Bed fliipped over almost lost son

I have been getting 2007 TM 2619 travel ready. I put a memory foam on the rear double bed where my son was to sleep. I had him come outside and try it out. He is a very big guy 6' 2" (270 lbs). I had forgotten to latch the single latch that attaches to bathroom and when he got in the bed and laid down the bed flipped down and he almost fell out.

I know it is supposed to be latched, but is that the only thing preventing the bed from flipping over? I can understand it sliding but I did not think it should flip over. Is this the way they are made, or could there be a problem with mine?

At least the front one has two latches, but I still thought the latches kept it from sliding into the unit, not flipping over.♦♠♠

[mcgyver210]

Hm we have forgotten the latch before & never flipped out.

[Wavery]

The only way that I could imagine that happening is if the arms (that support the underneath of the bed) are out of the slot and didn't pull out, when the bed pulled out.

You can see the arms in this pic. When you pull the bed out, those support arms should pull out with it. If those support arms are in place, I can't see that it is possible for the bed platform to flip.

I haven't examined how it tilts when the latch is not secured on our 2720, but it is designed to be an emergency escape route. I have forgotten to latch it also, with the same results. Don't know whether I like the feature or not...

An unlatched bed is considered an emergency exit. I have owned two TMs and both will flip you out if too much weight is placed beyond the stabilizing bed arms under the bed floor. Came close to a full gainer one late night after a long day and forgetting the latch.

[ZekenSpider]

Originally Posted by modhatter

I have been getting 2007 TM 2619 travel ready. I put a memory foam on the rear double bed where my son was to sleep. I had him come outside and try it out. He is a very big guy 6' 2" (270 lbs). I had forgotten to latch the single latch that attaches to bathroom and when he got in the bed and laid down the bed flipped down and he almost fell out.

I know it is supposed to be latched, but is that the only thing preventing the bed from flipping over? I can understand it sliding but I did not think it should flip over. Is this the way they are made, or could there be a problem with mine?

At least the front one has two latches, but I still thought the latches kept it from sliding into the unit, not flipping over.♦♠♠

I have read of this happening several times over the years I have been a member but could never quite understand how it could occur. I recall one instance where a woman was completely dumped to the ground.

I am certainly glad there were no serious injuries in your son's case. I hope it is not inappropriate if I ask some questions.

It is clear from what MisterP and Scott O wrote that this may be fairly common. The 2619 is the only recent model that has no storage compartment under the rear bed. I have a 3326 with such a compartment so have believed that would prevent the front edge from dropping too far. I have also assumed the bed support arms would prevent the front edge from dropping more than a few inches.

I know that my rear bed will tilt up to the rear if I fail to latch the single bathroom latch and put all my 170# on the rear one foot of bed. I have believed the trailer sides would prevent it from sliding sideways. Now I wonder about several things.

Which way did your bed tip? Was it to the rear, lifting up the front or did it drop down in front so your son rolled against the trailer box? Did it move sideways in any way? Was your son laying flat when it happened or scooting around to get in a more comfortable position?

I can imagine that a load on the bed could push down on the support arms hard enough that the bed could slide out rearward or sideways under the bottom edge of the rear top section. We already know it will tip rearward if the weight is mostly placed near the rear edge.

I suppose it is also possible the front and rear roof section support arms (8 of them) may have been adjusted too long, raising the top section edges high enough that the extra weight was enough to allow the bed to pass under the edge. Those support arms can be adjusted as much as 2 inches vertically.

The single front latch does seem inadequate under the circumstances.

I hope my curiosity is not offensive. I want to see if I can learn from your unhappy experience.

Thanks,

Jerry

P. S. Wayne's comment is important also. It is possible that one or both bed support arms did not deploy. We assume they automatically come out with the bed, but a missing bolt can cause a support to remain against the rear box. Do you know for certain that both supports were out and what position did you find them in after the bed tipped?

[B_and_D]

I'm thinking it's, maybe, all about the amount of weight that you place on the very rear (or very front) of the beds. A few years ago someone else said that the same thing happend to them. So I kind of did my own myth busters thing on each bed of our 2720. I unlatched the front latches and jumped up and down on the very front of the front bed. Nothing happend, I didn't get it to tilt at all. I don't weigh any where near what your son does, but I'm not exactly petite, either. I unlatched the rear latch and jumped up and down on the very rear of the rear bed. Nothing happened, no tilt, nothing.

This has only been reported twice on this board, since 2003, as far as I know.

Are you sure that your support arms were fully secured?

[ShrimpBurrito]

I've removed the bed on a few occasions before, and have gotten a good look at how it is supported. There is only 1 bed on our slideout model, but I presume the front bed on the other models operates similarly. The shells provide no bed support - the bed simply brushes up against the seals on the shells, but that's it. The bed is entirely supported by the 2 support arms and the 2 side tracks in the box under the bed.

I also did the same experiment as B_and_D after reading about a report here of someone falling out of the bed a year or two ago. The rear bed was unlatched from the bathroom, the bed was fully extended (it has to be or the bathroom wall won't fully rise), and the support arms were engaged in their slots under the bed and fully extended.

I'm about 230 lbs. I first carefully slid towards the rear edge of the bed, taking caution since I didn't want to be explaining the situation to an ER doc. Nothing happened. Then I carefully laid out as far back on the bed as I could -- again, nothing happened. Then I lifted my butt up a bit, while laying down, and plopped it down -- not real hard, perhaps similar to plopping down in a couch. The rear of the bed dipped downward, and I quickly lunged towards the bathroom to avoid falling.

So it can happen, I have no doubt. But from this limited experience, it would seem you have to try to make it happen. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen by accident, however, so I would be sure that latch is latched, and both the latch and catch are securely mounted.

I don't know if it's possible, but this potential problem could be virtually eliminated if the existing bed supports extended under the bed further. The contact points between the support arms and bed act as a pivot point, so the risk of this happening decreases as those pivot points are moved further towards the outward edge of the bed.

Dave

A year ago we had a similiar experience. I hadn't latched the rear bed and my daughter-in-law was on her hands and knees tucking in the sheets when it toppled a few inches. After that she would not trust it and slept on the dining bunk.

[ZekenSpider]

Originally Posted by Tom-417

A year ago we had a similiar experience. I hadn't latched the rear bed and my daughter-in-law was on her hands and knees tucking in the sheets when it toppled a few inches. After that she would not trust it and slept on the dining bunk.

Tom-417;

Not to intrude, but could you please elaborate on what "toppled a few inches" means?

Did it fall to the rear, to the front or to the side. Did it stay there or bounce back? Were the support arms still in the correct position?

Thanks for the reply.

Jerry