Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill
Hmmmm. There must be different contruction methods used here - or maybe the front bed is different from the rear. I've owned two 2720SLs, and I removed the latch on both of them. I can lift the forward edge of the bed up, but there is no way that any of it can move down. For one thing, the bed supports slide out directly under the bed, so even if it would move, it couldn't drop by more than an inch before coming to rest on the supports. And no one is going to fall out through a one-inch gap.
I have always been under impression that the little red latch is to prevent someone outside from lifting the bed, not to keep it from dropping. But my TM is in the driveway, and I'll be working on it tomorrow. I'll see if I can spot any way to make it drop.
Bill
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OK, I examined my TM in detail today. There is NO WAY that any part of the bed can fall down or be forced down, latch or no latch, no matter where the force is applied. The front edge of the bed rests on a solid shelf about a foot wide (this is actually the top of the under-bed storage area). The rear end of the bed is supported by, and tethered to, the slide-out bed supports. Ain't no way anything is going down here!
As I mentioned in my post above, if the latch is not engaged, the forward edge of the bed can be lifted. This is the emergency exit, so if it is not latched, unauthorized entry could be a concern. But if the latch is engaged inside, it would prevent lifting the bed.
In my TM, at least, anyone can lie down anywhere on the bed with no fear of it dumping you out, latch or no latch. It just can't happen.
This describes my 2720SL, which has only a rear bed. Other models with a front bed might find a different situation up there. Anyone?
[Edit] Chap, you're right. When you lift the front edge of the bed, the back edge does tilt down, the tips of the support bars being the fulcrum. However, the tips are so close to the rear edge that it would require an enormous amount of force to pull it down. I can hang from the pull-out handle, which is at the extreme rear edge of the bed, and it doesn't move. And I am no lightweight! So I am quite confident that I could lie on the rear edge of the bed, centered in that 12-inch span you mentioned, and nothing would happen. And I've done just that!
Bill