Finding Pop Up Camper Bed Supports (DIY vs Jayco vs Viking)
You want to sleep comfortably all night. You have the blankets, the right mattress, and pillows. But when you get into bed, you find that it may be sagging. Not because you are overweight but because the bed support has worn out. There is more to sleeping in a pop-up camper than the right bedding supplies.
Finding new bed supports should not be too hard. There is a dealer in old pop-up camper parts at this link. They may have what you are looking for if you own an older pop-up camper. They cover many brand names.
To learn more about pop-up camper bed supports or how to make your own, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know to get your bed back in shape and ready to support you and your mate.
Camper Bed Supports 101
How Much Weight Can a Pop-up Camper Bed Support?
This will depend on the size of the bed and camper you decide to purchase. Some will only hold as little as 600 pounds while others can hold between 2x and 8x that amount.
The average weight would be around 2000 pounds but you should check your owner’s manual to see if the weight capacity is listed there. if you go too heavy you will be looking for new bed supports to hold any additional weight.
Then, the age of the camper will determine how much weight you can put on your bed. The older pre-2000 models hold a lot less weight than the newer post-2000 models. The difference can be as much as 500 pounds between the maximum pre-2000 and the minimum post-2000 models.
There are modifications you can do to your camper’s bed to hold the extra weight. Those tricks are good to know as even your dog can tip the scales the wrong way and have your bed bending in the wrong spots. All they have to do is jump up and lie down with you and you are over the weight limit.
Extra Support For Pop Up Camper Beds
Even the supports in beds rated to hold 1200 pounds can break or bend. Sometimes all it takes is 450 pounds and the stress on the supports is too much. This has happened and Jayco seems slow to fix the damage.
Your alternative is to go fix it yourself and add in extra support. Not everything coming from RV and camper makers will be top-quality and these companies do look for the cheapest parts possible.
That means that you end up looking for something to help you hold your bed up so you can sleep at night. Some people have turned to electrical conduits to help support their beds.
Others are looking at 2 by 6s and 2 by 4s as those pieces of wood can be quite strong. if your bed does collapse, the problem may be that the camper makers took out 2 of the support bars for the rear bed.
There used to be 4 and the removal of those 2 supports seems to make all the difference. Check your bed and if you only 2 supports then you should be looking for extra support material.
DIY Pop Up Camper Bed Supports
One idea is to get some 3/4 inch conduit and bend that to fit the length of your bed. Once installed you should not have a problem with support. Another DIY option would be to cut some rebar that is thin enough diameter-wise to fit inside your tubing.
Once inside the tubing the rebar should be strong enough to hold your bed up and give the support bars some relief. When it comes to wood and 2 by 4s, there are two designs you can consider.
The first is for the bunk over the tongue. All you would need is to cut the 2 by 4s to the right lengths and then turn them into a T shape. The wood support would go down to the tongue and would not need to be adjustable.
The rear bunk would need the 2 by 4s turned into a letter H for the best support. You would have to drill some holes in a couple of the pieces to make them adjustable. About an inch part would do and the wood legs would need to reach the ground.
When you do that, you will need a couple of pieces of plywood about 2 by 3 feet by 3/4of an inch to keep the 2 by 4s from sinking into the ground.
Starcraft Pop Up Camper Bed Supports
We linked to one place where you can find parts for your older Starcraft camper. Another place to look would be at this link. They deal in Starcraft parts and may be able to help you with your search.
The company we linked to earlier has Starcraft parts for those campers 1995 and older and between the years of 2000 and 2008. Or you can contact the company that made or makes this camper and see what parts they have available or if they have alternatives you can use.
Or you can contact e-trailer and see what parts they have in stock. They seem knowledgeable and may be able to fit one of their newer supports to your older camper.
Finally, you may be relegated to junk or wrecking yards. These places salvage good parts off of whatever comes into their yard. They may have some available at the right price. When you get desperate or have run out of options, these locations are always a good place to look.
Viking Pop Up Camper Bed Supports
The first link we gave you in this article will have some Viking camper parts. Their supply starts with the Viking/Coachman units from 1995 and older. Then they go to just Viking between the years of 1995 to 2012 and then 2018 to the present.
They may be a good source of information as well as parts for your older pop-up camper. You can also try this link to see what is available. Older parts will be subject to availability and your timing may be such that the stock is sold out by the time you get there.
Then there is this link. It deals in Viking pop-up camper parts and it may be a good source to check out. Also, check your local dealers to see what they may have in stock. because Coachman and Viking seem to be still in business you need to check them out and see if they still have or make parts for those older campers.
Jayco Pop Up Camper Bed Supports
The same links we have already given you in the previous sections will work for Jayco campers. Those companies deal in all sorts of brands and models when it comes to the older pop-up models.
Also, you can try e-trailer again but they may not be as great a source as these other options. Plus, you can try the different Jayco, Viking, and Starcraft forums for leads on where to find parts.
The members at these sites are usually very friendly and helpful. Jayco should have parts for the new pop-up camper models they are building so if your camper is new, that is an excellent source for parts.
Some people have mentioned Camping World but the availability of parts at that outlet is not known especially if you are looking for older ones. But they can give you good advice or find you a compatible replacement if possible.
How Do You Replace a Bed Rail on a Pop-up Camper?
Fleetwood made the Coleman pop-up camper for many years and Coleman does carry parts for those models. Their website is at this link. In fact that link will take you right to the bed rails spare parts page and you have a few options to try.
On some Coleman models, you will need a Phillips head 90-degree angle screwdriver with ratcheting mode to remove the 2 screws on each rail. Just remove the screws and replace them with a new rail and then re-insert the screws.
Or you remove the pins found on the rails near the roof supports. You would have to support the end of your bed with a table or something similar. Then take a draft pin and push those holding pins out.
once those holding pins are out you slide out the rails and reverse your actions when putting new ones in.
Some Final Words
Older pop-up campers will be a difficult model to find spare parts for. Sometimes it is best to make your own. You can get a lot of good ideas and advice from the many different RV/camper forums that dot the internet landscape. many of those owners have done the work themselves and can guide you through it.
