Newbie question about bunks

[mettam]

Last weekend we went camping one night for the very first time in our new camper. Having never slept in a pop-up before, I wasn't expecting to be bounced around quite so much in the bunk. Every time my husband rolled over I felt like I was sleeping on the end of a diving board (we were sleeping across the trailer, with him closest to the inside since he weighs more than I do). I don't think I got more than 2 hours at a time of sleep that night.

Did we miss something in the set-up? The bunk supports were in place and the stabilizers were down.  Maybe they weren't cranked down enough? We were sleeping at the opposite end to the hitch - would sleeping at the hitch end be less bouncy?  I saw another thread about trailers moving and it mentioned chocking the wheels - we didn't do that, I'm guessing that would help some? Or do I just have to get used to getting bounced into the air everytime he moves!?

I've already found the answers to several other questions that came up (like that when you over-crank down, you can fix it by over-cranking up), but I've not seen this one mentioned.

Thanks,

Lisa

[ronerjones]

Good question I too experience to movement in our camper. I have 2 kids so we use both ends, durrung the night when someone rolls over the camper does shake just a little bit. It seems to bother my wife more than me but there is definately a shimmy. If anyone has a reidy for this I would greatly appreciat it.

I have considered a vertical stabolizer right onder the center of the bunk. Has anyone else tried something like this.

[austinado16]

Does your camper have a bigger bunk out over the tongue that uses 2 different sets of supports?  Or are both your bunks the same size with the same supports?

We've got a queen size over the tongue and can sleep with our heads at the inside of the bunk and feet down at the end of the bunk.  It's pretty stable that way, but there is a small amount of movement in the camper if somebody moves.

I'm new to this too, so maybe others have some suggestions.  I put some decent force down on the stabilizers, and the tongue jack is down and supporting the camper as well.  A BAL leveler is supporting one wheel to level off side-to-side, and I chock the other wheel.

Oh, you might also look to see if your bunk supports are bent downward when installed. Mine were and I've carefully straightened them back out.  That's got the big bunk sitting more level.

[cb]

A BAL leveler has made a tremendous difference for us.  We also chock the other wheel.  I can always tell when DH has added a bottle jack under the frame near the door.  Until we did all this, I was ready to give up trying to sleep in the PU.  Neither of us weighs over 150 lbs., but the wiggle and jiggle was driving me nuts!!  Don't give up yet!!

[AustinBoston]

There are a number of things that contribute to stability, but some small movement is inevitable.

First, you really need to chock the wheels.  In their natural state, the wheels roll, and they will gladly rock back and forth, even with the stabilizers down.  Besides, more than one newbie has found their pop-up shifing more than they bargained for when they set up on an uneven site without chocking the wheels.

I use plastic chocks that I put in place with a few taps from a dead-blow hammer (similar to a mallet).  Using a BAL leveler on one side is just as stable.

Second, do not over-tighten the stabilizers.  They should be snug, but that's it.  If you go farther, then they start lifting the trailer, and besides being bad for stabilizer and trailer frame, they actually are less stable when bearing too much weight.  I can't explain this, but I know it from experience.

Third, the bunk over the tongue jack is more stable.  The tongue jack (when compared to the stabilizers) is strong, and ends up directly under the front bunk.

Fourth (this one is a bit expensive to change) longer trailers and heavier trailers are more stable.

PJay and I sleep on the tail end of our camper (away from the tongue).  Movement has never been an issue with us, unless the wind was blowing really hard.

Austin

[wavery]

We have king bunks on both ends of our PU. If we sleep in the rear bunk, we notice the movement. If we sleep in the bunk over the tongue, we don't notice the movement.  :sombraro:

[ScouterMom]

Another option might be to get any extra layer of foam for your bunk, or a layer of memory foam or even an air mattress.  

If hubby is tossing and turning, or you are, maybe you need more support, then you won't toss and turn so much; therefore. less bouncing.

Also, if the weight is very uneven - two heavy adults at one end and two grade-school age kids on the other - or no one - your might try eveninghte weight - like a see-saw.  Put your coolers and water jugs on the end of the camper opposite your bed.  it can help stabilize and balance the weight.

I have an old (35 yrs old) camper - even with my old camper, and my BF & I are both 'large' people, we don't have too much 'bounce' if we sleep over the tongue.  I do plan to extend our current 'double' bunk over the rear, INTO the box of the camper to make it a queen - then we will probably sleep heads in and feet out, or possibly head out - but that should make it a little more stable, too. We've tried out both bed ends, and while the back is a little more 'bouncy', It's not that much more bouncy than the front (tongue) end.

