Good work guys. I did a modification to our 388. I took a hot knife and custom cut a memory foam mattress to fit the “RV” size. You simply cannot find good mattresses for RV’s, so I made my own! :)
Very cool & smart thinking! We have a 72x80 Mattress Insider mattress that we built the bed specifically for. The old master bedroom is now the bunk house for our boys, and like you, we cut up two latex mattresses to fit there :)
love what you did. I asked the RV repair folks to lower the bed way down so I don't have to use the ladder. they said they could not do it. So what bracket did you remove? and how many are there? I already removed the seats. Although the brackets to the seats are still in place. What do I need to do to make the bed go all the way down.
Hey brother! I watched your video so many times and I copied your design to a T! So thankful for this video! I was really wondering if you could explain or show how you ran the electrical for the string lights with the happy jack?
Awesome video and tutorial. We are about to do the same thing to the back of our toy hauler. Do you have an pictures or videos of the finally layout with mattress and side tables? Thanks
Hey Kelly, we plan to do an entire RV tour here in the next couple of weeks. We've finally got everything moved in and its a matter of tidying up prior to photos/videos! We'll make sure to go over the bed and master thoroughly!
@@pandlgr8adventures … any size would work, you just build the frame to the bed specs. We have a mattress insider RV King (72x80) that I built this frame too. Our nightstands I built are roughly 9” wide each! The wider you go, the less space you have for nightstands but depending on garage size, you should have no problem fitting a king/cal king!
@@McVeyMcFarm thank you! We’re going to do the RV King size, so 72x80! We will be doing this March 24th! We will keep you posted! This is going to make a huge difference! Glad I came across your video! Thanks again for answering me back!
So did you completely remove the the lower brackets where the bench was ? I want to do the same ,put a king bed on the top and place a desk platform on the lower brackets
We are looking to do something similar. Do you think that removing the cotter pin and replacing with the 7/16 bolt and washer will be too rigid during travel? I am curious of your opinion on if that little give was designed to relieve any pressure while the RV is moving? Have you had any issues with this design? This is a great video BTW and I have loved following you all on Instagram and Tik Tok, such great ideas for families.
Goooood question and it has me thinking. The queen(ish) bedframe originally on the top level of the Happijac system was built out of aluminum box tubing with a couple angle brackets running the length and a couple large sheets of 1/8" -1/4" plywood. If my memory serves me correctly, there really wasn't much play in the twist motion of the bed (clockwise/counter clockwise). The only motion was within the bolt housing itself. IMO, the use of slide through bolts with cotter pins is more of a function of allowing larger tolerances during the mass manufacturing process as opposed to not wanting the frame rigid. We built our frame without the need to clamp in or push out, so we didn't add or subtract any width. Again, that's just my opinion, but I will certainly update should we notice any issues! Thanks for the interesting question!
My understanding is that the bed should be stowed, when traveling, in the full-up position with the pins in the railings to lock the bed in that position. How do you secure this setup when traveling?
The pins and associated stopping hardware was removed. If you watch the video, I made small black brackets that attach the top portion (which is normally free floating when not locked) to the bottom portion (which normally has the couches). They are one at this point and travel all the way up and down. There is no locking to be had as the bottom portion (couches) can be stored anywhere along the channel run. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense and I can try and better clarify 👍🏼
@McVeycations No, I understand what you're saying. I did watch the video and just didn't see anything locking the weight of the bed in place while traveling. My concern, as I built a similar setup, is that the extra weight could stress the gears that turn the chains and possibly shear teeth. That would make for a large heavy build crashing to the floor while traveling. I may be overthinking it a bit but that could make for a disastrous travel day.
@@danielwalthers4986I gotcha. Yeah, at this point, after 10k miles towed and a full 12 months of travel and it hasn’t budged. I check bolts from time to time and I haven’t even needed to tighten. I am familiar with the chain/gearing as I lost a nut when bolting in the bracket and had to reattach. They’re relatively beefy and I trust the static/dynamic loads that Lippert advertises on the Happijac. We even attach a hanging 75lb kayak from the bed when traveling now and still no issues. YMMV but it’s also a CYA modification 😂 Good luck!
This was so close to working for me but didn’t because of a locking lever. Removing it to install the brackets forces it to stay in the up, locked position
Did you change the handles on the back screen doors or build the bed to clear them. I'm trying to modify the happi-jack bed to go all the way down, but it doesn't clear the handles on the back screen door.
Our handles only stick out about 1/2" or so and don't come close to hitting the bed rail. We did have to account for our 3 season door opening though, so when we came up with the drawings, we did so with the door folded open (like an accordian) to allow full movement with the bed.
We are looking to buy an rv and want to turn both the top and bottom happijac units into 4 separate twin beds. I have scoured the internet and can’t find much information on how to do this. What are your thoughts on doing this?
