Im not a real techy kinda guy..... but I'm curious why you couldn't have the lift wired so you just had 1 rocker switch to control the up/down? I think your system is one of the best that I've seen!!!! Great job!!!!
Thanks for watching! We wired it separately front/rear so that we could cheat and level the bed a bit if we weren't parked in flat ground. I imagine it could all be wired as one as long as you have the proper size wire and fuse for the draw.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestion. We've driven many bone rattling roads over the last 4.5 years (2 years plus per van) and about 100,000 miles. We haven't experienced any riv nuts loosening for us luckily but I like the idea of making things extra strong.
@@DrifterJourney I am curious if you considered doing just two tracks instead of four, I’ve seen other videos where they only have two, they have said it makes it rigid enough and don’t have to deal with getting all four perfectly parallel so they don’t buckle. Thoughts? Also curious if you know much about Hall Effect linear actuators that go in sync. Still cheaper than happijac/eurolift but still probably around $1k
We actually didn't think about using 2 tracks at all. I'd be curious to see those videos and the rigidity. As for the fancy actuators, we looked at them and decided to go with the cheap Amazon version. We had similar cheap lifts in our previous van and they lasted 2 years full time without giving us any troubles. We talked about upgrading but decided against it. The new lifts have a 12 inch stroke so we just zero them (up or down) if they get wonky over time. We also tested them ahead of time and put the 2 quicker ones together.
@@DrifterJourney th-cam.com/video/9nyhEgc4moA/w-d-xo.html and this one has the same but they aren’t mechanically synced and he has pivoting mounting brackets on the top of his actuators
Thank you for the kind words and also for watching! We were scared of the project and almost bailed on it but are sure glad that we didn't. It ended up being easier than expected and well worth it.
Good question....I guess there is a chance of something breaking but hopefully not 😉. As for the 2 switch setup, it allows for us to run the front and rear separately in order to level the bed a bit. We can tilt one end 4-6 inches higher than the other without tweaking the frame. It helps us sleep on uneven ground.
We're not planning on filming any additional content on the bed frame at this time. You can see the full build in our van tour here th-cam.com/video/j0YuMf4__Xg/w-d-xo.html . We are also available for a consultation if you'd like some help over the phone.
Great video, I love seeing other's ideas. I'm still in the process of building a linear actuator lift in my cargo trailer. I did not consider using 80/20 like youl disaster the track for the bed to move up/down.. I went with Unistrut for the track and 4 Unistrut dual wheel bearings that glide up and down inside the Unistrut. From their I'll attach the bed frame to the dual wheel bearings. Haven't built the bed frame yet, still debating on welded, 80/20 or wood.
@Ray Ward. Welded aluminum is nice if you're a TIG welder, about 30% lighter than 80/20 by using 1.5x1.5x .125 sq. Tube, likely save about 10-15 lbs in weight. I'm using 1.5 x 1.5 x .060 aluminum doubled, same weight, 25lbs for a 4x8 frame before adding 1/4" Swiss cheesed plywood platform. Linear actuators only on the headboard end for adjustable inclined sleeping.
Thanks for watching! I think you're talking about the universal channel cone nut. Google that and see if it's what you are looking for. Just make sure to get the correct size.
That was it. For the life of me, I could only find a but and bolt combo. Great build as well. I look forward to doing the same but with a twist! 😊 Thank You
Just figuring how to this in a Sprinter. How did you deal with the walls tapering? I understand you need the rails to hold the bed to the walls. So did you make the bed frame the smallest so it fits at the top and has bigger gaps at the bottom? Or does your bed frame expand and contract to fit the changing width of the van?
Thanks for watching! We used spacers at the bottom to keep the rails vertical. It might be a little harder on a Sprinter if the walls taper much more than the Promaster. Let us know how it goes.
“Thanks for great info. “These guys” that are round inside the track are called? They don’t look like the linear bearing u have listed? Wait is it in to pieces, I think I get it now.
I used two small (manufactured in Germany) garage door opener’s for my lift mechanism. Works well, had no issues thus far. The only downside is you need 120v.
Nope, we didn't film that part. The lift wiring consists of 2 rocker switches with the front actuators wires into one switch together and the back actuators are wired into the second switch together. You just need to make sure you buy a rocker switch that can handle your amperage
A bit embarrassed to ask a question others seem to know the answer to. What is the horizontal u channel bar for? The vertical makes total sense to me, the ..bracket slides along the vertical, but what does the horizontal do? This was really great to see. it made me feel like i have a good shot at doing this myself.
The horizontal is just for added support, something for the upper vertical structures to tie into other than one single point on the wall at the bottom (technically the black vertical rails tie into the horizontal unistrut, which disperses the load)
Hi, i am thinking, can I just use unistrut instead of 80-20 aluminum and linear bearings? Can this unistrut fitting move freely when it is not tight? (can I use it as unistrut linear bearing). Should be more cost effective and unistrut can then be full height. What do you think? I am probaly test this idea if I make bed lift.
Thanks for watching! The ones we used need pressure to stay in the unistrut track. I'm not sure if it would work as you're describing but I'm all about saving money. Let us know if you try and and figure out a good solution.
Thanks for watching! It is called automotive upholstery. We recommend getting samples before buying large amounts because there are many different quality levels.
First time viewer, nice and instructive video for the bed. At 9:59 the Promaster walls are bare (white metal), then "a few weeks later" at 10:01, they are nicely upholstered in a gray material. What is that material, and where to source? I think I have heard it pejoratively or humorously called 'rat fur'.
Thank you for watching - glad it is helpful for you! In the industry, it's called automotive material or felt. We bought the stretchier kind so that we could form it around the odd curves in the van. It's a nice, lightweight way to give the van a finished look.
Thanks for watching. We liked the option to cheat and level the bed a little of we weren't parked on a flat surface. We had about 4 inches of play front to back without having problems with the system.