If any of the above doesn't help enough, you can always sleep over the tongue, and add some support poles between the tongue and the front bunk.

laura

[robpoe]

Until I found out that it was bad to do, my buddy and I worked a system out for putting the camper on automotive style jack stands.  Lift the camper slightly, so the wheels are on the ground and bearing a LITTLE weight, and support the camper on the stands.  This was NOT in the corners, but probably a foot off of the axle on both sides.  Then the stabilizers went down and were snugged up.  Solid as a rock, it was.

But then everyone here said not to lift the camper by it's frame (which, the way we were doing it -- is only slightly worse than the axle - as we were pretty much putting the weight on the part of the frame that holds the axle...

The door never had problems in that configuration..

We sleep 3 adults, and 3 kids when we're camping, in a 94 Jayco.  (1 queen, me and my son, one full - best friend and his wife, table bed, his two young kids).

I get the queen since I own the trailer

When we did that it was stable enough that I was not awakened by .. uuh .. horizontal movement from the other (non tongue) side of the camper.. (of course, it's now a subject of great mirth, as I joke about "don't worry if you see a flash of light from my camera in the dark)..

[PattieAM]

I use a tongue chock in addition to the wheel chocks, and have found that if I use my rubber mallet to chock the wheels snugly, there is much less movement than if I do not snug them.  I have sandpads on my stabilizers, and in soft ground I also use square pads under the sandpads.  I have very little movement in my Fleetwood Niagara.  For some reason I prefer to sleep on the tongue end, with my guests sleeping on the rear bunk.  I have had some bounce, with rear bunk usage, but have found that my stabilizers were undercranked.

[CC777]

We have the BAL leveler which made a huge difference in the stability of our Palomino and we now use it on the Hemlock.  We experience a little bit of movement but I don't notice it unless I'm already awake.

[webbmom]

Is weight that big of a deal.  We are pretty new.  Just got back from 3 nights out which brings us to 5 nights in our popup.  It is new to us 1997 coleman.  My DH ans I are both pushing 220+  We sleep over the hitch he sleeps closer to the center of the camper.  We have two children one sleeps on the other bunk and one on the table area.  They might be a combined 110.  We have no manual as the camper was used, so I appreciate all the help I can get.

Thanks

[tlhdoc]

BAL makes a light weight trailer leveler and a wheel chock for single axel trailers.  I don't use the BAL wheel chock, but I have friends that do.  They say there is almost NO wiggle when using the BAL leveler and wheel chock.

[AustinBoston]

Is weight that big of a deal.  We are pretty new.  Just got back from 3 nights out which brings us to 5 nights in our popup.  It is new to us 1997 coleman.  My DH ans I are both pushing 220+

At that weight, you aren't even half way to the weight limit on most Coleman bunks.  We have a 2000 Coleman/Fleetwood Bayside, and the marketing brocure shows a Coleman Taos (at that time their lightest trailer at 1,000 lbs) on a bunk end.

We have no manual as the camper was used, so I appreciate all the help I can get.

You many be able to get a manual here:
http://www.fleetwoodcampingtrailers.com/contactus.aspx

Austin

[mettam]

We slept the same way in the same bunk last weekend, still no chucking under the wheels (however, those are on my to-buy list before the next trip), with almost no bouncing noticed. The difference? First time the other bunk contained two kids who together don't make up 100 lbs soaking wet; this time two adult grandparents were in the other bunk. Of course, that doesn't help much for the future (since normally we won't be taking g-parents camping with us), but it does indicate that we were getting a see-saw effect.

My husband is not gonna go for sleeping on the opposite end from me to balance out the weight as one person suggested, so hopefully chucking the wheels and sleeping over the hitch (we have king-size bunks on each end) will stabilize things well enough.

Of course I still had trouble sleeping the first night... but that was because the wind off the ocean was making the tenting and the awning very noisy!

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[flyfisherman]

Chocking the wheels first thing is always a good idea ... there's stories around here of popups suddenly rolling away from their owners when becoming un-hitched!

You did'nt mention if you have sabilizers on all four corners or just for the rear.

In my case I have them for all four corners; and it took some time, a few trips out, to get the hang of my camper so that it sat kinda solid like, with no "wiggles" when someone moved inside the camper. Also learned that just setting up and having everything stable that this condition does not last. Maybe the camper settles some and has to be "snugged" up after a couple of days, or, especially after a good rain. I put some 5" square plywood squares under my B.A.L. crank down stabilizers to help with this settling business, but settle a little more it will inspite of the "pads".


Fly