The bunks would need to either be support from the bottom (like the original happijac couches) or horizontally from side wall to side wall. If you ran supports from wall to wall, you'd still be able to individually have bunks that still moved up and down. If you went the bottom support route, not sure you'd still be able to put up :) Shouldn't be much of an issue and may be even an easier build than what we have done here!
Yup! It was $3.50 back when we bought them (bought 4 total) and cut them down to size. They now look to be about $6 or so. Here’s a link to Home Depot. We cut them, re-drilled them, painted them, then added felt for it to slide without scratching. Your friend has shared a link to a Home Depot product they think you would be interested in seeing. www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-3-5-8-in-x-11-in-x-2-in-Galvanized-Angle-A311/100375057
And yes, we removed the locking mechanisms. We have a headboard now and it doesn’t even get close to going all the way up therefore, we never have to worry about it getting locked in the fully up position!
Any updates after 5 months of use? The reason I'm asking is I think my wife and I probably weigh about 50 pounds more than you and your wife. Do you think setup this would hold up to heavier people?
Zero issues! Haven’t even needed to tighten up any of the bolts! As sturdy today as she was 6 months ago! With a 600lb static load rating, y’all should be good to go 👍🏼
This exactly what I needed. We have our first on the way and wanted to make the main bedroom into her nursery. Saved me from figuring it out myself.
Awesome! Best of luck!
Hey guys. Love what you did. We modified our 399 a bit but want to do more.. thanks for the inspiration! ☺️
Saw your video on TikTok and had to come watch your TH-cam video too!!! Awesome work!
Awesome! Thank you!
Love this. Can't wait to see it finished.
Thank you!!
Good job on the mod, and thanks for the vid. I've been searching for just this thing for our happijac. Best to ya!
Glad we could help! Let us know how it turns out!
Good work guys. I did a modification to our 388. I took a hot knife and custom cut a memory foam mattress to fit the “RV” size. You simply cannot find good mattresses for RV’s, so I made my own! :)
Very cool & smart thinking! We have a 72x80 Mattress Insider mattress that we built the bed specifically for. The old master bedroom is now the bunk house for our boys, and like you, we cut up two latex mattresses to fit there :)
Found y’all on Facebook. This is so cool. I am very inspired
Awesome! Thanks for following along!
Awesome idea. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing! We are in the process of building ours out now.
Good luck! Let us know if you have any questions!
love what you did. I asked the RV repair folks to lower the bed way down so I don't have to use the ladder. they said they could not do it. So what bracket did you remove? and how many are there? I already removed the seats. Although the brackets to the seats are still in place. What do I need to do to make the bed go all the way down.
Great diy video guys. Looks like it worked out really well for you. Thanks so much for sharing this. New friends here. KTKamping Kent and Tami
Thank you so much!
Very interesting 👍🏼
Hey brother! I watched your video so many times and I copied your design to a T! So thankful for this video! I was really wondering if you could explain or show how you ran the electrical for the string lights with the happy jack?
Awesome video and tutorial. We are about to do the same thing to the back of our toy hauler. Do you have an pictures or videos of the finally layout with mattress and side tables? Thanks
Hey Kelly, we plan to do an entire RV tour here in the next couple of weeks. We've finally got everything moved in and its a matter of tidying up prior to photos/videos! We'll make sure to go over the bed and master thoroughly!
Thank you so much. Can’t wait to see the final reveal.
Did y’all install a regular king mattress or RV mattress? We are wanting a regular mattress!
@@pandlgr8adventures … any size would work, you just build the frame to the bed specs. We have a mattress insider RV King (72x80) that I built this frame too. Our nightstands I built are roughly 9” wide each! The wider you go, the less space you have for nightstands but depending on garage size, you should have no problem fitting a king/cal king!
@@McVeyMcFarm thank you! We’re going to do the RV King size, so 72x80! We will be doing this March 24th! We will keep you posted! This is going to make a huge difference! Glad I came across your video! Thanks again for answering me back!
Thanks guys! I guess I got a new project to do!! Lol
So did you completely remove the the lower brackets where the bench was ?
I want to do the same ,put a king bed on the top and place a desk platform on the lower brackets
So can you stop the bed at any height and lay on it?
Yes, but we installed a desk and dresser, underneath, so we had to stop it above that. But if they weren’t there, it could go all the way down.
We are looking to do something similar. Do you think that removing the cotter pin and replacing with the 7/16 bolt and washer will be too rigid during travel? I am curious of your opinion on if that little give was designed to relieve any pressure while the RV is moving? Have you had any issues with this design? This is a great video BTW and I have loved following you all on Instagram and Tik Tok, such great ideas for families.
Goooood question and it has me thinking. The queen(ish) bedframe originally on the top level of the Happijac system was built out of aluminum box tubing with a couple angle brackets running the length and a couple large sheets of 1/8" -1/4" plywood. If my memory serves me correctly, there really wasn't much play in the twist motion of the bed (clockwise/counter clockwise). The only motion was within the bolt housing itself. IMO, the use of slide through bolts with cotter pins is more of a function of allowing larger tolerances during the mass manufacturing process as opposed to not wanting the frame rigid. We built our frame without the need to clamp in or push out, so we didn't add or subtract any width. Again, that's just my opinion, but I will certainly update should we notice any issues! Thanks for the interesting question!
My understanding is that the bed should be stowed, when traveling, in the full-up position with the pins in the railings to lock the bed in that position. How do you secure this setup when traveling?
The pins and associated stopping hardware was removed. If you watch the video, I made small black brackets that attach the top portion (which is normally free floating when not locked) to the bottom portion (which normally has the couches). They are one at this point and travel all the way up and down. There is no locking to be had as the bottom portion (couches) can be stored anywhere along the channel run. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense and I can try and better clarify 👍🏼
@McVeycations No, I understand what you're saying. I did watch the video and just didn't see anything locking the weight of the bed in place while traveling. My concern, as I built a similar setup, is that the extra weight could stress the gears that turn the chains and possibly shear teeth. That would make for a large heavy build crashing to the floor while traveling. I may be overthinking it a bit but that could make for a disastrous travel day.
@@danielwalthers4986I gotcha. Yeah, at this point, after 10k miles towed and a full 12 months of travel and it hasn’t budged. I check bolts from time to time and I haven’t even needed to tighten. I am familiar with the chain/gearing as I lost a nut when bolting in the bracket and had to reattach. They’re relatively beefy and I trust the static/dynamic loads that Lippert advertises on the Happijac. We even attach a hanging 75lb kayak from the bed when traveling now and still no issues. YMMV but it’s also a CYA modification 😂 Good luck!
Can you cut the happijac frame to make it shorter ?
Did you mean 5/16 for the thru bolts?
Pretty sure they were 7/16 if my memory serves me correctly 👍🏼
Where’s the finished product video? I plan to do something very similar. Anything you would’ve done different?
Hi Zach! We just posted a full tour of our renovated RV. You can see the finished bed and entire garage/bedroom conversion there.
This was so close to working for me but didn’t because of a locking lever. Removing it to install the brackets forces it to stay in the up, locked position
Ours had the locking lever as well. We just never go all the way up with it so it never locks in the fully up position 👍🏼
What are the tools and the stuff you used to make this bed conversion
I'll be putting together a blog post on tools/equipment/parts used to make this :) I'll link it when I do.
Did the patio doors come with your RV or was it an add on? I've been scouring the internet to find one for my older toy hauler.
Yes, they came with it.
Did you change the handles on the back screen doors or build the bed to clear them. I'm trying to modify the happi-jack bed to go all the way down, but it doesn't clear the handles on the back screen door.
Our handles only stick out about 1/2" or so and don't come close to hitting the bed rail. We did have to account for our 3 season door opening though, so when we came up with the drawings, we did so with the door folded open (like an accordian) to allow full movement with the bed.
We are looking to buy an rv and want to turn both the top and bottom happijac units into 4 separate twin beds. I have scoured the internet and can’t find much information on how to do this. What are your thoughts on doing this?
The bunks would need to either be support from the bottom (like the original happijac couches) or horizontally from side wall to side wall. If you ran supports from wall to wall, you'd still be able to individually have bunks that still moved up and down. If you went the bottom support route, not sure you'd still be able to put up :) Shouldn't be much of an issue and may be even an easier build than what we have done here!
You stated you found a $3.50 bracket at Home Depot to attach the two brackets. What exactly did you buy for that? Angle iron is expensive.
Also, did you remove the top “locking mechanism” that would lock the original queen mattress in the up position?
Yup! It was $3.50 back when we bought them (bought 4 total) and cut them down to size. They now look to be about $6 or so. Here’s a link to Home Depot. We cut them, re-drilled them, painted them, then added felt for it to slide without scratching. Your friend has shared a link to a Home Depot product they think you would be interested in seeing.
www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-3-5-8-in-x-11-in-x-2-in-Galvanized-Angle-A311/100375057
And yes, we removed the locking mechanisms. We have a headboard now and it doesn’t even get close to going all the way up therefore, we never have to worry about it getting locked in the fully up position!
Thanks, your video inspired my wife 🥴. So now I’m basically building the same thing haha.
@@mattmaderski8963 ha! Good luck! Check some of our early short reels on instagram for some completed pictures/vids and walkthrough’s!
Any updates after 5 months of use? The reason I'm asking is I think my wife and I probably weigh about 50 pounds more than you and your wife. Do you think setup this would hold up to heavier people?
Zero issues! Haven’t even needed to tighten up any of the bolts! As sturdy today as she was 6 months ago! With a 600lb static load rating, y’all should be good to go 👍🏼
hello! Somebody know if I can Buy the happijack sistem in europe. Im from spain and i didn't found it for buy available in Spain. Thank you so much
Maybe you can contact Lippert, the manufacturer.