Hi! I used your video to help install my lifting bed system! Wondering if the parallel strut is 100% necessary? I was thinking it would help when the vans not on level ground. Keeping the 4 poles from twisting too much? And that most of the time they wouldn’t be in use? Only reason. Is it would be easy for me to remove for my walls. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! That's a great question. You'd need to do some R&D or trial and error to see if it would work. We chose this method because it worked well in our first van.........so we didn't have to think much to get it working. 😉 We're looking forward to seeing some of your finished builds for clients.
I’ not understanding the purpose of the two long 55 inch metal u pieces.. won’t the bed frame stop where the sliding vertical piece stops at the bolt? Please explain as I am trying to figure it out, thanks! Also, do you have a video of it in action on that exact van?
Hi and thank you for watching! The bed will stop at the bottom of the actuator stroke which puts it slightly above the lower bolt that you are speaking of. As for the horizontal unistrut, it may be over engineered but our thought was that it would help disperse the weight from us and the bed across the length of the long piece with the vertical unistrut providing additional support. We will be putting out a follow up video in the near future that shows it all done up and fully in action.
Nice work. Thanks for the details and wearing safety glasses. I'm in the middle of my bed lift design as I type. FYI: They make "hall effect" linear actuators that CLAIM to run at the same speed but are considerably more money. They also can be operated by a single switch via a controller with memory presets.
@@DrifterJourney You're welcome. Thanks for putting the video up. Here's that product I was talking about. The 4 channel controller allowing one remote is also pretty attractive. th-cam.com/video/qZz21CJa5e0/w-d-xo.html
We had looked at a similar product when we were doing our research. These are awesome but we just couldn't convince ourselves to spend $700 plus for the lift over the $140 for the cheap amazon version. We had the cheap ones in our last rig for over 2 years and they worked pretty good so we're hoping for the same results this time. We do have to zero them out every once in a while though........and they are slow. 🐌 Maybe we'll splurge on van 3.0.
@@DrifterJourney Hey, if they work for you then why change?!? And it's more like a little over a $1,000 by the time you get everything. This is for my non-mechanical/non-electrical savvy customer's van so I can't send her out on the road with something she might have to fiddle with or could even self destruct if it they get far enough out of whack.
Oh yeah that makes perfect sense! We're always looking for a good enough solution without being too expensive. But good enough for us is definitely different than good enough for someone else!
Thanks for watching. It is made out of 80/20 aluminum. We bought full lengths, cut them to size, and then used corner connectors to screw it all together.
Hi Daniella! Thank you for watching. I'd say any of the high top full size vans (Promaster, Transit, or Sprinter) will have a pretty good amount of room once the bed is in. We've been full time in a Promaster since 2018 and find it to be plenty big for our needs.
Hi and thank you for watching! You are correct. We built an 80/20 bed frame that mounts to the custom brackets that we made (shown @12:25 in the video). Let us know if you have any other questions.
Really cool. I’m missing a little on the use of the cross U bar. Can you sleep on it in any position? The actuators could hold you but maybe not the brackets they’re connected on? Does it have to be down on the U bar? Thanks, it’s pretty sweet.
Thanks for watching! The unistrut is what the actuators are mounted to. We can sleep on the bed at any height. The actuators can hold our weight at any point throughout their range, but then they need something to secure them to the van walls, which is what the unistrut does.
@@DrifterJourney It seemed that the actuator was mounted to the vertical U which then connected to the 80/20 and pushed the bearing. I was missing how the long horizontal run of unistrut came into play? Tia.
@@DrifterJourney for strength or spacing to make the 80/20 a 90 degree run? Sorry for 20 questions, it’s a great set up and I was just wondering if the 80/20 could be bolted direct to the van rivnut. Promise I’m done after this.
No problem! I suppose you could rivnut the 80/20 directly to the wall of the van, but we figured that tying the 80/20 to the unistrut would spread the weight along the vertical rail. Also, because of the curve in the walls, you'll probably need spacers between the bottom of the 80/20 and the wall of the van in order to keep it vertical. The unistrut helps with that also.
Great job! Love the engineering! This is what I was looking for! From a t-shirt you were wearing and the juniper trees, looks like Bend! If so, I’m down the road in Sisters. Would love to see your build-out sometime. Not sure how that might work. I’m still at a crossroads right now. Between the Ford and the Promaster. Have eliminated the Sprinter, just cuz I’m going to be driving it across North America and I don’t want breakdowns 300 miles from the nearest MB dealer.
Thanks for watching! We did the build in Colorado, but have attended Descend on Bend and that's were the tshirt came from. We'll be thru there again for the event this year, keep an eye on our Instagram for our most current locations 🤙
Also - we did a couple test drives to decide between the ford and promaster and that sealed the deal for us. The Ford didnt handle as well and we didnt like the cab area.
Outstanding! I have given a lot of thought to a project just like this. I am trying to work out how to get each actuator to lift independently of each other. By doing this I hope to level the bed and not the vehicle. May require some expansive equipment and special circuit control design. Thanks for sharing this.
@@DrifterJourney What front/rear height difference can you get from this? From the video it seems like it's all bolted together at 90 degree angles and so levelling shouldn't be possible? Or do you somehow account for the rotation of the bed frame when only moving one pair of actuators?
Hi. Thanks for watching. I would assume creep would be kind of like sag over time? If so, we can happily say that they don't seem to move. Good to know about the speeds. Luckily they are pretty close that we won't play with that.
Haha haven't heard that yet! There are definitely other options out there, everyone has to find the one that works for their design and budget. For us, we like that this design is relatively inexpensive and can be customized to each person's bed size and design.
Why do the u-channel horizontally at all? Why not travel up with it? Or do just a very short section if something does actually need it to be that way so you are using less material? Just trying to figure this out. Thanks for any help!
Hi Erika. Thanks for watching. We're not engineers so we were just doing what made sense in our minds and worked on our previous van. Our thought was to distribute weight as much as possible......and the full length allowed for us to put the 80/20 verticals wherever we needed when we got to that part. Hope that helps!
@@DrifterJourney Thank you so much. I like to try to understand why things are done and the reasoning chosen. Especially since I've got a 2018 and am doing the same thing. Lots of information coming in hahaha. You are appreciated.
I like the details. Electrical details would have been nice. I really don't know about the design that doesn't synchronize all legs to move together...
If you have the budget, you can spend more to get them in sync. It doesn't end up being a big enough deal for us to justify it. We are working on a follow up video with electrical details (wiring diagram)
Great video. I had pretty much ruled out a bed lift mostly due to $$, but this has me thinking about it again. Question: how do you zero the actuators out at the bottom of the stroke; just continue to run them until they're all fully closed? Also, I'm assuming the only reason you use two switches is because the pairs of actuators move at different rates. Is there another reason that all 4 rams couldn't run off one switch? Thanks
Thanks for watching, glad it's helpful for you! Yes, you are right on how we zero the actuators - either run them all the way to the top ot bottom depending on what gear we have under the bed. Also, we like to have the front ones on a switch separate from the back so that we have a little ability to level the bed off if we are in an unlevel spot and don't want to get out the leveling blocks
cheers ! i really appreciate the information you presented in this video. having watched you guys do it, i'm now going to pursue it. best regards from b.c. canada.
Yes, when the bed is all the way down, the actuators are at their shortest length and just hold the bed at that position. There is no need to have anything else to hold the weight of the bed if you buy actuators strong enough- they can hold the weight at any height without issue.
How the bottom of the actuator attached to the u-channel? That round hardware in the u channel is moving up and down, right? How do you fix the actuator?
The round hardware in the U-channel stops moving up and down once you tighten something into it. The bottom of the actuator comes with a bracket that attaches to the actuator with a pin and then has a hole in it. You then use a bolt to attach that bracket to the round hardware in the U-channel. Hope that helps!
@@DrifterJourney I see. Thanks for the explanation. Your video is the best video I have ever seen for van lift bed. Did you put a link for the round hardware in the u channel? I didn’t see it. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! I would imagine that we could have done it that way but we like the front and rear to run separately so we can "cheat" a little to level the bed if we're not totally flat.
Hello and thank you for watching! The finished product can be seen in our van tour video. th-cam.com/video/j0YuMf4__Xg/w-d-xo.html It does not go all the way to the ceiling because we have cabinets on one side. I imagine it could be designed to though.
Thanks for watching! That depends. They auto stop when at their maximum and minimum stroke. Therefore they could if you figure out the exact locations you're shooting for and hope that they make one that will stop there. We wanted it to be able to go higher than our sleep height so we would have to stop them manually.
@@DrifterJourney But they travel at different speed as you have mentioned and you have no individual control of the actuators except for either the front or back, would it not experience some uneven heights or jam up the track?
@wilsont1010 you can buy more expensive Actuators and modules that will have them run at the same speed. These weren't far enough off that it ever caused a problem. We would just reset them to each other (max at top or bottom) if they got wonky over time.
Hey love this...very helpful...I am interested in the wall panels you have in this van (they look felted). We are going to insulate with wool and are at the point of needing to pick a material to side the ceiling and walls with...love the warmth and look of the panels here. Would love the name of this product and where to order it....thanks (we have a 2020 sprinter if that helps) Jen
Hey Jen, thank you for watching and for the comment! We used automotive upholstery that we purchased direct (in person) from a van conversion shop in CO. It is pretty pricey, but we ordered a few samples of other stuff online and hated the texture and quality of it. Unfortunately I don't know the maker of the fabric itself or if the shop even sells it normally. A friend of ours knew them well and made the connection.
Hi - new subscriber. Is it ok to ask why you picked the Promaster rather than Ford or Sprinter? I was thinking Sprinter and you guys have actually lived this as I am a newbie. Is your Promaster 4x4 or FWD
Hi James, thanks for subscribing!! Happy to answer any questions! We chose the Promaster because we didn't want to deal with diesel emissions and the long term mechanical costs of a diesel vehicle. We also knew we'd want to take it to Mexico and the diesel fuel quality can vary so much in other countries. So then we had to decide between the Ford vs. Promaster. We test drove both several times and just liked the way the promaster handled better. We also got a great deal on the first one (we're on van 2.0 now) and since we liked it so much, we bought promaster again for the 2nd van. It's only FWD, promaster doesn't come in a 4x4 version as far as I know!
very nice.. just curious about the speed those actuators have.. can't it work faster then this somehow? ;) i find it kind of slow... besides that it's really perfect!
It would be nice if they were faster, we agree with you on that for sure. The nature of actuators is that they are generally slow. They're meant for lifting heavy things in a controlled manner and when we researched them, even the more expensive ones are pretty slow.
@@DrifterJourney ok but there is not an option, to remove the safety or just boost the power that is sent or something? :D i dunno just thinking those things could be "hacked" or something to make it go faster somehow.
@@thesparkdomain aaahh, I see what you're getting at now! I am sure some engineer somewhere has figured out a way to make them race up and down, but we didn't have the time or skills to do that. Good idea though... it does seem like there could be a way. If you look into how they're made, it might be possible!
I'm planning to do something very similar, and have a question I was hoping you'd help me with! I'm thinking of just mounting the linear actuators to a fixed bed frame on four corners, with no side rails. The goal is to lift and raise the bed 12 inches (not for bikes underneath), and to use the actuators independently (to level the bed, when necessary). I am considering ball joints at the top of the actuator, so the bed frame can move in both directions without putting stress on the frame or the actuator. Does that make sense? Basically wondering if the rails are necessary or not. Thanks!
The rails are the only thing keeping the bed stable. In order for the bed to move up and down, you would need a gap between the walls and your bed platform. Without the rails, when lifting and lowering the bed, it would move back and forth in any direction. The linear actuators have a bit of play between the piston and the housing. They are not made to operate like a bottle jack that can stay locked in a position and hold weight. We're not experts and there may be a linear actuator that is capable of that, but our recommendation would be to use the rails for stability. Hope that helps!
I'm sure there is a way to do what you're imagining......just trying to wrap my mind around how it would work. The ball joint idea is good. We have ours wired in 2 (front together, rear together) so we can level a bit front to back. I would worry about the lifted actuators holding shifting weight if it was free floating. Let us know if you make it happen because we would love to see it.
Hello, Wondering if anyone has used alternate actuators seeing how the ones DJ recommended are out of stock. Ill try and come up with an answer on my own and let yall know what i find but if someone else has done that part id love to see what you came up with.
The link for the linear bearing is in the video description: 80/20 Inc. 6523, 15 Series, 4 Slot Mount Double Flange Short Standard Linear Bearing with Brake Holes www.amazon.com/dp/B006YVZ4AU/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_Y7E7WG1626GSWG55RGRK
@@carlmeyer7616 yes, that's correct - that's the series that works with the linear bearing. We only used that size for the vertical struts, the rest of the bed frame is made with regular 1.5 x 1.5 80/20 rail. Hope that helps!
Make sure to subscribe and comment. We have a video with a schematic of how we did it. Here you go. Hope it helps! As always, we are not professionals so do additional research if needed. th-cam.com/video/jcX4vKY_Tg4/w-d-xo.html
do you think it hides high enough?? We just started our build - th-cam.com/video/-uzKfkN-Ucs/w-d-xo.html - and were still trying to figure out our bed situation!
It goes up plenty high for us. It will go all the way to the cabinets. We really only need it high enough to fit the bikes in though. Thanks for watching and good luck on your build!
I'm not quite sure of your question but I'm guessing you're asking about the bed orientation? If so, we sleep front to back with our heads by the back doors. I'm too tall to try sleeping side to side and our bikes need the space under the bed regardless.
Awesome Guys! Was always curious how it was done! Look at you guys go! Also, that safety collar is amazing never knew about that.
Oh man, the safety collar is a must-have for building a van!! Thanks for watching guys! ✌
At times I forget about that.
You drill. You protect, your metal!
Thanks for watching! We definitely didn't want to drill speed holes in the van.
Thanks so much for this video! Really helped as I am in the design phase now.
You're welcome! Thank you for watching. Good luck with your build.
Thanks for this! Probably the best and most useful video on how to build a van bed lift! 👌🙌
We knew you'd be stoked to see it Per! We hope it helps others do it on their own too!
Smart video, well designed and clearly explained. I will definitely use your video making my own liftbed. Cheers.
Erik, the Netherlands
Thanks Erik, glad it's a good resource for you. Best of luck with your build!
Im not a real techy kinda guy..... but I'm curious why you couldn't have the lift wired so you just had 1 rocker switch to control the up/down? I think your system is one of the best that I've seen!!!! Great job!!!!
Thanks for watching! We wired it separately front/rear so that we could cheat and level the bed a bit if we weren't parked in flat ground. I imagine it could all be wired as one as long as you have the proper size wire and fuse for the draw.
Nice, thanks for taking the time to share.
Happy to help, thanks for watching!
GREEEEEAAAAT VIDEO. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! We appreciate you watching and leaving a comment.
I’ve been searching for how to do this!! So THANK YOU so much for this video.
Thanks for watching! We hope it helped. Thank you for the Super Thanks too! I think it was from you.
@@DrifterJourney It was from me... just a way to say thanks for sharing because it's truly helpful.
@@igoslomo thank you! We truly appreciate it.
Great video ,love it,might try it lol ,thanks for sharing ,big hugs from MN
Awesome, it's totally doable! Good luck with your build and thanks for watching!
I've never knew about the rivet nut tool. Looks like your doing everything first class.
Thank you! We definitely wanted a high quality and durable build 👍. The rivnut tool is a game changer!
Rivnuts are fantastic……..until they aren’t!
When they loosen the bolt can’t be removed or tightened. Dealt with them lots!
Good stuff. I would think about a shutoff or a light for stop. But that's just extra. I know I would need it.
That's not a bad idea. Safety first! Thanks again for watching.
Riv nuts will work loose with vibration. Using an epoxy could help a bit. Back them up with a few nuts all you can.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestion. We've driven many bone rattling roads over the last 4.5 years (2 years plus per van) and about 100,000 miles. We haven't experienced any riv nuts loosening for us luckily but I like the idea of making things extra strong.
Thanks for this resource, I know we will be back to this video as a reference many more times in our linear actuator journey for our vanbuild.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful and thank you for watching. Let us know if you have any questions along the way.
@@DrifterJourney I am curious if you considered doing just two tracks instead of four, I’ve seen other videos where they only have two, they have said it makes it rigid enough and don’t have to deal with getting all four perfectly parallel so they don’t buckle. Thoughts? Also curious if you know much about Hall Effect linear actuators that go in sync. Still cheaper than happijac/eurolift but still probably around $1k
We actually didn't think about using 2 tracks at all. I'd be curious to see those videos and the rigidity. As for the fancy actuators, we looked at them and decided to go with the cheap Amazon version. We had similar cheap lifts in our previous van and they lasted 2 years full time without giving us any troubles. We talked about upgrading but decided against it. The new lifts have a 12 inch stroke so we just zero them (up or down) if they get wonky over time. We also tested them ahead of time and put the 2 quicker ones together.
@@DrifterJourney th-cam.com/video/bD-UPjoJRBo/w-d-xo.html here’s a guy that did his with two 80/20 tracks and four actuators (Hall effect)
@@DrifterJourney th-cam.com/video/9nyhEgc4moA/w-d-xo.html and this one has the same but they aren’t mechanically synced and he has pivoting mounting brackets on the top of his actuators
You make this look so easy. Really impressive.
Thank you for the kind words and also for watching! We were scared of the project and almost bailed on it but are sure glad that we didn't. It ended up being easier than expected and well worth it.
@@DrifterJourney One question. Why not have everything run off one switch. Why two? Isn’t there a chance of it breaking?
Good question....I guess there is a chance of something breaking but hopefully not 😉. As for the 2 switch setup, it allows for us to run the front and rear separately in order to level the bed a bit. We can tilt one end 4-6 inches higher than the other without tweaking the frame. It helps us sleep on uneven ground.
Can you post an updated video? I’d like to see how it looks with the bed frame on there
We're not planning on filming any additional content on the bed frame at this time. You can see the full build in our van tour here th-cam.com/video/j0YuMf4__Xg/w-d-xo.html . We are also available for a consultation if you'd like some help over the phone.
Great video, I love seeing other's ideas. I'm still in the process of building a linear actuator lift in my cargo trailer. I did not consider using 80/20 like youl disaster the track for the bed to move up/down.. I went with Unistrut for the track and 4 Unistrut dual wheel bearings that glide up and down inside the Unistrut. From their I'll attach the bed frame to the dual wheel bearings. Haven't built the bed frame yet, still debating on welded, 80/20 or wood.
Nice, the unistrut sounds like it will be a great solution as well! Thank for watching and best of luck on your build!
@Ray Ward. Welded aluminum is nice if you're a TIG welder, about 30% lighter than 80/20 by using 1.5x1.5x .125 sq. Tube, likely save about 10-15 lbs in weight. I'm using 1.5 x 1.5 x .060 aluminum doubled, same weight, 25lbs for a 4x8 frame before adding 1/4" Swiss cheesed plywood platform. Linear actuators only on the headboard end for adjustable inclined sleeping.
Hi Ray! I like your idea! Do you have a TH-cam channel?
Any idea what the roller for mounting the lower actuator bolt on the U Channel is called?
Thanks for watching! I think you're talking about the universal channel cone nut. Google that and see if it's what you are looking for. Just make sure to get the correct size.
That was it. For the life of me, I could only find a but and bolt combo. Great build as well. I look forward to doing the same but with a twist! 😊
Thank You
No problem, glad we could help! Best of luck with the build and feel free to reach out with other questions.
Just figuring how to this in a Sprinter. How did you deal with the walls tapering? I understand you need the rails to hold the bed to the walls. So did you make the bed frame the smallest so it fits at the top and has bigger gaps at the bottom? Or does your bed frame expand and contract to fit the changing width of the van?
Thanks for watching! We used spacers at the bottom to keep the rails vertical. It might be a little harder on a Sprinter if the walls taper much more than the Promaster. Let us know how it goes.
“Thanks for great info. “These guys” that are round inside the track are called? They don’t look like the linear bearing u have listed? Wait is it in to pieces, I think I get it now.
Thanks for watching! The linear bearing is the piece that slides in the 80/20 but we custom made the piece that is mounted to it.
I used two small (manufactured in Germany) garage door opener’s for my lift mechanism. Works well, had no issues thus far. The only downside is you need 120v.
That's a good idea.
I love the way you upholstered the wall panels. Will you be posting any videos on that step as well?
Thanks! Yeah we do have a video of how we upholstered the wall panels, coming soon!
Awesome! Now to figure out how to straighten out the walls in a T!N Sprinter…..
That's one thing we loved about the Promaster! Good luck.
Do you know you can get a controller that you plug all the motors into and this will make them all operate at the same speed.
Yep, we've heard of those! It's a great option! Thanks for watching 👍
Do you have any videos done of wiring the lift panel?
Nope, we didn't film that part. The lift wiring consists of 2 rocker switches with the front actuators wires into one switch together and the back actuators are wired into the second switch together. You just need to make sure you buy a rocker switch that can handle your amperage
A bit embarrassed to ask a question others seem to know the answer to. What is the horizontal u channel bar for?
The vertical makes total sense to me, the ..bracket slides along the vertical, but what does the horizontal do?
This was really great to see. it made me feel like i have a good shot at doing this myself.
The horizontal is just for added support, something for the upper vertical structures to tie into other than one single point on the wall at the bottom (technically the black vertical rails tie into the horizontal unistrut, which disperses the load)
@@DrifterJourney Thanks alot for the comment response and clarifying it for me!
@@PresidentBust no problem at all! You can definitely do a diy bed lift! 👍😁
Great vid really simplified berthing tks
Thank you, glad it was helpful for you!
Hi, i am thinking, can I just use unistrut instead of 80-20 aluminum and linear bearings?
Can this unistrut fitting move freely when it is not tight? (can I use it as unistrut linear bearing). Should be more cost effective and unistrut can then be full height.
What do you think? I am probaly test this idea if I make bed lift.
Thanks for watching! The ones we used need pressure to stay in the unistrut track. I'm not sure if it would work as you're describing but I'm all about saving money. Let us know if you try and and figure out a good solution.
Good idea!! I will keep washing more video I subcribed!!
Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! We appreciate you!
Like the bed lift system; How do you lift the bed if you have power issues?
Great question and thank you for watching! It would not move without a power source so I guess we'd have to fix the root cause issue.
What is the material on the walls? Great information! I really appreciate it
Thanks for watching! It is called automotive upholstery. We recommend getting samples before buying large amounts because there are many different quality levels.
@@DrifterJourney I appreciate the info and recommendation!!
@@laurelanderson-rostami109 you're welcome. Good luck with your search.
First time viewer, nice and instructive video for the bed. At 9:59 the Promaster walls are bare (white metal), then "a few weeks later" at 10:01, they are nicely upholstered in a gray material. What is that material, and where to source? I think I have heard it pejoratively or humorously called 'rat fur'.
Thank you for watching - glad it is helpful for you! In the industry, it's called automotive material or felt. We bought the stretchier kind so that we could form it around the odd curves in the van. It's a nice, lightweight way to give the van a finished look.
I was wondering why you didn't wire all 4 actuators to one single switch.
Thanks for watching. We liked the option to cheat and level the bed a little of we weren't parked on a flat surface. We had about 4 inches of play front to back without having problems with the system.
Hi! I used your video to help install my lifting bed system! Wondering if the parallel strut is 100% necessary? I was thinking it would help when the vans not on level ground. Keeping the 4 poles from twisting too much? And that most of the time they wouldn’t be in use?
Only reason. Is it would be easy for me to remove for my walls. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! That's a great question. You'd need to do some R&D or trial and error to see if it would work. We chose this method because it worked well in our first van.........so we didn't have to think much to get it working. 😉 We're looking forward to seeing some of your finished builds for clients.
