldn't try to do what you're proposing, there really needs to be reinforcement to hold something heavy, and its not there. How about carrying the load across to the side walls and tieing into them instead? Or bringing vertical framing down on either side inside the side walls to carry the loads to the floor? You can still piano hinge the bunk to the front wall and raise it, just don't try to take the weight there.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Woodmiester
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2020 at 10:29am

I certainly agree with offgrid on this! You have nothing there that will support any weight at all. If you need extra bunk space, you might want to consider installing a jackknife couch in place of your dinette......just a thought.

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Swampfox

Posted By: Oldskool
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2020 at 11:56am

Thanks to you both. That was also my concern so you’ve confirmed that. My initial plan was to use four foldable table legs and then the hinge and plywood strip are only holding up the weight of the sheet when the dinette is in use. That way the weight and pressure from bunk use are all on the four legs. Thoughts?

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Happy Camping,
G (Oldskool)

Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2020 at 2:17pm

The thin wooden stringers in the walls and ceiling are not designed to support that kind of load. It would make more sense to use the dinette as a bed at night for the little ones, the way it was intended.

You might want to modify the way the table operates to make it easier or faster to setup and take down.

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r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2020 at 4:06pm

Check out the dinette modification in my mods for one way to make the dinette bed easier to use.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2020 at 6:09am

As a guess, I wouldn't want to put more than 20-25 lbs of weight on one of those cross braces, they look like they are probably 1x2 inch strips tops.

One rule of thumb is that an RV is subject to bump loads of around 2 G's, so double the strength of anything you hang or mount relative to what you'd feel was OK to do in a house. So if you can design your bunk to weigh say 20 lbs you're putting as much as 40 lbs on that stringer when you hit a good bump.

Some folks think of an RV as a moving earthquake but that actually understates it. You have to have a really strong earthquake to get ground accelerations in the 2 G range.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold