wieght limits on beds?

[treephiz]

We have recently purchased a 1995 palamino filly.  My wife wants to take her brother and kids out with us but I am worried about his wieght (about 450 lbs) out on the bunk ends.  Can anyone tell me what the wieght limits usually are.  I have checked the plywood and they seem to be in good shape so I am not worried about this variable.  Thank you in advance.

[flyfisherman]

We have recently purchased a 1995 palamino filly.  My wife wants to take her brother and kids out with us but I am worried about his wieght (about 450 lbs) out on the bunk ends.  Can anyone tell me what the wieght limits usually are.  I have checked the plywood and they seem to be in good shape so I am not worried about this variable.  Thank you in advance.

Have no idea what the Pal is rated for but I've seen it posted here that in general PU bunk ends can handle 1,000 lbs ~ In the case of my Starcraft the sales literature says it can handle 1,150 lbs. I should think just the 450 lbs you would be o.k.

I've noted that when I stay at a site for the better part of a week that I usually have to go around and re-adjust the stabilizers. It's as if everything settles in after the first night or two ... and I think that might be the case with a lot of weight on a bunk end. You'll know when that kind of weight rolls over in the night and how the PU "wiggles"!



Fly

[mike4947]

Double width (48") are normally rated for 700-750 pounds. Queens (over 48 to 56") run from 800-1000 pounds. Kings (anything over 56") run 1000 to 1200 pounds.
 
Back in the late 90's Fleetwood had an ad where they had the front canvas off the bunk end of a low box Niagara and had one of the Taos 8 foot campers (apx 1400 pounds) setting on the bunk.

[rccs]

I have a Coleman brochure around here somewhere that shows about 8 or 10 people standing on the bunk end, maybe more. It seems to me that they also had a picture of one set up with one of their smallest popups setting on the bunk end. I don't think you would have to worry to much about 450 pounds.

[perterra]

I want to say our Palomino is rated at 650#

[tlhdoc]

I don't think you need to worry.  Do you have your owners manual?  It should be in it.  If not you can contact Palomino and they could tell you.  I have had 3 teenage boys sleep and wrestle around in a bunk end and no problem.

[dthurk]

I think the weight may not be the issue here anymore. More importantly at this point, make sure you have the stabilizers down before anyone gets into the rear bunk, or you will be in for some very interesting times and a bit of embarrassment at the campground.  At the very least, you'll make some of your neighbors smile.  Some might even take a photograph.

[fleagalbaum]

Maybe my trailer is getting weaker but the seam on my bunk end is very fragile, it is  only stapled together.  when I lay on top of it,(240lbs) it bends way down and almost separates.    Has anyone ever had to repair the seam between the plywood pieces?

[AustinBoston]

Maybe my trailer is getting weaker but the seam on my bunk end is very fragile, it is  only stapled together.  when I lay on top of it,(240lbs) it bends way down and almost separates.    Has anyone ever had to repair the seam between the plywood pieces?

Hmmm...sounds almost like it might already be a repair.  IIRC, our queen bunk ends are made from a single piece, so there is no seam.

Austin

[spicyville1]

Yeah, that does not sound right. I would take the plywood out and put in a solid piece.

[fleagalbaum]

Yeah, that does not sound right. I would take the plywood out and put in a solid piece.

not sure if one piece is big enough, it is a king bunk end.  where do you get pieces that big?  4X10 is the largest I have seen.

[Big_fry]

I have a 1999 Palomino Filly and have not had problems with the plywood itself but with the beds putting too much pressure on the "box".  With less than 300 pounds in the beds, part of the back wall of the box failed (during the middle of the night!) and I had to repair with reinforcement.  Since then I have added a "mod" of a stabilized support that goes under each bunk and then to the ground, which takes the pressure off the bunk pulling against the box walls.

With people in the bunks you can go outside to see if the bunks are "pulling" against the aluminum trim that is fastened around the top of the box itself.  For some reason the plywood rests very close to this trim and may press against this trim and the box itself.

Big Fry

[treephiz]

big fry thank you for the heads up.  Im going to open ours up this week and check that issue out.  Are there any other things you have found that I might keep an eye out for?  By the way,  I love this sight!

[McCampers]

Maybe my trailer is getting weaker but the seam on my bunk end is very fragile, it is  only stapled together.  when I lay on top of it,(240lbs) it bends way down and almost separates.    Has anyone ever had to repair the seam between the plywood pieces?

I have not, but you could use Duct Tape on both sides of the seam and that should help.  If you need more, you should use some flat metal banding material with small carriage bolts nuts down.  I would use loctite on the threads aswell so they don't come undone.

[dthurk]

Sounds like you need a larger than normal sheet of plywood.  Replacing what you have with a solid sheet seems to be the best answer to me.  That's the way it was originally built, anyway.  Someone's got to make them, the camper manufacturers get them.  Would probably cost an arm and a leg to order a replacement through the dealer.  Most likely that's why the repair was done the way you have it.  Start with Lowes or Home Depot.  Home Depot has a huge commercial section.  You might try them first.