I’ not understanding the purpose of the two long 55 inch metal u pieces.. won’t the bed frame stop where the sliding vertical piece stops at the bolt? Please explain as I am trying to figure it out, thanks! Also, do you have a video of it in action on that exact van?
Hi and thank you for watching! The bed will stop at the bottom of the actuator stroke which puts it slightly above the lower bolt that you are speaking of. As for the horizontal unistrut, it may be over engineered but our thought was that it would help disperse the weight from us and the bed across the length of the long piece with the vertical unistrut providing additional support. We will be putting out a follow up video in the near future that shows it all done up and fully in action.
Sweet, can’t wait!
Nice work. Thanks for the details and wearing safety glasses. I'm in the middle of my bed lift design as I type. FYI: They make "hall effect" linear actuators that CLAIM to run at the same speed but are considerably more money. They also can be operated by a single switch via a controller with memory presets.
Thanks for watching! That's good to know about the hall effect actuators. It would be nice for all of them to run at the same speed.
@@DrifterJourney You're welcome. Thanks for putting the video up. Here's that product I was talking about. The 4 channel controller allowing one remote is also pretty attractive. th-cam.com/video/qZz21CJa5e0/w-d-xo.html
We had looked at a similar product when we were doing our research. These are awesome but we just couldn't convince ourselves to spend $700 plus for the lift over the $140 for the cheap amazon version. We had the cheap ones in our last rig for over 2 years and they worked pretty good so we're hoping for the same results this time. We do have to zero them out every once in a while though........and they are slow. 🐌 Maybe we'll splurge on van 3.0.
@@DrifterJourney Hey, if they work for you then why change?!? And it's more like a little over a $1,000 by the time you get everything. This is for my non-mechanical/non-electrical savvy customer's van so I can't send her out on the road with something she might have to fiddle with or could even self destruct if it they get far enough out of whack.
Oh yeah that makes perfect sense! We're always looking for a good enough solution without being too expensive. But good enough for us is definitely different than good enough for someone else!
Hey, I'm wondering what and how you made your actual bed frame? Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching. It is made out of 80/20 aluminum. We bought full lengths, cut them to size, and then used corner connectors to screw it all together.
Hi I have a question,
What van do you recommend so that you still have space in the rest of the van once you put the bed in
Hi Daniella! Thank you for watching. I'd say any of the high top full size vans (Promaster, Transit, or Sprinter) will have a pretty good amount of room once the bed is in. We've been full time in a Promaster since 2018 and find it to be plenty big for our needs.
What is the distance between the walls? Basically 80/20 to 80/20 across the van.
Hi and thank you for watching! You are correct. We built an 80/20 bed frame that mounts to the custom brackets that we made (shown @12:25 in the video). Let us know if you have any other questions.
Really cool. I’m missing a little on the use of the cross U bar. Can you sleep on it in any position? The actuators could hold you but maybe not the brackets they’re connected on? Does it have to be down on the U bar? Thanks, it’s pretty sweet.
Thanks for watching! The unistrut is what the actuators are mounted to. We can sleep on the bed at any height. The actuators can hold our weight at any point throughout their range, but then they need something to secure them to the van walls, which is what the unistrut does.
@@DrifterJourney It seemed that the actuator was mounted to the vertical U which then connected to the 80/20 and pushed the bearing. I was missing how the long horizontal run of unistrut came into play?
Tia.
Gotchya! The bottom bolt for the vertical 80/20 aluminum is attached to the horizontal unistrut.
@@DrifterJourney for strength or spacing to make the 80/20 a 90 degree run?
Sorry for 20 questions, it’s a great set up and I was just wondering if the 80/20 could be bolted direct to the van rivnut.
Promise I’m done after this.
No problem! I suppose you could rivnut the 80/20 directly to the wall of the van, but we figured that tying the 80/20 to the unistrut would spread the weight along the vertical rail. Also, because of the curve in the walls, you'll probably need spacers between the bottom of the 80/20 and the wall of the van in order to keep it vertical. The unistrut helps with that also.
Great job! Love the engineering!
This is what I was looking for!
From a t-shirt you were wearing and the juniper trees, looks like Bend!
If so, I’m down the road in Sisters. Would love to see your build-out sometime. Not sure how that might work.
I’m still at a crossroads right now. Between the Ford and the Promaster. Have eliminated the Sprinter, just cuz I’m going to be driving it across North America and I don’t want breakdowns 300 miles from the nearest MB dealer.
Thanks for watching! We did the build in Colorado, but have attended Descend on Bend and that's were the tshirt came from. We'll be thru there again for the event this year, keep an eye on our Instagram for our most current locations 🤙
Also - we did a couple test drives to decide between the ford and promaster and that sealed the deal for us. The Ford didnt handle as well and we didnt like the cab area.
Outstanding! I have given a lot of thought to a project just like this. I am trying to work out how to get each actuator to lift independently of each other. By doing this I hope to level the bed and not the vehicle. May require some expansive equipment and special circuit control design. Thanks for sharing this.
You could wire them individually so that you could level. We ran the front 2 on a switch and the rear 2 on a separate switch for that exact reason.
@@DrifterJourney What front/rear height difference can you get from this? From the video it seems like it's all bolted together at 90 degree angles and so levelling shouldn't be possible? Or do you somehow account for the rotation of the bed frame when only moving one pair of actuators?
Good job 👍
Thank you! We were quite proud of this accomplishment!
What are the brackets above the wheel well on the vertical frame beams? Where can one get them? Thanks!
We had to make custom brackets that attach the linear actuator to the linear bearing and the bed frame. It is angle steel that we welded.
2 things: 1 - watch for cylinder creep and 2 - cylinder speeds are controlled by preventing the LP side from venting too quickly
Hi. Thanks for watching. I would assume creep would be kind of like sag over time? If so, we can happily say that they don't seem to move. Good to know about the speeds. Luckily they are pretty close that we won't play with that.
Yep, won't bore you with the calcs, but it's a force/area thing, where the pressure sort of relaxes. Cheers from Wales.
