motorized king bed (you saw the idea here first!)

[JimmyM]

The second thought I have is make sure its something you can manually override. If your out in the middle of nowhere and it fails to deploy how do you deploy yourself so you can camp or even pack up and go home?

Finally you would likely want to use two fairly precise stepper style motors and a gear track of some sort to move it in/out. Stepper so you can keep each side coming out in sync because as we all know if its not coming out mostly straight it just jams up.

For each side of a slideout, the Scwinntek tracks are driven by a single motor driving 2 gears on a common shaft. There's a controller to keep them synchronized side to side. Each gearmotor has an encoder that the controller reads.

What the OP is proposing will only require a single "side" of a Schwinntek system and the 2 slides will be mechanically coupled. No electronic synchronization would be required.

An electronic "fuse" would be nice to have. The Schwinntek does have a manual override procedure.

 

[Katskamper]

yes. one motor, one axel (center sq tube) with 2 gears for the 2 tracks.
simple in my head & on paper

 

[Katskamper]

I like it.

I'm also wondering if this could also be done with some kind of winch that is hand operated. (Of course you'd need to use the unbroken arm...)

As far as supporting the bed on the way out, I'm guessing they're built not to really need much of that, we just like to be overprotective and not overstress the parts so we support.

However, I think you'll run into problems hooking up the support bars, because there you have to do some lifting, no matter how you pulled the bed out of the slides...

winch was thought of, but where to run cable, place said winch. would need cable center mounted. and winch.
hand crank with straps like in rv beds, also considered.

 

[1380ken]

This seems like a bad idea. I always tell my kids , don't force anything on the pop up. The beds should slide in and out without needing any great force. Motors and winches is crazy talk.
If your beds are working as they should and it is still too difficult, it is time to move away from a popup camper and into an TT.

 

[Katskamper]

Everyone sing along…

I fought the bed and​

The bed won​

I fought the bed and​

The bed won​

Cool idea. I hope it works for you.

 

[Katskamper]

This seems like a bad idea. I always tell my kids , don't force anything on the pop up. The beds should slide in and out without needing any great force. Motors and winches is crazy talk.
If your beds are working as they should and it is still too difficult, it is time to move away from a popup camper and into an TT.

it is not working as it should because i cant pull it evenly by myself.
i love the space in this pup, it fits in my garage & costs less to haul.
plus ive put a LOT of upgrades in it!
not ready to give up.

 

[Molly Hofrichter]

I love this idea. I don't think I'd spend the money unless I had a need, but it sounds like it's worth it for you for sure. I'm curious how it turns out!

 

[Katskamper]

I love this idea. I don't think I'd spend the money unless I had a need, but it sounds like it's worth it for you for sure. I'm curious how it turns out!

if the mfg will sell me custom tracks, i can do this!

 

[Katskamper]

just heard from lippert. they are not going to sell after market.

they will find out im persistent. they directed me to check local rv places.
who do you think told me to write you? argh.

ok, so who is lipperts competitor?

who makes flat mountable gear tracks 6 ft long? like this:
looking online, not seeing anything close to this or what i need.
cussing

 

[MichelleRowell]

winch was thought of, but where to run cable, place said winch. would need cable center mounted. and winch.
hand crank with straps like in rv beds, also considered.

Just a couple of thoughts, though I have no idea how they would work...

I have in my brain the long-handled manual awning extenders... Somehow attach a circular cable (or chain) to the bottom of the inner edge of the bunk, and put the crank mechanism on the outside of the camper center just below where the bed comes out. Crank the handle one direction to pull it out, crank it the other direction to pull it in. (Might need a pulley to eliminate drag along the edge.)

Or attach some kind of gear-tooth piece as you have pictured above to the bottom of the bunk, and have the turning apparatus just outside and under the bunk (in which case you'd have to pull it out far enough to engage the gear. I could imagine a long-handled crank for that if it's manual.

If you put such a system inside, it would have to be motorized, and you'd probably lose a few inches of pull-out space, but you wouldn't have to pull it out to engage or push it in after disengaging.

 

[generok]

I'll refer you to this thread from a bit ago, same subject.

https://www.popupportal.com/threads/engineering-a-power-slide-out-on-bunk-end.89406/#post-885408

 

[JimmyM]

Try these guys
Vroom Systems
https://vroomslidesystems.com/

 

[Katskamper]

I'll refer you to this thread from a bit ago, same subject.

https://www.popupportal.com/threads/engineering-a-power-slide-out-on-bunk-end.89406/#post-885408

ok engineer!
i like the garage door idea.

my 1956 house has the original flat onepiece solid wood garage door. heavy, but tx weather proof. sears opener has the spiral shaft.
would a slideout motor work with drive shaft?

can you tell me the NAMES of the parts i need to construct the motorized bed. ?
amz or etrailer might have in stock, but whatsit called?
dont know search terms.

i see the straight can motor has shaft in middle that turns.
what connects to it ? a square tube with pins that go diagonal corners?

plan b involves straps or winch cables that wind around the tube.

maybe a winch is what i need?

 

[Katskamper]

look at this new idea. much easier construction!
wide seatbelt straps
metal winder rachet.
the crankshaft between so one motor moves both straps
dual shaft motor


help me source the parts!
things i think might build this:

 

[Katskamper]

Try these guys
Vroom Systems
https://vroomslidesystems.com/

they said no as well. i tried.

 

[Canvas Cur]

An experience today with our New (to us) Jayco had me thinking about your situation. The camper was facing somewhat downhill in the front on a sloped driveway. We were closing it up for our maiden trip voyage home. I was tucking in the canvas and the queen bed in front kept wanting to slide down while I was working with it. Could you lower your PUP down in the front to make it easier to pull OUT the bed...then before you put it away to head out, could you tilt the front UP to make it easier to slide the big bed back in? Just a thought.

 

[JimmyM]

Your double strap idea looks good until you build it. I mentor a FIRST robotics team and we built something similar. At the limits of travel one strap is trying to pull in faster than the other can let out due to the changine diameter of the wound up strap. You'd have to compensate with extra strap that leaves extra slack. In our application the extra slack was unacceptable.

 

[JimmyM]

they said no as well. i tried.

Boo

 

[Katskamper]

An experience today with our New (to us) Jayco had me thinking about your situation. The camper was facing somewhat downhill in the front on a sloped driveway. We were closing it up for our maiden trip voyage home. I was tucking in the canvas and the queen bed in front kept wanting to slide down while I was working with it. Could you lower your PUP down in the front to make it easier to pull OUT the bed...then before you put it away to head out, could you tilt the front UP to make it easier to slide the big bed back in? Just a thought.

hmmmm. will try that. gravity beat me up, so let me try making him work.

 

[Katskamper]

Your double strap idea looks good until you build it. I mentor a FIRST robotics team and we built something similar. At the limits of travel one strap is trying to pull in faster than the other can let out due to the changine diameter of the wound up strap. You'd have to compensate with extra strap that leaves extra slack. In our application the extra slack was unacceptable.

thank you! . good to know.
slack can be built in. the pulling side will have the tension..how much slack? an inch?

is one 4" strap enough to pull a 70x80" bed deck? 2 seems sturdier. need longer turn bar & more ratchets.

now, can you PLEASE help me identify or source the spindle/shaft/turnbar (whatever the part is called) that would connect motor to winch cranks?

im a graphics instructor...robotics was not even available when i attended college! im late to the party.

also think right angle metal needs to be added at pull end, so the metal is taking the pull stress, not just the strap attached to frame.
?