@@dexstewart2450 thanks for the info!
Not sure this is the best van lift bed conversion. But did anybody tell you that you look like Bono from U2 with those safety glasses on?
Haha haven't heard that yet! There are definitely other options out there, everyone has to find the one that works for their design and budget. For us, we like that this design is relatively inexpensive and can be customized to each person's bed size and design.
Why do the u-channel horizontally at all? Why not travel up with it? Or do just a very short section if something does actually need it to be that way so you are using less material? Just trying to figure this out. Thanks for any help!
Hi Erika. Thanks for watching. We're not engineers so we were just doing what made sense in our minds and worked on our previous van. Our thought was to distribute weight as much as possible......and the full length allowed for us to put the 80/20 verticals wherever we needed when we got to that part. Hope that helps!
@@DrifterJourney Thank you so much. I like to try to understand why things are done and the reasoning chosen. Especially since I've got a 2018 and am doing the same thing. Lots of information coming in hahaha. You are appreciated.
Happy to help and good luck with your build!
I like the details.
Electrical details would have been nice.
I really don't know about the design that doesn't synchronize all legs to move together...
If you have the budget, you can spend more to get them in sync. It doesn't end up being a big enough deal for us to justify it. We are working on a follow up video with electrical details (wiring diagram)
Great video. I had pretty much ruled out a bed lift mostly due to $$, but this has me thinking about it again. Question: how do you zero the actuators out at the bottom of the stroke; just continue to run them until they're all fully closed? Also, I'm assuming the only reason you use two switches is because the pairs of actuators move at different rates. Is there another reason that all 4 rams couldn't run off one switch? Thanks
Thanks for watching, glad it's helpful for you! Yes, you are right on how we zero the actuators - either run them all the way to the top ot bottom depending on what gear we have under the bed. Also, we like to have the front ones on a switch separate from the back so that we have a little ability to level the bed off if we are in an unlevel spot and don't want to get out the leveling blocks
@@DrifterJourney Makes perfect sense. Hadn't thought of that. Thanks
For sure! It's super helpful when we're feeling lazy 🤣
cheers ! i really appreciate the information you presented in this video. having watched you guys do it, i'm now going to pursue it. best regards from b.c. canada.
Thanks for watching Doug, glad it's helpful for you! Best of luck on the build!
Wow this is great info/video🙌
Thank for watching!
So when the bed is down does it just sit on top of the actuators?
Yes, when the bed is all the way down, the actuators are at their shortest length and just hold the bed at that position. There is no need to have anything else to hold the weight of the bed if you buy actuators strong enough- they can hold the weight at any height without issue.
How the bottom of the actuator attached to the u-channel? That round hardware in the u channel is moving up and down, right? How do you fix the actuator?
The round hardware in the U-channel stops moving up and down once you tighten something into it. The bottom of the actuator comes with a bracket that attaches to the actuator with a pin and then has a hole in it. You then use a bolt to attach that bracket to the round hardware in the U-channel. Hope that helps!
@@DrifterJourney I see. Thanks for the explanation. Your video is the best video I have ever seen for van lift bed. Did you put a link for the round hardware in the u channel? I didn’t see it. Thanks!
I couldn't find a link for it online, we got it at Lowes when we bought the U-channel. For some reason they didn't have it on the website.🤷♀️
Can’t you control all 4 actuator same time with one switch?
Thanks for watching! I would imagine that we could have done it that way but we like the front and rear to run separately so we can "cheat" a little to level the bed if we're not totally flat.
Does the bed lift all the way to the roof of the van?
Hello and thank you for watching! The finished product can be seen in our van tour video. th-cam.com/video/j0YuMf4__Xg/w-d-xo.html It does not go all the way to the ceiling because we have cabinets on one side. I imagine it could be designed to though.
Do the actuators auto stop when they have reached the predetermined height?
Thanks for watching! That depends. They auto stop when at their maximum and minimum stroke. Therefore they could if you figure out the exact locations you're shooting for and hope that they make one that will stop there. We wanted it to be able to go higher than our sleep height so we would have to stop them manually.
@@DrifterJourney But they travel at different speed as you have mentioned and you have no individual control of the actuators except for either the front or back, would it not experience some uneven heights or jam up the track?
@wilsont1010 you can buy more expensive Actuators and modules that will have them run at the same speed. These weren't far enough off that it ever caused a problem. We would just reset them to each other (max at top or bottom) if they got wonky over time.
Hey love this...very helpful...I am interested in the wall panels you have in this van (they look felted). We are going to insulate with wool and are at the point of needing to pick a material to side the ceiling and walls with...love the warmth and look of the panels here. Would love the name of this product and where to order it....thanks (we have a 2020 sprinter if that helps) Jen
Hey Jen, thank you for watching and for the comment! We used automotive upholstery that we purchased direct (in person) from a van conversion shop in CO. It is pretty pricey, but we ordered a few samples of other stuff online and hated the texture and quality of it. Unfortunately I don't know the maker of the fabric itself or if the shop even sells it normally. A friend of ours knew them well and made the connection.
Hi - new subscriber. Is it ok to ask why you picked the Promaster rather than Ford or Sprinter? I was thinking Sprinter and you guys have actually lived this as I am a newbie. Is your Promaster 4x4 or FWD
Hi James, thanks for subscribing!! Happy to answer any questions! We chose the Promaster because we didn't want to deal with diesel emissions and the long term mechanical costs of a diesel vehicle. We also knew we'd want to take it to Mexico and the diesel fuel quality can vary so much in other countries. So then we had to decide between the Ford vs. Promaster. We test drove both several times and just liked the way the promaster handled better. We also got a great deal on the first one (we're on van 2.0 now) and since we liked it so much, we bought promaster again for the 2nd van. It's only FWD, promaster doesn't come in a 4x4 version as far as I know!
very nice.. just curious about the speed those actuators have.. can't it work faster then this somehow? ;) i find it kind of slow... besides that it's really perfect!
It would be nice if they were faster, we agree with you on that for sure. The nature of actuators is that they are generally slow. They're meant for lifting heavy things in a controlled manner and when we researched them, even the more expensive ones are pretty slow.
@@DrifterJourney ok but there is not an option, to remove the safety or just boost the power that is sent or something?
:D i dunno just thinking those things could be "hacked" or something to make it go faster somehow.
@@thesparkdomain aaahh, I see what you're getting at now! I am sure some engineer somewhere has figured out a way to make them race up and down, but we didn't have the time or skills to do that. Good idea though... it does seem like there could be a way. If you look into how they're made, it might be possible!
Is there anyway to lower the noisy sound of the bed lift?
More expensive actuators may be less noisy, but we've never been willing to spend the money to find out.
I'm planning to do something very similar, and have a question I was hoping you'd help me with! I'm thinking of just mounting the linear actuators to a fixed bed frame on four corners, with no side rails. The goal is to lift and raise the bed 12 inches (not for bikes underneath), and to use the actuators independently (to level the bed, when necessary). I am considering ball joints at the top of the actuator, so the bed frame can move in both directions without putting stress on the frame or the actuator. Does that make sense? Basically wondering if the rails are necessary or not. Thanks!
The rails are the only thing keeping the bed stable. In order for the bed to move up and down, you would need a gap between the walls and your bed platform. Without the rails, when lifting and lowering the bed, it would move back and forth in any direction. The linear actuators have a bit of play between the piston and the housing. They are not made to operate like a bottle jack that can stay locked in a position and hold weight. We're not experts and there may be a linear actuator that is capable of that, but our recommendation would be to use the rails for stability. Hope that helps!
@@DrifterJourney thanks for the reply! I'll keep brainstorming
I'm sure there is a way to do what you're imagining......just trying to wrap my mind around how it would work. The ball joint idea is good. We have ours wired in 2 (front together, rear together) so we can level a bit front to back. I would worry about the lifted actuators holding shifting weight if it was free floating. Let us know if you make it happen because we would love to see it.
Hello, Wondering if anyone has used alternate actuators seeing how the ones DJ recommended are out of stock. Ill try and come up with an answer on my own and let yall know what i find but if someone else has done that part id love to see what you came up with.
or maybe ill just get the ones that are two inches longer but otherwise the same
That's probably a good idea. We had 24" inch in the last van.....just didn't need that much so we went a smaller this time.
Let us know what you find out.
Can you adjust the level to sleep waterpass? Or does it need to be all the way down for sleeping
We can sleep on the bed at any level, it will hold our weight no matter what height it's at.
@@DrifterJourney I meant bars at different height to level the bed, sorry I'm dutch🤣
No problem! So did I answer your question?
The front 2 lifts and back 2 lifts are on different switches. We are able to level it front to rear about 4inches or so without twisting the frame.
Heck I'll settle with a crank pulley for the bed.
That works too! There's a lot of options out there 👍
Awesome
Thank you! We're pretty happy with how it works. The versatility was well worth the effort.
Cool thanks.
Thanks for watching! Hopefully it's helpful for you!
Not sure why you open and close the rivnut tool so much? You only have to close it once, else you can break the rivnut.
Interesting, we were just following the directions that it came with, so maybe it works differently than ones you've used? Thanks for watching!
Thanks!!
You're welcome! Thank you for watching.
What strut size and linear bearing granger has 3 pages..lol
The link for the linear bearing is in the video description: 80/20 Inc. 6523, 15 Series, 4 Slot Mount Double Flange Short Standard Linear Bearing with Brake Holes www.amazon.com/dp/B006YVZ4AU/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_Y7E7WG1626GSWG55RGRK
@@DrifterJourney thank you so much...i was on phone with granger with 3 people and they had no clue what iwanted lol.
@@DrifterJourney so its 15 series 1.5 inch by 3 inch extrusion
@@carlmeyer7616 yes, that's correct - that's the series that works with the linear bearing. We only used that size for the vertical struts, the rest of the bed frame is made with regular 1.5 x 1.5 80/20 rail. Hope that helps!
Thank you
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and let us know if we can do more to help!
The most complicated part for me you did not recorded..
Sad Bc it’s start as good video 💁🏽♂️
Thanks for watching! What part are you having a hard time with? I might be able to help still.
@@DrifterJourney all the part of the installation of the electricity of the bed.
How to connect to it the buttons I’m learning with no experience..
🤓
Make sure to subscribe and comment. We have a video with a schematic of how we did it. Here you go. Hope it helps! As always, we are not professionals so do additional research if needed.
th-cam.com/video/jcX4vKY_Tg4/w-d-xo.html
awesome 👍
Thanks for watching!
do you think it hides high enough?? We just started our build - th-cam.com/video/-uzKfkN-Ucs/w-d-xo.html - and were still trying to figure out our bed situation!
It goes up plenty high for us. It will go all the way to the cabinets. We really only need it high enough to fit the bikes in though. Thanks for watching and good luck on your build!
Good core strength
Haha for sure! Thanks for watching!
How tall are you guys?
I'm about 6'2" and Jess is cruising around 5'5".
what is the size your bed？
Big! It's a King that we trimmed to fit. In the end, it's still bigger than a Queen.
@@DrifterJourney is it on the direction of the driveway? or vertical to the driveway?
I'm not quite sure of your question but I'm guessing you're asking about the bed orientation? If so, we sleep front to back with our heads by the back doors. I'm too tall to try sleeping side to side and our bikes need the space under the bed regardless.
@@DrifterJourney that's very helpful, thank you!
@@Ryan-yx4ib you're welcome!
Fyi
I used HUNDREDS of rivnuts
Who doesn't like a good rivnut solution? Thanks for watching!
it'll be morning before that bed is all the way down
It's not the fastest but we have all the time in the world. Thanks for watching!
What? I do don’t see the bed move? Do it again :-)
We're going to be making another video about it soon with it fully done. I'll make sure to have it go extra far this time.
@@DrifterJourney 💕💕💕
Thanks for watching!
Look like he helper lol lol I
Thanks for watching!